Votes

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

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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.

Education Legislation Bill

16 August 2016 · 2nd reading · Party vote
63Aye
57No
0Abstain
1Absent

Taxation (Business Tax, Exchange of Information, and Remedial Matters) Bill

11 August 2016 · 1st reading · Party vote
108Aye
12No
0Abstain
1Absent

Minimum Wage (Contractor Remuneration) Amendment Bill

10 August 2016 · 2nd reading · Party vote
61Aye
60No
0Abstain
0Absent

Oaths and Declarations (Endorsing the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi) Amendment Bill

10 August 2016 · 1st reading · Party vote
50Aye
71No
0Abstain
0Absent

Social Security (Extension of Young Persons Services and Remedial Matters) Amendment Bill

5 July 2016 · 3rd reading · Party vote
61Aye
60No
0Abstain
0Absent

Health (Protection) Amendment Bill

30 June 2016 · 3rd reading · Party vote
109Aye
0No
12Abstain
0Absent

Official Information (Parliamentary Under-Secretaries) Amendment Bill

29 June 2016 · 3rd reading · Party vote
109Aye
12No
0Abstain
0Absent

Overseas Investment (Protection of New Zealand Homebuyers) Amendment Bill

29 June 2016 · 1st reading · Party vote
60Aye
61No
0Abstain
0Absent

Keep Kiwibank Bill

29 June 2016 · 2nd reading · Party vote
60Aye
61No
0Abstain
0Absent

Trade (Anti-dumping and Countervailing Duties) Amendment Bill

28 June 2016 · 1st reading · Party vote
107Aye
14No
0Abstain
0Absent
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