Source: http://www.parliament.nz/CmsSystem/Templates/Documents/DetailedListing.aspx?NRNODEGUID=%7B6747D629-0852-493A-8E72-C3E4CF336E68%7D&p=2
Timestamp: 2013-05-22 05:02:12
Document Index: 28162131

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 12', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 3', 'art 4', 'arts 1', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'arts 3', 'art 2', 'art 6', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 6', 'art 1', 'art 3', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'arts 1', 'art 2', 'arts 1', 'art 3', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 3', 'art 2', 'art 3', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'arts 39', 'art 1', 'art 3', 'art 1', 'art 4', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'arts 1', 'art 2', 'arts 1', 'art 3', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 7']

New Zealand Parliament - Bills Digests
A Bills Digest is a guide written to assist members of Parliament when they consider a bill. Bills Digests are published here in pdf form.
Bills Digests 41-60 of 1135
Digest No. 2009
Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2012 (2012 No 52-2)
Published: 23 October 2012by John McSoriley BA LL.B, BarristerLegislative AnalystP: (04) 817-9626 (Ext. 9626)
The aim of this Bill is to amend the Climate Change Response Act 2002 (the Act) to modify the emissions trading scheme (ETS), provide further regulation-making powers and to make “technical and operational changes”
The Bill as introduced is described in Bills Digest No 1990.
The ETS, designed in response to the international climate change framework established under the Kyoto Protocol, is intended to enable New Zealand to meet its international commitment to limiting greenhouse gas emissions. This Bill arises after the recommendations of the Government-appointed Emissions Trading Scheme Review Panel set up to review the ETS and its future after the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol ends at the end of 2012.
In general terms, the main amendments proposed by this Bill are:
to retain indefinitely the current transitional measures, which are a one-for-two surrender obligation (which allows participants from non-forestry sectors to surrender one emissions unit for every two tonnes of emissions) and a $25 fixed-price option per New Zealand unit (NZU) (thus capping the price of carbon at $25 per NZU);
to extend these transitional measures to the waste, agriculture, and synthetic greenhouse gas sectors;
to suspend the planned phasing out of allocation to emissions-intensive trade-exposed industrial activities until other transitional measures ended;
to remove a specified entry date for surrender obligations on biological emissions from agriculture (at present 1 January 2015);
to introduce forest offsetting within the ETS as an option for pre-1990 forest landowners;
to introduce an auctioning system within an overall cap on the amount of New Zealand units;
to change the current treatment of some parts of the synthetic greenhouse gas sector in the ETS;
to make some “technical and operational changes to make the scheme more workable and flexible”
. Main changes to the Bill
Crown’s obligation to convert eligible NZUs into AAUs
The bar-2 Bill specifies that the Crown’s obligation to convert eligible NZUs to assigned amount units (AAUs) applies only if designated AAUs are available in a Crown holding account (Part 1, inserting New Clause 17A into the Bill, amending Section 30E of the Act by inserting new paragraph (3A)).
The Act provides for New Zealand units to be converted into AAUs, which are a form of Kyoto unit that can be sold on international markets, so that they can be exported because NZUs are not yet accepted in other trading schemes. “However, such conversion would potentially diminish the Crown’s ability to square up its obligations for the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol, which is expected to be required in the second half of 2015”
. This amendments is intended to resolve that problem.
Conversion of NZUs in the event that no further AAUs were issued in the future
The bar-2 Bill provides a regulatory power allowing the Minister for Climate Change Issues to specify other Kyoto units to which exportable NZUs could be converted if AAUs were not available in the Crown holding account (Part 1, amending Clause 18 of the Bill, inserting New Section 30G(1)(q) into the Act).
Permanent Forest Sink Initiative and AAUs
The bar-2 Bill allows NZUs allocated under the Permanent Forest Sink Initiative to be converted to AAUs and exported (Part 1, Clause 73, amending New Section 178C(2) by inserting new paragraph (c)).
“Under the Permanent Forest Sink Initiative, which operates outside the ETS, landowners who establish permanent new forests earn AAUs for carbon sequestered during the first commitment period (2008 to 2012). The type of unit they will receive for carbon sequestered after 2012 is yet to be specified in regulations, and will depend on consultation and decisions yet to be taken on the future Kyoto framework. Participants who were allocated NZUs in future would be disadvantaged, as the Act prohibits the export of NZUs or their conversion to another kind of unit”. The Select Committee therefore proposed amending the Bill in this way “to avoid this potential inequity, but without anticipating the decision as to which units participants would receive after 2012”
. Offsetting of pre-1990 forest land
The Bill as introduced provides for offsetting rules to allow a landowner to change the use of their land from forestry to an alternative use without incurring liability for deforestation, provided they plant a new forest in another location. A new offsetting forest must be established on land that was not forested at 31 December 1989 (Part 1, Clause 81, inserting New Section 186(1)(a)(ii)).
The bar-2 Bill amends the definition of “post-1989 forest land” to include land that was forest at 31 December 1989 but has since been deforested and any liabilities paid (Part 1, Clause 7(4) amending the definition of “post-1989 forest land”; amending Clause 81, by inserting new subparagraphs in Section 186B of the Act and amending Section 186D by repealing subsections (4) and (5)).
The Select Committee stated that there is “about 60,000 hectares fall into this category. We see merit from an environmental perspective in allowing this land to qualify as an offsetting forest should the landowners choose to replant it in forest”. “For example, it would remove deforestation liabilities where forest cannot be re-established because of erosion or other natural disturbance, and it would ensure that minor clearing of forest boundaries was not counted as deforestation. The bill would better allow for natural regeneration and re-establishment of poplars and willows, and support efforts to control tree weeds (wildings) by preventing tree weeds on post-1989 forest land from further participating in the ETS. Technical changes would also address eligibility issues for the less-than-50-hectare exemption for trustees, including the Maori Trustee and trustees appointed under the Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993”
The bar-2 Bill includes amendments to deal with a possible anomaly in relation to trusts. The definition of “landowner” is amended to allow unrelated trusts under the same professional trustee or trustees to clear forest up to 2 hectare (“the de minimus deforestation threshold allowed under the Act”
) (Part 1, Clause 7(5), amending Section 4 of the Act by inserting new subsection (7)).
Large but insubstantial amendments
The Select Committee proposed “amending or deleting several clauses—such as Clauses 7(4), 15 to 17, 25, 37, and 60—in order to clarify their meaning or because they are unnecessary or inconsistent with international rules. Although such changes appear substantial, we are satisfied that their effect is not significant”
. Copyright: © NZ Parliamentary Library, 2012
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand licence. In essence, you are free to copy, distribute and adapt the work, as long as you attribute the work to the Parliamentary Library and abide by the other licence terms. To view a copy of this licence, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/nz/.
Climate Change response (Emissions Trading and Other Matters) Amendment Bill, 2012 No 52-1, Explanatory note, General policy statement, p. 1.
[back] Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading and Other Matters) Amendment Bill, 2012 No 52-2, As reported from the Finance and Expenditure Committee, Commentary, p. 3.
[back] Ibid..
[back] Ibid., p. 6.
[back] Ibid., pp. 4 and 5.
[back] Ibid., p. 5.
[back] Ibid., p. 3.
Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2012 (2012 No 52-2): Bills Digest No 2009 [PDF 65k]
Digest No. 2008
Minimum Wage (Starting-out Wage) Amendment Bill 2012
As at 18 October, 1st Reading not held.
Published: 18 October 2012by John McSoriley BA LL.B, BarristerLegislative AnalystP: (04) 817-9626 (Ext. 9626)
The aim of this Bill is to amend the Minimum Wage Act 1983 (the Act) to change the way in which minimum rates of wages may be prescribed by Order in Council
. “These include introducing the ability to set 1 or more starting-out rates of wages (payable at not less than 80% of the minimum adult rate of wages) for eligible young people aged 16, 17, 18, or 19 years who are not supervising or training other workers, repealing the ability to set the current new entrant rate, and changing the criteria for setting the current training rate”
“The Bill implements Government policy that is aimed at influencing employers' demand for young workers. The policy supports training opportunities for young people who are working, is intended to work alongside other measures aimed at improving the skills of young people in the workforce, and complements the Government’s reform of the welfare system”.
In relation to training rates, the law currently provides that to be eligible for the minimum training rate of wages, a trainee aged 16-19 must undertake at least 60 credits per year in an industry training programme as prescribed in the Minimum Wage Order 2012. The Bill provides that for such young persons aged 16 to 19 years and employed under contracts of service that require them to undergo training to be paid at the minimum starting-out rates of wages rather than the minimum training rate of wages. This allows for different credit requirements to be specified for trainees aged 16 to 19 years and the Bill also provides for this to be done in respect of trainees aged 20 years or older.
Prescribed minimum starting-out rates of wages
The Bill provides that the Governor-General may prescribe one or more minimum starting-out rates (which must not be set at less than 80% of the minimum adult rate) by Order in Council. These new rates are payable to one or more classes of workers who:
are aged 16, 17, 18, or 19 years;
are not involved in supervising or training other workers; and
are defined in the order by reference to the age (or range of ages) of the workers and to one or more of the following,
the length of time, being a period of not less than six months, that the workers have been continuously paid one or more specified social security benefits
the length of time, being a period of not more than six months, that the workers have been in continuous employment with one employer
whether or not the workers are employed under contracts of service that require the workers to undergo training, instruction, or examination for the purpose of becoming qualified for the occupation to which their contracts of service relate.
The Bill provides that where a minimum starting-out rate is prescribed by reference to the length of time that workers have been continuously paid one or more specified social security benefits or the length of time workers have been in continuous employment with one employer, an employer of a worker to whom the rate applies may pay the worker in accordance with that rate only until the worker has completed six months' continuous employment or the worker ceases to satisfy the other criteria for the payment of the starting-out rate, whichever is earlier. The Bill defines the term “continuous employment” as including any employment undertaken by the worker before he or she turns 16 and before the commencement of this Bill. The term “specified social security benefit” means the following benefits paid or payable under the Social Security Act 1964: domestic purposes benefit; emergency benefit; independent youth benefit; invalid’s benefit; sickness benefit; unemployment benefit; widow’s benefit; young parent payment; and youth payment.
The Bill also provides that in respect of workers who are aged 20 years or older and who are not involved in supervising or training other workers, that the minimum training rate must not be set at less than 80% of the minimum adult rate payment (Part 1, Clause 4, inserting New Sections 4A and 4B into the Act).
“In broad terms new s
ections 4 to 4B [of this Bill] maintain the status quo in relation to the criteria for setting the adult minimum rate of wages, modify the criteria for setting the minimum training rate of wages, do not carry over the ability to prescribe a minimum new entrant rate of wages, and introduce the ability to prescribe 1 or more minimum starting-out rates of wages
In relation to workers who, immediately before the commencement of the Bill, were being paid wages by their employers at the new entrant rate (which is not re-enacted by the Bill
) in accordance with Clause 5 of the Minimum Wage Order 2012, the Bill provides that on and after the commencement of the Bill, a worker:
is entitled to continue to be paid at the minimum new entrant rate as if the Bill had not been passed or at the highest starting-out rate prescribed under new section 4A for workers aged 16 or 17 years (whichever rate is the higher); and
after fulfilling the present conditions for the new entrant rate (which relate to completing 3 months or 200 hours of employment, whichever is completed first) is entitled to be paid at the minimum adult rate (as replaced by this Bill) (Part 2, Clause 7).
