Votes

Parliament must vote on a bill at least three times before it becomes law.

Updates paused
New votes are currently not being added to WhereTheyStand because the underlying data source has changed. Work is underway to fix this.

A bill must have three "readings" in the House of Representatives before enactment. These are called the first reading, second reading, and third reading. Each reading is voted on and succeeds if more members of Parliament vote in favour than against.

There are four types of vote:

  • Voice votes are the simplest type of vote. Members of Parliament shout "aye" or "no" and the Speaker makes an assessment based on how loud each side is. Any member can then call for a more formal vote.
  • Party votes are the most common type of recorded vote. Each party has a number of seats in the House and casts that number of votes (minus any absences) according to its party policy.
  • Personal votes are also called conscience votes. Each member of Parliament decides how to vote on the bill, independent of any party policy.
  • Split party votes are similar to a party vote, except one or more parties may treat the vote as a personal vote while other parties may treat it as a party vote. If a party splits its party vote across more than one position (yes, no or abstain) it must give notice of which members' votes are being allocated to each position.

Other votes may take place during the Committee of the Whole House stage. These votes are on individual amendments to a bill. WhereTheyStand does not currently record these votes.

If a bill passes all three readings it is given Royal Assent by the Governor-General. It then becomes law, although most bills specify in more detail when its provisions come into effect.

Find a vote

If you're looking for a specific bill, check the bills page.

Case-insensitive match on the bill title.

Show votes from this date range.

Vote type
Bill type

The result of the vote to search for.

All votes

894 results.

Youth Employment Training and Education Bill

10 May 2017 · 1st reading · Party vote
45Aye
74No
0Abstain
0Absent

Fire and Emergency New Zealand Bill

4 May 2017 · 3rd reading · Party vote
105Aye
12No
0Abstain
2Absent

Broadcasting (Games of National Significance) Amendment Bill

12 April 2017 · 1st reading · Party vote
26Aye
95No
0Abstain
0Absent

Land Transport (Vehicle User Safety) Amendment Bill

12 April 2017 · 1st reading · Party vote
93Aye
28No
0Abstain
0Absent

Consumers' Right to Know (Country of Origin of Food) Bill

12 April 2017 · 1st reading · Party vote
120Aye
1No
0Abstain
0Absent

Education (Teachers' Code of Ethics) Amendment Bill

12 April 2017 · 1st reading · Party vote
58Aye
63No
0Abstain
0Absent

Education (Update) Amendment Bill

11 April 2017 · 2nd reading · Party vote
63Aye
58No
0Abstain
0Absent

Resource Legislation Amendment Bill

6 April 2017 · 3rd reading · Party vote
61Aye
60No
0Abstain
0Absent

Student Loan Scheme (First Home Repayment Diversion) Amendment Bill

22 March 2017 · 1st reading · Party vote
48Aye
73No
0Abstain
0Absent

Public Finance (Sustainable Development Indicators) Amendment Bill

22 March 2017 · 1st reading · Party vote
48Aye
73No
0Abstain
0Absent
Page 83 of 90