KEY POINTS:
An expert panel will be appointed in the New Year to review outstanding electoral issues following the passage of the Electoral Finance Act.
Justice Minister Annette King said the panel would review electoral administration and political party funding as announced by her predecessor Mark Burton.
Following discussions with the Greens the Government has agreed to include a citizens' jury as part of the process.
The Greens had called for a citizens' jury to review all electoral law during the passage of the Electoral Finance Act, but this was rejected by Parliament.
Ms King said the terms of reference and appointments would be announced in January and the two stages of the review - the panel's work and the public participation process - would be completed by April 2009.
"The panel of experts will consider issues such as the organisation and structure of electoral agencies and will report back on options for reorganising the current system if needed," Ms King said.
"The expert panel will also provide guidelines for the stage two process that encourages the public to participate and it will prepare background papers for the citizens' jury process."
Green MP Metiria Turei said the jury would include representatives from every electorate and was based on the Canadian model which had successfully looked at the electoral system there.
"We believe that a citizens' jury is the best place to consider the contentious issue of political party and campaign funding that has been raised in the debate around the Electoral Finance Act," Ms Turei said.
"While the Act was needed to close loopholes in the law revealed at the last election, we need a more inclusive and disinterested process to further consider the bigger picture of political party and campaign funding."
Ms Turei told NZPA it was important the process began before next year's election to ensure whoever formed the next government would be able to use the process, instead of starting from scratch.
Both the Greens and Labour support state funding of political parties, but National, New Zealand First and United Future have never backed the idea.
- NZPA
