Clayton Mitchell New Zealand First MP

I have just returned from the annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Uganda. I had the honour of leading the New Zealand Delegation which consisted of myself, the Honourable Maggie Barry (National) and Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki (Labour). This event convened more than 1000 delegates and observers from around the Commonwealth to discuss how to implement more effective democratic systems across the globe.

The impression I received while speaking with international representatives was that New Zealand is held in high esteem in the global community. We are seen as a great example for other nations to follow because of our high standard of living, effective democracy and low corruption rates.

Witnessing the African political climate first-hand really put things into perspective for me. Living in a privileged nation like New Zealand can make it easy to get caught up in ‘He said, she said' politics. These issues begin to seem quite petty when contrasted with the ‘AK-47' politics of many African countries.

When it comes to effective democratic systems, New Zealand is in high standing. We are one of only nine countries with an unbroken chain democracy, and one of four that has implemented the Mixed-Member Proportional (MMP) representation system (Germany, Bolivia, Lesotho and New Zealand).

Lesotho, a MMP nation, has asked us to help them in reforming their political systems. Our delegation met with their national leaders to discuss strategies and reforms to better their nation. I look forward to seeing how New Zealand can continue to act as a role model for other nations with our standard of democratic excellence.