Parliament Act 2025

Parliamentary Service and other parliamentary bodies - Parliamentary Service Commission - Membership

156: Party leader must appoint member or members to represent party

You could also call this:

"Party leader picks someone to speak for their party"

You are part of a party in the House of Representatives. Your party leader must choose one or two members to represent your party. They do this according to rules in section 155(1)(b) and (c). Your leader must make this choice at certain times. Your leader chooses a new member when the House of Representatives first meets after an election. They also choose a new member if the current one resigns or gets a new job as a Minister or Parliamentary Under-Secretary. If a member's seat becomes vacant under section 55 of the Electoral Act 1993, your leader chooses a new member. Your party leader can change their choice at any time. If a member is chosen according to section 155(1)(c), they cannot be a Minister or Parliamentary Under-Secretary.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS964242.

This page was last updated on 25 December 2025 — View changes

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155: Membership of Parliamentary Service Commission, or

"Who is on the Parliamentary Service Commission team?"

157: Resignation or vacation of office, or

"How to stop being a Commission member"

Part 6Parliamentary Service and other parliamentary bodies
Parliamentary Service Commission: Membership

156Party leader must appoint member or members to represent party

The leader of each party represented in the House of Representatives (the leader) must appoint 1 or 2 members of the House of Representatives (as applicable) to represent the party as Commission members in accordance with section 155(1)(b) and (c).
The leader must appoint a member or members to represent the party as Commission members—
as soon as practicable after the first meeting of the House of Representatives following a general election; and
if the Commission member who currently represents the party on the Parliamentary Service Commission resigns; and
in the case of a Commission member appointed in accordance with section 155(1)(c), if that member is appointed as a Minister or a Parliamentary Under-Secretary; and
if the parliamentary seat of a Commission member who currently represents that leader’s party becomes vacant under section 55 of the Electoral Act 1993.

The leader may revoke an appointment, or appoint a new member to represent the party as a Commission member at any time.
A member who is appointed to represent their party as a Commission member in accordance with section 155(1)(c) must not be a Minister or a Parliamentary Under-Secretary.