The Office of the Clerk is proud to launch the fifth edition of Parliamentary Practice in New Zealand. 

First published in 1985, with the original three editions written by long-serving Clerk David McGee, Parliamentary Practice in New Zealand is a comprehensive guide to the rules, practices, and procedures of our Parliament.

The fifth edition is set to further solidify Parliamentary Practice in New Zealand as being one of the most regarded publications on Westminster-derived Parliaments. It incorporates developments made since the fourth edition was published in 2017 up until early 2023. This includes the establishment of the Petitions Committee and other changes resulting from the Review of Standing Orders 2020, the enactment of the Legislation Act 2019, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

This edition is also the first to include photography highlighting important aspects of our democracy from around New Zealand Parliament. The 5th edition has been heavily revised to make it more accessible and user-friendly for MPs, parliamentary staff and other readers.

Clerk of the House, and editor of this edition, David Wilson says the book is “a culmination of hard work by staff from across the Office of the Clerk and Parliamentary Service”.

“The fifth edition of Parliamentary Practice in New Zealand focuses on the ways our Parliament has modernised and adapted to the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. It contains significantly more detail on the way that select committees work and the series’ first chapter on how Parliament is engaging with the communities of the New Zealand.”

“Parliamentary Practice in New Zealand is a testament to the legacy of the late David McGee, who gave copyright for the book to the Clerk of the House on his retirement.”

Parliamentary Practice in New Zealand is now available online on the Parliament website and for sale in the Parliament gift shop.

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