View source for 40th New Zealand Parliament

{{Short description|Term of the Parliament of New Zealand}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2015}}
{{Infobox legislative term
| name                  = 40th Parliament of New Zealand
| image                 = File:Parliament House, Wellington, New Zealand (50).JPG
| image_size            = 
| caption               = [[Parliament House, Wellington]]
| body                  = [[New Zealand Parliament]]
| election              = [[1981 New Zealand general election]]
| government            = [[Third National Government of New Zealand|Third National Government]]
| opposition            = 
| term_start            = 6 April 1982
| term_end              = 14 June 1984
| before                = [[39th New Zealand Parliament|39th Parliament]]
| after                 = [[41st New Zealand Parliament|41st Parliament]]
| website               = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| chamber1              = [[New Zealand House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
| chamber1_image        = File:40th New Zealand Parliament Seating.png
| chamber1_image_size   = 
| chamber1_alt          = 
| membership1           = 92
| control1              = 
| chamber1_leader1_type = [[Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]]
| chamber1_leader1      = [[Richard Harrison (New Zealand politician)|Richard Harrison]]
| chamber1_leader2_type = [[Leader of the House (New Zealand)|Leader of the House]]
| chamber1_leader2      = [[David Thomson (New Zealand politician)|David Thomson]]
| chamber1_leader3_type = [[Prime Minister of New Zealand|Prime Minister]]
| chamber1_leader3      = [[Robert Muldoon]]
| chamber1_leader4_type = [[Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand)|Leader of the Opposition]]
| chamber1_leader4      = [[David Lange]]<br />— [[Bill Rowling]] until [[1983 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election|3 February 1983]]
| chamber2              = Sovereign
| chamber2_image        = 
| chamber2_image_size   = 
| chamber2_alt          = 
| membership2           = 
| control2              = 
| chamber2_leader1_type = [[Monarchy of New Zealand|Monarch]]
| chamber2_leader1      = [[Elizabeth II]]
| chamber2_leader2_type = [[Governor-General of New Zealand|Governor-General]]
| chamber2_leader2      = [[David Beattie]]
| session1_start        = 6 April 1982
| session1_end          = 17 December 1982
| session2_start        = 7 April 1983
| session2_end          = 16 December 1983
| session3_start        = 31 May 1984
| session3_end          = 14 June 1984
}}
The '''40th New Zealand Parliament''' was a term of the [[New Zealand Parliament|Parliament]] of [[New Zealand]]. Its composition was determined by the [[1981 New Zealand general election|1981 election]], and it sat until the [[1984 New Zealand general election|1984 election]].

The 40th Parliament was the third and final term of the third [[New Zealand National Party|National Party]] government. [[Robert Muldoon]], who served as both [[Prime Minister of New Zealand|Prime Minister]] and [[Minister of Finance (New Zealand)|Minister of Finance]], remained in power. The [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour Party]], led by former Prime Minister [[Bill Rowling]], had made significant gains (actually winning the largest portion of the popular vote), but remained in opposition. The [[Social Credit Party (New Zealand)|Social Credit Party]] was the only other opposition party in the 40th Parliament, holding two seats.

The 40th Parliament consisted of ninety-two representatives, the same as in the previous election. All of these representatives were chosen by single-member geographical electorates, including four special [[Māori electorates]].

==Electoral boundaries for the 40th Parliament==
[[File:NewZealandElectorates1981-Labeled.png]]

==Overview of seats==
The table below shows the number of MPs in each party following the 1981 election and at dissolution:

{| class="wikitable" border="1" style="font-size:95%; width:300pt; text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle; " | Affiliation
! colspan="2" style="vertical-align:top;" | Members
|-
! At [[1981 New Zealand general election|1981 election]]
! At dissolution
|-
| {{Party name with color|New Zealand National Party}}
| rowspan="2" | 47
| rowspan="2" | '''47'''
|-
| colspan="2" rowspan="1" style="text-align:right; "|'''''Government total'''''
|-
| {{Party name with color|New Zealand Labour Party}}
| 43
| '''43'''
|-
| {{Party name with color|Social Credit Party (New Zealand)}}
| 2
| '''2'''
|-
| colspan="2" rowspan="1" style="text-align:right; "|'''''Government total'''''
| 45
| '''45'''
|-
| colspan="2" rowspan="1" | '''Total'''<br />
| 92
|'''92'''
|-
| colspan="2" rowspan="1" | '''Working Government majority'''
| 2
| '''2'''
|}

'''Notes'''
*The Working Government majority is calculated as all Government MPs less all other parties.

==Initial composition of the 40th Parliament==
{{#section:1981 New Zealand general election|Electorate results}}

There were no by-elections held during the term of the 40th Parliament.

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{Cite book | last=Bohan | first=Edmund | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ijCGmSeVp6AC | title=Burdon: a man of our time | publisher=Hazard Press | year=2004 | isbn=978-1-877270-90-1 | oclc=62718931 | access-date=20 June 2015}}
*{{cite book |last = Gustafson |first = Barry |author-link = Barry Gustafson |title = The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party |year = 1986 |publisher = Reed Methuen |location = Auckland |isbn = 0-474-00177-6}}
*{{cite book |last = Norton |first = Clifford |title = New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946-1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science |year = 1988 |publisher = Victoria University of Wellington |location = Wellington |isbn = 0-475-11200-8 }}
*{{cite book |last= Wilson |first= James Oakley |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 |edition= 4th |orig-year=First published in 1913 |year= 1985 |publisher=V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |oclc= 154283103}}

[[Category:New Zealand parliaments]]