Select Committee Business This Week - 2 March
SELECT COMMITTEE BUSINESS
From 23 February to 2 March
2001
Committee meetings
There were 24 committee
meetings, all in the parliamentary complex. Some of these
were subcommittee meetings.
Reports presented (7)
Primary Production
- 1999/2000 financial review of
Crown Forestry Management Limited
- 1999/2000 financial
review of Animal Control Products Limited
- 1999/2000
financial review of Landcorp Limited
Justice and
Electoral
- 1999/2000 financial review of the Legal
Services Board
Social Services
- Briefing from the
Department of Labour concerning employment
matters
Government Administration
- 1999/2000 financial
review of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Law and
Order
- Petition 1999/151 of Kevin James Peach and 2189
others
Bills referred to select committees
The
Fisheries (Remedial Issues) Amendment Bill was referred to
the Primary Production Committee with a report due by 1 May
2001.
The Civil Aviation Amendment Bill (No 2) was referred to the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee with a report due by 27 April 2001.
Committee
notes
(for further information on an item, please contact
the committee staff noted in italics)
Commerce (Alan
Witcombe, SC-Commerce@parliament.govt.nz)
The committee
met twice this week. On Tuesday it continued hearings of
evidence on the Electricity Industry Bill. Further hearings
have been scheduled for Tuesday, 13 March from 3.15 pm,
Parliament House. Advance notice of the submitters being
heard will be sent to electronic news media.
On Thursday the committee heard evidence from the three State-owned power generators, Mighty River Power Limited, Meridian Energy Limited and Genesis Power Limited. The committee's reports on these companies are due mid April. These hearings were part of the committee's 1999/2000 financial review examination of State enterprises referred to it by the Finance and Expenditure Committee. The next round of financial review hearings takes place on Thursday,15 March, when the committee will hear evidence from Solid Energy, Radio New Zealand and New Zealand On Air.
Education and
Science (Louise Gardiner, SC-ES@parliament.govt.nz)
The
committee heard evidence on the 1999/2000 financial reviews
of Industrial Research Limited and the New Zealand Institute
for Crop and Food Research Limited. The committee is not
meeting during the adjournment.
Finance and Expenditure
(SC-FE@parliament.govt.nz)
Next Wednesday the committee
will hear evidence on the 1999/2000 financial review of the
Public Trust Office.
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
(David Sanders, SC-FD@parliament.govt.nz)
The committee
met this week to continue hearing submissions on its inquiry
into New Zealand's economic and trade relationship with
Australia. Submitters included Professor Catley of Otago
University, the Television Broadcasters' Council, the
Seafarers' Union and the Green Party. Further submissions
are likely to be scheduled on 22 March. The committee also
gave further consideration to the Volunteers Employment
Protection Amendment Bill and the New Zealand Nuclear Free
Zone Extension Bill.
Government Administration (Louise
Sparrer, SC-GA@parliament.govt.nz)
The committee
concluded its consideration and reported on the 1999/2000
financial review of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. The
issues considered by the committee centre on the effects of
the additional funding the orchestra received through the
Government’s May 2000 Cultural Recovery Package.
Hearing of evidence on the committee’s inquiry into New Zealand’s adoption laws continued this week. The committee is to hold further hearings in Christchurch on 15 March and in Auckland on 16 March.
Health (Kia Paranihi,
SC-Health@parliament.govt.nz)
The committee heard
evidence from Hon Dr Nick Smith and Dr Monty Hornbeck this
week on Dr Smith's petition relating to the New Zealand
registration of foreign-trained health professionals. Dr
Hornbeck gave evidence on his experiences in attempting to
become a registered practitioner in dermatology. The
Medical Council also presented evidence on the petition.
Next week on Wednesday, 7 March, the committee will hear from Wanganui District Health Board, Mid Central Health, Northland District Health Board and Lakeland Health within its 1999/2000 financial reviews. These hearings will take place at Parliament House in Wellington.
Justice and
Electoral (Wendy Proffitt, SC-JE@parliament.govt.nz)
This
week the committee heard the first submissions on the Bay of
Plenty Regional Council (Maori Constituency Empowering)
Bill. Next week the committee is travelling to Whakatane to
hear submissions on the bill on Wednesday, 7 March, and to
Auckland on Thursday, 8 March. The committee will also
hear the first submissions on the Local Electoral Bill in
Auckland on 8 March.
This week the committee presented its report on the 1999/2000 financial review of the Legal Services Board, which has now been replaced by the Legal Services Agency
Law and Order (Tracey Rayner,
SC-LO@parliament.govt.nz)
The committee met on Thursday,
1 March to consider: the Crimes Amendment Bill (No 6) and
Supplementary Order Paper No 85; the Habeas Corpus Bill; the
Degrees of Murder Bill; and the petition of Kevin James
Peach and 2189 others. The committee presented its report
on the petition on Friday 2 March. The committee is not
meeting next week.
Local Government and Environment (David
Bagnall, SC-LGE@parliament.govt.nz)
The committee met on
Wednesday to consider the Resource Management Amendment
Bill. Next week the committee will look at the Local
Government (Elected Member Remuneration and Trading
Enterprises) Amendment Bill, and will hear evidence on the
bill from Local Government New Zealand. The Hawke's Bay
Endowment Land Empowering Bill will also be considered. The
committee will then commence its financial review of the
Environmental Risk Management Authority and there will be
further consideration of the petition of Rosemary Godwin
relating to asbestos contamination in East Tamaki.
