office_contested new zealand general election
The 1935 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament ' s 25th term . It resulted in the Labour Party ' s first electoral victory , with Michael Joseph Savage becoming the first Labour ___MASK28___ . The governing coalition , consisting of the United Party and the Reform Party , suffered a major defeat , attributed by many to their handling of the Great Depression . The year after the election , United and Reform took their coalition further , merging to form the modern National Party . The election was originally scheduled to be held in 1934 , in keeping with the country ' s three year election cycle . The governing coalition postponed the election by one year in the hope that the current economic conditions would improve by 1935 . Michael Joseph Savage ( 23 March 1872  27 March 1940 ) was the first Labour ___MASK5___ . He is commonly known as the architect of the welfare state and generally regarded as one of New Zealand ' s greatest and most revered Prime Ministers . He was given the title New Zealander of the Century by " The New Zealand Herald " in 1999 . He is the only New Zealand Prime Minister to serve under three British Monarchs ( George V , Edward VIII and George VI ). The Queen - in - Parliament ( or , during the reign of a male monarch , King - in - Parliament ), sometimes referred to as the Crown - in - Parliament or , more fully , in the United Kingdom , as the King / Queen in Parliament under God , is a technical term of constitutional law in the Commonwealth realms that refers to the Crown in its legislative role , acting with the advice and consent of the parliament ( including , if the parliament is bicameral , both the lower house and upper house ). Bills passed by the houses are sent to the sovereign , or ___MASK22___ - general , lieutenant - ___MASK22___ , or ___MASK22___ as her representative , for Royal Assent , which , once granted , makes the bill into law ; these primary acts of legislation are known as " acts of parliament ". An act may also provide for secondary legislation , which can be made by the Crown , subject to the simple approval , or the lack of disapproval , of parliament . The New Zealand Parliament is the legislative branch of New Zealand , consisting of the Queen of New Zealand ( Queen - in - Parliament ) and the New Zealand House of Representatives . Before 1951 , there was an upper chamber , the New Zealand Legislative Council . The Parliament was established in 1854 and is one of the oldest continuously functioning parliaments in the world . The ___MASK5___ is the head of government of New Zealand . The current prime minister is Bill English of the National Party , who took office on 12 December 2016 .