This week in Parliament

This week in Parliament is a brief overview of anticipated business and events to be conducted by the House and Select Committees in the coming week.

The Order Paper is similar to an agenda, listing all the business before the House that sitting day. The order of business can change until the final order paper is published at 10:30am on the sitting day.

The Select Committee Schedule of meetings lists all committee business being conducted for the week. Business items displaying an asterisk indicate meetings that are open to the public. The meeting schedule is subject to changes at short notice.

Highlights in the House this week

General debate and extended sitting

The House will hold a general debate and extend its Wednesday sitting into Thursday morning to progress Government business.

Government legislation scheduled to progress

Te Here ā Nuku (Nelson Tenths) Bill

Te Here ā Nuku (Nelson Tenths) Bill is scheduled for its third reading.

In December 2025, the Crown signed a Resolution Agreement that settled a private property law claim with the trustees of Te Here ā Nuku Trust for the transfer of legal title for lands in the Nelson, Tasman / Te Tai-o-Aorere, and Golden Bay / Mohua areas.

The bill is intended to give legal effect to matters agreed in the Resolution Agreement that require legislation, such as:

• the continuation of Te Here ā Nuku Trust that the High Court found 
  has existed since 1845 in respect of land within the Spain Award area
• set out how legal ownership of Crown land within the Spain Award area will be transferred to the trustees of Te Here ā Nuku Trust
• provide for arrangements relating to Te Here ā Nuku national park land and Te Here ā Nuku reserve land

The Committee of the whole House reported on the bill on 5 August 2026.
The full content of the bill is available here.

Oranga Tamariki (Responding to Serious Youth Offending) Amendment Bill

The Oranga Tamariki (Responding to Serious Youth Offending) Amendment Bill is scheduled to continue its committee stage.

This bill seeks to put a “young serious offender” (YSO) declaration and a “military-style academy order” in the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989.

YSO declaration

The YSO declaration aims to ensure a swifter, firmer response to serious offenders aged 14 to 17, who are likely to keep offending, and where previous interventions have not been successful.

Some of the responses available to the Youth Court include:

• no eligibility for early release under a supervised residence order or military-style academy order
• longer and stricter supervision orders and supervision with activity orders
• supervised overnight stays to attend rehabilitative and reintegration programmes
• curfew condition monitored electronically when attached to a supervision activity order.

Military-style academy order

The military-style academy order is a new sentencing response available to the Youth Court. The young person must have been declared a YSO and be 15 years or over, but under 18 at the time of offending.

Some of the conditions of the military-style academy order include:

• young people remain in the custody of the chief executive of Oranga Tamariki throughout the 3–12 months term of the order
• attendance at a military-style academy programme
• the order is followed by a supervision order of between 6 and 18 months in length but no longer than 24 months for the combined length of the 2 orders.  

The bill proposes to treat absconding under these orders as a criminal offence under section 120 of the Crimes Act 1961.

The full content of the bill and the amendment paper are available here.