Copyright: © NZ Parliamentary Library, 2012
Minimum Wage (Starting-out Wage) Amendment Bill, 2012 No 69-1, Explanatory note, General policy statement, p. 1.
[back] Ibid., pp. 1-2.
Ibid., Clause by clause analysis, p.4.
[back] Ibid, Clause by clause analysis, p. 6.
Minimum Wage (Starting-out Wage) Amendment Bill 2012; Bills Digest No 2008 [PDF 62k]
Digest No. 2007
The main aim of the Bill is to amend the Education Act 1989 (the Act) to:
provide for the creation and operation of “partnership school kura hourua” (formerly referred to as charter school);
make provision in respect of the surrender and retention of property in schools; and
make various other changes to the Act
A regulatory impact statement may be found here:
Free enrolment and free education at a partnership school kura hourua
The Bill extends the right to free enrolment and free education at any state school to partnership schools kura hourua. The term “partnership school kura hourua” is defined as a school in respect of which the Minister has approved a sponsor (see below) and a partnership school contract is in force (Part 1, Clause 5, amending Section 3 of the Act; Clause 4(1), amending Section 2(1) of the Act by inserting a new definition, that of “partnership school kura hourua”).
Partnership schools kura hourua, their characteristics, and who may enrol in them
The Bill makes provision for partnership schools kura hourua, which are a new form of registered school. The Minister is given power to approve by notice in the Gazette an incorporated body or limited partnership to be the sponsor of a partnership school kura hourua. The Minister must appoint a group to advise on the approval of sponsors and the educational performance of partnership schools kura hourua. The Minister may enter into a contract with a sponsor for the operation of a partnership school kura hourua. The contract must be for a fixed term and must contain specified provisions. A body must not operate or purport to operate a partnership school kura hourua unless it has been approved under the Bill and may not operate a partnership school kura hourua unless there is a partnership school contract in place (Part 1, Clause 31, inserting New Sections 158A-158E).
The Bill provides the sponsor of a partnership school kura hourua with the power to control the management of the school and may make rules for the purpose of the control and management of the school. A sponsor is also under a duty to perform its functions in such a way as to ensure that students are able to achieve their highest possible educational standards (Part 1, Clause 31, inserting New Sections 158G-158H). A sponsor is a body approved by the Minister by notice in the Gazette to be a sponsor of a partnership school kura hourua (Part 1, Clause 31, New Section 158B).
The Bill provides a power of intervention in a partnership school kura hourua if the Secretary for Education has reasonable grounds to believe that there is an emergency, or an imminent threat of an emergency, affecting the education or welfare of the students. In such a case, the Secretary may take over the management of the school for as long as the Secretary considers necessary (Part 1, Clause 31, inserting New Section 158L).
In relation to enrolment, the Bill makes provision for enrolment in partnership schools kura hourua by setting out the order of priority for applicants if there are more applications than there are places (Part 1, Clause 31, inserting New Section 158M). Students who have special educational needs are given the same rights to be enrolled at a partnership school kura hourua as students who do not and they may (subject to the agreement of the parents and the Secretary) continue to be enrolled at partnership schools kura hourua despite being over the upper age limit for the schools. The Bill also enables a sponsor of a partnership school kura hourua to run multiple timetable arrangements (Part 1, Clause 31, New Sections 158N, 158O and 158P) (Part 1, Clause 31, inserting New Part 12A, inserting New Sections 158A-158X into the Act).
Discipline and attendance at a partnership school kura haurua
The Bill provides that domestic students at partnership schools kura hourua will not be required to pay tuition fees from correspondence schools (as applies to other schools) (Part 1, Clause 6, amending Section 7A of the Act). A sponsor of a partnership school kura hourua may be directed to enrol a student under the age of 16 who has been excluded from a State school, provided that there has been appropriate consultation and the parents of the student consent (Part 1, Clause 7, amending Section 16 of the Act). State school boards are given the power to refuse to enrol a student who has been excluded or expelled from a partnership school kura hourua and the Secretary for Education is given power to direct a sponsor of a partnership school kura hourua to enrol a student aged 16 or over who has been expelled from a State school, provided there has been appropriate consultation and the parents of the student consent (Part 1, Clause 8, amending Section 17D of the Act; Clause 31 inserting New Sections 158Q and 158R into the Act).
The Act places duties on students and boards with regard to school attendance. The duty is modified for the sponsors of partnership schools kura hourua to attend school whenever the school is open for those students who are subject to a multiple timetable arrangement under New Section 65DA (see below). They will instead be required to attend school for the period or periods when their timetables are in operation (Part 1, Clause 9, amending Section 25 of the Act).
Multiple timetable arrangements
Clause 15 inserts a new section 65DA. This new section enables State schools to run multiple timetable arrangements, with the Minister's authority. These are arrangements where more than one timetable per day is run at the school. The timetables might run concurrently or consecutively. The school may run such arrangements only if it has consulted appropriately, and the Minister considers that the arrangements are appropriate. The board of the school must notify affected students and their parents of the arrangements and the time periods when the students will be required to attend school. (Part 1, Clause 15, inserting New Section 65DA into the Act).
Surrender and retention of property
The Bill creates a power for teachers to require students to surrender items in their possession or control if the teacher has reasonable grounds to believe that a student has hidden or “in clear view” on or about the student’s person, or in any bag or other container under the student’s control, an item that is likely to endanger safety or detrimentally affect the learning environment. Teachers may retain and dispose of items surrendered, if appropriate. Teachers may require students to reveal items that are stored on electronic devices, and to surrender the electronic devices, which may be retained for a reasonable period. Items and electronic devices retained must be stored appropriately, and at the end of the period of retention they must be returned to the student or passed onto another agency. However, teachers will not be permitted to use physical force to search a student or his or her bag, to require a bodily sample, or to use a dog for the purpose of the search. Nor will teachers be permitted to carry out blanket requests for students to surrender items, unless there are reasonable grounds to believe that each student has a relevant item in his or her possession (Part 1, Clause 28, inserting New Sections 139AAA-139AAF into the Act).
Merging schools
The Bill makes new provision for the merger of State schools by allowing the Minister to give notice that the continuing school's board is to have an alternative constitution which has effect from a date specified by the Minister (Part 1, Clause 30, substituting Section 156A of the Act by New Sections 156A-156AC).
Education Amendment Bill, 2012 No 77-1, Explanatory note, General policy statement, p. 1. [back]
Education Amendment Bill 2012: Bills Digest No 2007 [PDF 63k]
Digest No. 2006
Financial Reporting Bill 2012
As at 27 September, 1st Reading not held.
Published: 27 September 2012by John McSoriley BA LL.B, BarristerLegislative AnalystP: (04) 817-9626 (Ext. 9626)
The aim of this Bill is to repeal and replace the Financial Reporting Act 1993 (the 1993 Act) and, in particular, to:
“continue the External Reporting Board and define its functions and powers”;
“provide for the issue of financial reporting standards and auditing and assurance standards”; and
“provide for auditor qualifications and other standard provisions relating to financial reporting duties under other enactments” (Part 1, Clause 3, the “purpose” clause).
A media release accompanying the introduction of this Bill states that it “overhauls financial reporting rules and cuts compliance costs for small and medium-sized companies”. Hon. Mr Foss, the Minister of Commerce, said that “these smaller companies shouldn’t necessarily have to produce the same complex financial statements that are required from large companies.” The media release also states that the Bill “simplifies compliance obligations for charities, and includes a new power which allows the External Reporting Board to issue accounting standards for registered charities” Mr Foss said that “this power will provide clarity for charities that are required to file financial statement” and that it would “remove uncertainty, improve the quality of reporting and increase comparability between charities”
Notable features of the Bill are:
the removal of a requirement for “non-large”, “non-issuer” companies to prepare general-purpose financial reports;
giving power to the External Reporting Board to issue financial reporting standards for a range of entities, including registered charities;
the placing of the substantive reporting requirements in their relevant Acts under the following principles:
“all substantive reporting requirements and the related offence provisions will be included in sector, industry, and entity-specific Acts”
core financial reporting principles and definitions that are intended to apply to all reporting entities (for example, the meaning of generally accepted accounting practice) or to some classes of reporting entities (for example, the meaning of large) are consolidated in this Bill which repeals and replaces the 1993 Act. “This will include retaining or modifying some existing 1993 Act principles and definitions, adding new ones, and transferring standard provisions relating to auditing from the Companies Act 1993 to the new Financial Reporting Act. There will be cross-references to those principles and definitions in sector, industry, and entity-specific legislation”
Supplementary Order Paper No 93
Supplementary Order Paper No 93 (released by the Minister on 31 July 2012) “aligns breaches of financial reporting requirements for financial markets participants with the liability regime in the Financial Markets Conduct Bill”
. The Financial Markets Conduct Bill 2011, reported from the Commerce Select Committee on 7 September 2012, is described in Bills Digest No 1963. SOP No 93 proposes particular reporting provisions in relation to issuers and other financial market participants to be inserted into the Financial Markets Conduct Bill. Regulatory impact statements
http://www.med.govt.nz/business/business-law/pdf-docs-library/financial-reporting-framework/RIS-RFRF.pdf http://www.med.govt.nz/about-us/publications/publications-by-topic/regulatory-impact-statements/ministry-of-economic-development-regulatory-impact-statements http://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/informationreleases/ris Main Provisions
The Bill applies to reporting entities
The Bill largely applies to any “reporting entity”. A reporting entity is an entity whose financial statements or group financial statements are required by any enactment to comply, or be prepared in accordance, with generally accepted accounting principles (i.e. GAAP standards) or non-GAAP standards
. The term “non-GAAP standard” means a financial reporting standard that is stated in the standard to be a non-GAAP standard (Part 1 Clause 5(1), definitions of “reporting entity” and “non-GAAP standard”; Clause 8).
The Bill continues the existence of the External Reporting Board which is an independent Crown entity. The functions of the Board are:
to prepare and issue financial reporting standards and auditing and assurance standards;
to issue authoritative notices, which provide for matters not covered by standards for the purposes of the definition of GAAP (a new function);
to develop and implement strategies for the issue of standards; and to liaise with international or national organisations that perform functions that correspond with, or are similar to, those conferred on the Board (Part 2, Clauses 10-11).
Financial reporting standards and auditing and assurance standards
The Bill includes detailed provisions relating to the issue of financial reporting standards and assurance standards (Part 2, Subpart 2, Clauses 14-32).
