New Zealand

Abstract

New Zealand has a population of about 4.4 million people. Its political system comprises the following main features: a constitutional monarchy—the British sovereign as head of state; Westminster parliamentary democracy; unicameral parliament; a unitary state, in which central government is the dominant source of political and administrative power, though with a range of functions administered by elected regional, city and district authorities. At the core of central government is the public service, made up of departments and ministers under the daily control of the political executive (cabinet). The public service is in turn a component of the wider state services, which also include ministerial departments that are not a part of the public service, the defence force, the police, the security-intelligence service, crown entities (except tertiary-education institutions), and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (the country’s central bank). There are five categories of crown entities, depending primarily on the type of government function they perform, and the scope of their powers.