1996 and beyond - the road to MMP

The three years following the 1993 referendum, before the first mixed member proportional representation (MMP) election in 1996, were ones of transition and uncertainty. The main parties tried to reposition themselves for the new environment, and a number of new parties emerged.

Electoral rules and procedures were overhauled, and in 1995 the boundaries of the 60 general and five Maori electorates were finalised. Electoral officials (especially the newly established Electoral Commission) also initiated a massive, ongoing publicity campaign to inform voters about the new system.

The 1996 election produced a close and indecisive result. After two months of negotiations a coalition government was formed (to the surprise of many) between the previously antagonistic National and New Zealand First parties. As this was New Zealand's first coalition government since the 1930s, the arrangement took some getting used to.

Subsequent events – in particular a spate of defections (termed 'party-hopping' or, in the case of Maori members, 'waka-jumping') by Members of Parliament (MPs) and the messy collapse of the coalition – sapped public confidence in the new voting system. Opinion polls suggested many people wanted to turn back the clock to the old first past the post (FPP) era or try an alternative system. Support for MMP has rallied since the turn of the 21st century, though.

As the Royal Commission and pro-MMP campaigners had predicted, Parliament has become much more diverse and representative of modern New Zealand society. Following the 2005 election there were 39 women, 21 Maori, 4 Pacific and 2 Asian MPs among Parliament's 121 members.

On the other hand, critics point out that the political scene remains highly adversarial. The mainstream media still tend to portray election campaigns as a two-horse race for power. Although MMP has brought many changes, it is clear that a new voting system cannot by itself radically alter a nation's traditional political culture.