National
Centre-right party leading New Zealand's current coalition government
Overview
The New Zealand National Party is the country's largest centre-right political party. Founded in 1936, National has governed New Zealand for most of the post-war period and currently leads the National–ACT–NZ First coalition government formed after the October 2023 election.
History
National was formed in 1936 from a merger of the Reform and United parties in response to the first Labour government. The party has dominated New Zealand centre-right politics ever since, producing prime ministers including Keith Holyoake, Robert Muldoon, Jim Bolger, Jenny Shipley, Bill English, John Key, and the current PM Christopher Luxon.
Core values
Key policy areas
Policy topics most associated with National. Tap any topic to compare every party's position side by side.
Legislative record this term
54th Parliament · as at 24 June 2026
As a governing party, National’s ministers lead government legislation. Government bills are the coalition’s collective programme — counted here by the party of the minister in charge, not as one party’s alone. National also has 21 members’ bills in the ballot.
Caucus
National holds 49 seats in the 54th Parliament.
Full caucus list will appear here once the Parliament API integration is complete.
Seat counts from the 2023 General Election (Electoral Commission). Party background from parliament.nz and official party records. Leadership details pending Parliament API verification.