Select Committee Business

From 5 March to 12 March 2004

Committee meetings

Three committee meetings were held this week, all in the parliamentary complex. There was one site visit.

Reports presented

(available at http://www.clerk.parliament.govt.nz/Publications/CommitteeReport)

Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade

- International treaty examination of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness

Government Administration

- 2002/03 financial review of Sport and Recreation New Zealand

- Border Security Bill (53-2)

Justice and Electoral

- Inquiry into the 2002 general election (I.7A)

Committee notes

(for further information on an item, please contact the committee staff noted in brackets)

Commerce (Michelle Malyon, SC-Commerce@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee did not meet this week.

The committee will next meet on 18 March to consider and hear evidence on the 2002/03 financial review of Meridian Energy Limited. The committee will also further its consideration of a number of other financial reviews. In the afternoon the committee will continue to hear evidence on the Electricity and Gas Industries Bill from 3.30 pm to 5.00 pm. This will be open to the public.

Education and Science (Graham Hill, SC-ES@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee did not meet this week. At its next meeting the committee will hear evidence on the financial reviews of the Horticulture and Food Research Institute of New Zealand and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. The committee will also further consider the State Sector Amendment Bill (No 3).

Fisheries and Other Sea-related Legislation (Miles Reay SC-MA@parliament.govt.nz,)

Neither the committee nor the subcommittee met this week.

The committee is inviting submissions on the Maori Fisheries Bill, which implements agreements made in the Deed of Settlement, and referred to in the Treaty of Waitangi Settlement Act 1992. The bill also provides for the development of iwi interests in fisheries and fishing "in a manner that is ultimately of benefit to all Maori'. To achieve this, the bill provides for the establishment of a framework for the allocation and distribution of assets. The committee will also consider the effect of the application of the proposed right of first refusal to settlement quota on the ability of iwi to sell parcels of quota and companies.

Copies of the bill can be purchased from Bennetts Government Bookshops. Submissions close 15 March.

The committee will next meet on 16 March to further consider the Maori Fisheries Bill.

Government Administration (Lesley Ferguson, SC-GA@parliament.govt.nz)

This week the committee presented the Border Security Bill which amends the Customs and Excise Act 1996 and the Immigration Act 1987 with the purpose of enhancing the security of New Zealand's borders and its trade. The bill addresses travel security, supply chain security, law enforcement and immigration pre-boarding checks. It also deals with the matter of cost recovery for the additional costs of the Customs goods clearance arising from the current security environment.

The committee also presented its report on the 2002/03 financial review of Sport and Recreation New Zealand.

As part of its consideration of the Building Bill, the committee also conducted a site visit to the Waitaki region to view dam structures.

In regard to the committee's other work, submissions are being called for on the Statutes Amendment Bill (No 4) with a closing date of 2 April 2004 and the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Amendment Bill with a closing date of 30 April 2004.

Health (Catherine Parkin, SC-Health@parliament.govt.nz)

This week the committee heard evidence from the Counties Manukau District Health Board on its financial review for 2002/03. The committee continued consideration of the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill, and heard evidence on two petitions.

Next Wednesday the committee will hear evidence on the financial review of the Hawke's Bay District Health Board for 2002/03. This will be open to the public from 10.00 am to 11.30 am, in room G.002, Parliament House. The committee also will consider other items of business.

Justice and Electoral (Angela Van Dam, SC-JE@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee met on 10 March to hear evidence on the 2002/03 financial review of the Legal Services Agency, and to continue its consideration of the Care of Children Bill, the Lawyers and Conveyancers Bill, and the Judicial Matters Bill. The committee heard evidence from Judge Mahony, the outgoing Principal Family Court Judge, as part of its consideration of the Care of Children Bill. The committee heard evidence on the Judicial Matters Bill by video-conference from the Judicial Commission of New South Wales.

The committee's next meeting will be on 17 March, when it will consider the Care of Children Bill, Petition 2002/0055 of Lynley Jane Hood and Don Brash and 807 others, the Lawyers and Conveyancers Bill, and the Judicial Matters Bill.

