How New Zealand’s cookie tin lottery shapes the nation’s laws

WELLINGTON, New Zealand. In the heart of New Zealand’s Parliament, a quaint but powerful democratic ritual plays out under the gaze of a black-robed official and an attentive crowd: a decorative cookie tin, rattling like a bingo drum, determines which proposed laws will be debated by lawmakers.

Known colloquially as the “biscuit tin,” the battered, patterned container, faded label and all holds a unique role in the country’s legislative process. When rare openings arise on Parliament’s agenda, a public lottery is held to randomly select bills submitted by members of Parliament who are not ministers. This quirky tradition is a cornerstone of fairness in New Zealand’s democratic process.

“We ate the biscuits, got some bingo tokens numbered one through to 90, I think, and that is the way that the random numbers are drawn now, rather than any kind of computer system,” said David Wilson, Clerk of the New Zealand House of Representatives. “Which has become quite an iconic part of our democracy.”

The Cookie Tin as Equalizer

The cookie tin’s random selection system allows even politically risky, niche, or otherwise overlooked proposals a fighting chance to be debated. Unlike most government-sponsored legislation, which moves through Parliament with the backing of ruling coalitions, these “members’ bills” rely on luck—and the power of persuasion.

On one day every two weeks, if space allows, Parliament debates up to three such bills. When that happens, Wilson retrieves the cookie tin from its glass case and oversees the ceremonial drawing in the parliamentary library. Numbered bingo tokens—each corresponding to a proposed bill—are tipped into the tin, shaken, and selected with theatrical flair.

“I just think they quite like the performance of it,” Wilson said, noting the process’s transparency and appeal to spectators. Results are later emailed to lawmakers and interested parties.

A Tradition Born of Chaos

The tradition began in the 1990s as a solution to chaos. Before the lottery, lawmakers would queue overnight outside the clerk’s office to submit their bills as soon as a vacancy arose on the agenda.

To avoid this scramble, Parliament staff purchased the now-iconic blue-patterned tin from a local department store. What began as a pragmatic reform has since become a symbol of New Zealand’s cheerful, egalitarian political culture. Today, visitors to Parliament can even purchase souvenir mugs and socks featuring the tin’s distinctive design.

Shaping the Nation

The cookie tin has played a pivotal role in passing some of New Zealand’s landmark legislation, including bills that legalized marriage equality and voluntary euthanasia, both originally drawn from the tin and passed after fierce public advocacy.

Most recently, two lawmakers found themselves lottery winners. Arena Williams had a bill selected that aims to increase transparency in international money transfer fees—a proposal she said would aid migrant workers supporting their families overseas. It’s her second success from the tin, a remarkable streak for a lawmaker with fewer than five years in office.

Tim van de Molen, meanwhile, celebrated his first selection in seven and a half years. His bill seeks to criminalize the improper use or disposal of military decorations. “It’s a quirky part of our system that I think is typically Kiwi,” he remarked. “It’s a pretty basic sort of system, but she’ll be right. It does the job.”

Critics Urged to Engage

While the system may appear whimsical, it reflects a deeper democratic principle—every lawmaker, regardless of political rank or popularity, has an equal opportunity to shape the nation’s laws.

“This is not just novelty, it’s democracy in a tin,” said Wilson.