Select Committee Business
Select Committee Business
From 13 October to 20 October
2000
Committee meetings
There were 26 committee
meetings this week, two of which were outside Wellington.
Six of the meetings were of subcommittees.
Reports
presented (9)
Finance and Expenditure
Public
Audit Bill (9-2)
Foreign Affairs, Defence and
Trade
International treaty examination of the
Closer Economic Partnership Agreement with Singapore
Local
Government and Environment
Interim report on the
inquiry into Auckland City Council’s management of statutory
responsibilities in the Hauraki Gulf
Officers of
Parliament
Petition 1999/41 of Walter Clive
Clark
Transport and Industrial Relations
Petition 1996/1934 of Pam Corkery
Law and
Order
Petition 1999/99 of Graham Hamilton
Reddell for Richmond Neighbourhood Cottage
Incorporated
Social Services
Social Welfare
(Transitional Provisions) Amendment Bill (21-2)
Student Loan Scheme Amendment Bill (38-2)
Petition 1996/2022 of Darel Johannes Hall and 5551
others
Bills referred to select committees
The Government Superannuation Fund Amendment Bill was referred to the Finance and Expenditure Committee.
The Tutae-Ka-Wetoweto Forest Bill was referred to the Maori Affairs Committee.
The previous referral to the Local Government and Environment Committee of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council (Maori Constituency Empowering) Bill was rescinded and the bill referred to the Justice and Electoral Committee.
The Taxation (Beneficiary Income of Minors, Services-Related Payments and Remedial Matters) Bill was referred to the Finance and Expenditure Committee.
Committee notes
(for further information
on an item, please contact the committee staff noted in
italics)
Commerce (Alan Witcombe,
SC-Commerce@parliament.govt.nz)
Hearing of evidence on
the Commerce Amendment Bill and Supplementary Order Paper No
37 was completed this week on 19 October. Submissions were
presented by the Law Society, Russell McVeagh, the Port
Company Reform Working Group, Jumpjet Airlines Limited and
Simpson Grierson. The committee also gave consideration to
three members' bills currently before it, the Chartered
Professional Engineers of New Zealand Bill, the Shop Trading
Hours (Abolition of Restrictions) Bill and the Imported Used
Cars (Commission of Inquiry) Bill.
The committee is not meeting next week but will hold one meeting over the adjournment, on 2 November, when it will continue consideration of the Commerce Amendment Bill in the morning and undertake a short visit to the Commerce Commission in the afternoon.
Education and Science (Clare Sullivan,
SC-ES@parliament.govt.nz)
The committee and its
subcommittees met a total of four times this week.
On Wednesday the subcommittee inquiring into tertiary education had its first meeting, and elected Liz Gordon as its chairperson. On Thursday the tertiary subcommittee heard its first oral submissions in Wellington. Four submitters were heard, including Te Mana Akonga (the New Zealand Maori University Students Association) and the Central Institute of Technology.
On Thursday morning the subcommittee inquiring into the teaching of reading in New Zealand met to further consider its inquiry. The full committee also considered the Apprenticeship Training Bill. In a busy meeting, evidence was heard from the Ministry of Education, Department of Labour, Skill New Zealand, New Zealand Qualifications Authority, Industry Training Federation of New Zealand, Ministry of Youth Affairs, Angela Foulkes, New Zealand Employers Federation and the Council of Trade Unions. Submissions for the Apprenticeship Training Bill will be closing on Tuesday 24 October.
The committee will not meet again until 2 November.
Finance and
Expenditure (Graham Hill, SC-FE@parliament.govt.nz)
The
committee met on 18 October to consider the Taxpayers’
Charter bill. This meeting was followed by a meeting of the
sub-committee on Controller and Auditor-General's reports.
At the next meeting on 8 November the committee will hear
evidence on its inquiry into the preparation of the 2001
Budget Policy Statement.
Foreign Affairs, Defence and
Trade (David Sanders, SC-FD@parliament.govt.nz)
The
committee presented its report on its examination of the
Closer Economic Partnership (CEP) agreement with Singapore.
This is a bilateral treaty between New Zealand and Singapore
to establish the terms of a free trade area. The committee's
report is available on the internet at
www.clerk.parliament.govt.nz/Publications.
Government
Administration (Louise Sparrer,
SC-GA@parliament.govt.nz)
The committee has decided to
call for public submissions on the issues raised in the
terms of reference for the inquiry into New Zealand’s
adoption laws. The closing date for submissions is 31
January 2001.
