ABSTRACT
The major New Zealand political parties, like their European counterparts, have suffered important declines in membership spread over a considerable period. This means that they have become less and less representative as membership organisations and, at the same time, more and more professional as election-winning organisations. New Zealand has been the third most frequent user of national referendums after Switzerland and Australia, although Switzerland’s use of the system outnumbers virtually all other democracies combined. A New Zealand example was that separate Maori seats should be retained because they enhance Maori influence. More frequently, however, self-interest is disguised by other issues. Hence, as New Zealand politicians lost control of the reform issue to the electorate, major political party leaders, convinced that electoral reform would harm their parties, preferred to stress instead the need for strong single party government rather than sounding as if they were motivated only by self-interest.
