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 

Extended sitting

Tuesday’s House sitting will extend into Wednesday morning to progress Government business.

Wednesday afternoon

The debate on the Standing Orders Committee’s report on the Review Standing Orders 2026 will replace the general debate. The adjournment debate will follow.

Adjournment debate

The House’s last sitting day of the 54th Parliament finishes with the adjournment debate. The Prime Minister starts the debate followed by the Leader of the Opposition and other party leaders, with the Speaker of the House making the final speech. When the debate concludes the House will rise for the last time before the 55th Parliament is opened.

Watch the adjournment debate live at around 4.00pm on Wednesday, 23 September.

Dissolution of Parliament’s 54th session

The official dissolution of the 54th session of Parliament will be on Thursday,
1 October 11am on the steps of Parliament. The public welcome to come along.

A proclamation is read on the steps of Parliament on behalf of the Governor-General. The dissolution will mark the formal and official end of the 54th Parliament and initiates the formal process that leads to the general election. 

At the time of dissolution there will be unfinished business—such as bills and petitions before the House and committees. This business will lapse, but can be reinstated by the new Parliament.

Government legislation scheduled to progress

Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill

The Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill are scheduled for their third readings.

The Natural Environment Bill and Planning Bill would replace the Resource Management Act 1991 with separate but connected systems for environmental management and land-use planning. The Government would set national direction, which regions would implement through spatial, environmental, and district land-use plans, with public and Māori consultation built into the planning process. A new Planning Tribunal is also proposed to resolve lower-level planning disputes alongside the Environment Court.

The full content of the Natural Environment Bill along with the Planning Bill are available.

Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Claims Settlement Bill

The Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Claims Settlement Bill is scheduled for its first reading.

On 17 August 2026 the deed of settlement was signed between the Crown, Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri (iwi) and Te Korowai o Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Trust (iwi trustee). This bill seeks to provide for the deed of settlement.

The bill seeks to settle the historical Treaty of Waitangi claims of Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri, whose area of interest covers Wharekauri/Chatham Islands. It acknowledges and apologies for the 1842 annexation of Wharekauri and the Auckland Islands without consultation with Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri. The bill seeks to:

·      establish three protocols: Crown minerals, primary industries, and taonga tūturu

·      provide statutory acknowledgements and deeds of recognition for parts of the rohe, and statements of interest for specified islands, inlets, and reefs

·      provide for representation of a member of the iwi trust on the conservation board for the Chatham Islands

·      make regulations for customary fishing rights.

For more detail, the bill is available here.

Rēkohu Wharekauri Shared Redress Bill

The Rēkohu Wharekauri Shared Redress Bill is scheduled for its first reading.

This bill gives effect to the shared redress agreed between Moriori and the Crown (14 February 2020) and Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri and the Crown (17 August 2026). The deed addresses shared cultural, natural resource, and commercial redress held by  Moriori and Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri. The bill will not settle any historical claims for Moriori as these were settled through the Moriori Claims Settlement Act 2021.

The bill seeks to provide equal shares to trustees of the Moriori Imi Settlement Trust (iwi trust) and Te Korowai o Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Trust in four properties at Tikitiki Hill Conservation Area and Te Whanga Lagoon. It further intends to:

• establish a permanent Joint Planning Committee of the Chatham Islands Council to oversee the management of  Te Whanga Lagoon
• provide for representation of the iwi trust on the conservation board for the Chatham Islands
• include an option to purchase the land on which Kaingaroa school sits.

For more detail, the bill is available here.