Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand | |
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since 27 November 2023 | |
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet | |
Style |
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Member of | |
Reports to | Prime Minister of New Zealand |
Appointer | Governor-General of New Zealand |
Term length | No fixed term |
Formation | 13 December 1949 |
First holder | Keith Holyoake |
Salary | NZ$354,100 annually[1] |
The deputy prime minister of New Zealand (Māori: Te pirimia tuarua o Aotearoa) is the second-most senior member of the Cabinet of New Zealand. The officeholder usually deputises for the prime minister at official functions. The current deputy prime minister is Winston Peters of the NZ First party, who has held the position twice before, and will serve until 31 May 2025 due to an arrangement under the current coalition government in which he would then be succeeded in the position by ACT party leader David Seymour.
The role existed on an informal basis for as long as the office of prime minister/premier has existed, but the office of "deputy prime minister" was formally established as a ministerial portfolio in 1949.[2] This means that Keith Holyoake is considered the first deputy prime minister. It was formally designated as a full cabinet level position in 1954.[3]