Parliament is the supreme lawmaker in our country. It is made up of our Head of State (The Sovereign, King Charles III and his representative, the Governor General) and the House of Representatives as voted for by the public in an election.
This page contains a range of youth friendly resources from the Parliamentary Service and the Office of the Clerk. Their role is to support the functioning of Parliament by providing advice on parliamentary procedure, secretariat services, and administrative and support services.
The resources are divided into three sections:
· Parliament – what it is and what it does
· How to get involved
· More resources for extra learning.
Parliament is where Members of Parliament (MPs) make all the main laws in Aotearoa. It is our most important law-making body.
The main roles of Parliament are:
- Pass legislation (make laws)
- Provide a government
- Scrutinise the government
- Represent the people of New Zealand
- Oversee the Budget and financial scrutiny.
What is Parliament?
Watch this short video to get a basic introduction.
How does Parliament work?
Watch this 8-minute video to get a good overview of our electoral system, the role of the Sovereign, the main functions of Parliament, and the law making process.
Make your own Parliament
Our electoral system can seem complicated. See how votes turn into seats with this simple interactive tool.
How are laws made?
Laws are made through a special process involving multiple steps. Explore these resources to learn more:
Classroom posters
Check out all the other classroom posters on Parliament's website. These simple resources help students understand the main people and functions of Parliament.
Get involved!
Your Parliament works best when you get involved. This section includes resources that inform you about what's happening at Parliament and show you how to take part in New Zealand's democracy.
The main ways you can have your say on things that affect you by making a submission, starting a petition, or contacting an MP.
Select Committees and Submissions
A select committee is small groups of MPs who look at a proposed law in detail. The public is allowed to tell the committee what they think about the proposed law. This is called making a submission.
Petitions
A petition is a request asking the House of Representatives (Parliament) to take a specific action. The request might ask for a law or policy to be changed, or to put right a local or private concern.
The benefits of starting a petition can include:
- raising awareness about an issue
- shifting or consolidating public thinking around an issue
- initiating or building momentum toward a change in policy or in how services are delivered
- proposing a new law
- proposing a public inquiry.
For more information visit:
Public engagement is key to democratic health – whether it is through submitting to a select committee, creating a petition, writing to an MP or participating in our webinars. Parliament's website has a whole range of excellent resources to help teachers and older student deepen their knowledge of these issues.
Parliament Webinars is a series of informative videos about the ins-and-outs of parliament hosted by the Parliamentary Engagement team with a series of experts who provide insight into Parliament and its processes.
Looking for something shorter? Check out the Spotlight Series! This is a series of short videos on specific elements on the work of Parliament.
Or you can just explore all the content from the Parliament website.
