How a political party in New Zealand wins an election.

 How a political party in New Zealand wins an election.

How a political party in New Zealand wins an election. 

How does it work?

Political parties in New Zealand can be either registered or unregistered. Registered parties must have five-hundred paying members, each eligible to vote in general elections. If a party registers, it may submit a party list, enabling it to receive party votes in New Zealand's MMP electoral system.

Parties compete to win votes.

In a common election, every voter gets two votes they get to vote for an electorate and a party, to get any seats in Parliament. But at least 5% of the party can win an electorate seat.

Your electorate vote goes to the candidate you most want to represent the area you live in, which is called your electorate. Each party chooses candidates to stand for election in electorates. The candidates with the most votes in each electorate become electorate MPs.

Your electorate vote helps decide who your local member of Parliament will be. There’s a different choice of candidates in each of the 64 general electorates and seven Maori electorates. Each candidate usually represents a political party, but a

candidate may stand for election independent of a party. The candidate who wins the most electoral votes wins the seat.

In conclusion that’s how a political party in New Zealand wins an election. 

By Capri