Committee notes
Commerce
The committee met on 9 February to consider the Regulatory Standards Bill, the 2010/11 financial reviews, and to re-adopt the inquiry into the price of milk.
The committee will next meet on 16 February, and will consider the inquiry into the price of milk, the Consumer Law Reform Bill, and consider and hear evidence on the 2010/11 financial reviews of the Broadcasting Standards Authority, Radio New Zealand and Television New Zealand. The committee will also consider the 2010/11 financial reviews of the Accounting Standards Review Board, the Electricity Corporation of New Zealand, the Financial Markets Authority, the Government Superannuation Fund, the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation, Kordia Group, the Meteorological Service of New Zealand, New Zealand Post, the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund, the Public Trust, the Real Estate Agents Authority, the Securities Commission, the Standards Council, the Takeovers Panel, and the Testing Laboratory Registration Council.
Education and Science
The committee met on 8 February to consider the 2010/11 financial reviews. The committee also considered the report from an Ombudsman on Complaints Arising out of Bullying at Hutt Valley High School in December 2007, and the petition of Judy Taligalu McFall-McCaffery and John McCaffery and 6686 others.
Next week the committee will meet on 15 February to hear evidence on the report from an Ombudsman on Complaints Arising out of Bullying at Hutt Valley High School in December 2007, and on the 2010/11 financial review of the Ministry of Science and Innovation. The hearings of evidence will be open to the public.
Finance and Expenditure
The committee met on 8 February to hear evidence on the Student Loan Scheme Amendment Bill, the Taxation (Annual Rates Returns Filing and Remedial Matters) Bill, and the 2010/11 financial review of the Inland Revenue Department.
The committee will next meet on 15 February when it will hear further evidence on the Taxation (Annual Rates Returns Filing and Remedial Matters) Bill, and on the 2010/11 financial review of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
The committee met on 9 February to consider the 2010/11 financial reviews of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the New Zealand Customs Service, the Ministry of Defence, the New Zealand Defence Force, Antarctica New Zealand, the non-departmental appropriation for Vote Official Development, the petition of Edwina Hughes and 904 others, the petition of Helen Kelly on behalf of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions, and the International Treaty Examination of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. The committee also initiated a briefing from the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs.
The committee will next meet on 16 February to consider the petition of Edwina Hughes and 904 others, the petition of Helen Kelly on behalf of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions, and the International Treaty Examination of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. It will also conduct the briefing from the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs.
Government Administration
The committee met on 8 February and considered the Crown Entities Reform Bill and the Electronic Identity Verification Bill. The committee also considered the 2010/11 financial reviews.
The committee will next meet on 15 February when it will hear evidence on the 2010/11 financial review of the Office of the Ombudsmen and the Crown Entities Reform Bill.
Health
The committee met on 8 February to consider the Natural Health Products Bill, the 2010/11 financial review of the Ministry of Health and the petition of Geoff Annals on behalf of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and the Service and Food Workers Union Ngā Ringa Tota.
The committee will next meet on 15 February to consider a number of financial reviews.
Justice and Electoral
The committee met on 9 February to consider the Legal Assistance (Sustainability) Amendment Bill and the Victims of Crime Reform Bill.
It will next meet on 16 February to hear submissions on the Legal Assistance (Sustainability) Amendment Bill.
The committee has called for public submissions on the Privacy (Information Sharing) Bill with a closing date of 23 March 2012. The bill seeks to amend the Privacy Act 1993 and the Tax Administration Act 1994 to provide for better information sharing between public service agencies, in order to improve public service delivery.
Law and Order
The committee met on 8 February. The committee considered the Arms Amendment Bill (No 3) and the 2010/11 financial reviews of the New Zealand Police, the Department of Corrections, the Serious Fraud Office, and the Independent Police Conduct Authority.
The committee is due to meet next on 15 February when it will consider further aspects of the 2010/11 financial reviews of the New Zealand Police, the Department of Corrections, the Serious Fraud Office, and the Independent Police Conduct Authority.
Local Government and Environment
The committee met on 9 February to consider the 2010/11 financial reviews of the Department of Conservation, the Ministry for the Environment, the New Zealand Walking Access Commission, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, the Environmental Risk Management Authority, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, and non-departmental appropriations for Vote Conservation and Vote Environment. It also considered the Manukau City Council (Regulation of Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill. The committee heard evidence on the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill from the following entities; the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, the Royal Forest and Bird Society of New Zealand, the Environment and Conservation Organisations of New Zealand, the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Pacific Institute of Resource Management, the Taranaki Regional Council, Environment Canterbury, and the Sustainable Future Institute.
The committee will next meet on 16 and 17 February to hear further evidence on the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill.
Māori Affairs
The Māori Affairs Committee met on 8 February to consider the 2010/11 financial reviews of the Ministry of Māori Affairs (Te Puni Kōkiri), Te Reo Whakapuaki Irirangi (the Māori Broadcasting Funding Agency), non-departmental appropriations for Vote Māori Affairs, and non-departmental appropriations for Vote Māori Affairs (Whānau Ora),. The committee also considered its inquiry into the determinants of wellbeing for Māori children and its briefing on rent reviews of Māori Reserved Land. The committee concluded its consideration of the report from the Controller and Auditor-General on Government planning and support for housing on Māori Land.
When the committee next meets on 15 February it will hear evidence on the non-departmental appropriations for Vote Māori Affairs (Whānau Ora), and on its briefing on rent reviews of Māori Reserved Land.
Primary Production
The committee met on 9 February to consider the 2010/11 financial reviews of Land Information New Zealand, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Fisheries, non-departmental appropriations for Votes Agriculture and Forestry and Biosecurity, Landcorp Farming, Animal Control Products, AsureQuality and Quotable Value. The committee also considered the petitions of David Mark Wills, Neville Donaldson on behalf of SFWU Ngā Ringa Tota and Sorrel Davies.
The committee will not meet next week.
Regulations Review
The committee met on 9 February to consider matters of general business.
The committee will next meet on 16 February to consider Orders in Council made under the Canterbury Earthquake Response and Recovery Act 2011, a number of statutory regulations, and a regulation-making power under the Medicines Amendment Bill.
Social Services
The committee met on 8 February to consider a number of financial reviews.
The committee will next meet on 15 February to hear evidence from the Inland Revenue Department on the petition of Moana Jean Karika Rule. The meeting will be open to the public from 10.00am to 10.45am. It will also consider two reports from the Controller and Auditor-General; the report on the Inquiry into the Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Board and the report on Home-based support services for older people. The committee will hear evidence from the Office of the Auditor-General on the latter report, and the meeting will be open to the public from 10.45am to 11.45am.
Transport and Industrial Relations
The committee met on 9 February to consider the 2010/11 financial reviews of the Department of Labour, the Ministry of Transport, the Accident Compensation Corporation, the New Zealand Transport Agency, and the Maritime Safety Authority of New Zealand. The committee also considered a number of petitions.
Next week, the committee will meet on 16 February to hear evidence on the 2010/11 financial review of the Department of Labour, as well as consider a number of petitions. The hearing of evidence will be open to the public.
