Executive Council of New Zealand - Definition and Overview

The Executive Council of New Zealand is the body which provides the formal basis for the Cabinet. It has a function similar to that served by the Privy Council in the United Kingdom. The authority for its existence is provided by the Royal Letters Patent Constituting the Office of Governor-General of New Zealand (http://www.dpmc.govt.nz/cabinet/manual/letters_patent_constituting.html), sections VII through X.

Officially, the Executive Council exists to advise the Governor-General; it was the counterpart to the Legislative Council, the now-defunct upper house of the New Zealand Parliament. To be an Executive Councillor, one must normally be a Member of Parliament (this was codified in the Constitution Act of 1986). However, one may serve up to thirty days without being an MP; this is to allow for the transition of members not yet sworn in and members who have retired or been defeated.

Members of the Executive Council are Ministers of the Crown. This is not equivalent to being a Cabinet Minister. It merely gives them the authority to exercise executive power. Most members of the Executive Council are Cabinet Ministers, but some are appointed as so-called Ministers Outside Cabinet, who traditionally hold minor portfolios or serve as Associate Ministers to Cabinet Ministers.

The Executive Council's primary function is to issue regulations, which operate under the authority of "the Governor-General in Council". Any three members of the Executive Council, not necessarily including the Governor-General, constitutes a quorum.

External links

• Information on the Executive Council (http://www.dpmc.govt.nz/cabinet/manual/1.html) in the New Zealand Cabinet Manual.