Photo: SuppliedA law expert says it is ironic the coalition appears to have run out of time to put a four-year Parliamentary term to a referendum. New Zealand and Australia are outliers in having three-year parliamentary terms; four- or five-year terms are far more common. "The worry about that was you never actually knew whether you'd have a three-year or four-year parliamentary term until the government made the decision as to whether to let opposition have select committee power. So the select committee said it would be better to have a simple vote on whether to have a three-year term or four-year term with no extra complications put into the legislation." Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith told RNZ's Morning Report programme the government could re-look at four-year terms if it was re-elected in November this year.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 18, 2026 21:58 UTC