Maori MPs

Parliament's people

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  Today there are 120 MPs in New Zealand's Parliament, which is a far cry from the 37 who met for the first time in Auckland in 1854.

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• Page 3 – Māori MPs

  Leaders of Māori society have represented their people in the House, including Māui Pōmare, James Carroll, Matiu Rata and, most famously, Apirana Ngata.

Māori and the vote

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  Between April and June 1868 the first four Māori MPs were elected to New Zealand's Parliament. Despite ongoing debate, the Māori seats remain a distinctive feature of this country's electoral landscape almost 150 years later.

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• Page 2 – Setting up the Māori seats

  Early Māori representation in New Zealand elections.

• Page 3 – Change in the 20th century

  The fall and rise of Māori seats in the 20th century.

Māori War Effort Organisation

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  The Maori War Effort Organisation was formed during the Second World War to assist with recruitment for the forces and war-related service.

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• Page 3 – Difficult times

  When the Maori War Effort Organisation was established, the government had estimated that it would have a six-month life at a cost of £7,000. In 1943 Paikea asked that

• Page 4 – An uneasy compromise

  Minister of Native Affairs Rex Mason, wanting to curb the Maori War Effort Organisation's expansion or entrenchment, in 1944 initiated moves to introduce to the Native

Parliament Buildings

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  Parliament buildings have been modified, destroyed by fire, half-built and restored; the parliamentary places and spaces have formed an important part of New Zealand's history.

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• Page 4 - Current buildingsParliament Buildings are made up of the Edwardian neo-classical Parliament House and the Beehive – its name inspired by a brand of

Parliament's culture and traditions

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  Explore Parliament's rich history and its colourful culture and traditions.

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• Page 6 - Parliament in te reoTe reo (the Māori language) came into Parliament with the first Māori MPs, elected in

The road to MMP

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  In 1993 New Zealanders voted to replace their traditional first past the post (FPP) voting system with mixed member proportional representation (MMP). Eighteen years on, as Kiwis voted in a new electoral referendum, we explore how and why that dramatic reform came about.

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• Page 5 - 1996 and beyond - the road to MMPThe three years following the 1993 referendum, before the first MMP election in 1996, were ones of transition and