ABSTRACT
New Zealand’s constitutional development has been a largely incremental process, designed by and for settlers, and following an unbroken course from colony through Dominion status to independence. Most of the constitutional changes which preceded the adoption of Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) were largely premised upon the long-held assumption that New Zealand is basically a homogeneous society. Viewed from a constitutional perspective, it is possible to argue that the adoption of some form of proportional electoral system appears to be a logical consequence of what had gone before. Many New Zealanders looking back on the decision to change the electoral system have tended to attribute it to an uncharacteristic collective rush of public blood to the head. There are a variety of approaches possible to explaining New Zealand’s adoption of MMP. The simplest is the knee-jerk reaction of profound disillusionment with the performance of successive governments.
