Democracy & Government · Party position

Conservative Party NZ on Democracy & Government

Legislate to limit bureaucratic power over elected government

The Conservative Party says bureaucrats, judges, and unelected advisors have been taking power away from elected politicians. They want to pass laws to stop this, so that the people New Zealanders vote for can actually make decisions and have those decisions carried out properly.

What they say they'll do

Legislate to curtail unconstitutional bureaucratic power
Pursue wide-ranging reforms to clean up democracy and give power back to the people
Reduce the size of the government workforce
Ensure local government is accountable
Reduce the number of layers of government
Keep decision-making as local as possible through a principle of localism

Who this affects

Voters and the general public

The party says elected officials currently face obstruction from unelected bureaucrats and advisors, and these reforms would shift power back toward those chosen by voters.

Local communities

The party's localism principle means decisions would be made at the lowest level of government possible, giving communities more direct authority over their own affairs.

Public servants

The party proposes a smaller government workforce and wants officials to act as neutral administrators rather than pursue independent agendas.

In their own words

“Bureaucrats, elements of the Judiciary, and unelected advisors at both national and local levels have increasingly chosen to usurp the democratic mandate of elected representatives and the people they serve.”

“Decision-making should be as local as possible through a principle known as localism.”

Verify at Conservative Party NZ — official policy page

Summarised neutrally from Conservative Party NZ’s own official policy (as at 2026-09-08) and checked by an editor. Nothing is paraphrased without the source linked. Read the original ↗ Arapono is non-partisan. Compare all parties on Democracy & Government →

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