Standard provisions relating to auditor qualifications and access to information
The Bill provides for the qualifications of auditors for the purposes of various enactments. The obligations of entities to provide information to auditors are set out and the rights of auditors to obtain information are described (Part 2, Subpart 3, Clauses 33-38).
Amends many other Acts in relation to the particular financial reporting requirements of entities subject to each Act (Part 4, Subparts 1-11, Clauses 61-162; Schedule 1 and Schedule 2).
Hon Craig Foss, Media release, “Bill to cut financial reporting burden introduced”, 31 July 2012.
[back] Financial Reporting Bill, 2012 No 42-1, Explanatory note, General policy statement, p. 3.
[back] Hon Craig Foss, media release, “Bill to cut financial reporting burden introduced”, 31 July 2012.
[back] In general terms, GAAP means generally accepted accounting principles which are “the set of standards and conventions that guide accountants in the preparation of financial statements. “Certified public accountants”, in expressing opinions on financial statements, must indicate whether the statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. ‘GAAP may also include certain practices that are widely followed or commonly advocated in the accounting literature”: Ralph Estes, “Dictionary of Accounting”, the MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1981, p. 58.
Financial Reporting Bill 2012: Bills Digest No 2006 [PDF 64k]
Digest No. 2005
Legislation Bill 2010 (Supplementary Order Paper No 127)
SOP No 127 released:
Published: 26 September 2012by John McSoriley BA LL.B, BarristerLegislative AnalystP: (04) 817-9626 (Ext. 9626)
The aim of this Bill is to "modernise and improve the law relating to the publication, availability, reprinting, revision, and official versions of legislation and to bring this law together in a single piece of legislation"
The Bill as introduced is described in Bills Digest No 1788. The Bill as reported by the select committee is described in Bills Digest 1874.
Main amendment proposed by SOP No 127
Legal status of official version - reprints
Clause 18 of the Bill provides that an official version of legislation that is a reprint:
is taken to correctly state, as at the date at which it is stated to be reprinted, the law enacted or made by the legislation reprinted and by the amendments (if any) to that legislation; and
is evidence that any changes made in the reprint are authorised by the provisions in the Bill dealing with reprints (i.e. Part 2, Subpart 2, Clauses 23-27).
Supplementary Order Paper No 127 proposes a new subclause providing that where legislation is reprinted under Subpart 2 with changes authorised by that subpart, those changes have effect as if enacted or made, as the case may be, expressly by other legislation having effect immediately before the reprint date (amending Clause 18 of the Bill, inserting new subclause (5)).
“The new provision is based on similar Australian legislation, for example, section 9 of the Reprints Act 1992 (Qld) and will enable legislation as reprinted to be amended, incorporated, or referred to by other legislation as if authorised changes made by the reprint had been enacted by legislation. For example, if an Act is reprinted with authorised renumbering, the new numbering can be cited and relied on in any subsequent amending legislation”
Legislation Bill, 2010 No 162-1, Explanatory note, General policy statement, p. 1.
[back] Legislation Bill 2010, Supplementary Order Paper No 127, Explanatory note, p. 22.
Legislation Bill 2010 (Supplementary Order Paper No 127): Bills Digest No 2005 [PDF 57k]
Digest No. 2004
Crown Minerals (Permitting and Crown Land) Bill 2012
As at 26 September, 1st reading interrupted
The aim of the Bill is to amend the Crown Minerals Act 1991 (the CMA), the Conservation Act 1987, the Continental Shelf Act 1964, the Reserves Act 1977 and the Wildlife Act 1953 with the aim of:
“encouraging the development of Crown owned minerals so that they contribute more to New Zealand’s economic development; and
“streamlining and simplifying the permitting regime where appropriate, making it better able to deal with future developments; and
“ensuring that better co-ordination of regulatory agencies can contribute to stringent health, safety, and environmental standards in exploration and production activities.
“To this end, the stated purpose of the Bill is to promote prospecting for, exploration for, and mining of Crown owned minerals for the benefit of New Zealand, by providing for:
“the efficient allocation of rights to prospect for, explore for, and mine Crown owned minerals; and
“the effective management and regulation of the exercise of those rights; and
“a fair financial return to the Crown for its minerals”
The Crown Minerals Act 1991 and the Schedule 4 stocktake
The Act sets out the legislative framework for prospecting, exploration and mining of Crown minerals in New Zealand. It also sets out the process for permit holders to negotiate land access arrangements to Crown lands. In 1997, the National Government added Schedule 4 to the Act to prohibit most access for exploration and mining of Crown minerals to particular tracts of conservation land and marine reserves on the basis of the high conservation values of those areas.
In August 2009, the Minister of Energy and Resources and the Minister of Conservation directed officials to carry out a stocktake of Schedule 4-listed land. The purpose of the stocktake was to identify areas where current knowledge of the geology of the area indicated that the potential high economic value of the minerals to New Zealand warranted a case-by-case consideration of proposals for exploration and mining in the area within the context of a discussion about the conservation, tourism, cultural and other values of the area.
After an extensive public consultation, the Cabinet agreed
no areas be removed from Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act 1991;
newly created or classified areas equivalent to those currently listed in clauses 1 to 7 of Schedule 4 (national parks, nature and scientific reserves, wilderness areas, sanctuary areas, wildlife sanctuaries, marine reserves, and Ramsar
wetlands) should automatically be included in Schedule 4;
the classification decisions for the classes of conservation area listed in clauses 1 to 7 of Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act 1991 that are currently the sole responsibility of the Minister of Conservation instead be made by Order in Council (subject to Cabinet consideration);
in principle, significant applications to mine on public conservation land should be publicly notified;
because of “current provisions in the Crown Minerals Act 1991 for mineral related access arrangements do not enable full account to be taken of the potential national significance and economic benefits of a proposal to explore or mine Crown-owned minerals, or recognise that the Crown has different interests in the surface values of Crown land and in any subsurface minerals, both of which it manages on behalf of, and for the benefit of, all New Zealanders” that Section 61(2) of the Crown Minerals Act 1991 be amended to provide for:
joint decision making on access arrangements under the Act by the landholding minister and the Minister of Energy and Resources; and
specific economic, mineral and national significance-related criteria to be considered in making a decision on mineral-related access under the Act”.
Main policy decisions behind the Bill
The amendments made in this Bill to the” Conservation Act 1987, Reserves Act 1977, and Wildlife Act 1953 relate to Schedule 4 of the CMA, which will be replaced by this Bill. Currently, land can be added to Schedule 4 of the CMA only by the Governor-General by Order in Council made under that Act. After amendment by this Bill, land that acquires a certain status under the Conservation Act 1987, Reserves Act 1977, or Wildlife Act 1953 will automatically be included in Schedule 4 of the CMA”
New permit system
“The Bill introduces a 2-tiered system for permit management. This will distinguish between the relatively small number of complex, higher-return petroleum and mineral activities (referred to as Tier 1) and the larger number of lower-return industrial, small business, and hobby mineral operations (referred to as Tier 2). Tier 1 activities will be subject to a more hands-on, co-ordinated management and regulatory regime, and Tier 2 to a simpler and more streamlined management regime”
Continental shelf mining licence applications
“The Bill amends the Continental Shelf Act 1964 by importing the minerals provisions of the CMA for all new Continental Shelf Act licence applications to bring the Continental Shelf Act regime for minerals into alignment with the current practice for petroleum in the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. Regulation of environmental effects would fall under the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act 2012”
Access to Crown land
“The Bill provides for automatic inclusion of certain areas into Schedule 4 of the CMA and updates the process for approval of mineral-related access arrangements over Crown land. The Bill makes amendments to the Conservation Act 1987, Reserves Act 1977, and Wildlife Act 1953 to provide for this”
Regulatory impact statements may be accessed at: http://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/informationreleases/ris Main Provisions
The Bill provides for the two tier permit system. The Tier 1 permits relate to Petroleum, Gold (other than alluvial gold unless, in the fifth and subsequent permit year where the royalty payment for the previous year exceeded $50,000), Silver, Coal, Ironsand and “Metallic minerals”, depending on whether or not specified royalty thresholds are reached or not reached (Part 1, Clause 9, inserting New Section 2A(2) into the CMA). A Tier 2 permit is a permit used for an activity demonstrating historical mining methods (a “special purpose mining activity”) or that falls outside the Tier 1 definition (Part 1, Clause 9, inserting New Section 2A(1) into the CMA). Extensive amendments are made for to the process for dealing with applications for permits (Part 1, Clauses 16-28).
Functions of Minister and chief executive and minerals programmes
The Bill makes amendments to the functions of the Minister of Energy and the chief executive (Part 1, Clauses 10-12) and replaces the requirements for minerals programmes (Part 1, Clauses 10-15).
Access to marine land and crown land
The Bill extends an exemption from the need to have an access arrangement in relation to land in order for the holder of a permit for petroleum or other minerals to prospect, explore, or mine on to land in the continental shelf. In relation to Crown land or land in the common marine and coastal marine areas, the Bill provides that:
the Minister of Energy and Resources is also involved in making in decisions on access arrangements where another Minister is responsible for the land concerned;
the Ministers must have regard to the economic and other benefits of the proposed activity concerned (Part 1, Clause 31).
Section 61(4) of the CMA provides that the Governor-General may from time to time, by Order in Council made on the recommendation of the Minister and the Minister of Conservation, amend Schedule 4.
The Bill provides that an amendment to new Schedule 4 of the principal Act cannot be made under Section 61(4) if that amendment would result in land described in clauses 1 to 8 of that Schedule being excluded from that Schedule. The Bill replaces Schedule 4 (Part 1, Clause 31(9), amending Section 61 of the CMA by inserting new subclause (9); Clause 52 (headed: “Schedule 4 replaced”)).
Access to land where Minister of Conservation is appropriate Minister
In relation to applications for access arrangements involving significant mining activities where the Minister of Conservation has responsibility for the land in question, the Bill provides that the Minister of Conservation and the Minister of Energy and Resources must jointly decide whether the mining activities will be significant. In such cases, public notification of the proposed activities has to be given in the manner set out in section 49 of the Conservation Act 1987 (Part 1, Clause 32, inserting New Section 61C into the CMA).
The Bill makes extensive amendments in relation to information provision in relation to petroleum and mineral reserves, mineral production information and other matters such as the custody of information in registers kept by the Secretary (i.e. the chief executive of the Ministry of Economic Development) (Part 1, Clauses 33-39)
The Bill makes amendments in relation to New Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act 1991 as replaced by this Bill. Currently, land can be added to Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act 1991 only by the Governor-General by Order in Council made under that Act.
This Bill provides that land that acquires a certain status under the Conservation Act 1987 will automatically be included in New Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act 1991. However, the current process where the Minister of Conservation is permitted to declare land to be of a certain status under the Conservation Act 1987 is removed and replaced by a process in which the Governor-General performs this role by Order in Council
(Part 2, Clauses 55-57).
Crown Minerals (Permitting and Crown Land) Bill, 2012 No 70-1, Explanatory note, General policy statement, p. 2.
