A House of Representatives should, ideally, be just that. It should be a place in which all strands of society can have their voices heard, and in which a common purpose is forged. Domestic and international political ideas influence the approach of New Zealand’s House of Representatives.

How Parliament works contains briefings on how New Zealand’s Parliament is elected, who its members are and what they do, how it operates, and how your voice can be heard within it. Many of these briefings have come from the Parliamentary agencies themselves - updated over the five initial editions of the Guide since it was first published in 1990 by Asia Pacific Economic News Ltd in consultation with the New Zealand Parliamentary Service.

In this sixth edition for 2006 the publisher has expanded the content about MPs, links to their personal background, the beliefs of the new MPs, their political parties, how the 2005 MMP Government was formed, the first decade of MMP and perspectives from MPs on our national identitities - with more to come on our interdependence. We look ahead to the Maori Electoral Option and provide more tools - basically those that come with the new information technology, e-democracy and links that citizens can use to hear and be heard.

Asia Pacific Economic News Ltd, DecisionMaker Publications and the Centre for Citizenship Education have brought additional resources together to help give you the knowledge you need to ensure your voice is heard.

Updated 21 December 2005

Parliamentary debating chamber, Parliament buildings, Wellington