List of prime ministers of New Zealand

The prime minister of New Zealand is the head of government of New Zealand, and the leader of the Cabinet of New Zealand.

List

The parties shown are those to which the prime ministers belonged at the time they held office and the electoral districts shown are those they represented while in office. Several prime ministers belonged to parties other than those given and represented other electorates before and after their time in office.

Key

  Independent   Liberal   Reform   United   Labour   National

No.		Name Constituency (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Term of office		Elected (Parliament)	Party	Government
Colonial secretaries (1856–1869)
	1	The Honourable Henry Sewell MP for Christchurch, Canterbury (1807–1879)		7 May 1856	20 May 1856	1855 (2nd)	Independent	Sewell
				14 days
	2	The Right Honourable Sir William Fox KCMG MP for Wanganui and Rangitikei, Wellington (1812–1893)		20 May 1856	2 June 1856	— (2nd)	Independent	Fox I
				14 days
	3	The Right Honourable Sir Edward Stafford GCMG MP for Nelson, Nelson Province (1819–1901)		2 June 1856	12 July 1861	— (2nd)	Independent	Stafford I
				5 years and 41 days
	(2)	The Right Honourable Sir William Fox KCMG MP for Rangitikei, Wellington (1812–1893)		12 July 1861	6 August 1862	1860–61 (3rd)	Independent	Fox II
				1 year and 26 days
	4	The Honourable Alfred Domett MHR MP for Nelson, Nelson Province (1811–1887)		6 August 1862	30 October 1863	— (3rd)	Independent	Domett
				1 year and 86 days
	5	The Honourable Sir Frederick Whitaker KCMG Councillor (1812–1891)		30 October 1863	24 November 1864	— (3rd)	Independent	Whitaker–Fox
				1 year and 26 days
	6	The Honourable Sir Frederick Weld GCMG MP for Cheviot, Canterbury (1823–1891)		24 November 1864	16 October 1865	— (3rd)	Independent	Weld
				327 days
	(3)	The Right Honourable Sir Edward Stafford GCMG MP for Nelson, Nelson Province until 1868 MP for Timaru, Canterbury from 1868 (1819–1901)		16 October 1865	28 June 1869	— (3rd) 1866 (4th)	Independent	Stafford II
				6 years and 257 days
Premiers (1869–1907)
	(2)	The Right Honourable Sir William Fox KCMG MP for Rangitikei, Wellington (1812–1893)		28 June 1869	10 September 1872	— (4th) 1871 (5th)	Independent	Fox III
				3 years and 75 days
	(3)	The Right Honourable Sir Edward Stafford GCMG MP for Timaru, Canterbury (1819–1901)		10 September 1872	11 October 1872	— (5th)	Independent	Stafford III
				32 days
	7	The Right Honourable George Waterhouse MLC Councillor (1824–1906)		11 October 1872	3 March 1873	— (5th)	Independent	Waterhouse
				144 days
	(2)	The Right Honourable Sir William Fox KCMG MP for Rangitikei, Wellington (1812–1893)		3 March 1873	8 April 1873	— (5th)	Independent	Fox IV
				37 days
	8	The Right Honourable Sir Julius Vogel KCMG MP for Auckland East, Auckland (1835–1899)		8 April 1873	6 July 1875	— (5th)	Independent	Vogel I
				2 years and 90 days
	9	The Honourable Daniel Pollen Councillor (1813–1896)		6 July 1875	15 February 1876	— (5th)	Independent	Pollen
				225 days
	(8)	The Right Honourable Sir Julius Vogel KCMG MP for Wanganui, Wellington (1835–1899)		15 February 1876	1 September 1876	1875–76 (6th)	Independent	Vogel II
				200 days
	10	The Honourable Sir Harry Atkinson KCMG MP for Egmont, Taranaki. provinces abolished on Nov 1, 1876 (1831–1892)		1 September 1876	13 October 1877	— (6th)	Independent	Atkinson I • II "Continuous Ministry"
				1 year and 43 days
	11	The Right Honourable Sir George Grey KCB MP for Thames (1812–1898)		13 October 1877	8 October 1879	— (6th)	Independent	Grey
				1 year and 361 days
