NZ politics

I don't intend to post much about the politics out here (I can hear the collective sigh of relief). I have been stuck by how much action there has been in the few months I've been here. A few of the stories have been:

• An opposition frontbencher losing his position and standing down as an MP over an alleged sex scandal.

• Another MP quitting his party and going on to set up his own new party. The same MP is weighing up whether to resign his seat to force a by-election and then stand for re-election for the last 6 months of this Parliament.

• A successful coup changing the leadership of another party. This was led, very publicly, by the former leader of a different party, who isn't currently and an MP and wasn't even a member of the party when he took the leadership!

As far as I can tell, the election this year is probably the main thing prompting all the excitement. I think the electoral system, which is MMP (Mixed Membership Proportionality), also plays a part by making the role of smaller parties more important. Whatever the cause, it makes it interesting for a political geek like me.