An ideology has 3 elements; a narrative of the existing order, a desire for a “good society,” and a political plan to realize that desire. Derived from the word "ideal", when the suffix "ology" is added (ology being defined as "the scientific study of something"), we can understand that the term "political ideology" means having an ideal political method for achieving a good society based on meaningful research (Cambridge Dictionaries Online). New Zealand's current parliament is made up of 121 MPs from 8 different parties and one independent MP. Each party has its own political ideology, meaning they have their own perspective on the political direction New Zealand should take. In my essay I will examine the extent to which political parties in New Zealand follow an ideology based on the individual policies of National, Labor and the New Zealand First Party. The specific policies I will discuss are National's asset sales policy (National Party Online, 2014), Labor's affordable and healthy housing policy (Labour Party Online) and New Zealand First's immigration policy ( New Zealand First website). These policies clearly demonstrate how closely each respective party follows its own clear ideology. The New Zealand National Party currently runs the government, meaning the country is heavily influenced by the party's views as well as its ideology. National's policy to partially privatize state-owned assets demonstrates its desire to retain control and decision-making over how assets are used (they only sell up to 49% of each asset) while by covering short-term debt. Choosing short-term gain over long-term income highlights their perspective of living in a nation where society has no...... middle of paper ...... The politics of Aland Future immigration clearly shows their desire for a "good society" and a plan on how to achieve it. To conclude, New Zealand's political parties follow their own political ideology based on the policies discussed. Currently , National runs the nation according to a democratic capitalist ideology, because that is what the majority of New Zealanders voted for in the 2011 election. The asset sales are a prime example of National executing this ideology Labor and New Zealand First operate under their own respective ideologies which have less impact on the functioning of the country due to their lower number of seats in parliament. However, these divergent views translate into perspectives. diverse as to how the nation should be run and the policies of these parties are crucial to ensuring that the entire population is represented when it comes to making political decisions..