Photo: VNP/Louis Collins
MPs are in the midst of passing bills through various stages under urgency this week, including a stage where details as specific as the title are debated.
Thirteen bills are being worked through by the House as the government aims to tick off its list before the summer break in December.
A bill's journey into law involves several stages; introduction, first reading, select committee, second reading, committee of the whole House, third reading and royal assent.
Eight out of the 13 bills will go through their committee of the whole House stage, commonly called the committee stage.
Its purpose is for MPs to go through the bill line by line to make sure it will do what it promises and to propose any changes that might be needed to improve it.
The tone of the committee stage is different to the usual reading stage debates, with MPs referring to clauses and numbers in what is essentially a final proofread.
It's common to hear phrases like "we now come to clause 5, the debate on new section 9A" or "the question is that clause 5 stand part".
But it wouldn't be Parliament without a bit of politics, and the committee stage can be used by those against a bill to slow down the pace - a practice that is sometimes referred to as filibustering.
Committee stages have an unlimited number of speeches (up to five minutes) to allow more of a freeflowing exchange with the minister or MP in charge of the bill. MPs can either ask a quick question or use the full five minutes to share their view on the bill. They can also have an extra five minutes if the chairperson allows.
An MP opposing a bill could use these speeches to take up more time in the House, as long as they are able to sustain speeches on the specific part of the bill being debated and avoid repetition.
One of the bills that went through its committee stage this week was the Defence (Workforce) Amendment Bill. The bill will enable the chief of the defence force to sign off on uniformed staff filling in for striking civilian staff.
The first detail up for debate was its title.
The nine word title that MPs debated during the committee stage at Parliament. Photo: Verb Noun / New Zealand Parliament
Labour MP Peeni Henare spoke to the aim of the bill and whether the title accurately reflected the government's goals.
"What is the true intent behind this bill?" he asked. "Looking towards whether or not this is simply just as it says on the tin, or something far more sinister; something that actually does detract from the rights of workers."
Henare suggested a better title for the bill could be "Denigrating Workers' Rights Bill" as "it makes out exactly what we believe on this side of the House this bill actually does".
Labour MP Peeni Henare speaking in the House. Photo: VNP / Phil Smith
The minister in charge sits next to the clerks at the table in the middle of the chamber to reply to the various speeches from MPs. Minister of Defence Judith Collins said the title was fine as is.
"There's nothing wrong with this title to the bill. It's accurate and it doesn't have all that emotional rubbish that I've just been listening to," she said.
Photo: VNP/Louis Collins
"The title is exactly as it should be. It is clear, it's unambiguous, and it deals with the fact that the chief of defence force has to be able to look to his whole workforce and to use them the best that he can for national security reasons," Collins said.
"Think also of the other work that defence does around civil disasters that we have here, whether it's volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, cyclones, and everything else. He's got to be able to deploy people into those sites, in those areas, and he's got to be able to have the uniformed staff, who are supported by and the civilian staff, to help make that happen.
"It just doesn't all happen overnight. It's not just one person who does it; it's a whole team. The workforce needs to be a team, and it's incredibly important that we take a responsible situation."
You can watch the committee stage debates, and indeed debates from all stages of any bill on Parliament's website.
To listen to The House's programme in full, click the link near the top of the page. RNZ's The House, with insights into Parliament, legislation and issues, is made with funding from Parliament's Office of the Clerk.
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