New Zealand to introduce four-year term legislation

　　WELLINGTON, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand government has agreed to introduce legislation that will enable a four-year term of Parliament subject to a referendum, which means a standard term of Parliament will remain at three years, but with the ability to extend the maximum term of Parliament to four years.

　　The main condition is that membership of certain select committees is calculated in a way that is proportionate to the non-Executive parliamentary party membership of the House, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said on Thursday.

　　"Given the constitutional significance of the term of Parliament, this change would be subject to the outcome of a binding referendum," Goldsmith said.

　　It is possible a referendum could be held alongside the next General Election in 2026. However, any final decisions on timing for a referendum will depend on what comes out of the select committee process, he said, adding what New Zealanders think during the select committee process needs to be heard.

　　The New Zealand Parliament has twice unsuccessfully attempted to extend the three-year term to four years, which saw both 1967 and 1990 referendums fail, with less than one-third of voters supporting the extension. ■