Interactive Lesson

What Parliament is

The House, the Beehive & the Crown

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Parliament is the body that makes New Zealand’s laws. It is made up of the House of Representatives — the MPs we elect — and the Sovereign (King Charles III), represented here by the Governor-General.

Parliament vs the Government

The Government — the Prime Minister and ministers — is formed from Parliament, but it’s a separate part that runs the country day to day. Ministers work in the Beehive.

The main parts

Tap each card below to see who does what in New Zealand’s system.

Try it yourself

How power is organised

Tap each part to learn what it does.

King Charles III is New Zealand’s head of state. In New Zealand he is represented by the Governor-General, who gives Royal assent to laws and formally appoints the government.

Test what you learned

Quick checkQuestion 1 of 3

Which part of Parliament do we elect?

Sources

Based on civics material from parliament.nz and the Electoral Commission (elections.nz). Non-partisan and free to use.