Extending term ‘should be done by public’

HAMILTON: National says the decision to extend the parliamentary and local elections to four years needs to be decided by the public and not the government of the day.

As part of the Labour and the Greens confidence agreement confirmed yesterday, the Government also stated it wanted to work with political parties from across Parliament, including the

Opposition, on issues that affected democracy, including the length of the parliamentary term, the Electoral Commissions 2012 recommended changes to MMP and the electoral finance law.

But National electoral law spokesman Dr Nick Smith said while National was open to extending the term, electoral law should not be a ‘‘plaything’’ and the public should decide.

‘‘National is open to extending the term to four years for parliamentary and local elections, but the decision must be one made by New Zealand voters by way of a referendum, not . . . MPs alone.’’

During the second leaders debate before the election, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and National leader Judith Collins both said they supported a move to a fouryear term.

Parliamentary terms in New Zealand and Australia are among the shortest in the world. The United States has four years and the United Kingdom five.

The 5% MMP threshold or oneseat rule should not be changed without a broad consensus.

‘‘These rules were set with a 100% consensus of the Parliament when MMP was established in 1995,’’ Dr Smith said.

Speaking about the agreement yesterday, Ms Ardern said she wanted crossparliamentary consultation on constitutional issues, usually put in a referendum. — The New Zealand Herald