Constitutional review: an opportunity for influence

by Murray Short Paper presented by the Treaty Relationships Group to the Yearly Meeting of the Aotearoa/ New Zealand Society of Friends on 20 May 2011  Introduction  Constitutional review is on the political agenda in Aotearoa *1 thanks to the agreement on confidence and supply between the Māori Party *2 and the National *3 led Government.  It…

A diagram

The constitutional system in New Zealand

The Constitutional System in New Zealand l  We follow the British tradition, very unusual among nations, of not having a written constitution. In fact our constitution is based heavily on the British one, so it is a mix of ancient documents (Magna Carta, the 1688 Bill of Rights, etc) and “constitutional conventions” (the way things…