Write to your MP

Did you know you can write to your Member of Parliament (MP) without having to pay postage?

If something is important to you, have your say—your MP is there to represent you. MPs are busy, and letters about issues that affect their constituents are much more likely to hold their attention.  Your MP will only know your opinion if you tell them.

Here are some tips for writing a letter or email to your MP, plus ideas around making it effective and easy to read.

Make it personal

• Work out what you want, then base your letter around making a strong case for it. Your letter should ideally give an example of how the legislation, policy or funding decision will personally affect you.
• You don’t have to be an expert. Whole reports and books are written about topics—the aim of your letter is to say how an issue affects you.
• Above all, make it clear what you are asking the MP to do in response to your letter (eg, vote to support a new Bill).
• Tell your story. Honesty (plus brevity) about aspects of your situation that relate to the issue you’re writing about can be persuasive.
• Facts. Case studies or research that compares to Australia or elsewhere in the OECD—or to another electorate—make for compelling reading. 

Make it easy to read

• Keep it to one page and stick to one topic. Summarise your main point in the first paragraph.
• Affirm any positive action the government has taken.
• Be polite and courteous. Your aim is to influence your MP and hopefully build a relationship. Using their correct title (eg, Rt Hon John Key, Prime Minister) and ‘thank you for considering this matter’ is appropriate.
• Structure. If you’re writing more than four paragraphs, consider short headings highlighting your main topics.
• Bullets. If you’re writing a list, use bullet points—they’re easier to read than long paragraphs.
• Don’t use emotive language. Even though you’re writing because you feel passionate about something, try to keep the emotion out eg, ‘I’m disappointed the Government is stopping the well-researched and successful project [name]’ sounds reasonable and may help invite further reading). 

Before you send

• Include your name and contact details. If you email, include your address and postcode to show which electorate you’re in.
• Have someone else read your letter before you send it.
• Run a spell and grammar check over the final letter. 

After you’ve sent it

• Share copies of your communication. If you write to the Prime Minister, make sure to send a copy to your electorate MP. Consider sending letters to leaders of opposition parties and to your local newspaper.
• You might receive a personal response that deals with the specifics in your letter—great!
• You may also receive a reply with generic language that quotes from official statements. Check that the reply answers your questions. If it doesn’t, go back to your MP (politely) outlining where you’d like more specific information.
• Consider following up with a brief thank-you email. You could invite them to contact you for more info or to discuss further.
• You can also send your MP news articles, links to reports, trends or events that highlight why what you wrote about is so important for your community, electorate or New Zealand.

Find out who your MP is and how to contact them.

Go to www.parliament.nz. To discover other ways you can have your say in relation to Parliament, go to www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/AboutParl/GetInvolved