Oppositions also engage in parliamentary gestures such as refusal to grant confidence or voting down the budget.
[2] This is complicated more by parties which occasionally act with the government and at other times vote against it.
The unusual positioning that developed after the 2005 election – in which minor parties supported the government and received ministers but remained outside the Cabinet – further complicated the concept of 'opposition'.
However, the continued dominance of the political scene by the National and Labour parties means that the Official Opposition has been retained, and inevitably the Official Opposition is whichever of the National and Labour parties is not leading a government at the time.
The Labour caucus decided to maintain its independence by not joining the national ministry and its leader, Alfred Hindmarsh, declined a seat in the cabinet.