Law and Order (Tracey Rayner, SC-LO@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee did not meet this week but took part in a committee exchange with the Parliament of Australia, where it visited the federal parliament in Canberra, the state parliaments of Western Australia and New South Wales as well as various government and state agencies.

The committee will meet next week on 17 March where it will continue consideration of the Courts and Criminal Matters Bill, the Secondhand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Bill, and the Police Complaints Authority (Conditional Name Protection) Amendment Bill, and a petition.

The committee is calling for submissions on the Crimes Amendment Bill (No 2). The closing date for submissions is 14 April 2004. The bill is the first review of sexual crimes contained in the Crimes Act 1961 and aims to update the law to reflect more recent changes in criminal behaviour and social attitudes towards sexual matters. The main amendments aim to ensure that:

- all sexual offences (with the exception of rape, which is a male-against-female offence only and is retained in the new bill) are expressed and applied in a sex-neutral manner

- the law's coverage for vulnerable groups is strengthened, including provisions relating to sexual offences against children, which are to be simplified into three groupings so they overlap and close a loophole that allows some offenders to escape conviction when the precise age of the child cannot be established

- offences based on "sexual intercourse' are extended to cover "sexual connection', as currently defined for the crime of "sexual violation'

- it will not be a defence to argue that the young person consented

- the penalties for sexual offending are set at an appropriate level

- a statutory basis for drug rape prosecutions is provided for

- the bill facilitates New Zealand's compliance with the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.

Copies of the bill can be purchased from Bennetts Government Bookshops.

The committee requires 20 copies of each submission. Those wishing to include any information of a private or personal nature in a submission should first discuss this with the Clerk of Committee, as submissions are usually released to the public. Those wishing to appear before the committee to speak to their submissions should state this clearly and provide a daytime telephone contact number. For further guidance on making a submission, our publication Making a Submission to a Parliamentary Select Committee can be found on our web site at www.clerk.parliament.govt.nz.

Submissions should be addressed as follows:

Tracey Rayner

Clerk of Committee

Law and Order Committee Secretariat

Parliament House

WELLINGTON

SC-LO@parliament.govt.nz

Local Government and Environment (Marie Alexander, SC-LGE@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee met in Wellington on 11 March to consider the Resource Management (Waitaki Catchment) Amendment Bill.

Maori Affairs (Miles Reay, SC-MA@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee did not meet this week. On 18 March the committee will be hearing evidence on the petition of Des Kahotea and 26 others requesting changes to Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993. It will also hear evidence on the 2002/03 financial review of the Maori Broadcasting Funding Agency Te Mangai Paho. Both hearings will be open to the public.

Primary Production (Bob Bunch, SC-PP@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee will meet on 18 March to hear evidence on the 2002/03 financial review of ASURE New Zealand Limited, consider further the 2002/03 financial reviews of AgriQuality New Zealand Limited and Quotable Value Limited and commence consideration of the Meat Board Restructuring Bill with a briefing from Meat New Zealand. In the afternoon, the committee will further consider the Meat Board Restructuring Bill with hearing of evidence.

Social Services (Graham Hill, SC-SS@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee did not meet this week. Next week the committee will hear evidence from Parentline on its 25th annual report.

Closing dates for submissions

Committees are receiving submissions on the following items with the closing date shown:

Finance and Expenditure

- Public Finance (State Sector Management) Bill (2 April 2004)

Fisheries and Other Sea-related Legislation

- Maori Fisheries Bill (15 March 2004)

Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade

- Inquiry into New Zealand's relationship with Tonga (28 March 2004)

Government Administration

- Statutes Amendment Bill (No 4) (2 April 2004)

- Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Amendment Bill (30 April 2004)

Justice and Electoral

- Parole (Extended Supervision) and Sentencing Amendment Bill (2 April 2004)

Law and Order

- Crimes Amendment Bill (No 2) (14 April 2004)

Primary Production

- Meat Board Restructuring Bill (15 March 2004)

Social Services

- Social Security (Long-term Residential Care) Amendment Bill (23 April 2004)

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:

Louise Sparrer

Senior Parliamentary Officer

at louise.sparrer@parliament.govt.nz

Compiled in the Select Committee Office, Office of the Clerk, 12 March 2004

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