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