Official Opposition (New Zealand)

New Zealand

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of New Zealand

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The Official Opposition in New Zealand is usually the largest political party or coalition which is not a member of the ruling government. This means that the political party, while still involved with the political process in New Zealand, they do not have ministers or their supporters in a position of power. This is usually the second-largest party in a legislative house, although in certain unusual circumstances it may be the largest party (due to a larger Government bloc) or even a third or fourth party.

The Opposition aims to hold the government accountable and to present itself to the electorate as a credible government in waiting. For example, during Question Time, Opposition spokespersons will ask questions of Ministers with the aim of highlighting a weakness or embarrassing the government. Oppositions also engage in Parliamentary gestures such as refusal to grant confidence or voting down the Budget; however, as most governments comfortably retain the Parliamentary majority necessary to preserve confidence and supply, such gestures are largely symbolic.

With the introduction of MMP in 1996 (after referendums in 1992 and 1993), there was consideration to remove the official role of the Opposition; with several parties outside the government, it was no longer clear which party, if any, was 'the' opposition. This is complicated more by parties which occasionally act with the government and at other times vote against it. The unusual positioning that developed after the 2005 election further complicated the idea of 'opposition'. However, the continued dominance of the political scene by the National and Labour Parties means that the official Opposition has been retained, and inevitably the official Opposition is whichever of the National and Labour parties is not leading a Government at the time. Parties and Members of Parliament outside the government which do not work with the official Opposition party are said to "sit on the cross-benches".

Grand coalitions have been formed only twice in New Zealand, and on both occasions with the aim of forming a national response to a crisis. The first was the War Cabinet of 1915–1919, involving the Reform and Liberal Parties, under the leadership of Reform Prime Minister William Massey. The second was the Coalition Government of 1931–1935 to combat the Great Depression, between the United Party (successor to the Liberal Party) and the Reform Party, and led by United leader George Forbes. In both cases, Labour formed the official opposition. (It is however anachronistic to speak of a Labour Party until 1916; in 1915, the handful of MPs who were to become part of the Labour Party had been elected as "independent" candidates on behalf of several different social-democratic organisations.)

The Labour Party currently form the Official Opposition.

Shadow Ministry

As of 5 April 2011, the Official Opposition is as follows^[1]:

Shadow Minister	Portfolio
Phil Goff	Leader of the Opposition Shadow Minister in Charge of the NZ Security Intelligence Service
Annette King	Deputy Leader of the Opposition Shadow Minister for Social Policy
David Cunliffe	Shadow Minister of Finance
David Parker	Shadow Attorney-General Shadow Minister for Economic Development Shadow Minister for Energy Associate Shadow Minister of Finance
Ruth Dyson	Shadow Minister for Conservation Shadow Minister of State Services Shadow Minister of Immigration
Clayton Cosgrove	Shadow Minister for Law and Order Shadow Minister of Police Shadow Minister of Corrections Shadow Minister for State-Owned Enterprises Associate Shadow Minister of Finance Shadow Minister for Earthquake Recovery
Maryan Street	Shadow Minister of Trade Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs Shadow Minister for Overseas Development Assistance
Trevor Mallard	Shadow Leader of the House Shadow Minister for Sport and Recreation Shadow Minister for Rugby World Cup Shadow Minister for America's Cup Associate Shadow Minister of Finance
Parekura Horomia	Shadow Minister of Maori Affairs Shadow Minister in Charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations
Charles Chauvel	Shadow Minister of Justice Shadow Minister for the Environment
Grant Robertson	Shadow Minister of Health Associate Shadow Minister for Arts, Culture, and Heritage
Sue Moroney	Shadow Minister of Education Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education
Shane Jones	Shadow Minister of Transport Shadow Minister for Infrastructure Associate Shadow Minister of Maori Affairs Shadow Minister of Fisheries
Lianne Dalziel	Shadow Minister for Small Business Shadow Minister of Commerce Shadow Minister for Electoral Reform Shadow Minister for Regulatory Reform
Su'a William Sio	Shadow Minister for Pacific Island Affairs Spokesperson for Interfaith Dialogue Shadow Minister of Customs
Phil Twyford	Shadow Minister of Local Government Shadow Minister for Building and Construction Shadow Minister Responsible for Auckland Issues
Moana Mackey	Shadow Minister of Housing Associate Shadow Minister for Research and Development, Science, and Technology
Jacinda Ardern	Shadow Minister for Youth Affairs Shadow Minister for Employment Associate Shadow Minister for Arts, Culture, and Heritage
Nanaia Mahuta	Shadow Minister for Maori Social Development Shadow Minister for the Voluntary and Community Sector
Damien O'Connor	Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs Shadow Minister for Biosecurity Shadow Minister of Agriculture
Steve Chadwick	Junior Whip Shadow Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage
Darien Fenton	Shadow Minister of Labour Shadow Minister for Transport Safety
David Shearer	Shadow Minister for Tertiary Education Shadow Minister for Research and Development, Science, and Technology
Stuart Nash	Shadow Minister of Revenue Shadow Minister of Forestry Associate Shadow Minister for Trade
Chris Hipkins	Shadow Minister of Internal Affairs Shadow Minister of ACC
Kelvin Davis	Shadow Minister of Tourism Shadow Minister for Special Education Associate Shadow Minister of Maori Affairs
Brendon Burns	Shadow Minister Responsible for Climate Change Issues Shadow Minister for Water Quality Associate Shadow Minister for the Environment
Rick Barker	Chief Whip Shadow Minister for Courts Shadow Minister of Veterans' Affairs
Ross Robertson	Shadow Minister for Racing Shadow Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control
Carol Beaumont	Shadow Minister for Women's Affairs Shadow Minister for Consumer Affairs Associate Shadow Minister for Education
Clare Curran	Shadow Minister for Communication and IT Shadow Minister of Broadcasting
Ashraf Choudhary	Shadow Minister for Food Safety Associate Shadow Minister for Ethnic Affairs Associate Shadow Minister for Research and Development, Science, and Technology
Raymond Huo	Shadow Minister for the Law Commission Shadow Minister of Statistics Shadow Minister for Chinese Community Affairs
Iain Lees-Galloway	Shadow Minister for Land Information Shadow Minister of Defence Associate Shadow Minister of Health (Drugs & Alcohol) Associate Shadow Ministor for Transport
Rajen Prasad	Shadow Minister of Ethnic Affairs Associate Shadow Minister for Social Development
Mita Ririnui	Associate Shadow Minister in Charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Associate Shadow Minister for Health (Maori)
Carmel Sepuloni	Shadow Minister for Disability Issues Associate Shadow Minister of Justice (Victims Rights) Associate Shadow Minister for Social Development
Kris Faafoi	Shadow Minister of Civil Defence Associate Shadow Minister of Pacific Island Affairs

References

1. ^ "Labour MPs". http://www.labour.org.nz/mps. Retrieved 10 April 2011.