The Cabinet of New Zealand is the New Zealand Government's body of senior ministers, accountable to the New Zealand Parliament. Cabinet meetings, chaired by the prime minister, occur once a week; in them, vital issues are discussed and government policy is formulated. Cabinet is also composed of a number of committees focused on specific areas of governance and policy. Though not established by any statute, Cabinet wields significant power within the New Zealand political system, with nearly all government bills it introduces in Parliament being enacted.
Swearing-in of ministers by Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy, 26 October 2017. Cabinet members are first appointed as executive councillors before receiving warrants for their ministerial portfolios.
A meeting of Cabinet in 1972. At this time, Cabinet members were usually Pākehā and male; Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan (seated second-left from the centre) was the only female Cabinet minister.
Photograph taken before the first meeting of the Cabinet of the Sixth National Government of New Zealand, Beehive, 28 November 2023
Image: Winston Peters 2023 cropped headshot
The New Zealand Government is the central government through which political authority is exercised in New Zealand. As in most other parliamentary democracies, the term "Government" refers chiefly to the executive branch, and more specifically to the collective ministry directing the executive. Based on the principle of responsible government, it operates within the framework that "the [King] reigns, but the government rules, so long as it has the support of the House of Representatives". The Cabinet Manual describes the main laws, rules and conventions affecting the conduct and operation of the Government.
The Beehive, Wellington, is the seat of government (i.e. headquarters of the executive branch)
Queen Elizabeth II and her New Zealand Cabinet, photographed during the Queen's 1981 tour of the country
Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro appoints new ministers during a public meeting of the Executive Council in Government House, Wellington, 1 February 2023
The ministers of the Sixth National Government, with Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, 27 November 2023