New
Zealand First Party

Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives - commonly
called Parliament (120 seats; members elected by popular vote in
single-member constituencies to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 12 October 1996 (next must be called by October
1999)
election results : percent of vote by party - NP 34.1%, NZLP 28.3%,
NZFP 13.1%, Alliance 10.1%, ACT 6.17%, UNZ 0.91%; seats by party - NP
44, NZLP 37, NZFP 17, Alliance 13, ACT 8, UNZ 1

Judicial branch: High Court; Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders: National Party (NP), James BOLGER; New
Zealand First Party (NZFP), Winston PETERS; New Zealand Labor Party
(NZLP, opposition), Helen CLARK; Alliance, Jim ANDERTON; Democratic
Party, John WRIGHT; New Zealand Liberal Party, Frank GROVER; Green
Party, Jeanette FITZSIMONS and Rod DONALD; Mana Motuhake, Sandra LEE;
United New Zealand (UNZ), Clive MATTHEWSON; Conservative Party
(formerly Right of Centre Party), Trevor ROGERS; Association of
Consumers and Taxpayers, New Zealand (ACT), Richard PREBBLE; Christian
Democrats, Graeme LEE; Christian Heritage Party (CH), Rev. Graham
CAPILL

International organization participation: ANZUS (US suspended security
obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, C,
CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MTCR, NAM (guest), OECD, PCA, Sparteca,
SPC, SPF, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNPREDEP, UNTAES,
UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Lionel John WOOD
chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone : [1] (202) 328-4800
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Josiah Horton BEEMAN
embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington
mailing address : P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, FPO AP
96531-1001
telephone: [64] (4) 472-2068
FAX: [64] (4) 472-3537
consulate(s) general: Auckland

Flag description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side
quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in
the outer half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross
constellation

Economy

Economy - overview: Since 1984 the government has accomplished major
economic restructuring from an