[back] Cabinet Paper, Expenditure Control Committee, Stocktake of Schedule 4 Crown Minerals Act – Outcomes” , Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment website (Accessed 25 September 2012).
[back] The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
[back] Crown Minerals (Permitting and Crown Land) Bill, 2012 No 70-1, Explanatory note, General policy statement, pp. 1-4.
[back] Crown Minerals (Permitting and Crown Land) Bill, 2012 No 70-1, Explanatory note, clause by clause analysis, “Part 2: Amendments to Conservation Act 1987”, pp. 17 and 18.
Crown Minerals (Permitting and Crown Land) Bill 2012: Bills Digest No 2004 [PDF 69k]
Digest No. 2003
National War Memorial Park (Pukeahu) Empowering Bill 2012 (2012 No 53-2)
Published: 24 September 2012by John McSoriley BA LL.B, BarristerLegislative AnalystP: (04) 817-9626 (Ext. 9626)
The aim of this Bill is to grant statutory authorisations and property rights to the Ministry for Culture and Heritage and the New Zealand Transport Agency (the Agency) to enable completion of the National War Memorial Park (Pukeahu) (the Park) by April 2015, the centenary of the commencement of the Gallipoli landings of the First World War. The legislation is needed because it is not possible to guarantee that the necessary statutory authorisations would be obtained within a time frame that would enable the Park to be completed by April 2015
The Bill grants resource consents, heritage authorisations, and building consents and provides the designation, powers of entry onto land, and property rights necessary to carry out the project. In addition, to secure the rights and authorisations needed to complete the Park by April 2015, the Bill removes the standard objection and appeal rights available under legislation, namely, the Resource Management Act 1991, the Historic Places Act 1993, and the Public Works Act 1981. However, rights to compensation under the Public Works Act 1981 are preserved
There is regulatory impact statement at:
http://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/informationreleases/ris Resource consents
The Bill as introduced grants resource consents to the Agency and the chief executive of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage (the Ministry) on the conditions set out in Schedules 1 and 2. The consents have the same effect as if they were granted under the Resource Management Act 1991. Certain provisions of that Act are disapplied, including appeal rights (see: Part 2, Subpart 1, Clause 7; Schedules 1 and 2). Designations
The Bill provides for a designation for the Agency in respect of all the reconstruction and alterations required for the roading network (see: Part 2, Subpart 1, Clause 8; Schedules 3 and 10). Archaeological authorities
The Bill grants authorities to the Agency in relation to the archaeological sites specified in Schedule 4, and to the chief executive of the Ministry in relation to the archaeological sites specified in Schedule 5 as if the authorities had been granted under Section 14 of the Historic Places Act 1993 to destroy, damage, or modify an archaeological site. The National War Memorial Park area is near or includes the sites or former sites of historic structures and institutions including the Mt Cook Police Barracks, the Home of Compassion Crèche (which is to be moved under the Bill (see: Schedule 3, Part 2, pp. 70-72, Conditions NZTA 08-10)), and the former site of St Patrick’s College, Wellington. The Bill provides that certain specified provisions of the Historic Places Act 1993 do not apply, including provisions relating to appeals against the granting of the authorities (see: Part 2, Subpart 2, Clause 9; Schedules 4 and 5).
Consents and access
The Bill also provides for the necessary building consents and associated conditions to the Agency and the chief executive of the Ministry, for access to property and granting of property rights and a certification process for the statutory authorisations granted to the Agency or the Ministry pursuant to the Bill (see: Part 2, Subparts 3-5).
The Bill provides that the Governor-General may from time to time, by Order in Council (which will expire on 31 July 2015) made on the recommendation of the Minister of Transport or the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, do any of the following that may be reasonably necessary or desirable for the purposes specified in Clause 3:
grant any statutory authorisation, or any other permission or right under listed enactments;
take or grant any licence, land, or easement;
amend certain statutory authorisations, or any other permission or right. All draft Orders in Council must be reviewed by the National War Memorial Park Review Panel (Part 2, Subpart 6, Clauses 26-35).
The bar-2 Bill restates the purpose of the Bill, without changing its meaning, as being to:
empower the creation of the National War Memorial Park (Pukeahu) on the Park land that includes the National War Memorial, in the area of the City of Wellington known to Māori as Puke-ahu; and
ensure its completion by April 2015, the centenary of the commencement of the Gallipoli Campaign of the First World War; and
ensure the integration of the Park and roading networks with the wider City of Wellington (Part 1, substituting Clause 3 (1)).
Resource consents and designations
The bar-2 Bill specifies that resource consents which would be granted by the Bill would not lapse on 31 July 2015 if, before that date, they had been given effect or “substantial” work relevant to the consent had been commenced, or an extension of the lapsing period had been granted. The bar-2 Bill also specifies that when considering an application to extend the period until a consent lapses, the consent authority would have to take into account whether substantial progress was being made towards giving effect to the consent and whether approval had been obtained from persons who might be adversely affected (Part 2, Subpart 1, amending Clause 7).
The bar-2 Bill provides that for a Minister to recommend the making of an Order in Council, he or she must have considered all other reasonably practicable ways relevant to the particular circumstances to achieve the purpose of the legislation. The Review Panel is required to report to the Minister every six months on the use of the power to make Orders in Council under the Bill, and to require the Minister to present a copy of each report to the House of Representatives. The bar-2 Bill also provides that an Order in Council does not come into force until twelve sitting days after the day on which it was presented to the House (Part 2, Subpart 6, amending Clause 24 by inserting new subclause (4); inserting New Clause 27A; substituting Clause 31, and deleting Clause 32).
The Select Committee suggested that the amendment requiring the Minister to present a copy of each six-monthly report to the House of Representatives would allow the House to consider implementing a process, perhaps adopted by sessional order, for specific consideration of these reports
National War Memorial Park (Pukeahu) Empowering Bill, 2012 No 53-1, Explanatory note, General policy statement, p. 1.
[back] Ibid, pp. 1 and 2.
[back] National War Memorial Park (Pukeahu) Empowering Bill, 2012 No 53-2, As reported from the transport and Industrial Relations Committee, Commentary, p. 4.
National War Memorial Park (Pukeahu) Empowering Bill 2012 (2012 No 53-2): Bills Digest No 2003 [PDF 106k]
Digest No. 2002
As at 20 September, 1st Reading not held.
Published: 20 September 2012by John McSoriley BA LL.B, BarristerLegislative AnalystP: (04) 817-9626 (Ext. 9626)
The Bill amends the Student Loan Scheme Act 2011 (the Act) “to improve the value of the student loan scheme and ensure that repayment obligations are determined on a fair and equitable basis for all borrowers regardless of the types of income they earn”
The Bill introduces data-matching with the New Zealand Customs Service to locate borrowers in serious default when they enter or leave New Zealand. It also changes, from 1 April 2014, the definition of income for student loans to largely align with the definition of income used for Working for Families tax credits and student allowances. Other administrative amendments include:
“all borrowers who have income extra to salary and wages will have an end-of-year square-up repayment obligation only if that extra income is $1,500 or more over the annual repayment threshold (currently $19,084). This reverses a distinction enacted in 2011 between different types of extra income, whereby some but not all borrowers are assessed on every dollar over the annual repayment threshold”;
“the current late payment interest regime is largely retained and the changes due to come into force from 1 April 2013 are repealed”
“end-of-year square-up repayment obligations will revert to being payable on the borrower's terminal tax date, rather than being payable in instalments;
“amendments are also made to the Customs and Excise Act 1996 and the Privacy Act 1993 as a consequence of the new data-matching with the New Zealand Customs Service”
The Bill makes many administrative amendments. The most notable provisions of the Bill appear to be the following.
The Bill provides for information-matching between the Customs Service and Inland Revenue to allow the Commissioner of Inland Revenue direct access to departure and arrival information in order to locate, when they enter or leave New Zealand, borrowers who are in “serious default” of their repayments when they enter or leave New Zealand. The term “serious default” means the state of having an unpaid amount due and owing, and satisfying criteria established by the Commissioner (Part 1, Clauses 44, 45 and 46, amending Sections 280H and 280I of the Customs and Excise Act 1996; Clause 47, amending Section 103(1) the Privacy Act 1993).
Definition of “Income” for student repayment purposes
A New Zealand-based borrower’s non-salary and wage income repayment obligation is based on their adjusted net income. Section 76 of the Act requires the Commissioner to assess the amount (if any) of a borrower's pre-taxed repayment obligation for a tax year as soon as practicable after the borrower makes his or her declaration of pre-taxed income.
The Bill extends the type of income which must be included in net income for student loan repayment purposes. Students’ net income must now include:
income from a trust and companies owned by trusts when the borrower is the settlor;
tax-exempt salary and wages, and certain overseas pensions that are exempt from New Zealand tax;
distributions from superannuation schemes that relate to contributions made by a person’s employer within the last two years, when the person has not retired (excluding KiwiSaver and locked-in superannuation schemes);
distributions from a retirement savings scheme when the person has retired early;
income kept in a closely held company;
fringe benefits received by shareholder-employees who control the company;
PIE income that is not “locked in”;
50 percent of non-taxable private pensions and annuities;
main income equalisation scheme deposits; and
payments from trusts, not being beneficiary income, when the borrower is not the settlor (Part 3, (headed: “Amendments to principal Act that apply for 2014-2015 and later tax years”), Clauses 63-66; inserting New Schedule 3 (clauses 1-13) into the Act).
Student Loan Scheme Amendment Bill (No 2) 2012 No 56-1 Explanatory note, General policy statement, p. 1.
[back] Ibid., pp. 1 and 2.
Student Loan Scheme Amendment Bill (No 2) 2012: Bills Digest No 2002 [PDF 60k]
Digest No. 2001
Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill 2012
As at 20 September 2012, 1st Reading not held.
The aim of this Bill is to amend the Social Security Act 1964 (the Act). “It forms part of a package of reforms being introduced over 2 years that will fundamentally shift the focus of the benefit system towards encouraging and supporting beneficiaries to move into paid work”
The key changes introduced by the Bill are:
“a new system of main benefits, to embed a work focus throughout the benefit system”;
“delivering a new approach to working with people in the benefit system who are either sick or disabled”;
“introducing drug testing requirements where a beneficiary is referred to a job or training programme where drug testing is a prerequisite, matched with financial sanctions for non-compliance”;
“using the welfare system to reinforce some important social norms relating to children’s education and health, through the use of obligations that beneficiaries with children must meet in order to continue receiving Government assistance”; and
“stopping benefit payments to beneficiaries with a warrant to arrest that remains unresolved after 28 days from issue, provided (except where public safety is at risk) the beneficiary is given appropriate notice and the opportunity to clear the warrant to arrest”
Regulatory statements for this Bill may be found at:
New benefit categories
The Bill provides for three new benefits:
Jobseeker support benefit
The jobseeker support benefit replaces the unemployment benefit, the sickness benefit, the domestic purposes benefit for solo parents whose youngest child is 14 years old or older, the widows benefit for persons whose youngest child is 14 years old or older or who have no children, and the domestic purposes benefit for women alone. A person granted jobseeker support (other than on the grounds of sickness, injury or disability) must comply with the work test. Those receiving such support on the grounds of sickness, injury or disability are subject to a determination by the chief executive as to whether the person has the capacity to seek, undertake, and be available for part-time work (New Section 88F). Spouses or partners may also be subject to the work test (New Section 88G) (Part 1, Clause 40, inserting New Sections 88B-88M into the Act in substitution for Sections 89-99AB);
Sole parent support benefit
The sole parent support benefit is payable to sole parents and widows with a child younger than 14 years old. The Bill places an obligation on such persons to comply with obligations including a general obligation to take all reasonably practicable steps to prepare for employment (Clause 24, amending Section 60Q of the Act) (Part 1, Clauses 11, inserting New Part 1B, New Sections 20A-20H into the Act; Part 1, Clause 12).
