Wednesday, June 07, 2017



Member's Day

Today is a Member's Day, and it looks like we have some interesting bills on offer. First up is a motion appointing Leo Donnelly as a temporary Ombudsman to help finally clear the backlog of old OIA complaints. Then there's the vote on Ruth Dyson's Crown Minerals (Protection of World Heritage Sites) Amendment Bill, which would stop National from turning Fiordland into an open-cast coal mine. Following that there's a National spam-bill, Stuart Smith's Friendly Societies and Credit Unions (Regulatory Improvements) Amendment Bill, which really should have been done on government time. Then there's Meka Whaitiri's Electoral (Registration by Special Vote) Amendment Bill, which would fix one of the big inequities in our electoral system, but which is unlikely to become law by the election. Next up is Fletcher Tabuteau's International Transparent Treaties Bill, which isn't so much about transparency in negotiations as Parliamentary ratification of treaties - still a valuable aim, but only half the problem. And finally there's Joanne Hayes' Marriage (Court Consent to Marriage of Minors) Amendment Bill. If the House moves very quickly it might make a start on Marama Davidson's Local Electoral (Equitable Process for Establishing Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill.

There should be a ballot for three or four bills tomorrow; hopefully someone will put in a bill to repeal our absurd law against blasphemous libel.