In theory, Parliament is sovereign in New Zealand. In practice, it is not - Essay Example

Sovereignty and Function of New Zealand Parliament The New Zealand Legislature is Sovereign. The arm of government can call parliamentarians to meet. Secondly, it can dissolve parliament and assent to bills passed in the house before they become laws. The major function of the parliament is to make laws. The parliament also provides the government with members to be appointed in various ministerial positions. This enables the government to maintain majority and confidence among parliamentarians.

The parliament also serves as a watchdog for the people by controlling and scrutinizing the government. The ministers are answerable to the parliament and are often asked questions in parliament regarding their ministries. The final function of the parliament is to represent the people in parliament. It fulfils this function by airing views and wishes of the electorate in parliament (NZCU South, 2013).  The three Arms of the Government The first arm of the government is the Executive. It is made up of the crown that is represented by Governor-General, the cabinet ministers and the civil servants.

The executive is concerned with initiating, developing and implementing government policy. It also publishes and administers legislations (Salter, 2013). The legislature has a single chamber called the House of Representatives. Its main duty is to make laws by drafting, evaluating and debating bills before they become laws. The people elect the MPs after every three years (Salter, 2013). The last arm of the government is the judiciary. It is made up of the judges and courts. Its main duty is to interpret and apply law as per the constitution.

Apart from this, the judiciary punishes offenders and arbitrates any conflict between the legislature and executive (Salter, 2013). Powers of Parliament Various ways can be used to increase the powers of parliament. One of them is giving parliamentarians immunity when debating. According to this provision, parliamentarians will be free to express their views without fear of imprisonment. This would enable them to check the government without fear. The parliament should also be allowed to discuss any matter before the courts or the executive.

The court and executive proceedings should not hinder parliamentary proceedings. This would enable the parliament to oversee implementation of government policies that are beneficial to the public. In addition to this, parliament should have the powers to summon any one including the members of the judiciary and the executive to question them on various matters of the state. Lastly, the parliament should be allowed to scrutinize and assent to all executive appointees in order to ensure they serve the public and not the executive (New Zealand Parliament, 2013).

The role of Executives The executive is made up of the Prime Minister, Governor General, cabinet ministers, civil servants and government departments. The executive draft government bills and present them in parliament for debating. It is also charged with developing and implementing various policies that would improve the welfare of the citizens. However, the sole function of the executive is to advise the Governor-General on his duties such as appointment of ministers. The ministers head various ministries such as finance and judiciary.

Civil servants are charged with implementation of the