Leader of the House (New Zealand)

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Leader of the House
Incumbent
Chris Bishop
since 27 November 2023
AppointerGovernor-General of New Zealand
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
Inaugural holderDavid Thomson
Formation13 December 1978
DeputySimeon Brown

In the New Zealand Parliament, the leader of the House is the government minister appointed by the prime minister to be responsible for the management of Government business in the House of Representatives. This includes determining the order in which the Government's legislative agenda will be addressed in the House. The leader of the House is also an ex officio member of the Parliamentary Service Commission.

History and functions[edit]

The first leader of the House was appointed in 1978, although a similar office had existed in Australia since 1951 and another in the United Kingdom for several centuries. The responsibilities of the leader of the House were previously functions exercised by the prime minister.[1]

The leader of the House serves three main functions:[2]

  • Moving motions for the Government that relate to House and committee procedure
  • Determining the order of Government business in the House
  • The primary responsibility for the Government's lawmaking programme

List of leaders of the House[edit]

The following individuals have been appointed as leader of the New Zealand House of Representatives:[3]

Key

  National   Labour

No. Name Portrait Term of Office Prime Minister
1 David Thomson 13 December 1978 26 July 1984 Muldoon
2 Geoffrey Palmer 26 July 1984 24 August 1987 Lange
3 Jonathan Hunt 24 August 1987 2 November 1990
Palmer
Moore
4 Paul East 2 November 1990 27 March 1993 Bolger
5 Don McKinnon 27 March 1993 16 December 1996
6 Wyatt Creech 16 December 1996 31 August 1998
Shipley
7 Roger Sowry 31 August 1998 10 December 1999
8 Michael Cullen 10 December 1999 19 November 2008 Clark
9 Gerry Brownlee 19 November 2008 2 May 2017 Key
English
10 Simon Bridges 2 May 2017 26 October 2017
11 Chris Hipkins 26 October 2017 25 January 2023 Ardern
12 Grant Robertson 25 January 2023[a] 27 November 2023 Hipkins
13 Chris Bishop 27 November 2023 Present Luxon
  1. ^ Acting Leader of the House from 25 January until 1 February 2023.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ G.A. Wood, ed. (1996). Ministers and Members in the New Zealand Parliament (2nd ed.). Dunedin: University of Otago Press. p. 62.
  2. ^ "People in Parliament". New Zealand House of Representatives. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  3. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 124.

References[edit]

  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.