Editing Prime Minister of New Zealand (section)

===Head of government===
Convention regards the prime minister as "[[first among equals]]".<ref name="te ara"/> A prime minister does hold the most senior post in government, but must also adhere to any decisions taken by Cabinet, as per the convention of [[Cabinet collective responsibility |collective ministerial responsibility]]. The actual ability of a prime minister to give direct orders is largely limited; most of the position's power comes about through other means, such as:
* the ability to set the Cabinet agenda, thereby controlling items for discussion<ref name="cabinetmanual_pm"/>{{efn|group= notes|Some political scientists have gone so far as to describe the Cabinet as the prime minister's "[[focus group]]".<ref name="Cross">{{cite book|last1= Cross|first1= William P.|last2= Blais|first2= André|title= Politics at the Centre: The Selection and Removal of Party Leaders in the Anglo Parliamentary Democracies|date= 2012|isbn= 9780199596720|page= 2|publisher= OUP Oxford}}</ref>}}
* The ability to appoint and dismiss ministers, and to allocate [[wikt:portfolio|portfolios]]{{efn|group= notes|name=ministers|The extent to which this power can be exercised varies between parties; the [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour Party]], for example, places most of this responsibility in the hands of its [[Parliamentary group | parliamentary caucus]], leaving the prime minister only with the power to choose which portfolios a minister is given.<ref>{{cite book |last1= Dowding |first1= Keith |last2= Dumont |first2= Patrick |title= The Selection of Ministers around the World |date= 2014 |publisher= Routledge |isbn= 9781317634454 |page= 27 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=UStHBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA27|language= en}}</ref> Furthermore, [[Electoral system of New Zealand|the MMP electoral system]] has complicated this, as a prime minister may have to consult with the leaders of other parties in government.}}
*the influence a prime minister is likely/assumed to have as leader of the dominant political party, which may afford more direct control over subordinates than is attached to the prime ministerial role<ref name="Cross"/>
* The power gained simply from being central to most significant decision-making, and from being able (as of right) to comment on and criticise any decisions taken by other ministers

Since the 1996 implementation of [[Electoral system of New Zealand |the MMP electoral system]], the role of the prime minister in negotiating and maintaining relationships with [[Coalition government|support parties]] has increased, placing some constraints on prime ministerial abilities.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title= New Zealand Government and Politics|last= Hayward|first= Margaret|publisher= Oxford University Press|year= 2015|isbn= 978-0-19-558525-4|location= Auckland|pages= 371–373 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=lOpArgEACAAJ}}</ref>