NZQA registered unit standard
Title
27851 version 1
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Explain systems of government and their formation and operation in a New Zealand context
Level
Purpose
2 Credits 4
People credited with this unit standard are able to explain systems of government and their formation and operation in a
New Zealand context.
Classification
Available grade
Social Science Studies > Legal Studies
Achieved, Merit, and Excellence
Criteria for Merit The explanation of the systems of government is developed by including relevant supporting detail such as:

the impact of the different approaches to formation of government on democracy in New Zealand;

describing strength(s) and weakness(es) for each approach to the formation of government;

describing differing viewpoints.
Criteria for Excellence The explanation of systems of government and their formation and operation is fully developed by:

discussing how the systems of government in New Zealand and their operation are influenced by their formation, with reference to a specific example.
Explanatory notes
1 Definitions
Democracy in New Zealand is characterised by political office being gained through competitive popular elections and tolerance of different political beliefs.
FPP means First Past the Post and refers to a method of voting where in each electorate the candidate with the most votes is elected and the party with the most electorate seats can form the government.
MMP means Mixed Member Proportional and is
New Zealand’s current method of voting which delivers a proportional outcome overall.
Specific example refers to real or fictionalised event from New Zealand or overseas, past or present.
Viewpoints represent the opinions of individuals, organisations, governments or commentators. Viewpoints can derive from a variety of sources including media, social media, textbook sources. Differing viewpoints refers to such viewpoints as the dissenting, minority, or alternative viewpoints of involved parties or external commentators.
NZQA National Qualifications Services
SSB Code 130301

New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2020

NZQA registered unit standard 27851 version 1
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2 This unit standard can be awarded with an Achieved, Merit, or Excellence grade. For the Achieved grade to be awarded, all outcomes must be achieved as specified in the outcome statement(s). For Merit or Excellence grades to be awarded, the candidate must meet the Merit or Excellence criteria specified above.
3 Teaching and learning guidelines that inform legal studies as it is taught in New
Zealand can be found at http://seniorsecondary.tki.org.nz/Social-sciences/Legalstudies . Assessment support material for these standards can be found at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/legalstudies .
Outcome 1
Explain systems of government and their formation and operation in a New Zealand context.
Evidence requirements
1.1 Systems of government and their formation and operation are explained and compared, with supporting detail, in terms of their key element(s).
Range key elements include – method of voting (FPP and MMP) subsequent formation of a government, parliamentary system; supporting detail includes but is not limited to
– reference to past elections, identifying strength(s) and weakness(es) for each system, identifying differing viewpoints of the system.
Planned review date 31 December 2017
Status information and last date for assessment for superseded versions
Process Version Date Last Date for Assessment
Registration 1 14 December 2012 N/A
Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR) reference 0226
This CMR can be accessed at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/framework/search/index.do
.
Please note
Providers must be granted consent to assess against standards (accredited) by NZQA, before they can report credits from assessment against unit standards or deliver courses of study leading to that assessment.
Industry Training Organisations must be granted consent to assess against standards by
NZQA before they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.
NZQA National Qualifications Services
SSB Code 130301

New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2020

NZQA registered unit standard 27851 version 1
Page 3 of 3
Providers and Industry Training Organisations, which have been granted consent and which are assessing against unit standards must engage with the moderation system that applies to those standards.
Requirements for consent to assess and an outline of the moderation system that applies to this standard are outlined in the Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR). The
CMR also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations wishing to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for tutors and assessors, and special resource requirements.
Comments on this unit standard
Please contact NZQA National Qualifications Services nqs@nzqa.govt.nz
if you wish to suggest changes to the content of this unit standard.
NZQA National Qualifications Services
SSB Code 130301

New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2020