Select Committee Business

From 21 July to 25 July 2014

Committee meetings

There were 11 committee meetings, all in the parliamentary complex.

Reports presented

Commerce Committee

• Petition 2011/76 of Ben Dowdle on behalf of Unmask Palm Oil

Finance and Expenditure Committee

• Report from the Controller and Auditor-General, Maintaining a future focus in governing Crown-owned companies, February 2014

• Report from the Controller and Auditor-General, Reflections from our audits: Our future needs - is the public sector ready?

• Report from the Controller and Auditor-General, Watercare Services Limited: Review of service performance

Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee

• Petition 2011/108 of Virginia Woolf

• Petition 2011/111 of Joshua Orion Leenhouwers

Health Committee

• Briefing on prostate cancer

• Petition 2011/66 of Ann Chapman and 1,053 others

• Petition 2011/81 of Patricia Maich-Armstrong and 1,241 others

Justice and Electoral Committee

• Inquiry into the 2013 local authority elections

Standing Orders Committee

• Review of Standing Orders 2014 (I.18A)

Transport and Industrial Relations Committee

• Petition 2011/58 of Darien Fenton

• Petition 2011/83 of Raymond Neil Hellyer and Philippa Joan Hellyer

Bills referred to select committees

Māori Affairs

• Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill

Regulations Review

• Subordinate Legislation (Confirmation and Validation) Bill (No 3)

Committee notes

Commerce

The committee met on 24 July to further consider and deliberate on Petition 2011/76 of Ben Dowdle on behalf of Unmask Palm Oil, and further consider the briefing on information technology price discrimination.

The committee will not meet next week.

Education and Science

The committee met on 23 July to conclude consideration of its Inquiry into engaging parents in the education of their children.

The committee will not meet before the dissolution of the fiftieth Parliament.

Finance and Expenditure

The committee met on 23 July when it heard evidence from the Office of the Auditor-General on the report from the Controller and Auditor-General: Setting up Central Agencies Shared Services

The committee also further considered the New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income Amendment Bill and the following reports from the Controller and Auditor-General: Watercare Services Limited: Review of service performance; Reflections from our audits: Our future needs – is the public sector ready?; Maintaining a future focus in governing Crown-owned companies, February 2014; Annual Plan 2014/15; and The Auditor-General’s strategic intentions 2014/15 to 2017/18.

Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade

The committee met on 24 July when it further considered the International treaty examination of the Instrument amending the Constitution and Convention of the International Telecommunication Union, Final Acts of the Plenipotentiary Conference (Guadalajara, 2010); the International treaty examination of the International Telecommunication Union, Provisional Final Acts World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-12), Geneva, 23 January – 17 February 2012; and the International treaty examination of the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education.

The committee also considered the petitions of Virginia Woolf and 4,000 others and Joshua Orion Leenhouwers.

Government Administration

The committee met on 23 July and completed consideration of the Statutes Amendment Bill (No 4). It also further considered the proposed national civil defence emergency management plan.

The committee will not meet next week.

Health

The committee met on 23 July and heard evidence on the Report of the Controller and Auditor-General on the results of the 2012/13 audits of the health sector, and on the petition of Carmel Berry and Charlotte Korte on the use of surgical mesh in New Zealand. The committee also continued its consideration of the Smoke-free Environments (Tobacco Plain Packaging) Amendment Bill, and the petitions of Ann Chapman, Dr Lynley Hood and Associate Professor Gordon Sanderson, Patricia Maich-Armstrong, Jane Bruning, Thomas Hamilton, Jody Anderson, and Helen Richardson. The committee’s briefing on prostate cancer, and the 2014 Parliamentary Committee Exchange with Australia were also considered.

The committee will next meet on 30 July to continue its consideration of the Smoke-free Environments (Tobacco Plain Packaging) Amendment Bill, the Report of the Controller and Auditor-General on the results of the 2012/13 audits of the health sector, the 2014 Parliamentary Committee Exchange with Australia, and the petitions of Carmel Berry and Charlotte Korte, and Dr Lynley Hood and Associate Professor Gordon Sanderson.

Justice and Electoral

This week the committee heard evidence on its briefing into the planned changes to the eCommittee system. It also continued its consideration of the Inquiry into the 2013 Local Authority Elections.

There are no further meetings planned during the 50th Parliament.

Law and Order

The committee did not meet this week.

The committee will next meet on Wednesday, 30 July 2014 to consider the Parole (Extended Supervision Orders) Amendment Bill and the 2011/117 Petition of Grace Haden.

Local Government and Environment

The committee met on 24 July to consider the Report from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Water quality in New Zealand: Land use and nutrient pollution, and the Manukau City Council (Regulation of Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill. The committee also heard evidence from Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment on her three reports, Update Report – Making difficult decisions: Mining the conservation estate; Drilling for oil and gas in New Zealand: Environmental oversight and regulation; and Update Report – Hydroelectricity or wild rivers: Climate change versus natural heritage.

The committee will next meet on 31 July.

Māori Affairs

The committee did not meet this week.

Next week the committee will meet to consider the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill and the Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill.

Primary Production

The committee met on 24 July when it further considered the briefings on the health of bees, and on the policy, project management and programmes of forestry grants offered by the Ministry for Primary Industries. The committee also considered the petitions of Stephanie Bowman, Mandy Carter and David Simpson.

Privileges

The committee did not meet this week.

Regulations Review

The committee met on 24 July 2014 to continue its scrutiny of various legislative instruments and disallowable instruments that are not legislative instruments. The committee also considered the Complaint regarding the Arms (Military Style Semi-automatic Firearms - Pistol Grips) Order 2013 (SR 2013/464).

The committee will next meet on 31 July 2014 to consider its Activities Report 2014.

Social Services

The committee did not meet this week.

The committee is scheduled to meet on 30 July to consider its Inquiry into boarding houses in New Zealand, the Briefing into long-term caravan park and motor camp accommodation, and its Inquiry into the funding of specialist sexual violence social services.

Standing Orders

The committee did not meet this week.

Transport and Industrial Relations

The committee met on 24 July 2014 to hear evidence on the Health and Safety Reform Bill; and to consider the petitions of Darien Fenton, Jan Mossman and 1500 others, Raymond Neil Hellyer and Philippa Joan Hellyer, Malcom Eves and 1380 others, and Sean Roberts and Cody Roberts.

The committee will not meet next week.

Closing dates for submissions

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

Law and Order

• Parole (Extended Supervision Orders) Amendment Bill (no closing date)

Local Government and Environment

• Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill (no closing date)

• Christchurch City Council (Rates Validation) Bill (no closing date)

Submissions can be made online

General

Compiled in the Select Committee Office, Office of the Clerk, 25 July 2014

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