Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand)
| Leader of the Opposition of New Zealand | |
|---|---|
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Official Opposition of New Zealand Shadow Cabinet of Andrew Little |
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| Style |
The Honourable (Formal) Leader of the Opposition (Spoken) |
| Member of | |
| Reports to | Parliament |
| Term length | While leader of the largest political party not in government |
| Inaugural holder | John Ballance |
| Formation | 2 July 1889 |
| Salary | $243,700 (as of 2008) |
| Website | Party profile |
The Leader of the Opposition in New Zealand is the politician who, at least in theory, commands the support of the non-government bloc of members in the Parliament of New Zealand. In the debating chamber the Leader of the Opposition sits directly opposite the Prime Minister. The current Leader of the Opposition is Andrew Little, the Leader of the Labour Party.
By convention, the Leader of the Opposition is the leader of the largest party of the Opposition.
The Leader of the Opposition does not have a large official role, as most of the post's functions are ceremonial. Nevertheless, there are several ways in which the Leader of the Opposition participates directly in affairs of state. Often, these relate to national security matters, which are supposed to transcend party politics – the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service, for example, is required to brief the Leader of the Opposition as well as the Prime Minister on certain matters.
The Leader of the Opposition also receives a higher salary than other members of the Opposition, being paid the same amount as a Cabinet Minister.
For much of the country's early history, the role was not a formal one. For most of the 19th century, there was rarely any one person who could be considered Leader of the Opposition – those figures who took leading roles in opposing the government of the day were merely "first among equals", and had no formal office. It was only when the Liberal Party was formed that any unified leadership appeared in Parliament, and the role of Leader of the Opposition is generally traced from this point. John Ballance, leader of the Liberals (and later Premier) is usually considered the first Leader of the Opposition in the modern sense.
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