Supported living payment benefit
The supported living payment benefit replaces the invalid’s benefit and the domestic purposes benefit for the care of the sick or infirm. It may be granted on the grounds of sickness, injury, disability or total blindness or on the grounds of caring for a patient requiring care (Part 1, Clauses 13-19, amending and renumbering many sections of the Act).
The Bill provides for the application of drug testing to apply where undertaking and passing a pre-employment drug test is required as part of a job application, or as part of a training programme to which beneficiaries are referred by the chief executive. Beneficiaries who fail a pre-employment or training programme drug test (or fail to apply for a drug-tested job they are referred to) without good and sufficient reason will have their benefit “sanctioned”. “In the first instance, their benefit will be cut by 50%, but they can re-comply with the obligation by agreeing to stop using drugs and receive their full benefit. If they fail a drug testing obligation a second time within 12 months, they can re-comply by undertaking to pass a drug test within 30 days (to allow any drugs they have taken to leave their system). Where they fail or refuse this test, their benefit will be cancelled with a stand down period of 13 weeks. Employers will be reimbursed for the cost of failed drug tests for beneficiaries sent to them by Work and Income, which will be recovered from the beneficiaries themselves (as will the cost of any re-compliance drug test)”
(Part 1, Clauses 42-48).
The Bill provides for social obligations that beneficiaries with dependent children must meet in order to continue receiving Government assistance. Beneficiary parents must take all reasonable steps to ensure that their dependent child:
aged 3 years or over, is enrolled in and attending early childhood education until they start school;
enrolled in and attending school from age of 5 (or 6) years depending on when the child first starts school;
enrolled with a primary health care provider; and
up-to-date with the core Well Child checks.
These obligations will apply universally to all beneficiaries with dependent children (including spouses or partners, if any). (Part 1, Clause 25, inserting New Section 60RA into the Act).
Beneficiaries with warrants to arrest
The Bill provides for the effect on a benefit of a warrant to arrest a beneficiary. A person affected by the provision is a beneficiary who is not a young person (as defined in section 2(1) of the Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act 1989) and where the chief executive is satisfied (based on information available to the chief executive) that:
criminal proceedings have been commenced against the beneficiary in a New Zealand court for an offence (other than certain excluded offences);
a New Zealand court has in, or in connection with, those criminal proceedings, issued a warrant for the beneficiary's arrest; and
at least 28 days have elapsed since the date on which the warrant was issued.
The chief executive must give the beneficiary a notice that:
allows a period of 10 working days within which the beneficiary may dispute that he or she is the person to whom the warrant to arrest applies or take steps to resolve the warrant;
specifies the steps that the beneficiary may take to dispute that he or she is the person to whom the warrant to arrest applies or to resolve the warrant; and
specifies the consequences of the beneficiary's not resolving the warrant within that 10-working-day period.
The chief executive may suspend immediately the benefit of such a beneficiary if satisfied that:
the department has received from the New Zealand Police a written request to suspend the beneficiary's benefit on the ground that the Commissioner of Police on reasonable grounds considers the beneficiary to be a risk to public safety;
that request is signed by the Commissioner of Police or a constable who is of or above the level of position of inspector.
The Bill provides in detail for procedural matters related to the exercise of these powers (Part 1, Clause 30 inserting New Section 75B into the Act).
Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill, 2012 No 67-1, Explanatory note, General policy statement, p. 1.
[back] Ibid., p. 2.
[back] Ibid., pp. 7 and 8.
Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill 2012: Bills Digest No 2001 [PDF 65k]
Digest No. 2000
Local Government (Public Libraries) Amendment Bill 2012 (Member’s Bill)
As at 18 September, 1st Reading not held.
Published: 18 September 2012by John McSoriley BA LL.B, BarristerLegislative AnalystP: (04) 817-9626 (Ext. 9626)
The aim of this Bill is to amend the Local Government Act 2002 (the Act) to ensure “that all local authorities provide for libraries and ensure that there is no charge for library services, including books, digital information, and access to the internet”
Present provision
Section 142 of the Act (headed: “Obligation to provide free membership of libraries”) provides that “if a local authority or a council-controlled organisation provides a library for public use, the residents in the district or region are entitled to join the library free of charge”.
The purpose of the Bill is to “expand the public library services that local authorities are required to provide for free” (Clause 4).
Obligation to provide free public libraries
The Bill provides that a local authority must provide for a library and library services for public use on the following minimum terms:
the residents in the district or region of the local authority are entitled to join the library free of charge;
the library shall not charge any resident of the authority’s district or region for the use of library material, including books, non-print resources, and digital information;
the library shall not charge any resident of the authority’s district or region for access to the internet, in accordance with requirements for reasonable use (Clause 5, amending the Act by substituting Section 142, inserting new subsection (1)).
The obligation is reposed on every local authority. A local authority may be a regional council or territorial authority. A territorial authority is a city or district council listed in Part 2 of Schedule 2 of the Local Government Act 2002. The obligation must be satisfied directly and not through a council-controlled organisation (i.e generally a company or other entity controlled by one or more local authorities) (cf. Sections 5(1) and 6 of the Local Government Act 2002).
National Librarian’ role
The Bill provides that the National Librarian must present an annual report to Parliament on the implementation by local authorities of the above requirement and make any recommendations with regard to that implementation. Local authorities must furnish such information as is reasonably required by the National Librarian to complete his or her annual report to Parliament (Clause 5, amending the Act by substituting Section 142, inserting new subsections (2) and (3)).
Local Government (Public Libraries) Amendment Bill, 2012 No 60-1, Explanatory note, General policy statement, p. 1. [back]
Local Government (Public Libraries) Amendment Bill 2012: Bills Digest No 2000 [PDF 58k]
Digest No. 1999
Reserve Bank of New Zealand (Amending Primary Function of Bank) Amendment Bill 2012 (Member’s Bill)
As at 18 September 2012, 1st Reading not held.
The aim of this Bill is to amend the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 1989 (the Act) to change the primary function of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand 9the Bank).
Primary function of the Reserve Bank
Section 8 of the Act currently provides that “the primary function of the Bank is to formulate and implement monetary policy directed to the economic objective of achieving and maintaining stability in the general level of prices.”
“This Bill amends the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 1989 to ensure that the primary function of the Reserve Bank is broadened to include other critical macro-economic factors such as the rate of growth, export growth, the value of the dollar, and employment as well as price stability. This would then have the flow-on effect of altering the Policy Targets Agreement between the Minister of Finance and the Governor of the Reserve Bank to reflect the impact of interest rates on these other critical factors”
. Main Provisions
The Bill provides that its purpose is to “broaden the economic factors that are considered as part of the primary function of the Reserve Bank” (Clause 4).
New primary function of the Bank
The Bill provides that “the primary function of the Bank is to formulate and implement monetary policy directed to the economic objective of maintaining stability in the general level of prices while maintaining an exchange rate that is conducive to real export growth and job creation” (Clause 5, substituting Section 8 of the Act).
Reserve Bank of New Zealand (Amending Primary Function of Bank) Amendment Bill, 2012 No 50-1, Explanatory note, General policy statement, pp. 1 and 2.
Reserve Bank of New Zealand (Amending Primary Function of Bank) Amendment Bill 2012: Bills Digest No 1999 [PDF 53k]
Digest No. 1998
Waitaha Claims Settlement Bill 2012
The aim of this Bill is to give effect to the deed of settlement entered into by the Crown and Waitaha on 20 September 2011 for the final settlement of the historical claims of Waitaha. Legislation is necessary to give effect to certain aspects of the settlement; other aspects of the settlement are provided for only in the deed of settlement.
The Preamble to the Bill sets out the claim in detail: ”Waitaha are an ancient iwi descended from the waka Te Arawa. Their area of interest extends from Waimapu to Mauao along the coastline to Maketu, and inland to Ōtanewainuku. By the 1840s, Waitaha primarily occupied the land between Tauranga harbour and Te Puke”. The Preamble describes the activities of the Crown and Crown agencies (such as the Māori Land Court) with the effect that “by the end of the 19th century Waitaha had insufficient land and resources to sustain the tribe. According to Waitaha, this forced some members of the iwi to follow other tribal affiliations. Waitaha express this impact in the whakataukī, “Kō Waitaha te iwi, he tangata ngākaurua”: Waitaha was once a powerful tribe, but because of the loss of land they became fragmented and have never been able to unite again” (Preamble, Clauses 2 and 12).
In the Bill the term Waitaha means the collective group composed of individuals who are descended (by birth, legal adoption, or by whangai (i.e. Māori customary adoption)) from a tupuna of Waitaha. Such a tupuna is an individual who exercised customary rights by virtue of being descended from Hei and Waitaha (an individual) and who exercised the customary rights predominantly within the Waitaha area of interest on or after 6 February 1840. The term “customary rights” means rights according to the tikanga of Waitaha and include rights to occupy land and rights in relation to the use of land or other natural or physical resources, rights to affiliate to specified marae and rights of burial (Part 1, Subpart 2, Clause 10).
The Bill records the Crown acknowledgements and apology offered by the Crown to Waitaha and provides that the settlement of the Waitaha historical claims is final. It removes the jurisdiction of judicial bodies in respect of the historical claims of Waitaha or the redress provided under the deed of settlement or the Act (but not their interpretation), and deals with related issues including consequential amendments to the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975, the removal of certain resumptive memorials and the modification of the rule against perpetuities” (Part 1, Subparts 1-4, Clauses 3-18).
