Wednesday at Parliament was a member’s day, given over to debating bills from backbench MPs from any party; and so not part of the Government’s agenda.
Wednesday might not sound like a lot, but it’s nearly half of the week’s debating time.
Member’s bills are pulled at random from a blue and white biscuit tin in a public ballot. (You can watch this week’s ballot on the Parliament Facebook page.)
Four bills completed first reading debates this week. Two succeeded and two failed. Here’s a quick look at them all, with more attention on those that succeeded because those are the ones you will be asked to help perfect.
Green MP Jan Logie in the House Photo: ©VNP / Phil Smith
Support for support dogs
First up, a Green Party bill presented by Jan Logie (on behalf of Ricardo Menendez-March who is in Auckland), but originally written by former MP Mojo Mathers.
The Bill is simple - it adds disabled people’s support dogs (like say, a seeing eye dog) to the things you can’t discriminate against people for. During the debate Jan Logie quoted Mojo Mathers:
“I was determined to create my new Member's Bill after hearing stories of New Zealanders being denied rental accommodation purely because they have a disability assist dog. This sort of discrimination should not be happening in 21st century New Zealand. Finding somewhere to live is already hard enough, but to have your rental application turned down time and time again purely because you have a disability assist dog is just wrong.”
With unanimous support this bill will now go to the Social Services and Community Committee who will ask for public submissions.
Localising rural land controls
Second up this week was a bill from ACT MP Mark Cameron which listed four types of rural land consent activities it would move from central government to local government control.
“This bill speaks specifically to excluding managing the effects of winter grazing, the application of synthetic fertilisers, sedimentation control, and the exclusion of animals and livestock from various water bodies, importantly, from central Government planning, and gives that oversight back to respective councils who have the capacity to set localised standards.” - Mark Cameron (ACT)
That bill was unsuccessful and goes no further.
National Party MP Gerry Brownlee sitting on the Health Select Committee Photo: ©VNP Phil Smith
Autonomous sanctions
Third up, a bill from National MP Gerry Brownlee, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs who'd drafted a bill in the foreign affairs arena - something pretty unusual in a member’s bill. Gerry Brownlee described it like this:
“This bill establishes a framework for the implementation of autonomous sanctions by New Zealand, to further its aims of enhancing New Zealand's diplomatic capabilities and to enhance the concept of our independent foreign policy. This is a bill that once, if it were to be an Act, would provide a significant extra tool in the tool kit of diplomacy.”
Bills are renamed Acts once they become law. Autonomous sanctions can include things like asset freezes on foreign nationals. The current Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta, also spoke:
“...it is incumbent on the Government to consider what more it can do to support the upholding of human rights around the world. This work will include what role an autonomous sanctions regime could play within this framework. So I'm not ruling it out; it is just that the bill falls short of expectations on that front.”
This bill was also not successful.
Tangi Utikere giving his Maiden Speech Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox
Local council conflict registers
And lastly, a bill that was successful - so, again your input on it will be asked for soon.
This one was originally in the name of Labour MP Priyanca Radhakrichnan but taken up by new Labour MP Tangi Utikere when Radhakrishnan joined the Executive as Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector; for Youth; and for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities. (Members of the Cabinet and Executive can’t sponsor members’ bills).
This bill would require local body politicians to declare potential conflicts of interest - like MPs have to - for example see the most recent list of MPs' 'pecuniary interests' here.
Tangi Utikere is a former Deputy Mayor of Palmerston North, a council that requires such a register, so he came to the debate with his declaration from last year as an example.
“I was required to declare any employment that I was engaged in for any profit or gain; any company, trust, partnership of which I was a director, partner, trustee, or beneficiary; any land in which I had a beneficial interest within Palmerston North City; and other matters, including non-pecuniary relationships, such as affiliations with clubs, community organisations, and others. But I also, actually, note that I had to include those declarations as they also related to any of my close family members. So I commend the Palmerston North City Council on its high level of transparency in that regard. In addition, I was also required to disclose any gifts I'd received over a particular financial threshold.”
He wants all local councils to demand similar transparency.
During the debate Labour Whip Kieran McAnulty alluded to one reason that public submissions are especially important on members’ bills.
“Let's vote for this bill, send it to select committee, and nut it out. We'll get submissions from people across the board. We'll get submissions from those involved in local government. Given that this is a member's bill - this is not a Government bill - so there hasn't been any consultation prior to this. Here's their opportunity to come forward and put their view.”
He also talked about his own declarations, upon which one MP interjected asking whether he had declared his clapped-out ute - currently for sale on Trade-me with the proceeds going to charity. Said McAnulty, “It’s not worth over 500 bucks.”
This bill also passed without dissent and goes tot he Governance and Administration Committee who will seek submissions.
Kieran McAnulty and the ute purporting to be a vehicle. Photo: Wairarapa Times-Age
A whopping ballot - seven new bills
With those and a few other bills disappearing from the order paper Thursday this week saw a phenomenal biscuit tin ballot of seven new members bills - yes seven.
The bills drawn were:
- Protection of Journalists’ Sources Bill in the name of Louisa Wall (Labour)
- Plain Language Bill in the name of Rachel Boyack (Labour)
- Public Finance (Prohibition on Providing Public Funds to Gangs) Amendment Bill in the name of Simeon Brown (National)
- Improving Arrangements for Surrogacy Bill in the name of Tamati Coffey (Labour)
- Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) (Definition of Significant Criminal Activity) Amendment Bill in the name of Nicole McKee (ACT)
- Te Ture Whenua Māori Bill in the name of Joseph Mooney (National)
- Companies (Directors Duties) Amendment Bill in the name of Duncan Webb (Labour)
And among them yet another bill drawn in the name of the MP with the golden ballot touch: Louisa Wall. And just to prove she brings magic to the ballot she also wrote the bill drawn in the name of Tamati Coffey.