	12	The Honourable Sir John Hall KCMG MP for Selwyn (1824–1907)		8 October 1879	21 April 1882	1879 (7th) 1881 (8th)	Independent	Hall "Continuous Ministry"
				2 years and 196 days
	(5)	The Honourable Sir Frederick Whitaker KCMG Councillor (1812–1891)		21 April 1882	25 September 1883	— (8th)	Independent	Whitaker "Continuous Ministry"
				1 year and 158 days
	(10)	The Honourable Sir Harry Atkinson KCMG MP for Egmont (1831–1892)		25 September 1883	16 August 1884	— (8th)	Independent	Atkinson III "Continuous Ministry"
				327 days
	13	The Right Honourable Robert Stout KCMG MP for Dunedin East (1844–1930)		16 August 1884	28 August 1884	1884 (9th)	Independent	Stout–Vogel
				13 days
	(10)	The Honourable Sir Harry Atkinson KCMG MP for Egmont (1831–1892)		28 August 1884	3 September 1884	— (9th)	Independent	Atkinson IV "Continuous Ministry"
				7 days
	(13)	The Right Honourable Sir Robert Stout KCMG MP for Dunedin East (1844–1930)		3 September 1884	8 October 1887	— (9th)	Independent	Stout–Vogel
				3 years and 36 days
	(10)	The Honourable Sir Harry Atkinson KCMG MP for Egmont (1831–1892)		8 October 1887	24 January 1891	1887 (10th)	Independent	Atkinson V "Scarecrow Ministry"
				3 years and 109 days
	14	The Right Honourable John Ballance MHR MP for Wanganui (1839–1893)		24 January 1891	27 April 1893†	1890 (11th)	Liberal	Liberal C&S with IPLL 1908–1910; Labour 1910–1912; Independents 1911–1912.
				2 years and 94 days
	15	The Right Honourable Richard Seddon MP for Westland (1845–1906)		1 May 1893	10 June 1906†	— (11th) 1893 (12th) 1896 (13th) 1899 (14th) 1902 (15th) 1905 (16th)	Liberal
				13 years and 41 days
	16	The Honourable William Hall-Jones KCMG MP for Timaru (1851–1936)		21 June 1906	6 August 1906	— (16th)	Liberal
				47 days
Prime ministers (1907–present)
	17	The Right Honourable Sir Joseph Ward BtGCMG MP for Awarua (1856–1930)		6 August 1906	12 March 1912	— (16th) 1908 (17th) 1911 (18th)	Liberal
				5 years and 220 days
	18	The Right Honourable Thomas Mackenzie GCMG MP for Egmont (1853–1930)		28 March 1912	10 July 1912	— (18th)	Liberal
				105 days
	19	The Right Honourable William Massey MP for Franklin (1856–1925)		10 July 1912	10 May 1925†	— (18th) 1914 (19th) 1919 (20th) 1922 (21st)	Reform	Reform with Liberal 1915–1919; C&S with independents.
				12 years and 305 days
	20	The Right Honourable Francis Bell GCMGKC Councillor (1851–1936)		14 May 1925	30 May 1925	— (21st)	Reform
				17 days
	21	The Right Honourable Gordon Coates MC* MP for Kaipara (1878–1943)		30 May 1925	10 December 1928	— (21st) 1925 (22nd)	Reform
				3 years and 195 days
	(17)	The Right Honourable Sir Joseph Ward BtGCMG MP for Invercargill (1856–1930)		10 December 1928	28 May 1930	1928 (23rd)	United	United with Labour; C&S with independents.
				1 year and 170 days
	22	The Right Honourable George Forbes MP for Hurunui (1869–1947)		28 May 1930	6 December 1935	— (23rd)	United
						1931 (24th)		United–Reform Coalition
				5 years and 193 days
	23	The Right Honourable Michael Joseph Savage MP for Auckland West (1872–1940)		6 December 1935	27 March 1940†	1935 (25th) 1938 (26th)	Labour	First Labour C&S with Rātana 1935–1936; Independents 1935–1946.
				4 years and 113 days
	24	The Right Honourable Peter Fraser CH MP for Wellington Central until 1946 MP for Brooklyn from 1946 (1884–1950)		1 April 1940	13 December 1949	— (26th) 1943 (27th) 1946 (28th)	Labour
				9 years and 257 days
	25	The Right Honourable Sidney Holland GCMGCH MP for Fendalton (1893–1961)		13 December 1949	20 September 1957	1949 (29th) 1951 (30th) 1954 (31st)	National	First National
				7 years and 282 days
