Select Committee Business

From 5 October to 12 October 2001

Committee meetings

There were 11 meetings. One was in Auckland; the other ten were in the parliamentary complex. Several meetings scheduled for Thursday were cancelled after the House took urgency. Committees cannot meet while the House is sitting unless there is unanimous agreement among committee members.

Reports presented (3)

Commerce

- Petition 1999/3 of Hon Pete Hodgson and 8696 others

- Petition 1999/16 of Murray Donald Horton and 125 others

Social Services

- Petition 1999/165 of Gordon Charles Marr and one other

Bills referred to select committees

The Te Uri o Hau Claims Settlement Bill was referred to the Maori Affairs Committee.

The Employment Relations (Validation of Union Registration and Other Matters) Amendment Bill was referred to the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee with a report due by 24 October 2001.

The Commissioner for Children Bill was referred to the Social Services Committee.

The Social Workers Registration Bill was referred to the Social Services Committee.

The Consumer Protection (Definitions of Goods and Services) Bill was referred to the Commerce Committee.

Supplementary Order Paper No 148 was referred to the Health Committee to consider alongside the Smoke-free Environments (Enhanced Protection) Amendment Bill.

Committee notes

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

Commerce (Alan Witcombe, SC-Commerce@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee reported on the Commerce (Clearance Validation) Amendment Bill. The bill seeks to reverse the effect of a Court of Appeal decision, so that all notices under section 66(1) of the Commerce Act are dealt with on the basis of the law as it was at the time they were given. The committee considered that the bill posed a difficult decision from a constitutional perspective, and it was unable to reach agreement on whether the bill should proceed.

On 18 October the committee will begin hearing submissions on the Trade Marks Bill.

Education and Science (Louise Gardiner, SC-ES@parliament.govt.nz)

This week's committee meeting was cancelled due to urgency. Next week the committee will consider the upcoming financial review process. The committee will also consider its reviews of Victoria University of Wellington and Invercargill's Southern Institute of Technology, and the inquiry into the resourcing of tertiary education.

Finance and Expenditure (Julian Kersey, SC-FE@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee met on Wednesday, 10 October. It heard submissions on the Construction Contracts Bill and also considered the Trustee Companies Amendment Bill.

The committee will meet again on Wednesday, 17 October, in Room G.006, Parliament House. The committee will receive a briefing from the Associate Minister of Commerce on the Construction Contracts Bill. This hearing is open to the public and will commence at 10.00 am and finish at 10.30 am. The committee will hear evidence from Treasury officials and the Minister of Finance on the 2000/01 financial review of the Treasury and the Crown Financial Statements. This hearing is also open to the public and will commence at 11.00 am and finish at 1.00 pm.

Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (David Sanders, SC-FD@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee met this week to give further consideration to the Terrorism (Bombings and Financing) Bill.

Health (Matthew Andrews, SC-Health@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee has set a closing date of 23 November 2001 for submissions on the Smoke-free Environments (Enhanced Protection) Amendment Bill and the newly-referred Supplementary Order Paper No 148. Next week the committee will travel to Christchurch to hear submissions on the inquiry into health strategies relating to cannabis use.

Justice and Electoral (Wendy Proffitt, SC-JE@parliament.govt.nz)

This week the committee heard submissions in Auckland on the Human Rights Amendment Bill, including from the Human Rights Commission, the Auckland Council for Civil Liberties and the newly-established Human Rights Foundation. Next week the Human Rights Commission will again appear before the committee, as will the Race Relations Conciliator. Submissions on the bill will be heard on Wednesday, 17 October in Wellington from 9.00 am to 11.00 am, 4.30 pm to 6.00pm and 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm. This concludes hearings on the bill, which is due to be reported back to the House by 1 November. Next week the committee will also consider the 2000/01 financial reviews and the Prostitution Reform Bill.

Please contact the Clerk of the Committee for further information about the committee’s meetings for the next month.

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

The committee did not meet this week, as scheduled, as the House went into urgency. The committee will meet again next week on Thursday, 18 October, from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm, to consider those items that it was unable to address this week, namely the Crown Organisations (Criminal Liability) Bill and the review of services provided to select committees.

Local Government and Environment (David Bagnall, SC-LGE@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee considered the inquiry into the role of local government in meeting New Zealand's climate change target and heard evidence on the Local Government (Rating) Bill. Submissions were heard from Local Government New Zealand and the Office of the Maori Trustee.

Further submissions on the Local Government (Rating) Bill will be heard next Wednesday. At that meeting, the committee will also consider the Taranaki Regional Council Empowering Bill and the Hawke’s Bay Endowment Land Empowering Bill.

Maori Affairs (Marcus Ganley, SC-MA@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee is inviting public submissions on the Te Uri o Hau Claims Settlement Bill. The closing date is Friday, 9 November 2001. This bill records the apology given by the Crown to Te Uri o Hau and gives effect to the Deed of Settlement negotiated by the Crown and Te Uri o Hau. Information on the proposed settlement is available at http://www.executive.govt.nz/minister/wilson/te_uri_o_hau2/index.html. Copies of the bill can be purchased from Bennetts Government Bookshops.

Regulations Review (Andrew Fieldsend, SC-RR@parliament.govt.nz)

This week the committee heard evidence from the Chief Executive of the Overseas Investment Commission on the Overseas Investment Amendment Regulations 2001, which set fees and charges payable for consents and exemptions under the Fisheries Act 1996 and the Overseas Investment Regulations 1995.

The committee also heard evidence from the Valuer-General and the Department of Internal Affairs on the regulation-making powers in the Local Government (Rating) Bill. That bill would allow the Valuer-General to make rules to define the types and categories of land that constitute “rating units’ or to determine what land constitutes a “rating unit’. The bill is currently being considered by the Local Government and Environment Committee.

The committee also continued its weekly scrutiny of the Government’s new regulations, considered some draft civil aviation rules at the invitation of the Minister of Transport, and made some progress on its inquiry into the principles determining whether delegated legislation is given the status of regulations.

Next Wednesday the committee will further consider the regulation-making powers in the Local Government (Rating) Bill, and two complaints relating to the Sharemilking Agreements Order 2001.

Transport and Industrial Relations (Lyn Main, SC-TI@parliament.govt.nz)

The Employment Relations (Validation of Union Registration and Other Matters) Amendment Bill was referred to the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee on 10 October. The committee’s report on the bill is required by 24 October 2001.

The bill amends the Employment Relations Act 2000 to override the effect of the recent Court of Appeal judgment that societies registered as unions under the Employment Relations Act 2000 before 2 October 2000 or had applied for registration before that date were not validly registered. The bill also confirms that the Employment Relations Authority is not required to allow cross-examination, but may do so at its discretion. The committee has invited interested groups to make oral submissions on the bill on 17 October.

Closing dates for submissions

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

Health

Smoke-free Environments (Enhanced Protection) Amendment Bill and Supplementary Order Paper No 148 (23 November 2001)

Maori Affairs

Inquiry into the operations and performance of the Crown Forestry Rental Trust (29 October 2001)

Inquiry into the Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission (Te Ohu Kai Moana) (15 February 2002)

Te Uri o Hau Claims Settlement Bill (9 November 2001)

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

carol.rankin@parliament.govt.nz

Compiled in the Select Committee Office, Office of the Clerk, 12 October 2001

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