The Labour Party has revealed plans to overhaul the way candidates are chosen and how the party’s leader is elected.
Leader David Shearer says future leaders of the party will be voted in by both MPs and members of the party. Electoral and list candidates will also be chosen in this way.
Currently, the leader is chosen solely by MPs.
The new vote for the leader is broken down into three vote areas: 40 percent for the caucus, 40 percent for the party members and 20 percent affiliate members of the party which includes unions and Young Labour.
However, incumbent leaders cannot be voted out in the same way with a leadership challenge still needs to be initiated by the caucus.
Mr Shearer says this is the model social-democrat parties around the world are using and Labour are following the trend.
He says members will have a much more “direct line” into the party including policy direction. He says online forums will be established where policy can be discussed.
The changes will be issue focussed, campaign focussed and streamlined with less bureaucracy, he says, but still have to be authorised at the Labour Party conference.
He says core members of the party need “a real say” in the leadership and who are chosen as candidates to represent the party.
“It’s not undemocratic now, I think we are just responding to what members have said they want to have happen which is to make an open party.
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