The inquiry is intended:
To
consider the Law Commission’s final report on the legal
framework for adoption in New Zealand as set out in the
Adoption Act 1955 and the Adult Adoption Information Act
1985, having regard to –
(a) changes in attitudes towards
adoption, including an increased focus on children’s
interests;
(b) the unique character of New Zealand
society, including Maori and other cultural values and
needs;
to consider whether any other changes to the current law are desirable in light of issues arising from past adoption practices;
to review the provisions of the Adoption (Intercountry) Act 1997 that allow for the approval of accredited organisations and the delegation of functions under the Act to those organisations and to recommend what changes to the adoption laws should be considered to better address contemporary social needs and to improve the operation of those laws.
The Law Commission’s final report on the legal framework for adoption in New Zealand can be accessed at the Law Commission’s website, www.lawcom.govt.nz.
The committee also continued its consideration of the Gaming Law Reform Bill. The committee will not meet again until 2 November 2000.
Health (Nick Aldous,
SC-Health@parliament.govt.nz)
The committee is meeting at
the Auckland Airport Centra from 10.00 am on Wednesday, 25
October, to continue to hear evidence on the New Zealand
Public Health and Disability Bill. This is likely to be the
final public hearing on this bill.
Justice and Electoral
(Wendy Proffitt, SC-JE@parliament.govt.nz)
This week the
committee considered further the Matrimonial Property
Amendment Bill, Supplementary Order Paper 25 and related
petitions, and the De Facto Relationships (Property) Bill.
It also considered its inquiry into the 1999 General
Election, the Local Elections (Single Transferable Vote
Options) Bill and the 1999/2000 financial reviews. The
committee is not meeting in the adjournment weeks.
The subcommittee met several times this week to consider the inquiry into matters relating to the visit of the President of China to New Zealand.
Law and Order (Tracey Rayner,
SC-LO@parliament.govt.nz)
The committee met on Thursday,
19 October, from 10.00 am to 12.40 pm. The morning session
was open to the public during a 45-minute hearing on the
Habeas Corpus Bill.
On 20 October the committee presented a report on the petition of Graham Hamilton Reddell for Richmond Neighbourhood Cottage Incorporated.
The committee next meets on Thursday 9 November. The meeting will be open to the public from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm for a hearing of evidence from the New Zealand Police on the 1999/2000 financial review.
Local Government and
Environment (David Bagnall, SC-LGE@parliament.govt.nz)
On
18 October the committee started hearing evidence on its
inquiry into the role of local government in meeting New
Zealand's climate change target. The committee heard from
scientists from the National Institute of Water and
Atmospheric Research, who discussed the impact of climate
change both in New Zealand and world-wide.
On 19 October the committee presented an interim report on the Audit Office investigation into the Auckland City Council's management of its statutory responsibilities in the Hauraki Gulf. The investigation followed concerns by some residents of Hauraki Gulf islands, particularly Great Barrier Island and Waiheke Island, about the council's management of the islands. The council provided a number of proposals to improve its management of the islands. The committee will take an ongoing interest in the outcome and may finally report to the House next year.
MMP Review (Louise Sparrer,
SC-MMP@parliament.govt.nz)
The committee travelled to
both Dunedin and Christchurch to hear evidence this week.
It also had its final hearing of evidence in Wellington. The
committee will now commence its consideration phase of the
MMP review.
Officers of Parliament (Shelley Banks,
SC-OP@parliament.govt.nz)
The committee presented a
report on the petition of Walter Clive Clark on 19 October
2000. The petition requested that the House of
Representatives investigate the decisions of the
Auditor-General, an Officer of Parliament, who having found
in his enquiries that the Mayor of Waimakariri had breached
the Local Authorities (Members' Interests) Act 1968, decided
not to prosecute the Mayor of Waimakariri and further
requested that the House note that 51 people have signed a
petition to this effect. The committee had no matters to
draw to the attention of the House.
Primary Production
(Bob Bunch, SC-PP@parliament.govt.nz)
The committee did
not meet this week, but has called for submissions on its
inquiry into sustainable forestry management. The deadline
for submissions is Tuesday, 23 January 2001. A primary
objective of this inquiry is to examine how confidence in
New Zealand's indigenous wood industry can be secured and
maintained.
The terms of reference for the inquiry are:
1) To examine the sustainable management of privately
owned indigenous forests and within this examination to
consider:
a) The scope and range of sustainable
management plans.
b) The processes and procedures for
developing sustainable management plans.
c) The
relationship between sustainable management plans and
sustainable management permits.
d) The
inter-relationship between sustainable management plans, the
Resource Management Act 1991 and local government.
e) The
international credibility of sustainable management plans
for privately owned indigenous forests in New Zealand.
f)
The conditions or requirements placed on those wishing to
harvest or market timber from native forests.
