Pay equity committee, Deputy PM, super, fiscal cliff, and leaks
It is going to be some time before the coalition Government will be able to brush off criticism of the changes it made to the pay equity regime.
Having pushed the legislative change through Parliament under urgency in the weeks before the Budget, the Government denied anyone – including those
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1News
4 hours ago
- 1News
Boy racers involved in Levin event say they 'don't condone' violence at police
Two boy racers who were at the Levin invasion over the weekend say they "don't condone" the violence directed at police officers. Five spectators and several police officers were injured as the gathering of around 1000 people spiralled out of control on Saturday. A woman who was spectating the event had both of her legs run over. 1News has seen footage of a young man getting hit by a skidding vehicle, badly injuring both of his legs. He is currently unable to walk and is awaiting surgery. The event was held just before the one-year anniversary of the 2024 'Levin Invasion', where about 30 police officers were outnumbered by 200 anti-social road users, leaving officers injured. ADVERTISEMENT This year, the boy racers did burnouts while hundreds of spectators crowded around the intersection, filming and watching. Several officers were injured after being pelted with rocks, bottles, and struck by fireworks as they worked to break up the gathering. Two boy racers – who did not want to be identified on camera – told 1News they took part in the skidding but left when police showed up with riot shields. "Half of the people that were shooting fireworks at the cars and creating that violence towards police don't even have a skid car there, they're just spectators,' one boy racer told 1News. He claimed the leader of the 2025 Levin invasion ended up 'in the cells'. Ten people have been arrested in relation to the event, and Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said more are likely. 'Could have been a lot worse' ADVERTISEMENT Chambers and Police Minister Mark Mitchell have both condemned the illegal street activity in Horowhenua. The Police Commissioner described those who took part as 'menaces and morons', while Mitchell referred to those involved as 'moronic bloody idiots'. "Two of my colleagues were injured last night by fireworks. It could have been a lot worse," Chambers said. "These idiots were intentionally targeting our police officers and firing skyrockets at them, including bottles, rocks. I think there were a couple of idiots that had tomahawks," Mitchell added. 'I'd rather not live than stop skidding' The boy racers say they love to skid but want somewhere to do it safely – without the violence. "We don't mean to piss off the community. We really don't because we're part of the community," one of the boy racers told 1News. ADVERTISEMENT "I'd rather not live than stop skidding." The other of the two young men said they've tried to get skid pads "but the government keeps saying that we can't get one 'cause we've got no registrations or warrants on our cars". After 1News pointed out that it was the law to have registrations and warrants on vehicles, he was adamant he would continue to skid. "We're still out here dong it anyway," he said. "Would they rather the streets get teared up or a skid pad?" Two weeks ago, the Government announced tougher penalties for boy racers and fleeing drivers. The changes will be introduced in new legislation around mid-2025.
RNZ News
8 hours ago
- RNZ News
Categories and strategy: The path of Parliament's members' bills
The biscuit tin that members' bills are drawn randomly from at Parliament. Photo: Supplied / Office of the Clerk Some of the most socially significant law in Parliament's history originated as a member's bill. Without luck in the members' bill ballot, it is possible that gay law reform, marriage equality, end-of-life choice, or anti-smacking law reform would have waited years, deemed too controversial. But not all members' bills are social blockbusters. Many have less lofty ambitions. Members' bills often correct gaps in legislation or close loopholes - you might call them tidy-ups. They can also be political statements; to tautoko (support and affirm) party policy, or offer a counter-response to it. Bills that could be seen as examples of this are Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke's Members of Parliament (Duty to Uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi) Legislation Bill / Te Pire mō Te Here ki Te Tiriti o Waitangi, or Hamish Campbell's Gang Free Ports Bill. Members' bills from governing-party back-benchers often have very narrow policy aims, but their very presence has a purpose, to reduce the odds of opposition bills being picked. The House chatted to National's Andrew Bayly and Labour's Phil Twyford (who have a total of 26 years of Parliamentary experience between them), about the political strategy behind what bills go into the ballot. Parliament's agenda is dominated by government bills - legislation agreed by Cabinet and put forward by government ministers to enact government policy. Non-ministers can also propose laws. Any backbench MP (non-minister) can develop an idea for a law change, write a draft bill, and submit it to Parliament's Table Office. Usually that takes the form of a member's bill. (Local bills and private bills are two other types of non-government bills.) The difficult part? Being lucky enough to have your bill drawn from the ballot. Only eight bills are available to debate at a time, from about 90 sitting in the old biscuit tin used to draw the ballot. From Bayly's perspective, members' bills generally fall into one of three types. "The first one," he says, "is backbenchers who see the opportunity to test some