Parliament on the home stretch, but first, a 30-hour sitting week

By Louis Collins, The House

Like schoolchildren on the last day of term, eagerly staring at the clock until it hits 3pm, Parliament's MPs and their staff are probably itching to shut up shop for the year and get out into the sun.

But to get to that point, they have had to survive this week - and will need to push through most of the next.

By Friday afternoon, Parliament will have clocked up 30 sitting hours.

This week, MPs have been in the chamber for the closest thing to a 'graveyard' shift - sitting until midnight, before returning bright and early the next morning for a 9am start.

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During all this, the headlines, and by extension, public interest, have largely been focussed on the Cook Strait ferry drama, and the recalling of the Speaker on Tuesday to overturn his own deputy's ruling on the eligibility of part of the Fast-track Approvals bill.

Meanwhile, 11 bills received the urgency treatment, with various stages of each going through the House.

The bills

This may well be the last Christmas you get to watch television with no ads, after the introduction of the Broadcasting (Repeal of Advertising Restrictions) Amendment Bill. It removes the restriction on TV ads on Anzac Day, and both TV and radio ads on Christmas Day, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday.

The Racing Industry (Unlawful Destruction of Specified Greyhounds) Amendment Bill passed through all stages on Tuesday, prohibiting the culling of racing greyhounds. This was enacted quickly to prevent the mass killing of greyhounds since they will become of little economic value as a result of the prospective ban on greyhound racing, which is planned from mid-2026.

Minister for Racing Winston Peters said during the first reading that "this bill is, essentially, to put in protections for greyhounds as the operational plan for the closure is worked through with the industry as it winds down".

Peters has been a longtime advocate for racing (albeit mostly the equestrian kind), but suggested that the greyhound racing industry had, pun intended I'm sure, "run its course".

Another racing bill, the Racing Industry Amendment Bill, had its first reading and was sent to the governance and administration committee. It extends the TAB's monopoly on racing and sports betting, including online sports betting as well.

Another new bill sent to committee was the Employment Relations (Pay Deductions for Partial Strikes) Amendment Bill. The Bill returns to the pre-2018 employment law that allowed employees to deduct their employees' pay in response to partial strikes. The Bill is in the name of ACT MP Brooke Van Velden, but party leader David Seymour spoke on her behalf during the Bill's first reading.

The former Labour government removed the ability for employers to deduct pay for partial strikes in 2018, and their MPs were expectedly hostile during Seymour's speech, particularly Camilla Belich, who is their spokesperson for workplace relations.

Assistant Speaker Greg O'Connor felt the need to intervene, telling Belich "I note that you're the next speaker. That might be a better opportunity than yelling across the House."

Seymour could not resist a jab at Belich: "Well, Mr Speaker, I've seen Ms Belich give many speeches, and I'd never contest your ruling, but I'm not entirely sure about that one." O'Connor was not amused, telling Seymour to sit down. The ACT leader pleaded for a point of order, but O'Connor had made up his mind. "You've criticised the Speaker's ruling, so I've curtailed your speech. So if your point of order is in relation to that, don't bother."

Speaking of Speakers' rulings, the highly contentious Fast-track Approvals Bill stumbled through the committee stage on Tuesday evening, when the Speaker was recalled to overrule his deputy. It will have its third reading next week.

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A number of renting regulation changes intended to increase the supply of rental property are included in the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill, which also includes the reintroduction of the controversial 90-day tenancy termination clause. That bill has now passed through all stages and will become law.

After the tenancy bill's long committee stage, the next business was the third reading of the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill, which bans the sale of disposable vapes. Its departure from Parliament and into the lawbooks will likely be a chance for minister-in-charge Casey Costello to let out an exhale of her own. The Associate Minister for Health has trudged through media headlines and opposition criticism since the bill was introduced in September.

Another new bill headed to select committee for public feedback is the Social Security Amendment Bill, which makes a number of quite complicated changes to benefit sanctions, entitlements, and processes. It includes a stipulation for those on a Work Seeker benefit to reapply for a benefit every six months, which will diminish their ability to take on fulltime seasonal work.

Another brand new bill, the Crimes Legislation (Stalking and Harassment) Amendment Bill, makes stalking a specific offence. The stalking offence would necessitate three actions across twelve months and could include a wide range of direct or indirect actions including watching, following, loitering near, and contacting or communicating with that person. Actions can be online, via AI or directed via third parties. Public submissions will also open on this Bill soon.

The three strikes sentencing rule is now all but back in the lawbooks, pending its inevitable royal assent. The Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill spent a very long time in the Committee of the Whole House and the key speakers, Nicole McKee (the minister in charge), Lawrence Xu-Nan (Green Party), and Duncan Webb (Labour) have spent so long thinking and talking about the Bill they may well have spent their nights dreaming about it as well.

And finally, there is the Therapeutic Products Act Repeal Bill, which was last up on the Government's urgency agenda. It ran through its second and third readings and its committee stage without pause. It scraps a law passed by the previous government in 2023 to regulate medicines, alternative medicine and medical devices.

You can find out more about all of these bills on Parliament's website.

RNZ's The House, with insights into Parliament, its legislation and issues, is made with funding from Parliament's Office of the Clerk.

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