The Bill sets out the cultural redress provided to Waitaha, including the Crown's acknowledgement of the cultural significance of certain statutory areas for Waitaha and the issuing of Protocols by appropriate responsible Ministers. The Protocols specifically provided for in the Bill are: a Conservation Protocol; a Crown Minerals Protocol; and a Taonga Tūturu Protocol (the last issued by the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage). The Bill deals with the provisions of the above-mentioned Protocols, makes provision for statutory acknowledgements and provides for the vesting of a certain cultural redress property. The Bill provides that certain sites (i.e. Ōtawa and Te Ara a Hei) are to be subject to an overlay classification called “Te Whakairinga Kōrero”. The Crown acknowledges the statements of Waitaha values relating to these sites. The purposes of the declaration of Te Whakairinga Kōrero in relation to the sites is to require the New Zealand Conservation Authority and relevant conservation boards to have particular regard to Waitaha values (defined in the Bill) and certain protection principles and to allow the trustees to make submissions. Provision is made for the vesting of cultural properties in the trustee, some to be administered as reserves (Part 2, Subparts 1-6, Clauses 19-80; Schedules 1-3).
Commercial redress The Bill provides for the transfer to the trustees of commercial redress and deferred purchase properties listed in the deed of settlement. Contingent provision is made to the transfer of two properties to the trustees. If the Crown settles the historical claims of Ngā Pōtiki without providing for transfer of Te Houhou to Ngā Pōtiki, it is authorised to transfer the area to Waitaha
. Similar provision is made for the Te Puke properties (in relation to the settlement of the Tapuika historical claims) (Part 3, Clause 81-86).
Waitaha Claims Settlement Bill 2012: Bills Digest No 1998 [PDF 100k]
Digest No. 1997
Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Amendment Bill 2012
As at 17 September, 1st Reading not held.
Published: 17 September 2012by John McSoriley BA LL.B, BarristerLegislative AnalystP: (04) 817-9626 (Ext. 9626)
The main aim of the Bill is to extend from 2013 to 2016 the Canterbury Regional Council’s (ECan) governance arrangement and special water management decision-making powers in the Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Act 2010 (the Act).
The commissioners continue to have the same statutory duties and powers as those of a regional council under the Local Government Act 2002, the Resource Management Act 1991, and other statutes that give regional councils responsibilities. The Act disallows appeals to the Environment Court on the merit of the commissioners’ decisions on the Canterbury resource management planning and policy framework.
The Act also provides for: the requirement that the Minister for the Environment must direct applications for new water conservation orders in Canterbury, and applications to vary or revoke existing water conservation orders in Canterbury, to the commissioners rather than to a special tribunal; and
the recommendations on water conservation orders made by the commissioners may be appealed to the High Court on points of law only;
the power of the commissioners to impose targeted moratoria (which may be revoked at any time), subject to the approval of the Minister for the Environment, to prevent the granting of further resource consents for water takes in groundwater zones and other freshwater resources in Canterbury that are nearing or beyond full allocation.
http://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/wpg_URL/Resource-material-Regulatory-Impact-Statements-Index?OpenDocument Main Provisions
Next election changed from 2013 to 2016
The Bill replaces the definition of “2013 election” with a definition of “2016 election” and also amends the definition of “next election” to replace the reference to the “2013 election” with a reference to the “2016 election” (Part 1, Clause 4, amending Section 4 of the Act; Part 2, Clause 7, amending Section 22 of the Act) .
Review of ECan
The Bill provides that the responsible Ministers must begin a review of ECan on 1 March 2014 to cover the “governance structure of ECan”, “the membership of ECan” and “ECan’s powers and functions under Part 3” (Part 2, Clause 5, inserting New Section 17A into the Act).
Part 3 of the Act is headed “Additional functions and powers of ECan” and deals with: Moratoria on specified applications; Water conservation orders; and the Process for approval of proposed regional policy statements or plans (Sections 29-69 of the Act).
Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Amendment Bill 2012: Bills Digest No 1997 [PDF 58k]
Digest No. 1996
Advanced Technology Institute Bill 2012
As at 13 September, 1st Reading not held.
Published: 13 September 2012by John McSoriley BA LL.B, BarristerLegislative AnalystP: (04) 817-9626 (Ext. 9626)
The aim of this Bill is “to establish a new statutory Crown entity, the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI), with the purpose of supporting businesses, primarily in the manufacturing sector and services sector, to improve their competitiveness and growth through science and technology-based innovation and its commercialisation”
The Bill “establishes a new statutory Crown entity, the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI), with the purpose of supporting businesses, primarily in the manufacturing sector and services sector, to improve their competitiveness and growth through science and technology-based innovation and its commercialisation”
. In particular the aims are to:
“broaden the base of technologically aware and innovation-ready businesses, in particular increasing the number of businesses undertaking research and development (R&D)”;
“stimulate existing business R&D performers to increase their expenditure on R&D”;
“build the innovation and commercialisation capability of businesses, including by facilitating access by businesses to expertise and facilities”;
“improve information about, and the accessibility of, the distributed science, engineering, design, and technology development capability that exists in research organisations”;
“facilitate the transfer of knowledge and technology from ATI, Crown Research Institutes, and other research organisations (defined in the Bill as RS&T providers) to businesses by improving connectivity and information flows with RS&T providers in New Zealand and overseas”
encourage greater mobility of staff between RS&T providers and businesses”
Advanced Technology Institute The Bill provides that ATI is a Crown entity and provides for the appointment and membership of ATI's board which is to consist of at least five, but not more than nine, members appointed by the Minister of the Crown who, under the authority of any warrant or with the authority of the Prime Minister, is for the time being responsible for the administration of the Bill (the Minister). The main objective of ATI is to support science and technology-based innovation and its commercialisation by businesses, primarily in the manufacturing sector and services sector, in order to improve their growth and competitiveness. Its functions are described (as set out broadly above) (Part 2, Subpart 1, Clauses 6-14).
Industrial Research Limited (IRL)
The Bill provides that Industrial Research Limited (IRL) ceases to be to a Crown Research Institute and is deemed to be a subsidiary of AT (Part 2, Subpart 2, Clause 15). Employees of state organisations are transferred to ATI
Certain employees of the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) employees whose duties are, overall, more closely connected with the functions of ATI and whose positions will, as a result of the establishment of ATI, cease to exist within MBIE or NZTE are transferred to ATI. These employees are identified by the chief executives of those organisations. The identified employees must be offered equivalent employment by ATI. The Bill restricts an employee's entitlement to compensation for technical redundancy if the employee's position ceases to exist because the duties of the position are more closely connected with the functions of ATI and the employee is offered “equivalent employment” (which term is defined) in ATI (whether or not the employee accepts the offer). Similar provision is made for IRL employees (Part 2, Subpart 2, Clauses 16 and 17).
Advanced Technology Institute Bill, 2012 No 66-1, Explanatory note, General policy statement, p. 1.
Advanced Technology Institute Bill 2012: Bills Digest No 1996 [PDF 60k]
Digest No. 1995
Marine Legislation Bill 2012
As at 11 September, 1st Reading not held.
Published: 11 September 2012by John McSoriley BA LL.B, BarristerLegislative AnalystP: (04) 817-9626 (Ext. 9626)
The aim of this Bill, which is an omnibus Bill, is to amend the Maritime Transport Act 1994 (the MTA) and the Exclusive Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act 2012 (the EEZ Act).
The Bill amends the MTA to make:
changes relating to port and harbour safety, including the transfer of provisions from the Local Government Act 1974 to the MTA regarding local regulation of navigation safety;
amendments to enable New Zealand to accede to three international maritime conventions,
the Convention on the Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims (LLMC Convention),
the Convention on the Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims (1976),
the LLMC Convention as amended by the Protocol of 1996 to the Convention (LLMC Protocol) (see Schedules 8 and 9 (Schedule 1, inserting new schedules 8 and 9 into the MTA);
amendments implementing changes to another international maritime convention to which New Zealand is a party;
changes relating to the making of maritime and marine protection rules; and
This Bill amends the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act 2012 (the EEZ Act) in order to transfer from Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) the regulation of:
discharges of production and displacement water, and offshore processing drainage;
discharges of chemicals involved in drilling, production, and maintenance activities;
discharges of oily waste and garbage from offshore installations;
discharges from production facilities on board mineral mining ships; and
dumping of waste (except emergency dumping)
Two further international conventions are added to the Act: the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 (MARPOL) and the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter, 1972 (the London Convention).
There are many amendments made to the Acts. The following appear to be the more noteworthy.
Regional regulation of maritime safety and maritime-related activities
The Bill provides for the responsibility of regional councils to regulate maritime safety and maritime-related activities in their regions. Many of the provisions are derived from Parts 39A and 43 of the Local Government Act 1974. Regional Councils must appoint suitably qualified harbourmasters for ports and harbours that require harbourmasters and the duties and functions of harbourmasters are prescribed. The powers of enforcement officers, Police, and authorised regional council officials in relation to maritime safety and maritime-related activities in the regions are set out. Specific provision is made for powers of entry to ships, buildings, and other places. Regional councils are given powers to erect, place, and maintain navigation aids, and to remove obstructions and impediments to navigation. Regional council and the Director are empowered to remove or require the removal of wrecks in the regional waters. The responsibilities of port operators to ensure that port operations do not endanger maritime safety are set out. Offences in relation to dangerous activities at ports or port facilities are provided for (Part 1, Clause 6, inserting New Part 3A into the MTA, New Sections 33A-33S).
Regulation of alcohol consumption by seafarers
The Bill provides that seafarers who perform certain duties while exceeding specified alcohol limits commit an offence carrying maximum penalties of 12 months imprisonment or a fine not exceeding $10,000. Other offences are created such as failing or refusing to remain at a specified place or to accompany an enforcement officer or failing or refusing to permit a blood specimen to be taken when required to do so. These carry the same penalties. The Bill specifies the defences that are and are not available in certain proceedings. Provision is made for breath and blood testing and a power to stop and board ships is provided as is a power for the arrest of seafarers for certain alcohol-related offences (Part 1, Clause 11, inserting New Part 4A, New Sections 40A-40W).
Operation of a ship
The Bill creates offences and prescribes penalties for overloading a ship, causing a ship to be overloaded, operating an overloaded ship, operating a ship without the required number of personnel, operating a ship outside its prescribed operating limits, and breaching a requirement in the Act, or in regulations or rules, relating to the carriage of dangerous goods (Part 1, Clause 19, inserting New Sections 67A and 67B).
The Bill adds to two further conventions to this Act, namely the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 (MARPOL) and the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter, 1972 (the London Convention) (Part 2, Clause 93, amending Section 11).
Discharges and dumping
The Bill makes new provision in relation to discharges and dumping. In particular, it:
restricts the discharge of harmful substances (a term to be defined in regulations);
prohibits the dumping of radioactive waste or other radioactive matter;
prohibits the dumping of toxic or hazardous waste (also to be defined in regulations);
restricts the dumping of other waste or other matter;
prohibits the incineration at sea of waste or other matter;
restricts burial at sea (Part 2, Clause 96 substituting Part 2 of the Act, substituted Sections 20-26).
Marine Legislation Bill, 2012, No 58-1, Explanatory note, General p. 1.
[back] Ibid., p. 7.
Marine Legislation Bill 2012: Bills Digest No 1995 [PDF 62k]
Digest No. 1994
Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill 2012
As at 6 September, 1st Reading not held.
