Cut number of MPs: Act

ACT New Zealand has unveiled a plan to slash the number of MPs to 100 — and erase the Maori seats.

Leader David Seymour yesterday unveiled a ‘‘Smaller Government Bill’’ which proposes to cap the number of MPs at 100, restrict the size of Cabinet’s executive to 20 and scrap the seven Maori seats.

Parliament has 120 MPs.

‘‘The growth in Government over the past two decades has not delivered better outcomes for New Zealand. We need smaller, smarter government’’, Mr Seymour told party faithful at Act’s annual conference in Auckland yesterday afternoon.

Reducing the size of New Zealand’s Parliament is not a new idea — a referendum at the 1999 general election calling to downsize to 99 MPs won 81.5% support of voters. MPs ignored the result.

Mr Seymour also wants to cap the size of the executive at 20, noting the Government was ‘‘far too big’’ and had 31 people in roles.

‘‘Almost half of the Government MPs hold a position in the Executive. We have too many pointless ministerial portfolios.’’

Mr Seymour also proposed doing away with the seven Maori electorates.

‘‘New Zealand is a modern, diverse democracy. There is simply no longer a place for one group of people to be treated differently under the law,’’ he said.

‘‘We now have 27 Maori MPs, 20 of whom were elected through the general roll. Even without the seven Maori seats, Maori would still be proportionately represented in Parliament.

‘‘Our plan would also require all parliamentary candidates to stand in an electorate, and all elected list MPs would be required to open an office in the electorate in which they stood.’’

In last year’s election Act received just 13,075 party votes, 0.5% of the vote. Mr Seymour came back to Parliament alone, after winning his Epsom seat.

A name change and a brand relaunch was also on the agenda at the conference yesterday.

The conference debated how to relaunch the party early next year.

This included whether to change the name of the Association of Consumers and Taxpayers Party.

Mr Seymour said some members thought the name lacked clarity, but others worried a rebrand was too risky. — NZME