thinking, which they might want to put into legislation." Andrew Bayly (file photo) Photo: RNZ / Anneke Smith "Secondly, there are sort of additions to existing legislation that people want to seek clarification on, so they might be technical in nature or have some benefit when it comes to interpretation. For instance, [the current law is] not working well, it needs to be improved. "The third [type] are slightly off [from] traditional government thinking, but they are nonetheless maybe the cause of the day, and those are the ones that can extend where we are in terms of debate into new areas, and they are the more adventurous ones." Bayly's counterpart across the aisle, Phil Twyford, reckons members' bills are one of the few opportunities MPs get to break out of the confines of the partisan default they generally follow at Parliament. Phil Twyford (file photo) Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone "Our parliamentary system," Twyford suggests, "is so dominated by political parties that exercise discipline and whip their MPs to vote on a party line. Members' bills have a really important function in our system because they provide a little bit of an outlet. They allow individual MPs to have a go, and to try to get some new law made outside of the party discipline." Twyford suggests that with the introduction of MMP came the hope that lawmaking would be a bit more bipartisan. The reality, he says, is that MPs are still very much locked in to their parties. "I think that members' bills offer a little glimpse of how the world could be a little bit different and a bit more spontaneous, a bit more interesting." Members' bills, while a valuable tool for any MP, perhaps mean that little bit more to opposition MPs, who have less influence in a legislature dominated by the governing parties. This also means, Bayly suggests, that they can "be a bit more adventurous". Of course, being adventurous doesn't always equate to being successful. Members' bills still need to receive a majority of MP votes in the House, which for opposition MPs is rare but certainly not unachievable. Twyford's Labour colleague, Camilla Belich, recently won support for a member's bill that made employer theft of employee wages a crime . Twyford believes it is a bill "the government wouldn't have usually supported". He says that as an opposition MP, "that's kind of a special thing". Belich's bill even split the governing coalition partners (New Zealand First voted with the Opposition in support; National and ACT voted against). Members' bills can be divisive, even within parties, especially if they relate to social or conscience issues. Bayly says those bills have the potential to "cut that social strata right across the whole party, and in many cases, there are certain issues that people have a personal vote on, even within caucuses". Traditionally these personal votes have been for bills relating to alcohol, drugs, religion, sex, abortion and so on, and they can originate from an MP anywhere on the political spectrum. Members' bills are free to deal with all the trickiest issues. They can't do everything though. Bills with ideas that would rely on a big investment of money can be vetoed by the government, even if they are passed in the House. Governments can adopt a member's bill as their own, though it might be changed as part of the process. "[In government] you are sort of tied down into a different type of bill", Bayly says. "For instance, we've just got a new bill around phone (social media) usage and things like that for under-16-year-olds, which has come through, and is actually going to be adopted as a government piece of legislation . It can be quite useful in terms of driving the social agenda, but also government agenda over time." If the government might adopt your bill anyway, why not go straight to the boss with your idea? The answer, Bayly suggests, comes down to the fact that Parliament's legislative agenda is jam-packed. "Traditionally, we pass between about 80 and 100 bills a year, and all ministers are trying to get bills up. A lot of these [members' bills] are outside this normal cycle of going through the update of the regulatory system, and therefore, [members' bills are] a way to interject and make a change much more quickly outside of that cycle." So you've got your bright idea that you want to turn into a member's bill, what next? "This place is very collective and very tribal," Twyford says. "Group discipline is everything and I'm sure it's the same for all the parties. If an individual's got a bright idea, you have to take it to caucus, usually to a caucus committee, and get your colleagues' agreement before you are given the license to go and put it in the biscuit tin." Once your idea is sound, and your colleagues are okay with it, then you put pen to paper, and draft an actual piece of proposed legislation. This is the "nub of the work" in creating a member's bill, Bayly says. "[It's important to] draft it in a way that is appropriate and actually gets to the issue, and as the Parliamentary Counsel Office (which does all the legal drafting here in New Zealand) will tell you, it's pretty hard to do that appropriately." (The Parliamentary Counsel Office only drafts government bills, but MPs can get assistance from the Office of the Clerk for non-government bills.) Once you're satisfied the bill has been drafted "appropriately", (as Bayly put it), you knock on wood, wear your lucky tie, keep a rabbit's foot, and play the waiting game to see if it is drawn from the tin and added to the Order Paper for debate. Some MPs are lucky and get multiple bills picked from the ballot, other MPs pass long careers in Parliament without a single member's bill chosen. If your bill gets drawn and survives a first reading, then Bayly says, "you've got to go into the select committee, and often the [departmental] officials look at your bill and think it's a bit of a nuisance for them and [they] may actually be [against it progressing, as well as there being possible opposition from], government ministers or members. So, you know, it's not an easy road, but it's great when it happens." To listen to the full interview with Phil Twyford and Andrew Bayly, 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. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Newsroom
