A long week of Tuesdays and lots of bills

The weary look on MPs faces today has been something to behold. It’s been a gruelling week for members, some of whom joked grimly that they were like prisoners on precinct.

The Government - wanting additional sitting hours to get a big bunch of legislation progressed before the end of the year - on Tuesday got permission from the House to sit under urgency for the rest of the week. Technically speaking, it’s been Tuesday the 22nd of November for most of the week at Parliament, with days beginning at 9am and on Wednesday and Thursday going until midnight, all the while quite a lot of legislative business has gone down.

This photo was taken on 25 November 2022. However the date in the chamber still showed 22 November because on that day the Government moved a motion for the House to sit under urgency meaning that, technically speaking, it was 22 November for the rest of the week at Parliament. Photo: Johnny Blades / VNP

Four bills had their entire passage through the House:

• the Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Amendment Bill;

• the Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Bill (No 2);

• the Social Security (Accommodation Supplement) Amendment Bill;

• the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Extension of Act and Reduction.

Another four bills had their remaining stages completed:

• the Dairy Industry Restructuring (Fonterra Capital Restructuring) Amendment Bill;

• the Climate Change Response (Extension of Penalty Transition for Forestry Activities with Low Volume Emissions Liabilities) Amendment Bill;

• the Arms (Licence Holders' Applications for New Licences) Amendment Bill;

• the Companies (Levies) Amendment Bill.

The House went painstakingly (emphasis on pain) through the various parts and clauses of legislation that enables the Government's Three Waters reform. 

• the committee stage of the Water Services Entities Bill.

Furthermore, a total of seven bills had their first reading this week:

• the Grocery Industry Competition Bill;

• the Fuel Industry Amendment Bill;

• the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill;

• the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Amendment Bill;

• the first reading and referral to a select committee of the Legal Services Amendment Bill;

• the introduction, first reading, and referral to a select committee of the Accident Compensation (Access Reporting and Other Matters) Amendment Bill;

• the first reading and referral to a select committee of the Health and Safety at Work (Health and Safety Representatives and Committees) Amendment Bill.

With these first readings out of the way people can now submit their views on the Bill to the select committee. It was part of the Government’s plan for Urgency: to get a number of bills like this underway so the public can have that extra time over the Christmas break to consider submitting.

But before they finished the legislative marathon, the MPs did even more: 

• The Security Information in Proceedings Bill and the Security Information in Proceedings (Repeals and Amendments) Bill were read a third time.

• The Māori Purposes Bill was read a third time.

• The Remuneration Authority Legislation Bill was read a third time.

• The committee stage of the Organic Products and Production Bill was interrupted during the debate on Part 1.

At 4.06 pm on Friday, the House adjourned and the MPs' week of Tuesdays came to a conclusion. None of them were carried out of Parliament building on stretchers, but one could sense their relief that the ordeal was over, at least for now.

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