Abstract
In 1996 New Zealand elected its first Parliament by proportional representation, following a long experience of governments elected according to First-Past-the-Post rules. There had been extensive debate about the likely consequences of the new system — known as 'MMP' ('Mixed Member Proportional') - for New Zealand government, politics, and policy-making. This article analyses the experiences and impressions of New Zealand's parliamentarians - following the 1996 and 1999 MMP elections and the formation of two distinctly different coalition governments - based on extensive interviews with 101 of New Zealand's 120 Members of Parliament.
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