Father or Mother of the New Zealand Parliament, often called Father of the House, is an unofficial title applied to the longest continuously serving MP in the house, regardless of their position. The Father of the House has no official role in Parliament. The current Father of the House in the New Zealand Parliament is Bill English, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, having served continuously since the 1990 general election.
In New Zealand's first election of 1853, the Bay of Islands electorate was the first to declare the election of a successful candidate, Hugh Carleton, who was returned unopposed. In the subsequent General Assembly of 1854, Carleton liked to be known as the Father of the House.
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