The Standing Orders Committee Komiti Whiriwhiri Whakataunga Tū Roa invites public submissions on the House’s rules and principles relating to proposals for entrenchment. This matter is being considered as part of the Review of Standing Orders 2023. The closing date for submissions is Sunday, 5 February 2023.

A proposal for entrenchment is a provision, proposed to be included in legislation, that would require any future amendment or repeal of a provision in an Act to achieve support greater than 50 percent plus one of all members of the House.

Standing Order 270 sets out a rule that any proposal for entrenchment must itself be carried in a committee of the whole House by the majority that it would require for the amendment or repeal of the provision that is to be entrenched.

The Standing Orders Committee is particularly interested in:

1. Are there any conventions, principles, or cases that you consider that the committee should take account of in its consideration of how the House should approach proposals for entrenchment?

2. Should the House’s rules relating to proposals for entrenchment be changed; if so, how? If not, why not?

3. What would be points for and against changing the House’s rules relating to proposals for entrenchment by—

a) Explicitly restricting proposals for entrenchment to particular subject matter?

b) Preventing the proposal of any required majority in the House other than 75 percent of all members?

c) Imposing a notice requirement before a proposal for entrenchment can be considered in a committee of the whole House?

What do you need to know?

· Submissions are publicly released and published to the Parliament website. Only your name or organisation’s name is required on a submission. Please keep your contact details separate, as if they are included on the submission they will become publicly available when the submission is released.

· If you wish to include information of a private or personal nature in your submission you should discuss this with the clerk of the committee before submitting.

· If you wish to speak to your submission, please state this clearly.

Further information on the Standing Orders Committee can be found here.

If you have any questions about your submission or the submission process please contact the Committee Staff through the contact details provided on this page.

Tell the Standing Orders Committee what you think

Make a submission on to the committee by midnight on 5 February 2023.

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