Published: 6 September 2012by John McSoriley BA LL.B, BarristerLegislative AnalystP: (04) 817-9626 (Ext. 9626)
The aim of this Bill is to amend the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Act 2003 (the Act) particularly to change the functions of the Māori Television Service (the Service) to better protect the Māori language and to better allow the Service to establish a free-to-air digital terrestrial television network
The Bill is the Government’s response to a review of the operation and effectiveness of the Act in May 2009
Section 8 of the Act provides that the principle function of the Service is: “to promote te reo Māori me ngā tikanga Māori through the provision of through the provision of a high quality, cost-effective Māori television service”.
The Bill changes the principal function of the Service to the protection and promotion of te reo Māori me ōna tikanga (defined in the Bill as the Māori language and its accepted and customary usage) for an audience which includes people whose first language is Māori, people who have a high level of proficiency in te reo Māori, and young people (Part 1, Clause 7, substituting Section 8). Comment
This is intended to provide greater protection for “te reo Māori's linguistic integrity”
Spectrum management rights
The Bill requires the Crown to transfer management rights to Te Pūtahi Paoho over 16 MHz of UHF spectrum for the establishment of a digital terrestrial television network over a 20 year period (from 1 December 2013-30 November 2033). The responsible Ministers must execute a deed setting out the terms and conditions under which Te Pūtahi Paoho must exercise the spectrum management rights. The deed may provide that if Te Pūtahi Paoho breaches one or more specified terms or conditions, the responsible Ministers may direct Te Pūtahi Paoho to transfer the spectrum management rights to the Crown, and Te Pūtahi Paoho must transfer the spectrum management rights as directed (Part 1, Clause 10, inserting New Subpart 2A (headed: “Provisions relating to spectrum management rights”) into Part 1 of the Act, inserting New Sections 24A-24G).
What is Te Pūtahi Paoho? The Act established Te Pūtahi Paoho. Each of 11 named organisations
(which are listed in Part 1 of Schedule 1 of the Act) could appoint one representative to be a member of Te Pūtahi Paoho. There is provision for adding or removing organisations (by Order in Council on the recommendation of the Minister of Māori Affairs).
In general, the functions of Te Pūtahi Paoho include:
to appoint 4 of the 7 directors of the Service;
provide direction to the chairperson of Te Pūtahi Paoho in the performance and exercise of his or her functions;
safeguard the spectrum management rights in accordance with Section 23 of the Act (basically, if the Service does not require the UHF right transferred by the Crown, it must transfer the UHF right to Te Pūtahi Paoho and if the Service proposes to transfer the spectrum management rights to a third party, or to create spectrum licences for, or to transfer spectrum licences to, a third party (other than Te Pūtahi Paoho), it must prepare and present to Te Pūtahi Paoho a business plan on the proposal and obtain the agreement of Te Pūtahi Paoho to the proposed transfer).
The responsible Ministers and the chairperson of Te Pūtahi Paoho, acting jointly:
must appoint one director to be the chairperson of the board and another director to be the deputy chairperson;
must determine the remuneration and other benefits for the board; and
other specified functions (Sections 12-16 of the Act). Copyright: © NZ Parliamentary Library, 2012
Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill, 2012 No 44-1, Explanatory note, General policy statement, pp. 1-3.
[back] Ibid., p. 1.
[back] Te Kohanga Reo National Trust, Te Runanganui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa, Te Tau Ihu o Ngā Wananga, Te Ataarangi Incorporated, Te Whakaruruhau o Ngā Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa, Ngā Aho Whakaari Māori in Film, Video and Television Incorporated, Kawea Te Rongo, New Zealand Māori Council, National Māori Congress, Māori Women's Welfare League, and Ngā Kaiwhakapumau i te Reo Māori.
Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Amendment Bill 2012: Bills Digest No 1994 [PDF 137k]
Digest No. 1993
Ombudsmen (Cost Recovery) Amendment Bill 2012 (Member’s Bill)
As at 5 September, 1st Reading not held.
Published: 5 September 2012by John McSoriley BA LL.B, BarristerLegislative AnalystP: (04) 817-9626 (Ext. 9626)
The aim of this Bill is to amend the Ombudsmen Act 1975 (the Act) to allow Ombudsmen to recover the costs of investigations from the agencies being investigated (Clause 4, the “purpose clause”).
The Bill is intended to “ensure that resourcing constraints [in the Office of the Ombudsmen] do not deny access to due process, and will promote greater compliance with legislative requirements by government departments and agencies. In particular, providing the Ombudsmen with the ability to charge those departments or agencies who are the subject of Official Information Act 1982 investigations is likely to improve compliance with that legislation (which currently contains very weak compliance provisions)”
Existing resource constraints in the Office of the Ombudsmen mean that “more than 300 cases …are presently unallocated and awaiting further consideration”
The Bill provides that the Ombudsman may recover from an agency that is the subject of a complaint any costs associated with the investigation of that complaint. For the purposes of this provision, an agency is a department or organisation named in Schedule 1 of the Act or a holder of official information in terms of the Official Information Act 1982 or the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (Clause 5, inserting New Section 17D, subclauses (1) and (4)).
The Bill requires the Ombudsman to issue guidelines specifying the costs that can be recovered from agencies, and the circumstances under which charges will be imposed (Clause 5, inserting New Section 17D, subclause (2)).
The Bill provides that the power to recover costs does not apply to investigations initiated by an Ombudsman on their own motion (under Section 13(3) of the Act), or referred by the House of Representatives (under Section 13(4) of the Act), or by the Prime Minister (under Section 13(5) of the Act) (Clause 5, inserting New Section 17D, subclause (3)).
The provisions related to the excepted investigations are as follows:
“Each Ombudsman may make any such investigation either on a complaint made to an Ombudsman by any person or of his own motion; and where a complaint is made he may investigate any decision, recommendation, act, or omission to which the foregoing provisions of this section relate, notwithstanding that the complaint may not appear to relate to that decision, recommendation, act, or omission” (Section 13(3));
“Without limiting the foregoing provisions of this section, it is hereby declared that any committee of the House of Representatives may at any time refer to an Ombudsman, for investigation and report by an Ombudsman, any petition that is before that committee for consideration, or any matter to which the petition relates. In any such case, an Ombudsman shall, subject to any special directions of the committee, investigate the matters so referred, so far as they are within his jurisdiction, and make such report to the committee as he thinks fit. Nothing in section 17 [(headed: “Ombudsman may refuse to investigate complaint”)] or section 22 [headed “Procedure after investigation” – this sets out the mechanisms for enforcing compliance by the department or organisation)] or section 24 [(headed “Complainant to be informed of result of investigation”)] shall apply in respect of any investigation or report made under this subsection” (Section 13(4));
“Without limiting the foregoing provisions of this section, it is hereby declared that at any time the Prime Minister may, with the consent of the Chief Ombudsman, refer to an Ombudsman for investigation and report any matter, other than a matter concerning a judicial proceeding, which the Prime Minister considers should be investigated by an Ombudsman. Where a matter is referred to an Ombudsman pursuant to this subsection, he shall, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Act, forthwith investigate that matter and report thereon to the Prime Minister, and may thereafter make such report to Parliament on the matter as he thinks fit. Nothing in section 22 shall apply in respect of any investigation or report made under this subsection” (Section 13(5).
Ombudsmen (Cost Recovery) Amendment Bill, 2012 No 40-1, Explanatory note, General policy statement, p. 1.
Ombudsmen (Cost Recovery) Amendment Bill 2012: Bills Digest No 1993 [PDF 60k]
Digest No. 1992
Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara Claims Settlement Bill 2012
Published: 5++ September 2012by John McSoriley BA LL.B, BarristerLegislative AnalystP: (04) 817-9626 (Ext. 9626)
The aim of this Bill is to give effect to the deed of settlement entered into by the Crown and Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara on 9 September 2011 for the final settlement of the historical claims of Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara. Legislation is necessary to give effect to certain aspects of the settlement; other aspects of the settlement are provided for only in the deed of settlement.
In the Bill the term Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara means the collective group composed of individuals who are descended (by birth, legal adoption, or by whangai (i.e. Māori customary adoption)) from the ancestor of Haumoewaarangi and a recognised ancestor of at least one of Ngāti Whātua Tūturu, Te Tao Ū, Ngāti Rongo, Ngāti Hine, or Te Uri o Hau who exercised customary interests predominantly in relation to the area of interest of Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara at any time after 6 February 1840. The term “customary rights” means rights according to tikanga of Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara and include rights to occupy land and rights in relation to the use of land or other natural or physical resources, rights of burial and rights to affiliate to specified marae (Part 1, Subpart 2, Clause 12).
The Bill records the Crown acknowledgements and apology offered by the Crown to Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara and provides that the settlement of the Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara historical claims is final. It removes the jurisdiction of judicial bodies in respect of the historical claims of Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara or the redress provided under the deed of settlement or the Act (but not their interpretation), and deals with related issues including consequential amendments to the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975, the removal of certain resumptive memorials and the modification of the rule against perpetuities” (Part 1, Subparts 1-4, Clauses 3-19).
The Bill sets out the cultural redress provided to Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, including the Crown's acknowledgement of the cultural significance of certain statutory areas for Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara. Provision is made for the vesting of cultural properties in the trustees of the Tari Pupuritaonga Trust. Those cultural properties are to be administered as reserves. Makarau (which ceases to be conservation area under the Conservation Act 1987) is vested in the Ngā Maunga Whakahii o Kaipara Development Trust (the Development Trust) and is not a reserve. The Parakai Recreation Reserve which is to be vested in the Development Trust and the Auckland Council as tenants in common as to an undivided half share each to be operated as a recreation reserve. The Bill provides that the trustees and the Crown must enter into Te Kawenata Taiao o Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara and for the issue of a culture and heritage protocol issued by the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage. Provison is made for the making by the Crown of statutory acknowledgements to which relevant consent authorities must have regard. The Bill also provides for the assignment and alteration of official geographic names (Part 2, Subparts 1-5, Clauses 20-81; Schedules 1-3).
Commercial redress The Bill provides commercial redress and authorises the Crown to transfer commercial properties to give effect to the deed of settlement. In particular, the Bill contains provisions relating to the transfer of transfer properties (namely the commercial redress properties, any purchased non-forest commercial redress properties, any purchased Riverhead Forest property, and the Auckland Prison Housing Block) to the trustees of the Development Trust and provides for the creation of computer freehold registers for the properties and other related matters. The Bill provides for the status of land subject to Crown Forestry licences under the Crown Forest Assets Act 1989, particularly of Woodhill Forest and Riverhead Forest. The provisions set out the respective rights and obligations of the Crown and the trustees of the Development Trust in relation to the licensed land. A right of access to certain protected sites on the licensed land is provided for Māori for whom the sites are of special cultural, spiritual, or historical significance. The Bill also gives a right of first refusal to Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara in respect of any future sale of certain other properties. The land concerned is called right of first refusal land (or RFR land). For “exclusive RFR land” (defined in Clause 97), rights are provided to the trustees of the Development Trust; and for “non-exclusive RFR land” (defined in Clause 97), to the Marutūāhu and Te Kawerau ā Maki governance entities. The owner of RFR land must not dispose of the land to a person other than the governance entities (i.e. the trustees of the development trust, Marutūāhu governance entity and Te Kawerau ā Maki governance entity) without first offering it to the appropriate governance entity on terms that are the same as, or more favourable to the relevant governance entity than the terms of disposal to the other person, unless a specified exception applies. The right of first refusal lasts for 170 years for the Auckland Prison (Paremoremo Prison) and 169 years for all other RFR land, in each case dating from the defined RFR date (provided for in Clause 98) (Part 3, Clauses 82-127; Schedule 4 (“RFR notice requirements)).
