Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand
Coat of Arms of New Zealand
Incumbent David Seymour since 31 May 2025
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Style	Mr Deputy Prime Minister (informal) The Honourable (formal) His Excellency (diplomatic)
Member of	Cabinet of New Zealand Executive Council
Reports to	Prime Minister of New Zealand
Appointer	Governor-General of New Zealand
Term length	No fixed term
Formation	13 December 1949; 75 years ago (1949-12-13)
First holder	Keith Holyoake
Salary	NZ$354,100 annually

The Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand (in Māori: Māori: Te pirimia tuarua o Aotearoa) is the second most important person in the Cabinet of New Zealand. The Cabinet is a group of top government ministers who make important decisions for the country. The Deputy Prime Minister often steps in for the Prime Minister at official events.

Since May 31, 2025, the current Deputy Prime Minister is David Seymour from the ACT Party. This role has existed informally for a long time. However, it became an official government job in 1949. This means Keith Holyoake was the first official Deputy Prime Minister. In 1954, it became a full position within the Cabinet.

What the Deputy Prime Minister Does

The job of Deputy Prime Minister was officially created in 1949. Since then, 18 different people have held this position. Some people have even held it more than once! Several Deputy Prime Ministers later became the Prime Minister. These include Keith Holyoake, Jack Marshall, Hugh Watt, Robert Muldoon, Geoffrey Palmer, Helen Clark, and Bill English.

The Deputy Prime Minister is always a member of the Cabinet. They also always have at least one other important job in the government.

Helping the Prime Minister

The Deputy Prime Minister can take over the Prime Minister's duties if the Prime Minister is not available or cannot do their job. They can also act as the acting prime minister if needed. This is usually done after talking with the Prime Minister. If something serious happens, like the Prime Minister passing away, the Deputy Prime Minister can temporarily lead the government. They stay in charge until a new leader is chosen.

How the Deputy Prime Minister is Chosen

In the past, the Deputy Prime Minister was usually the second-in-command of the biggest political party. However, since New Zealand started using a new voting system called MMP in 1996, things have changed. Now, New Zealand often has coalition governments. This means different parties work together to form the government.

Because of this, the Deputy Prime Minister role can now go to the leader of a smaller party in the government. This has happened three times with Winston Peters, who leads New Zealand First. It also happened with Jim Anderton, leader of the Alliance, and with David Seymour, leader of ACT New Zealand. Sometimes, the Labour Party has chosen a senior minister who was not their party's deputy leader for the role. This happened with Grant Robertson and Carmel Sepuloni.

Past Deputy Prime Ministers of New Zealand

Here is a list of the people who have served as Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand. The colors show which political party they belonged to.

Key

  Alliance   Labour   National   NZ First   ACT

No.		Portrait	Name	Term of office		Other government jobs	Prime Minister
	1	Keith Holyoake	Keith Holyoake MP for Pahiatua (1904–1983)	13 December 1949	20 September 1957	Minister of Agriculture		Holland
	2	Jack Marshall	Jack Marshall MP for Karori (1912–1988)	20 September 1957	12 December 1957	Attorney-General Minister of Justice		Holyoake
	3	Jerry Skinner	Jerry Skinner MP for Buller (1900–1962)	12 December 1957	12 December 1960	Minister of Agriculture Minister of Lands		Nash
	(2)	Jack Marshall	Jack Marshall MP for Karori (1912–1988)	12 December 1960	9 February 1972	Minister of Overseas Trade Minister of Customs (until 1962) Minister of Industries and Commerce (until 1969) Attorney-General (1969–1971) Minister of Immigration (from 1969) Minister of Labour (from 1969)		Holyoake
	4	Robert Muldoon	Robert Muldoon MP for Tamaki (1921–1992)	9 February 1972	8 December 1972	Minister of Finance		Marshall
	5	Hugh Watt	Hugh Watt MP for Onehunga (1912–1980)	8 December 1972	1 September 1974	Minister of Labour Minister of Works (until 1974)		Kirk
	6	Bob Tizard	Bob Tizard MP for Otahuhu (1924–2016)	10 September 1974	12 December 1975	Minister of Finance		Rowling
	7	Brian Talboys	Brian Talboys MP for Wallace (1921–2012)	12 December 1975	4 March 1981	Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister of Overseas Trade		Muldoon
	8	Duncan MacIntyre	Duncan MacIntyre MP for East Cape (1915–2001)	4 March 1981	15 March 1984	Minister of Agriculture
	9	Jim McLay	Jim McLay MP for Birkenhead (born 1945)	15 March 1984	26 July 1984	Attorney-General Minister of Justice
	10	Geoffrey Palmer	Geoffrey Palmer MP for Christchurch Central (born 1942)	26 July 1984	8 August 1989	Attorney-General Minister of Justice Leader of the House (until 1987) Minister for the Environment (from 1987)		Lange
	11	Helen Clark	Helen Clark MP for Mount Albert (born 1950)	8 August 1989	2 November 1990	Minister of Health Minister of Labour		Palmer
								Moore
	12	Don McKinnon	Don McKinnon MP for Albany (born 1939)	2 November 1990	16 December 1996	Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister of Overseas Trade Leader of the House (from 1993)		Bolger
	13	Winston Peters	Winston Peters MP for Tauranga (born 1945)	16 December 1996	14 August 1998	Treasurer
								Shipley
	14	Wyatt Creech	Wyatt Creech MP for Wairarapa (born 1946)	14 August 1998	10 December 1999	Leader of the House (until 1998) Minister of Education (until 1999) Minister of Health (from 1999)
	15	Jim Anderton	Jim Anderton MP for Wigram (1938–2018)	10 December 1999	15 August 2002	Minister of Economic Development Minister of Consumer Affairs (from 2001) Minister of Customs (from 2001)		Clark
	16	Michael Cullen	Michael Cullen List MP (1945–2021)	15 August 2002	19 November 2008	Minister of Finance Leader of the House Treasurer Minister of Revenue (until 2005) Attorney-General (2005, 2006–2008)
	17	Bill English	Bill English MP for Clutha-Southland (until 2014) List MP (from 2014) (born 1961)	19 November 2008	12 December 2016	Minister of Finance Minister for Infrastructure (until 2011)		Key
	18	Paula Bennett	Paula Bennett MP for Upper Harbour (born 1969)	12 December 2016	26 October 2017	Minister of State Services Minister of Tourism Minister for Climate Change Issues Minister of Police Minister for Women		English
	(13)	Winston Peters	Winston Peters List MP (born 1945)	26 October 2017	6 November 2020	Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister for Racing Minister for State Owned Enterprises Minister of Disarmament and Arms Control (from 2018)		Ardern
	19	Grant Robertson	Grant Robertson MP for Wellington Central (born 1971)	6 November 2020	25 January 2023	Minister of Finance Minister for Infrastructure Minister for Sport and Recreation Minister for Racing (until 2022)
	20	Carmel Sepuloni	Carmel Sepuloni MP for Kelston (born 1977)	25 January 2023	27 November 2023	Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister for Social Development and Employment Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Minister for Auckland		Hipkins
	(13)	Winston Peters	Winston Peters List MP (born 1945)	27 November 2023	31 May 2025	Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister for Racing Minister for Rail (from 2024)		Luxon
	21	David Seymour	David Seymour MP for Epsom (born 1983)	31 May 2025	Incumbent	Minister for Regulation

Timeline of Deputy Prime Ministers

This timeline shows when each person served as Deputy Prime Minister and which political party they belonged to.