Abstract
Since New Zealand adopted the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) representation electoral system in 1996, neither of the major parties has been able to form a government without the support of one or more minor parties. Understanding the ways in which Employment Relations (ER) policy might develop after the election, thus, requires an exploration of the role of the minor parties likely to return to parliament. In this article, we offer a summary of the policy positions and priorities of the three minor parties currently in parliament (the ACT, Green and New Zealand First parties) as well as those of the Māori Party. We place this summary within a discussion of the current volatile political environment to speculate on the degree of power that these parties might have in possible governing arrangements and, therefore, on possible changes to ER regulation in the next parliamentary term.
Highlights
General elections in New Zealand have been held under the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system since 1996
While attempts to understand how Employment Relations (ER) policy might proceed or change after the 2020 election tend to focus on the stated policy positions of the two major parties, this paper starts from the assumption that the government will include more than one party. It argues for the importance of understanding the ER policy positions of the minor parties and the priority that each party gives to ER within its broader platform
The lead-up to the 2020 election, as was the case in 2017 and 2014, is full of instability and drama as parties rearrange their line-ups, and scandals fill the media headlines. 2020 is unique though, as New Zealand is facing the threat of a return of Covid-19 and the need to address the economic and social upheavals it has caused
Summary
General elections in New Zealand have been held under the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system since 1996. As has happened in earlier election years, a series of polls released in May and June of 2020 raised the possibility of a single party securing an outright majority at this year’s election Labour surged in these polls to 57 per cent, 59 per cent and 57 per cent, compared to National’s results of 31 per cent, 29 per cent and 27 per cent (O’Brien, 2020; One News, 2020; Roy Morgan, 2020). While attempts to understand how ER policy might proceed or change after the 2020 election tend to focus (quite naturally) on the stated policy positions of the two major parties, this paper starts from the assumption that the government will include more than one party As such, it argues for the importance of understanding the ER policy positions of the minor parties and the priority that each party gives to ER within its broader platform. We understand the influence of minor parties on ER policy after the 2020 election as a function of their policy positions (what do they want?), their policy priorities (how important is ER to them?) and the amount of political power they possess
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