The House: This week’s bills

Parliament is back after a week off for what is the penultimate sitting block of 2024. There have been, and will continue to be, extra morning sittings scheduled for the remaining five sitting weeks in the year. The government has a long list of bills at various stages going through the House this week. Wednesday afternoon is set aside for members' business.

In the past, Parliaments have rushed to pass laws in "end of session rushes". A session used to be only a calendar year, but is now a three-year long parliamentary term.

Governments still want to squeeze in as much as they can before Christmas. This time last year, the new coalition government, wanting to hit the ground running, used urgency under the auspices of their 100-day plan.

Just like you don't want to be at the bach thinking about the work report you didn't quite finish the day of the office Christmas party, the government doesn't want to go into the summer break thinking "we should have progressed that bill last year".

On Tuesday, following the swearing in of the new kid - the Green's new member, Benjamin Doyle - and Question Time, government business was kicked off with a number of first and second readings.

So what will the House consider in this extended sitting?

New bills - First Readings

Monitoring Oranga Tamariki

The Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System Legislation Amendment Bill seeks to "improve outcomes for children and young people in New Zealand" and intends to do this by bolstering the independent monitoring of Oranga Tamariki currently undertaken by the Independent Children's Monitor and the Children and Young People's Commission. This bill is pretty widely supported across the House, with Labour's Glen Bennett saying on Tuesday afternoon that the party was "cautiously supportive" of the Bill's first reading.

Police vetting

More than 14,000 agencies currently use the police vetting service for determining whether someone is suitable for a particular role.

The Policing (Police Vetting) Amendment Bill is a relatively uncontroversial one that intends to create a statutory framework for the vetting service, which the government hopes will also streamline the process.

Getting there bills

Earthquake strengthening

The Building (Earthquake-prone Building Deadlines and Other Matters) Amendment Bill is a way of giving councils and building owners extended deadlines to remediate earthquake-prone buildings. The Bill's timing is because of upcoming deadlines for a significant number of buildings across New Zealand, many of which have restrictions around what can be done to them because of their heritage status. The Bill was supported in its first reading by every party except Labour, but following select committee amendments they are also now in favour.

Agriculture and the ETS

The Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Scheme Agricultural Obligations) Amendment Bill takes agricultural activities out of New Zealand's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The ETS is a method the government uses to keep greenhouse gas emissions in check by charging various industries for their emissions. The government hopes that this Bill, which was agreed to in coalition negotiations, will ensure economic prosperity for the agricultural industry, with Minister in charge, Simon Watts saying the Bill "paves the way for a fair and sustainable pricing system for agriculture that reduces emissions without sending that production offshore." All three coalition parties support the Bill, while the opposition parties oppose it.

Oil in Taranaki

This Bill, if passed, would remove the ban on new petroleum exploration permits (beyond onshore Taranaki). The Government says the legislation will inspire confidence in New Zealand's petroleum industry and make the transition away from fossil fuels more economically viable for petrol's stakeholder industries. Labour, the Greens, and Te Pāti Māori all strongly oppose the Bill, which can be viewed here.

RNZ's The House, with insights into Parliament, its legislation and issues, is made with funding from Parliament's Office of the Clerk.