12 hours ago
- Newsroom
It's time to back Auckland's innovation moment
Opinion: I attended Mayor Wayne Brown's Innovation Forum, the day he updated his Manifesto for Auckland, and the proposal to form an Auckland Innovation Alliance. In it, he said the Government needed to focus on three areas: technology and innovation, housing and growth, and immigration and tourism. I came away encouraged that the leader of Auckland was putting innovation on the agenda, as crucial in the imagining and delivery of our city's future. I love Auckland and believe in its potential. I was born and raised in the Bombay Hills, back before we had a 'Super City', studied at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, met my husband working in the Viaduct during the America's Cup, and now live in Te Atatū. Over the past year, like many Aucklanders, my family and I have made the most of what this city offers: swimming at our beaches, bush walking in the Waitākeres, Eden Park concerts, scooter rides along the waterfront, and the playful chaos of the Dog Disco pop-up in Aotea Square. We joined 40,000 other 'geriatric millennials' in the Domain for the Synthony Festival and got behind the launch of Auckland FC. I share this not to age myself, but because I genuinely believe we live in a vibrant, creative, and world-class city. Yes, Auckland has problems. it also has enormous potential, and that potential hinges on people. The mayor's moves to put innovation and economic transformation at the heart of Auckland's agenda will go a long way towards attracting further talent. For years, different groups have published reports diagnosing our economic underperformance and pointing to untapped innovation capacity. The Committee for Auckland's State of the City reports have benchmarked us against global peers, while the Auckland Chamber Tech Council, led by Simon Bridges, has brought together business leaders who are investing time, capital, and energy to help Auckland step into its future. The proposed Auckland Innovation Alliance, a partnership between Auckland Council, the Government, business, and universities, could be the catalyst the city needs. In cities like Singapore, Dublin, and Copenhagen, similar alliances have driven bold, coordinated action. Why should everyday Aucklanders care? Because innovation isn't just about startups and tech, it's about people. A truly innovative city creates high paying, meaningful, and future-proof jobs, not just for software engineers, but for educators, health workers, tradespeople, and students. It leads to better services, smarter infrastructure, and more vibrant communities. Above all, it offers opportunity. The Time for Growth report identifies three globally competitive sectors where Auckland can lead: CreativeTech, FinTech, and HealthTech. Innovation in these areas, and further afield, is how we will keep people here and attract others. But we must do it on our own terms – we can't and don't need to mimic Silicon Valley. We can lead with a model shaped by Aotearoa's values, grounded in partnership, sustainability, and inclusion. Te Ao Māori values like kaitiakitanga (guardianship), manaakitanga (care), and whanaungatanga (connection) offer us a blueprint for innovation that puts long-term impact and intergenerational wellbeing ahead of short-term gains. The mayor's vision to make Auckland the innovation capital of the South Pacific is bold, and timely. His proposals—stronger government partnerships, targeted investment, and an Advanced Technology Institute—are the right moves. A key part of this vision is forging more intentional partnerships between universities and industry, not by expecting them to be and become the same, but by understanding their distinct roles. When they come together, we spark innovation, and build a pipeline of talent that powers the city's future. At the Mayor's Forum, a map of the city's innovation ecosystem showed just how much is already here, university incubators, research and development labs, startup hubs, and investors. Take Outset Ventures, once a garage for tinkerers, now a 5000 square metre deep tech campus backing world changing companies like Toku Eyes, Wellumio, and Zincovery. Add to that Icehouse Ventures, Bridgewest, and others who've invested in hundreds of early-stage ventures and it's clear: the foundations are strong, the momentum is real. Universities are central to this momentum, as both knowledge producers, and as anchor institutions in the civic and economic fabric of Auckland. At the University of Auckland, initiatives like UniServices, the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Product Accelerator, and MedTech iQ help turn research into real world impact. The Newmarket Innovation Precinct is fast becoming a hub for this work. AUT, through AUT Ventures and a new investment fund, is backing new emerging technologies into startups. Together, these institutions are not only developing ideas, but shaping the people who will drive them. And that's the point: innovation doesn't happen without people. It doesn't happen without belief in our talent, or commitment to supporting it. If we harness the current momentum, Auckland won't just be a great place to live. It will be a city where ideas take root, capital flows, and talent from around the world chooses to stay.
