House Happenings

During sitting weeks, the House of Representatives meets in the Debating Chamber to debate legislation, ask and answer questions, and more. So, what happened in the House the last time it sat? We break it down for you below:

Government motion

On Tuesday, a motion acknowledging the passing of Dame Julie Topp DNZM was agreed to.

On Tuesday, a motion acknowledging Auckland Football Club's A-League championship win was agreed to.

On Tuesday, a motion to extend the sitting of the House from 9.00 am until 1.00 pm on Wednesday, 27 May 2026 for the following business was agreed to:

• the committee stage of the Education and Training (System Reform) Amendment Bill
• the committee stage of the Building and Construction Sector (Self-certification by Plumbers and Drainlayers) Amendment Bill
• the committee stage of the Regulatory Systems (Internal Affairs) Amendment Bill
• the committee stage of the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Amendment Bill
• the third reading of the Public Service Amendment Bill
• the third reading of the Environment (Disestablishment of Ministry for the Environment) Amendment Bill.

On Tuesday, a motion to approve the Regulatory Standards (Excluded Legislation) Notice 2026 was agreed to.

Urgency

On Thursday, the House went into Urgency for:

·       the first reading of the Appropriation (2025/26 Supplementary Estimates) Bill;

• the introduction and passing through all stages of:
• the Taxation (Budget Measures) Bill (No 3);
• the Social Security (Modernisation) Amendment Bill;
• the Gas (Market Transparency) Amendment Bill;
• the third reading of:
• the Regulatory Systems (Internal Affairs) Amendment Bill;
• the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Amendment Bill;
• the remaining stages of:
• the Financial Service Providers (Registration and Dispute Resolution) Amendment Bill; and
• the Patents Amendment Bill

Government legislation

•  An instruction to the Justice Committee on the Summary Offences (Move-on Orders) Amendment Bill was agreed to.

This bill amends the Summary Offences Act 1981 to empower the New Zealand Police to issue move-on orders to manage low-level disorderly behaviour and prevent escalation. The amendments aim to ensure that the Police are adequately equipped to address public disorder, increase the public’s sense of safety, and support urban centres and economies.

This bill has now opened for public submissions. Click here to have your say and make a submission by Thursday 2 July.

• The committee stage of the Education and Training (System Reform) Amendment Bill was completed. Later in the week, the bill was sent back to the committee of the whole House for consideration of Amendment Paper No 633 and further changes were made to the bill.

This bill amends the Education and Training Act 2020 to give effect to new policy decisions and to make other minor and technical changes.

• The committee stage of the Building and Construction Sector (Self-certification by Plumbers and Drainlayers) Amendment Bill was completed and the bill had its third reading.

The key purpose of this omnibus bill is to speed up the consenting process for, and building of, houses in New Zealand by reducing the number of inspections that must be completed for plumbing and drainlaying work.

• The committee stage of the Regulatory Systems (Internal Affairs) Amendment Bill was read a third time.

This overall policy objective of this omnibus bill is to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of regulatory systems overseen by the Department of Internal Affairs.

• The committee stage of the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Amendment Bill was completed.

This bill aims to simplify and streamline the effective regulation of financial services by aligning both the regulator and aspects of the regulatory model for consumer credit with that under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013, as well as making other improvements to ensure the legislation is clear and proportionate.

• The Public Service Amendment Bill had its third reading.

This bill amends the Public Service Act 2020 with the intention to drive improvements in public service performance, create more stability, and ensure that the public service efficiently and effectively delivers value for money.

• The Fair Trading Amendment Bill had its first reading and was referred to the Finance and Expenditure Committee.

The objectives of this bill are to ensure that the Fair Trading Act 1986 remains fit for purpose as business practices and digital markets evolve, strengthen deterrence of unfair trading conduct, support appropriate consequences for breaches, and enable efficient and effective enforcement.

This bill has now opened for public submissions. Click here to have your say and make a submission by Thursday 16 July.

• The Environment (Disestablishment of Ministry for the Environment) Amendment Bill had its third reading.

This bill disestablishes the Ministry for the Environment. The Government intends to consolidate the functions of the ministry, along with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, the Ministry of Transport, and the local government functions of the Department of Internal Affairs, into a new ministry, the Ministry of Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport.

• The Appropriation (2025/26 Supplementary Estimates) Bill had its first reading.

This bill seeks parliamentary authorisation of the individual appropriations and changes to individual appropriations contained in The Supplementary Estimates of Appropriations for the Government of New Zealand for the Year Ending 30 June 2026.

• The Taxation (Budget Measures) Bill (No 3) was read a third time.

This bill amends the Income Tax Act 2007, the Student Loan Scheme Act 2011, and the Tax Administration Act 1994, and contains tax measures announced as part of Budget 2026.

• The Social Security (Modernisation) Amendment Bill was read a third time.

This bill amends the Social Security Act 2018 and the Social Security Regulation 2018, and is intended to enable the administration of a more efficient, modern welfare system through the use of automated decision making.

• The Gas (Market Transparency) Amendment Bill was read a third time.

This bill amends the Gas Act 1992, and is intended to improve the information available to help the Government monitor gas markets and help market participants make more efficient decisions.

• The Financial Service Providers (Registration and Dispute Resolution) Amendment Bill was read a third time.

This bill aims to ensure that financial dispute resolution schemes are governed and operated in an effective and independent manner for the benefit of consumers.

• The Patents Amendment Bill was read a third time.

This bill amends the Patents Act 2013 to apply stricter criteria for the grant of divisional applications filed under the Patents Act 1953, so that 1953 Act applications are examined in broadly the same way as 2013 Act applications.

Click here to learn about the different stages in how a bill becomes law.

General debate

A general debate took place on Wednesday.

The general debate occurs during most Wednesday sittings of the House, following oral questions and any urgent debate, if one has been allowed on that day. The debate is an opportunity for members to discuss miscellaneous topics that would otherwise be unlikely to come before the House for debate. Read the Hansard of the debate.