Louis Collins
It's another busy week in Parliament, with some major select committees underway. Photo: 123RF
This week, Parliament's key action is happening both in the House and in select committees, and includes the RMA, mental health, and a request to expand the Treaty of Waitangi.
The week's best action might be in committee not chamber
Select Committees are undertaking two inquiries worthy of note, and one interesting hearing on a petition:
Banking Inquiry
An inquiry into bank competition (and by extension profits) starts this week. The Finance and Expenditure Committee begins hearing evidence on Wednesday (9am) with a power-list of submitters that includes all of the Big Four accounting firms as well as the bosses of ANZ. You can watch it live online here.
Dementia Care
The Health Committee's inquiry into the capacity of the aged care sector to cope with the rise in cognitive decline continues. Its first submitter at 9am on Wednesday will be the Aged Care Commissioner. That can be watched online here.
Religious Liberty
The Petitions Committee will touch on a fascinating topic on Thursday (3:15pm). Alistair Reese will speak to his petition that oral undertakings should be recognised as part of the Treaty of Waitangi. You can read Reese's submission on the petition here. Recognition would feature what is often referred to as the 'fourth article' of the treaty - the oral undertaking made at Waitangi regarding religious liberty: "The Governor says the several faiths of England, of the Wesleyans, of Rome, and also the Māori custom, shall alike be protected by him".
Brand new bills
Parliament's Order Paper includes a number of first reading debates, when (if it's a government bill) the minister in charge will inform the House of their bill's background and intent. It is also the Opposition's first chance to make their stance on the bill known. This first debate also often discusses MPs' hopes for the select committee examination, or a plea to the public to participate in it.
Mental Health Bill
In 2018, the government of the day published a report from the inquiry into mental health and addiction, which suggested the government ought to scrap the problematic existing legislation and replace it with something more human rights based. Six years later, the government is adopting that recommendation through the introduction of the Mental Health Bill.
Child protection
As Minister of Police, Mark Mitchell is in charge of the Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) Amendment Bill which, as the name suggests, amends an existing bill for the purpose of improving the safety of children in the community.
Police Vetting
There are currently 14,000 agencies able to ask the police to vet potential workers, who may need a security check (say to work at Parliament), or a safety-check (to work with children). A new bill will create clearer law around that including who can ask and about whom, the need for consent and what information can be gained.
Almost law
Sitting alongside the Mental Health Bill in legislative solidarity this week is the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) (Improving Mental Health Outcomes) Amendment Bill. This is Katie Nimmon's member's bill that requires the Minister of Health to determine a Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The bill received general support across the House in its previous stages so will presumably pass its third reading this week.
Insurance
Unless you're in the insurance industry, I don't blame you for not being across the government's Contracts of Insurance Bill which, like the Mental Health Bill, replaces old legislation, some of which is more than 100 years old. This has also received pretty unanimous support so expect to see it become a law this week.
Gambling
The law that (during Covid-19 lockdowns) enabled a few charities to go online for their fundraising lotteries is expiring. It is now being made permanent and widened to include any charitable or non-commercial lottery so long as any money raised from gambling benefits the community.
RMA replacement - water
The Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Bill is slated for both of its final two debating stages this week (the Committee of the Whole House and the Third Reading).
This bill is one aspect of the government's plan to replace the Resource Management Act with a raft of new laws. The bill's description says it seeks to "reduce the regulatory burden on key sectors including farming, mining, and other primary industries." Opposition parties are strongly opposed.
Citizenship
The Restoring Citizenship Removed By Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 Bill received many submissions and will return from select committee this week for its second reading. The member's bill is in the name of the Green Party's Teanu Tuiono, and would grant New Zealand citizenship to a group of people born in Samoa between 1924 and 1949 who had their citizenship revoked by the Muldoon Government in 1982.
Tuiono will be cautiously optimistic that the Bill will continue into legislation, with support at the first reading from not only Labour and Te Pāti Māori but also (surprisingly) Act and New Zealand First.
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