ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the statutory and other changes that took place before the first Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) election, the process of coalition building, and formation of the first MMP government. The first step in the transition to MMP was the determination of the Maori electoral population through the Maori option. Until this figure was known, work could not start on defining the new, larger MMP electoral districts. Candidate selection is a sensitive process fraught with the possibility of conflict at the best of times, but in conditions of electoral system transition it has the potential to cause serious division unless handled with the greatest possible care. The 1996 general election marked the end of the first stage in the transition to the MMP environment. Although the first MMP election has been safely negotiated and a majority coalition government emerged as a result of protracted negotiations, the transition to MMP is far from complete.
