New Zealand Parliament

The New Zealand Parliament is the legislative body of the New Zealand government.

Passage of legislation

The New Zealand Parliament's model for passing Acts of Parliament is similar (but not identical) to that of other Westminster System governments.

Related Topics:
Acts of Parliament - Westminster System

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Laws are initially proposed to Parliament as bills. They become Acts after being approved three times by Parliamentary votes and then receiving Royal Assent from the Governor-General. The majority of bills are promulgated by the government of the day (that is, the party or parties that have a majority in Parliament). It is rare for government bills to be defeated. It is also possible for individual MPs to promote their own bills, called member's bills — these are usually put forward by opposition parties, or by MPs who wish to deal with a matter that parties do not take positions on.

Related Topics:
Royal Assent - Governor-General

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First Reading

The first stage of the process is the First Reading. The MP introducing the bill (often a minister) will give a detailed speech on the bill as a whole. Debate on the bill generally lasts two hours, with MPs making ten-minute speeches on the bill's general principles. Speaking slots are allocated based on the size of each party, with different parties using different methods to distribute their slots among their MPs.

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The MP introducing the bill will generally make a recommendation that the bill be considered by an appropriate Select Committee (see below). Sometimes, it will be recommended that a special Committee be formed, usually when the bill is particularly important or controversial. Parliament then votes as to whether the bill should be sent to the Committee for deliberation. It is not uncommon for a bill to be voted to the Select Committee stage even by parties which do not support it — since Select Committees can recommend amendments to bills, parties will often not make a final decision on whether to back a bill until the Second Reading.

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Select Committee stage

The Select Committee will scrutinise the bill, going over it in more detail than can be achieved by the whole membership of Parliament. The public can also make submissions to Select Committees, offering support, criticism, or merely comments. The Select Committee stage is seen as increasingly important today — in the past, the governing party generally dominated Select Committees, making the process something of a rubber stamp, but in the multi-party environment there is significant scope for real debate. Select Committees frequently recommended changes to bills, with prompts for change coming from the MPs on the Committee, officials who advise the Committee, and members of the public. When a majority of the Committee is satisfied with the bill, the Committee will report back to Parliament on it. Unless Parliament grants an extension, the time limit for Select Committee deliberations is six months or whatever deadline was set by the House when the bill was referred.

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Second Reading

The Second Reading, like the first, generally consists of a two-hour debate in which MPs make ten-minute speeches. Again, speaking slots are allocated to parties based on their size. In theory, speeches should relate directly to the findings of the Select Committee, although in practice, they tend to be discussions of the bill in general. Parties will usually have made their final decision on a bill after the Select Committee stage, and will make their views clear during the Second Reading debates. At the conclusion of the Second Reading, the House votes on whether or not to accept any amendments recommended by the Select Committee.

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The Minister of Finance has the power (given by Parliament's Standing Orders) to veto any bill which would have a major impact on the government's budget and expenditure plans. Although this veto can be invoked at any stage of the process, it is usually employed at the Second Reading.

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If a bill received majority support, it goes on to to be considered by a Committee of the whole House.

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Committee of the whole House

A Committee of the whole House consists of all members of Parliament, and discusses the bill clause by clause. MPs may make five-minute speeches on a particular clause of the bill, but may not make general speeches on the bill's overall goals or principles. The extent to which a bill changes during this process varies. If the Select Committee that considered the bill was dominated by the opposition, and made significant alterations, the government may make major "corrective" amendments. The opposition may also put forward wrecking amendments, although these are generally just symbolic.

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Third Reading

The final Reading takes the same format as the First and Second Readings — a two-hour debate with MPs making ten-minute speeches. The speeches once again refer to the bill in general terms, and represent the final chance for debate. A final vote is taken. If a bill passes its third reading, it is passed on to the Governor-General, who will (assuming constitutional conventions are followed) give it Royal Assent as a matter of course. It then becomes law.

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