2) To examine what restrictions, if any, should be placed on those wishing to completely remove native forests in favour of other land uses.
3) To examine whether indigenous forest managers, regardless of whether they are producing timber, should be required to demonstrate that they are managing their forests in a sustainable manner.
4) To examine what the future role of the State should be in relation to indigenous forest management and research, given the potentially wide role of native forest management (including planting) in relation to such objectives as landscape protection, erosion prevention, biodiversity conservation and timber production.
5) To consider what policy or legislative mechanisms should be used to give effect to any findings of the inquiry.
6) To report its findings and recommendations, if any, to the House of Representatives.
The committee will not meet again until 9 November 2000 when it will continue hearing evidence on its inquiry into the sale of Property Services Division of Terralink New Zealand Limited to its former employees.
Social Services (Tim Cooper,
SC-SS@parliament.govt.nz)
The committee has presented
reports on the Student Loan Scheme Amendment Bill and the
Social Welfare (Transitional Provisions) Amendment Bill.
The committee has also reported on a petition, which sought
a lower interest rate on student loans while students are
studying. The Student Loan Scheme Amendment Bill goes
further than the petitioners’ request.
The major focus of the committee at the moment is the Social Security Amendment Bill, which removes all references to the community wage and restores a separate unemployment benefit and sickness benefit. The committee heard evidence on the bill this week in Wellington, and will hear evidence in Auckland next Wednesday, 25 October. The hearing will be held in the Fergusson Rooms of the Copthorne Hotel on Anzac Avenue, between 11.00 am and 1.30 pm.
Transport and Industrial
Relations (Lyn Main, SC-TI@parliament.govt.nz)
On 19
October the committee presented its report on the petition
of Pam Corkery. The petition requested that the House of
Representatives note that 7785 citizens have signed a
petition requesting that the House take action to ban the
use of space-saver tyres in automobiles and other
vehicles.
The parents of the two women who died as a result of a car accident in Auckland on 11 July 1997 launched a campaign to gain signatures for this petition to ban space-saver tyres. The coroner who investigated the accident attributed the cause of the accident to the use of a temporary-use spare tyre, commonly called space-saver tyres.
The committee is concerned that space-saver tyres be used correctly but did not agree that they should be banned.
It recommended that the Government ensure that:
the draft rule for tyres and wheels is implemented
the Land Transport Safety Authority (LTSA) includes in the rule for tyres and wheels, in the section on temporary-use spare tyres, that the warning notice be sprayed on the outside on the wheel
the LTSA includes in the rule for tyres and wheels that a maximum of one space-saver tyre be used at a time.
The majority of the committee also recommended that the Government ensure that:
once the rule for tyres and wheels is implemented, the New Zealand Police actively enforce the provisions of the rule that relate to temporary-use spare tyres
the LTSA ensure that a car with a space-saver tyre not be issued a warrant of fitness unless all the conditions outlined in the rule concerning space saver tyres are met
the Ministry of Transport and the LTSA promote the correct usage of the space-saver tyre through an extensive publicity campaign.
Closing dates for submissions on
bills
Committees are receiving submissions on the
following items with the closing date
shown:
Commerce
Chartered Professional Engineers of New
Zealand Bill (27 October 2000)
Education and
Science
Apprenticeship Training Bill (24 October
2000)
Finance and Expenditure
Inquiry into the
preparation of the 2001 Budget Policy Statement (3 November
2000)
Taxation (Beneficiary Income of Minors,
Services-Related Payments and Remedial Matters) Bill (30
November 2000)
Government Administration
Films, Videos,
and Publications Classification (Prohibition of Child
Pornography) Amendment Bill (15 November 2000)
Inquiry
into New Zealand’s adoption laws (31 January
2001)
Health
Inquiry into health strategies relating to
cannabis use (7 February 2001)
Primary
Production
Inquiry into sustainable forestry management
(23 January 2001)
Regulations Review
Inquiry into
regulation-making powers that authorise international
treaties to override any provisions of New Zealand
enactments (17 November 2000)
Social Services
Children,
Young Persons, and Their Families Amendment Bill (No 3) (20
October 2000)
General
You can find further information
about select committees on our website at
www.clerk.parliament.govt.nz. If you require additional
information or have any feedback on the contents, please
contact:
Carol Rankin, Senior Parliamentary Officer
ph:
471 9534, fax: 499 0486, or at
carol.rankin@parliament.govt.nz
Compiled in the Select
Committee Office, Office of the Clerk, 20 October 2000