	26	The Right Honourable Keith Holyoake KGGCMGCHQSOKStJ MP for Pahiatua (1904–1983)		20 September 1957	12 December 1957	— (31st)	National
				84 days
	27	The Right Honourable Walter Nash GCMGCH MP for Hutt (1882–1968)		12 December 1957	12 December 1960	1957 (32nd)	Labour	Second Labour
				3 years and 1 day
	(26)	The Right Honourable Sir Keith Holyoake KGGCMGCHQSOKStJ MP for Pahiatua (1904–1983)		12 December 1960	7 February 1972	1960 (33rd) 1963 (34th) 1966 (35th) 1969 (36th)	National	Second National
				11 years and 58 days
	28	The Right Honourable Jack Marshall GBECHED MP for Karori (1912–1988)		7 February 1972	8 December 1972	— (36th)	National
				306 days
	29	The Right Honourable Norman Kirk MP for Sydenham (1923–1974)		8 December 1972	31 August 1974†	1972 (37th)	Labour	Third Labour
				1 year and 267 days
	—	The Right Honourable Hugh Watt JP MP for Onehunga (1912–1980) Acting prime minister		31 August 1974	6 September 1974	— (37th)	Labour
				7 days
	30	The Right Honourable Bill Rowling KCMG MP for Tasman (1927–1995)		6 September 1974	12 December 1975	— (37th)	Labour
				1 year and 98 days
	31	The Right Honourable Sir Robert Muldoon GCMGCH MP for Tamaki (1921–1992)		12 December 1975	26 July 1984	1975 (38th) 1978 (39th) 1981 (40th)	National	Third National
				8 years and 228 days
	32	The Right Honourable David Lange ONZCH MP for Mangere (1942–2005)		26 July 1984	8 August 1989	1984 (41st) 1987 (42nd)	Labour	Fourth Labour
				5 years and 14 days
	33	The Right Honourable Geoffrey Palmer KCMGACQC MP for Christchurch Central (born 1942)		8 August 1989	4 September 1990	— (42nd)	Labour
				1 year and 28 days
	34	The Right Honourable Mike Moore ONZAO MP for Christchurch North (1949–2020)		4 September 1990	2 November 1990	— (42nd)	Labour
				60 days
	35	The Right Honourable Jim Bolger ONZ MP for King Country (born 1935)		2 November 1990	8 December 1997	1990 (43rd) 1993 (44th) 1996 (45th)	National	Fourth National with Right of Centre 1994–1995; United NZ 1995–1996; New Zealand First 1996–98; with Mauri Pacific, Mana Wahine, Independents 1998–99; C&S with Future 1994–1995; Christian Democrats 1995–1996; United NZ 1995-1995, 1998–1999; ACT 1998–1999; Independents 1998–1999.
				7 years and 37 days
	36	The Right Honourable Jenny Shipley DNZM MP for Rakaia (born 1952)		8 December 1997	10 December 1999	— (45th)	National
				2 years and 3 days
	37	The Right Honourable Helen Clark ONZSSI MP for Mount Albert (born 1950)		10 December 1999	19 November 2008	1999 (46th) 2002 (47th) 2005 (48th)	Labour	Fifth Labour with Alliance 1999–2002, Progressives 2002–2008; C&S with Greens 1999–2002, 2005–2008; New Zealand First 2005–2008; United Future 2002–2008.
				8 years and 346 days
	38	The Right Honourable John Key GNZMAC MP for Helensville (born 1961)		19 November 2008	12 December 2016	2008 (49th) 2011 (50th) 2014 (51st)	National	Fifth National C&S with ACT, United Future, Māori.
				8 years and 24 days
	39	The Right Honourable Bill English KNZM List MP (born 1961)		12 December 2016	26 October 2017	— (51st)	National
				319 days
	40	The Right Honourable Jacinda Ardern MP for Mount Albert (born 1980)		26 October 2017	25 January 2023	2017 (52nd) 2020 (53rd)	Labour	Sixth Labour with New Zealand First 2017–2020; C&S with Greens 2017–2020; Cooperation with Greens 2020–2023
				5 years and 92 days
	41	The Right Honourable Chris Hipkins MP for Remutaka (born 1978)		25 January 2023	27 November 2023	– (53rd)	Labour
				307 days
	42	The Right Honourable Christopher Luxon MP for Botany (born 1970)		27 November 2023	Incumbent	2023 (54th)	National	Sixth National with ACT, New Zealand First 2023–present
				1 year and 261 days