New Zealand Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Offir ia¹ name: New Zealand

Type, independent state within Commonwealth, recognizing Elizabeth 11 as head of state

Capital: Wellington

Political subdivisions: 241 territorial units (128 boroughs, 90 counties, 10 town and district councils); 579 special-purpose bodies

Legal system: based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for Maoris; constitution consists of various documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments; legal education at Victoria, Auckland, Canterbury, and Otago Universities; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

National holiday: Waitangi Day, 6 February

Branches, unicameral legislature (92-member House of Representatives, commonly called Parliament); Cabinet responsible to Parliament; three-level court system (magistrates and courts. Supreme Court and Court of Appeal)

Government leader: David LANGE. Prime Minister (since July 1984)

Suffrage: universal age 18 and over

Elections-held at three-year intervals or sooner if Parliament is dissolved by Prime Minister last election July 1984

Political parties and leaders: New Zealand Labor Party (NZLP; government), David Lange; National Party (NP; opposition), Jim McLay; Social Credit Political League (So-cred), Bruce Beetham; New Zealand Party, Bob Jones; Socialist Unity Party (SUP; proSoviet), G. H. “Bill” Andersen

Voting strength: (1981 election)

Parliament—National Party, 47 seats; Labor Party, 43 seats; Social Credit, 2 seats

Communists: CPNZ about 300, SUP about 100

Member of: ADB, ANZUS, ASP AC, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth of Nations, DAC, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, 1EA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELS AT, INTERPOL, IPU, ISO, ITU, OECD, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WSG

NOTE: The information regarding New Zealand on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of New Zealand 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about New Zealand 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.