MPs will work on a bill to improve pastoral care of tertiary students and confirm the days they have to turn up to work next year.
About 20 bills are on Parliament's to-do list for this sitting week but many of them are tidy up bills like the Statutes Amendment Bill or the trio of Regulatory Systems bills; they're unlikely to make media headlines any time soon.
But on Thursday a new bill from the Minister of Education Chris Hipkins will be debated for the first time.
Minister of Education and Leader of the House Chris Hipkins Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox
The Education (Pastoral Care) Amendment Bill is a response to the death of a University student at a Christchurch hostel whose body went undiscovered for weeks.
The bill will introduce a mandatory code of practice and fines of up to $100,000 if the tertiary provider is found responsible for the harm or death of a student in its care.
Mr Hipkins said parents pay a premium for their children to stay in hostel accommodation or halls of residence and there's a general expectation that they will get a high level of pastoral care.
"It's very clear from our look at this following the recent tragic event at Christchurch that that's not at the standard that it should be," he said.
"So we're passing a law change that will allow us to issue a code of practice which will put some minimum standards in place that those providers are going to need to meet."
Scheduled sitting
Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox
Sitting weeks are when MPs are required to be at Parliament. During those weeks they have to be in the chamber on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
In non-sitting weeks MPs travel back to their electorates to do constituency work or they might travel overseas on a Parliamentary trip.
Every year the House of Representatives (that's all the MPs) have to approve next year's calendar and they'll likely do that this Wednesday.
