Independence
The Electoral Commission is an independent Crown entity. The responsible Minister may not direct the Commission to give effect to, or have regard to, government policy.
In addition:
- the Governor-General appoints and removes Electoral Commissioners on the recommendation of the House of Representatives
- the Electoral Commission has a statutory duty to act independently in performing its statutory duties and functions and exercising its powers
- the Electoral Commission may provide information and advice to the Minister of Justice or the House of Representatives at any time and of its own volition.
Read more about this topic: Electoral Commission (New Zealand)
Famous quotes containing the word independence:
“Our treatment of both older people and children reflects the value we place on independence and autonomy. We do our best to make our children independent from birth. We leave them all alone in rooms with the lights out and tell them, “Go to sleep by yourselves.” And the old people we respect most are the ones who will fight for their independence, who would sooner starve to death than ask for help.”
—Margaret Mead (1901–1978)
“We commonly say that the rich man can speak the truth, can afford honesty, can afford independence of opinion and action;—and that is the theory of nobility. But it is the rich man in a true sense, that is to say, not the man of large income and large expenditure, but solely the man whose outlay is less than his income and is steadily kept so.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“The independence of all political and other bother is a happiness.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)