Committee notes
Commerce
The committee met on 25 November to consider the inquiry into finance company failures and to hear evidence from independent specialist adviser Tony Molloy QC.
The committee also heard evidence on the Fair Trading (Soliciting on Behalf of Charities) Amendment Bill and the Financial Markets (Regulators and Kiwisaver) Bill, and considered the Consumer Guarantees Amendment Bill.
The committee will next meet on 1 December to hear further evidence on the Financial Markets (Regulators and Kiwisaver) Bill and the Auditor Regulation and External Reporting Bill.
Education and Science
The committee met on 24 November to consider and hear evidence from officials from the Ministry of Education on their 2009/10 financial review. The committee also further considered the petitions of Paul Maggs and Wendy Roche, and a number of financial reviews.
The committee will next meet on 8 December.
Electoral Legislation
The committee did not meet this week. The committee currently has no items of business to consider.
The committee will not be meeting next week.
Finance and Expenditure
The committee will next meet on 8 December to consider the financial reviews before it, and will also meet on 9 December to hear evidence from the Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand on the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s monetary policy statement which is to be released that morning.
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
The committee met this week to consider the international treaty examination of the Ratification of the Third Protocol Amending the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and the petitions of George Pera Graham Naera, and of John Aloro on behalf of the Sudanese Community and 154 others. It also considered the briefings on New Zealand’s rules of engagement in relation to our obligations as a signatory to OPCAT, and on major defence acquisition projects 1 and 2.
The committee will meet again on 9 December. It will then hear evidence from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on its 2009/10 financial review. It will also hear evidence on the petition of John Aloro on behalf of the Sudanese Community and 154 others. These hearings are open to the public. The committee will also consider its inquiry into New Zealand’s relationships with South Pacific countries.
Government Administration
The committee met on 24 November to consider the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Bill. It heard evidence on the 2009/10 financial reviews of the Department of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs. The committee completed its consideration of the 2009/10 financial reviews of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives, and Statistics New Zealand.
Submissions are being invited on the Identity Information Confirmation Bill. The closing date for submissions is 1 December 2010. Submissions can be made on the Parliament website.
The committee will next meet on 8 December to consider the 2009/10 financial reviews of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Parliamentary Service, and the State Services Commission. The committee will also consider the report from the Controller and Auditor-General on Department of Internal Affairs: Administration of two grant schemes.
Health
The committee met on 24 November to consider the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill. It also heard evidence on the 2009/10 financial review of the Ministry of Health.
The committee will next meet on 8 December.
Justice and Electoral
On 25 November the committee met to consider numerous items of business including the Alcohol Reform Bill, the Legal Services Bill, and the 2009/10 financial reviews of the Ministry of Justice and the Crown Law Office.
The date by which submissions should be sent to the committee on the Alcohol Reform Bill has been extended to 18 February 2011.
A call for public submissions has been made on the Criminal Procedure (Reform and Modernisation) Bill with a closing date of 18 February 2011.
Calls for public submissions have been made on the Electoral (Administration) Amendment Bill (No 2) and the committee’s inquiry into the 2010 local authority elections, with a closing date of 1 February 2011.
The committee will not meet next week.
Law and Order
The committee met on 24 November to conduct a hearing of evidence on the 2009/10 financial review of the New Zealand Police, and to consider the 2009/10 financial review of the Independent Police Conduct Authority.
The committee will next meet on 8 December to hear evidence on the 2009/10 financial reviews of the Department of Corrections and the Serious Fraud Office.
Local Government and Environment
The committee met on 25 November to consider a number of items of business and to hear evidence from Dame Margaret Bazley and Judge Peter Skelton on the work of Environment Canterbury commissioners.
The committee has called for public submissions on the Environmental Protection Authority Bill, which establishes a new Environmental Protection Authority as a Crown agent, for the purpose of managing the regulation of New Zealand’s environment and natural and physical resources. Submissions close on 28 January 2011 and can be made through the Parliament website. The committee intends to hear oral submissions in the week after submissions close.
The committee will next meet on 9 December.
Māori Affairs
The committee met on 24 November to consider the financial reviews of the Ministry of Maori Development (Te Puni Kōkiri) and the Non-departmental appropriations for Vote Māori Affairs.
The committee has called for submissions on the Māori Purposes Bill, with a closing date of 4 March 2011. Submissions can be made online at www.parliament.nz.
The committee also met on 23 November and 24 November to hear evidence on the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill. The committee will next meet in Blenheim on 29 November, Christchurch on 30 November, and Auckland from 1 December to 3 December to hear further submissions on this bill. All hearings will be open to the public.
Primary Production
The committee met to continue its consideration of the Food Bill, and to consider and hear evidence on the Dairy Industry Restructuring (New Sunset Provisions) Amendment Bill.
The committee will not be meeting next week.
Regulations Review
The committee met on 25 November to consider recently promulgated statutory regulations, its investigation into Orders in Council made under the Canterbury Earthquake Response and Recovery Act 2010, regulation-making powers in bills, the complaints regarding three notices issued by the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board on 25 March 2010, and the Legislation Bill.
The committee will next meet on 9 December.
Social Services
The committee met on 24 November to hear evidence on the 2009/10 financial reviews of the Ministry of Social Development and Non-departmental appropriations for Vote Social Development. The committee heard evidence from chief executive Peter Hughes, as well as Ray Smith, deputy chief executive (Child, Youth and Family), and a number of other officials from the ministry.
The committee will not be meeting next week.
Standing Orders
The committee met on 25 November to consider the review of Standing Orders relating to pecuniary interests.
The committee will next meet on 9 December.
Transport and Industrial Relations
The committee considered further the Land Transport (Road Safety and Other Matters) Amendment Bill and the Land Transport (Driver Licensing) Amendment Bill at its meeting on 25 November. The committee has finished hearing evidence on these two bills and is considering the bills further in the light of this evidence. Both bills need to be reported to the House by 16 and 24 December 2010 respectively.
The committee will not be meeting next week, but will continue considering these two bills at its next meeting on 9 December.
