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The Prime Minister of New Zealand is most senior officer in the Government of New Zealand.
The role of the Prime Minister is not formally defined, being based on constitutional convention rather than specific legislation. According to these conventions, the Prime Minister is leader of Cabinet (itself a body existing by convention), and takes a coordinating role.
The Prime Minister is regarded by convention as " first among equals" - he or she does indeed hold the most senior post in the administration, but is also required to adhere to any decisions taken by Cabinet. The actual ability of a Prime Minister to give direct orders is surprisingly limited - most of the position's power comes about through other means, such as:
The Prime Minister also has the ability to call elections by notifying the Governor-General.
By convention, the Prime Minister is the leader of the party or coalition of parties which has the most seats in the houses of the Parliament. There is also a Deputy Prime Minister, who may or may not be from the same party.
The exact origins of the office of Prime Minister are disputed. Use of the words "prime minister" as a descriptive term date back to the 1st Parliament, where they are applied to James FitzGerald and Thomas Forsaith. FitzGerald and Forsaith had no official titles, however, and New Zealand had not yet obtained self-rule. As such, they are not usually considered Prime Ministers in any substantive sense.
The first person to be formally appointed to a position of leadership was Henry Sewell, who formed a government at the beginning of the 2nd Parliament. Despite his formal leadership role, however, his only actual title was Colonial Secretary. His successor, William Fox, was also given a formal leadership role, but was not Colonial Secretary. It was not until Frederick WeldFrederick Aloysius Weld ( 1823 1891) was a New Zealand politician and a governor of various British colonies. He was the sixth person to serve as Premier of New Zealand, and later served as Governor of Western Australia, Governor of Tasmania, and Governor, the sixth person appointed to formal leadership, that a substantive leadership title—Premier—appeared. Weld's successor, Edward StaffordThere have been two well-known people by the name of Edward Stafford . For Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, see Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham. For Edward Stafford, Premier of New Zealand, see Edward Stafford (politician)., briefly changed the title to First Minister but it was soon afterwards restored to Premier by William Fox. From that point, Premier became the usual designation. Towards the end of the nineteenth century the term Prime Minister arose as a common alternative to Premier and Richard SeddonRichard John Seddon popularly known as King Dick became one of New Zealand's better-known and more colourful Premiers/Prime Ministers. Born in St Helens in Lancashire in 1845, he emigrated to Australia in 1863, becoming a miner in Bendigo. He moved to New used the title almost exclusively. Seddon's successor, William Hall-Jones , was officially appointed Prime Minister rather than Premier. The title Prime Minister has been used ever since.
Assuming that Sewell is counted as the first Prime Minister, thirty-seven people have held the office since it was established. Some of these people have held it on several different occasions, with the record for maximum number of times being shared between William Fox and Harry AtkinsonHarry Albert Atkinson served as Premier of New Zealand on four separate occasions in the late 19th century. He was known as a cautious and prudent manager of government finances, and was responsible for guiding the country during a time of economic depres (both of whom served four times). The longest that anyone has served in the office is thirteen years, a record set by Richard SeddonRichard John Seddon popularly known as King Dick became one of New Zealand's better-known and more colourful Premiers/Prime Ministers. Born in St Helens in Lancashire in 1845, he emigrated to Australia in 1863, becoming a miner in Bendigo. He moved to New. The first holder of the office, Henry Sewell, led the country for the shortest total time; his only term lasted only thirteen days (the shortest term actually belonged to Harry Atkinson, whose third term lasted only seven days, but Atkinson served longer than Sewell in total).
New Zealand is also one of the few countries in the world to have had two female heads of governmentThe head of government is the leader of the government or cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is known as a premier or prime minister. In presidential systems, the head of government may be the same person as the head of state which, and one of only two countries to have two females heads of government directly succeed the other.
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