Ngati Whatua o Kaipara Claims Settlement Bill 2012: Bills Digest No 1992 [PDF 131k]
Digest No. 1991
Public Finance (Fiscal Responsibility) Amendment Bill 2012
The aim of this Bill is to amend the “fiscal responsibility provisions” of the Public Finance Act 1989 (the Act) to “ensure” that they “continue to be a sound guide for fiscal policy”
New principles of fiscal responsibility
The Bill introduces “three new principles of responsible fiscal management” which are:
that governments should formulate fiscal strategy with regard to its interaction with monetary policy;
that governments should ensure that resources are managed effectively and efficiently;
that governments should formulate fiscal policy with regard to its likely impact on present and future generations
. Regulatory impact statement
Section 26G(1) of the Act provides that the Government must pursue its policy objectives in accordance with the “principles of responsible fiscal management” which are stated to be:
“reducing total debt to prudent levels so as to provide a buffer against factors that may impact adversely on the level of total debt in the future by ensuring that, until those levels have been achieved, total operating expenses in each financial year are less than total operating revenues in the same financial year” (Section 26G(1)(a)); and
“once prudent levels of total debt have been achieved, maintaining those levels by ensuring that, on average, over a reasonable period of time, total operating expenses do not exceed total operating revenues” (Section 26G(1)(b)); and
“achieving and maintaining levels of total net worth that provide a buffer against factors that may impact adversely on total net worth in the future” (Section 26G(1)(c)); and
“managing prudently the fiscal risks facing the Government” (Section 26G(1)(d)); and
“pursuing policies that are consistent with a reasonable degree of predictability about the level and stability of tax rates for future years” (Section 26G(1)(e)). The Bill replaces Section 26G(1)(e) with the following “formulating revenue strategy with regard to efficiency and fairness, including the predictability and stability of tax rates” (Section 26G(1) substituted Paragraph (e)); and adds the following three new principles;
“formulating fiscal strategy with regard to its interaction with monetary policy” (Section 26G(1) new paragraph (f));
“formulating fiscal strategy with regard to its likely impact on present and future generations” (Section 26G(1) new paragraph (g));
“ensuring that the Crown’s resources are managed effectively and efficiently” (Section 26G(1) new paragraph (h)) (Part 1, Clause 4, amending Section 26G of the Act).
The Act requires the Minister, in each financial year, to present to the House of Representatives a report on the Government’s fiscal strategy on the day of the introduction of the first Appropriation Bill for the financial year to which the report relates and after the introduction of that Bill. The fiscal strategy report must contain the Government’s long-term objectives and its short-term intentions.
The Bill requires a fiscal strategy report to state the Government's priorities for allocating the Crown's resources and to explain how those priorities have affected and will affect the Government's decisions about allocating the Crown's resources. The report must include:
an assessment of the extent to which the Government's fiscal performance, in the period since the most recent substantial change in the political party composition of the administration, is consistent with the Government's fiscal strategy for that period; and
details of the Government's revenue strategy, including the Government's objectives for the tax system and tax policy (Part 1, Clause 5, inserting New Section 26KA into the Act; Clause 6, amending Section 26L of the Act; cf. Sections 26I and 26J of the Act).
The Bill requires the annual Budget policy statement to indicate priorities for the allocation of the Crown's resources that have changed from those stated in the most recent fiscal strategy report (as required by New Section 26KA (described above) (Part 1, Clause, 7 amending Section 26M of the Act).
Regular investment statements
The Bill requires the Minister to present to the House of Representatives regular investment statements prepared by the Treasury. The first investment statement must be presented before the end of 2017. Subsequent investment statements must be presented at intervals not exceeding four years. An investment statement must describe the Crown's significant assets and liabilities, state their current and future value, and identify any significant changes since the previous investment statement
(Part 1, Clause 8, inserting New Section 26NA into the Act). Copyright: © NZ Parliamentary Library, 2012
Public Finance (Fiscal Responsibility) Amendment Bill, 2012 No 54-1, Explanatory note, General policy statement, p. 1.
Public Finance (Fiscal Responsibility) Amendment Bill 2012: Bills Digest No 1991 [PDF 61k]
Digest No. 1990
Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2012
As at 21 August, 1st Reading not held.
Published: 21 August 2012by John McSoriley BA LL.B, BarristerLegislative AnalystP: (04) 817-9626 (Ext. 9626)
The main objectives of the Bill are described as being to:
“ensure that the ETS more effectively supports the Government's economic growth priorities”;
“ensure that the ETS is flexible enough to cater for a range of international outcomes in the period 2013 to 2020”;
“improve the operation and administration of the ETS”; and
“change the current treatment of the synthetic greenhouse gases sector in the ETS”
The main measures in the Bill are described as being to:
“maintain the 1-for-2 surrender obligation after 2012, without specifying an end date in legislation”;
“maintain the $25-a-unit fixed price option after 2012, without specifying an end date in legislation”;
“remove a specified entry date for surrender obligations on biological emissions from agriculture”;
“introduce offsetting within the ETS as an option for pre-1990 forest landowners”;
“claw back the second tranche of allocation to pre-1990 offsetting forest landowners from those who ultimately take up offsetting”;
“introduce an express regulation-making power to allow auctioning within an overall limit on the amount of New Zealand units (NZUs) allocated (excluding the second tranche of allocation to pre-1990 forest landowners) or provided under a negotiated greenhouse gas agreement”;
“extend the ban on the export of NZUs from non-forestry sectors, whilst the fixed-price option remains in place”;
“remove the requirement to ‘back’ all NZUs issued with a Kyoto unit”;
“align the ETS with international greenhouse gas accounting standards by adopting the latest internationally accepted global warming potentials”;
“remove the ETS obligation on the importation of synthetic greenhouse gases (SGG) in motor vehicles, and replace it with a motor vehicle levy”;
“remove the ETS obligation on the importation of SGG in goods, and replace it with a goods levy”;
“move the ETS obligations relating to sulphur hexafluoride from importers and manufacturers to users”;
“prohibit wilful release of SGG”;
“create criteria for gaining NZUs for the export and destruction of SGG to prevent stockpiling”
The Bill also makes a number of other changes to the ETS which are described as “technical and operational”, including:
“adding fugitive coal seam methane to the list of emissions sources eligible for allocation for coal users”;
“adding liquid fossil fuels used in stationary equipment to the list of emissions sources eligible for allocation”;
“clarifying that the Minister for Climate Change Issues has discretion on whether to make regulations prescribing a new activity eligible for allocation”;
“suspending the phase-out of industrial allocation until the relevant participants face full surrender obligations, and phasing out industrial allocation at a rate of 1.3% per annum on a straight line basis (rounded to 2 decimal places) once full surrender obligations for the relevant participants begin”;
“amending the sections of the Act relating to the formal review of the operation of the ETS, to allow for more flexibility in the timing of future reviews”;
“clarifying that the Environmental Protection Authority (the EPA) can issue guidelines or standards for the collection of forestry data and information”;
“specifying that the reporting period for the EPA’s annual reporting under section 89 should be 1 July of one year to 30June of the following year, and the publishing date should be as soon as practicable thereafter”;
“adding the own-use of crude oil and other liquid hydrocarbons to the list of activities facing emissions obligations from 1 January 2014”;
“adding, from 1 July 2013, the ability to purchase other types of obligation fuel to the optional activities in Schedule 4”;
“ensuring, when removing the obligation for the Crown to purchase and surrender units on behalf of insolvent participants, that the Crown can still pursue through a court the cost of units not surrendered”;
“introducing a level of flexibility to some provisions in the Act that cross-reference to the Kyoto Protocol (the Protocol) and other elements of the international framework (given uncertainty regarding the international framework and New Zealand’s future relationship to it)”;
“removing egg producers from the ETS and clarifying the definition of meat processors;
“making minor forestry changes, including,
clarifying where deforestation liabilities do not apply; and
changes to continue efforts to control tree weeds; and
ensuring that unrelated holdings of trustees are not counted towards the less-than-50 hectares exemption threshold”
Copies of regulatory impact statements may be found at:
Sale of New Zealand units by auction
The Bill provides a power for the Minister for Climate Change Issues to sell New Zealand units by auction or to appoint an agent to do so, if regulations are made for that purpose. The regulation-making power is provided in respect of selling New Zealand units by auction within a prescribed overall limit, including the power to update and extend the duration of those regulations on an annual basis. The Minister must have regard to certain matters before recommending that auction regulations be made. Any proposals to amend such regulations must be notified in the Gazette a year ahead of the date proposed for such regulations to take effect. Regulations must not prevent the number of allocated units from exceeding the overall limit set by regulation, but must ensure that units are not auctioned if that overall limit is exceeded (Part 1, Clause 9, inserting New Section 6A into the Climate Change Response Act 2002; Clause 18, amending Section 30G of the Climate Change Response Act 2002).
The Bill delays the application of the ETS to Agriculture indefinitely
(Part 1, Clause 36, amending Section 85(2) of the Climate Change response Act 2002; Clauses 37 (inserting New Sections 85A and 85B into the Climate Change response Act 2002); Clause 38, amending Section 86 of the Climate Change Response Act 2002; Clause 95, Clause 95, replacing Section 217(1)(d) of the Climate Change Response Act 2002).
The Bill introduces off-setting for pre-1990 forest land owners and allocates the full second tranche of compensation where off-setting is not taken up (Part 1, Clause 73, inserting New Sections 178A-178D into the Climate Change Response Act 2002).
The Bill removes the ETS obligation on the importation of synthetic greenhouse gases in motor vehicles and replaces it with a motor vehicle levy. The Bill sets out the functions of the EPA in relation to informing about and monitoring the levy. The Registrar of Motor Vehicles is given the function of receiving payment of the levy. The role of New Zealand Customs in relation to imports is also set out (Part 1, Clause 100, inserting New Part 7 (“Synthetic greenhouse gas levy”), New Sections 226-267 into the Climate Change Response Act 2002).
[back] Ibid., p. 1. [back] Ibid., pp. 1 and 2.
[back] Ibid., pp. 2 and 3.
[back] http://climatechange.govt.nz/emissions-trading-scheme/ets-amendments/index.html [back]
Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2012: Bills Digest No 1990 [PDF 66k]