The House On Demand
Collection items
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Journey of learning: Matariki Holiday becomes law
7 Apr 2022Debate on the Te Kāhui Matariki Public Holiday Bill found everyone in agreement that the start of the Māori lunar calendar should be marked, but not everyone agreeing a new public holiday should go… Audio
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The vanishing fallacy: The tactics of Question Time
6 Apr 2022Question Time is a contest where the tactics constantly evolve, and counter tactics shift to respond. This week one clever tactic appeared suddenly to disappear. Audio
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Back to font: Parliament as the source of cash and power
5 Apr 2022This week's reduction for Road User Charges shows Parliament is always the source of power and of cash. Audio
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Managing MPs - the ‘staff’ you can’t fire
3 Apr 2022Parliament’s Speaker is on a mission to stop workplace bullying and improve behaviour, even that of the ‘staff’ who can’t be fired. Audio
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Lessons from Christchurch inform Earthquake Commission transition
31 Mar 2022A new Bill looks to make life easier for people affected by major disasters, following the human disaster created by shortcomings of the Earthquake Commission in its response to the Christchurch… Audio
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Parliament’s second spring: a public return
30 Mar 2022Parliament has reworked its traffic light settings and the public are returning to the precinct, including school visits, public events, tours and public galleries in the debating chamber. Audio
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Decoding the names of bills
29 Mar 2022A bill by any other name (would be utterly confusing). We decode the naming rules for Parliament’s bills and laws. Audio
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Bill seeks streamlined path through surrogacy process
27 Mar 2022Surrogacy arrangements can often be difficult legal and health processes to navigate for intending parents and surrogates. A new Member’s Bill is looking to make it a smoother process that enhances… Audio
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Dating Parliament’s Speaker, and the ‘chair of doom’
20 Mar 2022The unintended consequences of one MP's early retirement with a bad day for the MP, who in the subsequent reshuffle, is allocated the debating chamber's 'Chair of Doom'. Audio
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The House For Thurs 17 March 2022
17 Mar 2022MP departures can have unexpected flow-on effects... Audio
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Iwi lead panacea process as Parliament grounds reopen
16 Mar 2022The community is welcomed back into Parliament's grounds, the next step in the transition back from stinky rubbish tip to a place for picnics, petitions, play and protest. Audio
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More work needed on hate speech, as Parliament marks mosque attacks anniversary
A motion in Parliament to mark the third anniversary of the Christchurch mosque terror attacks found MPs reflecting on how there is still work to do to counter extremism and hate speech. Audio
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Russia Sanctions - an explainer
13 Mar 2022On Wednesday Parliament unanimously passed a law allowing sanctions in relation to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Here's how it works. Audio
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Avoiding disinformation on law with explanations
10 Mar 2022When weird claims are made about bills and laws, where can you check the truth if you don’t have a degree in the arcana of legal drafting? Audio
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Skirmish tests notion of honourable MPs
9 Mar 2022The notion that MPs are people of honour who must be taken at their word was briefly tested in a skirmish which resulted in the first ejection of an MP from the chamber this year. Audio
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The law writing speeds: glacier, snail or rocket
8 Mar 2022Creating new laws takes years, except when it happens at break-neck pace. This week Parliament will consider a Russia Sanctions Bill under urgency. Necessity means it was also written under urgency.
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Sound and vision: hybrid parliament begins amid unrest
6 Mar 2022This week, not only did MPs have to contend with a riot on their front lawn, they also had to come to grips with a new hybrid parliament in which some members participated by Zoom. Audio
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'This too will pass': MPs give thanks and point a few fingers
4 Mar 2022Parliament’s precinct is being spring-cleaned and returned to order and the MPs are full of thanks, and a little causative finger pointing. Audio
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Drug driving law not just about illegal substances
2 Mar 2022Parliament has passed a law to establish a roadside oral fluid testing regime to test for recent drug use, and proposes that drivers who fail two consecutive oral fluid tests would incur an… Audio
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Condemnation of Russian invasion of Ukraine kicks off Parliament week
1 Mar 2022This week in the House began with a motion in support of Ukraine and it will end with a special debate on a bill not even yet introduced. Chris Hipkins explains some of the parliamentary week's… Audio
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Parliament comes together to address an injustice
27 Feb 2022Paige Harris never met her mother. She wasn’t even on her birth certificate. Parliament is passing a law to fix that injustice - just for Paige. Audio
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The Hybrid Chamber: Parliament on Covid
27 Feb 2022It may sound like something from Hammer House of Horror but The Hybrid Chamber is a plan for Parliament to go semi-virtual when MPs go down with Covid. Audio
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A week of Question Time: costs, cash and a little covid
17 Feb 2022A week of questions in Parliament: Some opposition go with 'show me the money' and some with 'defend the covid rules'. Audio
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Abortion Safe Areas - a rights balancing act
16 Feb 2022In the latest from The House, MPs strike a balance in shaping legislation to enable Abortion Safe Areas. Audio
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A Parliament with no MPs
Like ‘a pub with no beer’, a Parliament almost empty of MPs is an odd thought. But it seems likely in the near future. Audio
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False starts and long debates at Parliament
13 Feb 2022A week of the House included a near miss by Chris Luxon, a lot of debate over a confidence motion and near completion for a bill to ban attempts to 'convert' gender and sexual orientations. Audio
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Firearms prohibition orders take the first step
10 Feb 2022A Government bill to ban those deemed dangerous from coming anywhere near guns has had a successful first reading in Parliament. Audio
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Cracking on with preventing anti-LBGTQI harm
9 Feb 2022The main event at Parliament might be a very long set-piece debate, but the bills being debated are all scene stealers. Audio
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Parliament begins year with a pep rally
8 Feb 2022Parliament's new year has begun in the traditional fashion with a very wide debate that is a multi-party pep rally. And it's no short booster. This one takes 13 hours. Audio
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‘I wish you a wonderful break. You bloody deserve it!’
19 Dec 2021Parliament finished its year with a final debate: a chance for a last laugh, a litany of thanks, and a quick punch in the conk. And many wishes for a good break after a hard year. Audio
