KEY POINTS:
MPs have thrown out a bill that would have reduced their ranks.
New Zealand First MP Barbara Stewart put forward the bill to reduce the number of MPs from 120 to 100 to honour the spirit of the 1999 referendum, which showed high public support for cutting the number of MPs.
The referendum saw 81.5 per cent of voters opt for a reduction but it was ignored by the Government.
In submissions, supporters claimed Parliament over-represents the public, placing an unnecessary burden on taxpayers.
The bill passed its first reading vote, likely because of a confidence-and-supply agreement by the Government to advance NZ First members' bills to the select committee stage.
However, the justice and electoral committee recommended it go no further and be discharged.
Yesterday's vote 112 to nine against confirmed that. Only NZ First and ACT voted for it.
Mrs Stewart said it was a sad day when politicians rejected the result of a referendum without trying to do what the public wanted.
"Where is our democracy? Politicians are actually entrusted to make our democracy work and what we see here is self-interest coming ahead of the wishes of the people."
She was disappointed with the seven-member committee and noted most were list MPs.
"I could not help wondering to what degree this had influenced the decision made."
National MP Chris Finlayson referred MPs to the Royal Commission which studied various different electoral systems and recommended 120 for MMP to work.
He said Mrs Stewart's speech was empty rhetoric aimed at appealing to the public. "But the general public don't know that Barbara Stewart never turned up to the select committee at the hearing of the evidence."
He said NZ First did nothing more than send the bill to the select committee without doing any further work.
Labour MP Tim Barnett said: "I think it is important in an MMP environment to accept that some of the smaller parties in the House have an absolute role in raising issues, putting issues into political debating environment and seeing a select committee ... look at the issue further."
Labour believed MMP needed the numbers it had to function and to deliver diversity and the way the system was working ensured a good balance between electorate representation and list MPs.
There were now 34,000 people per MP and that was set to increase. Internationally, New Zealand was not over-represented.
Parliament has 121 MPs after the Maori Party won more electorate seats than its total share of the party vote entitled them to.
- NZPA