On Wednesday, 14 March the committee will travel to Napier to hear evidence in public on the Hawke's Bay Endowment Land Empowering Bill.
People or organisations wishing to make submissions on the Inquiry into the role of local government in meeting New Zealand's climate change target should do so by 15 March 2001. The committee's interim report on the inquiry is available at the following website address: http://www.gp.co.nz/wooc/whatsnew/ipapers.html.
Maori
Affairs (Marcus Ganley, SC-MA@parliament.govt.nz)
This
week the committee received its quarterly briefing from the
Minister of Maori Affairs, Hon Parekura Horomia. The
Minister also formally introduced the new Chief Executive of
Te Puni Kokiri, Leith Comer, to the committee. Following
this briefing the committee heard evidence from the
Department of Conservation, the Ministry for the Environment
and the Ministry of Fisheries on the health of Lake Omapere.
Following this briefing the committee formally resolved to
initiate an inquiry into the possible collapse of Lake
Omapere.
Next week the committee will meet in Dunedin, at the Southern Cross Hotel, to hear evidence on the Tutae-ka-Wetoweto Forest Bill.
MMP Review (Louise Sparrer,
SC-MMP@parliament.govt.nz)
The committee is now in its
consideration stage of the review. It will not meet in the
March adjournment. The next meeting will be 14
March.
Primary Production (Bob Bunch,
SC-PP@parliament.govt.nz)
The committee continued its
scrutiny of AgriQualitiy New Zealand Limited, a State
Enterprise, on Thursday 1 March, by conducting hearings on
its 1999/2000 financial review. Later the committee further
considered its two fisheries bills (Foreign Fishing Crew
Wages and Repatriation Bond and Fisheries (Remedial Issues)
Amendment Bills) and its inquiries into organic agriculture
in New Zealand and sustainable forestry management. The
subcommittee on organic agriculture in New Zealand also met
this week on Tuesday, 27 February.
Both the committee and the subcommittee will meet next week. The committee will conduct site visits and hear evidence in Canterbury (8 March) and Southland (9 March) on its inquiry into sustainable forestry management while the organics subcommittee will also meet in Christchurch on Wednesday night, 7 March.
The deadline for submissions on the Fisheries (Remedial Issues) Amendment Bill is Monday, 19 March. Because the committee has decided to commence hearings as soon as possible following the deadline, submitters are encouraged to contact the committee's secretariat as soon as possible if they wish to be heard.
Regulations Review (Fiona McLean,
SC-RR@parliament.govt.nz )
At its meeting on 28 February,
the committee heard evidence on the regulation-making powers
in the Electricity Industry Bill. Both the Minister of
Energy, Hon Pete Hodgson, and officials from the Ministry of
Economic Development appeared before the committee. The
Minister discussed the purposes and intentions of the bill.
The committee is principally concerned with the scope of the
regulation-making powers in the bill. The bill also seeks
to exclude the application of the Regulations (Disallowance)
Act 1989, and it permits the Minister to make what appear to
be very broad-ranging rules to regulate the electricity
industry. The committee has concluded hearing evidence on
this issue, and can make a report to the Commerce Committee,
which is currently considering the Electricity Industry
Bill.
The committee will next meet on Wednesday, 14 March, and will hear evidence on its inquiry into regulation-making powers that authorise international treaties to override any provisions of New Zealand enactments. The hearing will be open to the public.
Social Services (Tim Cooper,
SC-SS@parliament.govt.nz)
This week the committee heard
evidence on the issue of pension reciprocity. Arrangements
in several countries were discussed, though Britain was a
particular focus. The committee also began its
consideration of the Housing Corporation Amendment Bill,
which aims to combine several housing entities into a new
Housing New Zealand Corporation. The committee will hear
evidence on the bill in a few weeks. The committee will not
be meeting next week.
Transport and Industrial Relations
(Lyn Main, SC-TI@parliament.govt.nz)
On Wednesday, 7
March, from 11.30 am to approximately 1.00 pm, the Transport
and Industrial Relations Committee is hearing evidence on
the Civil Aviation Amendment Bill. In the afternoon of
Wednesday, 7 March, from 2.45 pm, the committee will be
hearing evidence on the Civil Aviation Amendment Bill (No
2).
Closing dates for submissions
Committees are
receiving submissions on the following items with the
closing date shown:
Commerce
New Zealand Guardian Trust
Company Amendment Bill (2 March 2001)
Education and
Science
Education Amendment Bill (No 2) (14 March
2001)
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
International
Treaties Bill (31 March 2001)
Government
Administration
Cigarettes (Fire Safety) Bill (31 March
2001)
Statutes Amendment Bill (31 March
2001)
Health
Medical Practitioners (Foreign Qualified
Medical Practitioners) Amendment Bill (31 March
2001)
Smoke-free Environments (Enhanced Protection)
Amendment Bill (23 April 2001)
Justice and
Electoral
Victims’ Rights Bill and Supplementary Order
Paper No 112 (12 March 2001)
Local Government and
Environment
Inquiry into the role of local government in
meeting New Zealand’s climate change target (15 March
2001)
Auckland Aotea Centre Empowering Amendment Bill (2
April 2001)
Taranaki Regional Council Empowering Bill (2
April 2001)
Primary Production
Fisheries (Remedial
Issues) Amendment Bill (19 March 2001)
Transport and
Industrial Relations
Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
Bill (23 March 2001)
Civil Aviation Amendment Bill (2
March 2001)
Civil Aviation Amendment Bill (No 2) (9 March
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, 2 March 2001