New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced plans to offer voters a referendum on the country's electoral system if his National Party is re-elected, surprising even his own colleagues with the pledge. New Zealand has used a mixed-member proportional (MMP) system since 1996, when voters chose it over the previous first-past-the-post arrangement after a series of elections in which governments were formed by parties that won fewer votes than their opponents. Critics argue Luxon's proposal lacks substance and appears driven by frustration with the difficulties of managing a multi-party coalition rather than any systemic failure, noting that the current government has passed budgets and enacted its legislative agenda without collapse.