Official Opposition (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.
[edit] Shadow Ministry
David Shearer assigned portfolios on 19 December 2011. The first 20 constitute the Shadow Cabinet and are numerically ranked, but Shearer did not assign rankings to the junior shadow ministers. The Official Opposition is as follows:[1][2]
| Rank | Shadow Minister | Portfolio |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Shearer | Leader of the Opposition Spokesperson for the Security Intelligence Service Spokesperson for Science & Innovation |
| 2 | Grant Robertson | Deputy Leader Spokesperson for the Environment Spokesperson for Tertiary Education, Skills & Training |
| 3 | David Parker | Finance Spokesperson |
| 4 | Jacinda Ardern | Spokesperson for Social Development |
| 5 | David Cunliffe | Spokesperson for Economic Development Associate Finance Spokesperson |
| 6 | Clayton Cosgrove | Spokesperson for State-Owned Enterprises Spokesperson for Commerce Spokesperson for Small Business Spokesperson for Trade Negotiations Associate Finance Spokesperson |
| 7 | Shane Jones | Spokesperson for Regional Development Associate Finance Spokesperson Spokesperson for Economic Development (Maori) Fisheries Spokesperson |
| 8 | Nanaia Mahuta | Education Spokesperson Associate Spokesperson on Maori Affairs (Social) |
| 9 | Maryan Street | Spokesperson for Health Spokesperson for Disarmament & Arms Control Associate Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs |
| 10 | Su'a William Sio | Spokesperson on Employment Spokesperson for Pacific Island Affairs Spokesperson on Interfaith Dialogue Associate Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs |
| 11 | Phil Twyford | Transport Spokesperson for Auckland Issues Associate Spokesperson for the Environment |
| 12 | Trevor Mallard | Shadow Leader of the House Associate Finance Spokesperson Spokesperson on the America's Cup |
| 13 | Charles Chauvel | Spokesperson for Justice Shadow Attorney-General Spokesperson for Arts, Culture & Heritage |
| 14 | Lianne Dalziel | Spokesperson for Earthquake Recovery Spokesperson for Civil Defence and Emergency Management Spokesperson for the Earthquake Commission Spokesperson for Consumer Rights & Standards Associate Spokesperson for Justice |
| 15 | Chris Hipkins | Chief Whip Spokesperson for State Services Associate Spokesperson for Education |
| 16 | Phil Goff | Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs & Trade |
| 17 | Annette King | Spokesperson for Housing Spokesperson for Local Government |
| 18 | Darien Fenton | Junior Whip Spokesperson for Labour Spokesperson on Immigration |
| 19 | Damien O'Connor | Spokesperson for Primary Industries Spokesperson for Food Safety |
| 20 | Clare Curran | Spokesperson for Communications & IT Spokesperson for Broadcasting Spokesperson for Government Spokesperson for Disability Issues |
| Ruth Dyson | Spokesperson for Conservation Spokesperson for Senior Citizens Spokesperson for Internal Affairs |
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| Parekura Horomia | Spokesperson for Maori Affairs Spokesperson for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations |
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| Sue Moroney | Spokesperson for Early Childhood Education Spokesperson for Women's Affairs |
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| Moana Mackey | Spokesperson for Energy Spokesperson on Climate Change |
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| Iain Lees-Galloway | Spokesperson for Defence Spokesperson for Transport Safety Spokesperson for Veterans' Affairs Associate Spokesperson for Health (Drugs & Alcohol) |
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| Raymond Huo | Spokesperson for Building & Construction Spokesperson for Statistics Spokesperson for Land Information |
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| Rajen Prasad | Spokesperson on Ethnic Affairs Associate Spokesperson for Social Development |
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| Kris Faafoi | Spokesperson for Police Spokesperson for Customs Associate Spokesperson for Health |
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| Louisa Wall | Spokesperson for Sport and Recreation Spokesperson for the Voluntary and Community Sector |
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| David Clark | Spokesperson for Revenue Associate Spokesperson for Tertiary Education |
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| Andrew Little | Spokesperson for ACC | |
| Rino Tirikatene | Spokesperson for Tourism | |
| Megan Woods | Spokesperson for Youth Affairs Associate Spokesperson for Science & Innovation |
|
| Ross Robertson | Spokesperson for Racing Associate Spokesperson for Disarmament (Small Arms) |
[edit] References
- ^ Claire Trevett (19 December 2011). "Labour reveals new front bench". New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10774155&ref=rss.
- ^ "MPs". labour.org.nz. http://labour.org.nz/mps. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
