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Wellington (Wednesday, 29 October 2025) - New Zealand's three-year parliamentary term is too short for effective government and the country needs more MPs to keep politicians accessible to voters, according to new research examining 30 years of MMP in New Zealand. “MMP has delivered fairer and more representative parliaments, but it’s time for an upgrade,” says Nick Clark, Senior Fellow at The New Zealand Initiative and author of the report. Read more

Nick Clark talked to Ryan Bridge on Newstalk ZB about a New Zealand Initiative report proposing to expand Parliament to 170 MPs and introduce four-year terms, arguing that New Zealand's Parliament is 30% smaller than comparable countries and MPs are stretched too thin across select committees and large electorates. Clark also advocated for reducing Cabinet from 20 to 15 ministers, referencing the Initiative's earlier "Unscrambling Government" report which criticised New Zealand's bloated executive structure with approximately 80 portfolios. Read more

Nick Clark talked to Wallace Chapman on RNZ's The Panel about The New Zealand Initiative's report examining MMP's performance, which recommends increasing Parliament to 170 MPs and introducing a four-year parliamentary term. He explained that New Zealand's parliament is small by international standards and argued that larger electorates and overstretched select committees justify the expansion, whilst also advocating for rationalising the current 81 ministerial portfolios. Read more

David Farrar discussed Nick Clark's New Zealand Initiative report advocating for an increase in MPs from 120 to 170 on RNZ's The Whip with Wallace Chapman. Farrar, who wrote the foreword for the report "MMP After 30 Years: Time for Electoral Reform?", defended the proposal despite acknowledging its unpopularity, arguing that New Zealand needs more MPs to better serve larger electorates, strengthen select committees, and provide a bigger pool for ministerial appointments. Read more

Dr Eric Crampton talked to Corin Dann on RNZ's Morning Report about Labour's proposed NZ Future Fund, alongside Simplicity co-founder Sam Stubbs. Dr Crampton raised concerns about the fund's restrictions on asset sales and questioned whether it would create economic fragility rather than resilience, arguing that the $800 million in diverted dividends would need to be replaced through spending cuts or tax increases. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich talked to Sean Plunket on The Platform about Labour's Future Fund proposal, explaining how it differs from New Zealand First's similarly named policy and noting it lacks detail on funding and operations. Dr Hartwich highlighted contradictions between the fund's dual mandate, compared it unfavourably to Singapore's Temasek Fund, and identified protecting state assets from privatisation as the real political purpose behind the proposal. Read more