elections: last held 27 November 1999 (next must be called by November 2002)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NZLP 49, NP 39, Alliance 10, ACT New Zealand 9, Green Party 7, NZFP 5, UNZ 1

note: NZLP and Alliance formed the government coalition; the National Party became the opposition party

Judicial branch: High Court; Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders: ACT, New Zealand [Richard PREBBLE];
Alliance (a coalition of the New Labor Party, Democratic Party, New
Zealand Liberal Party, and Mana Motuhake) [Jim ANDERTON]; Green
Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS and Rod DONALD]; National Party or NP
[Jenny SHIPLEY]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS];
New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Helen CLARK]; United New Zealand or
UNZ [Peter DUNNE]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: ABEDA, ANZUS (US suspended
security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, ARF (dialogue
partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), 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, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA,
Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK,
UNMOP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
James Brendan BOLGER

chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800