Today is a Member's Day, the first of the new Parliament. And to start the Parliament off, there's a bunch of first readings. A bunch of other bills have been postponed, so first up is Duncan Webb's District Court (Protecting Judgment Debtors on Main Benefit) Amendment Bill, followed by Katie Nimon's Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) (Improving Mental Health Outcomes) Amendment Bill. Then there's a bill likely to be contentious: Arena Williams' Electoral (Equal Protection of Māori Seats) Amendment Bill. In previous parliaments the racist parties have united to vote down giving Māori seats the same constitutional protections as general seats, but its now backed by a recommendation from the Independent Electoral Review. And in the context of the present government-led hate-campaign against Te Tiriti and all things Māori, it will be an important sign of how far National is going to try and push its racist agenda.
If the House moves quickly it should make a start on Cushla Tangaere-Manuel's Local Government (Facilitation of Remote Participation) Amendment Bill. And we should see a ballot for five or six bills tomorrow.
