The Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Bill is the top order of the day in Parliament this week in advance of the launch of the Americas Cup final series this Saturday, and there is still some talk of urgency.
Tomorrow following question time the remaining six hours of the Address in Reply debate are expected to occupy the house till close to adjournment at 9.30pm.
The Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Bill presently in its Committee Stages can be expected to attract lots of attention on Wednesday. Labour has introduced amendments giving increased say to Iwi, adding some defence land to the park and making amendments to how some technical aspects of the RMA will apply to the new park.
While only ACT has said it will oppose the bill there is likely to be lots of scope for grandstanding and hence the talk of urgency. After Committee Stages the bill will only needs a third reading debate, Scoop understands if time pressure looks like threatening passage of the bill this week urgency may be moved. If so it seems unlikely it would occur before late Wednesday and would be a shortlived urgency.
The other priority for the Government this week is the appointment of chairs and deputy chairs to some select committees. This is needed in order to allow the committees to meet and is the result of a failure to find agreement in the business committee of the house.
Because of the failure to find
agreement the government may put the matter to the house as
a whole. So far there is no word as to timing of this and
the government may wait till next week to put this to the
house.