1 Westminster systems have many common elements.  Perhaps the most important is the fact that Cabinet must come from Parliament.  The efficient secret of the Westminster style of Government was described by Walter Bagehot in 1867 as:¹ [T]he  close  union,  the  nearly  complete  fusion,  of  the  executive  and  legislative powers… A  Cabinet  is  a  combining  Committee  –  a  hyphen  which  jams,  a  buckle  which fastens,  the  legislative  part  of  the  State  to  the  executive  part  of  the  State.    In its origin it belongs to the one, in its functions it belongs to the other.    2 While   Cabinet   Government   might   be   regarded   as   common   to   almost   all Westminster   systems   in   the   Commonwealth,   at   this   point   in   history   the governance arrangements in the Commonwealth are diverse.  The political culture of every country is different and often the institutional arrangements reflect those differences.    3 New Zealand has seen many important changes to its system of Government in recent years.  The Official Information Act 1982 opened up Government decisions and information to scrutiny of a type that had never been present before.  It made Government  much  more  transparent  –  it  was  a  very  important  change.    The Official Information Act 1982 remains in New Zealand a highly effective model.   Its presumption of openness has led to more information being made available on a progressive basis.    4 The New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 is a Parliamentary Bill of Rights.  It does not give the Courts power to strike down legislation that is inconsistent with it.  But the Government is bound to report its legal analysis as to when measures introduced  may  be  in  breach.    These  opinions  are  posted  on  a  Government website.²  The New Zealand Bill of Rights Act had been given much more weight than most people might initially have expected because the Courts have taken up its interpretation with some rigour.  In 2001 Professor Phillip Joseph wrote that                                                  1   Walter Bagehot The English Constitution [1867] (Fontana, London, 1963) 65-68. 2   Ministry of Justice <http://www.justice.govt.nz/bill-of-rights/index.html> (last accessed 14 August 2006).    2 C:\Documents And Settings\Tmcglennon\Desktop\CPA Australian And Pacific Conf. 15 August.Doc 16/08/2006 10:43