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The Spinoff
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Spinoff
Can parliamentary urgency and public accountability peacefully coexist?
The coalition has been setting records with the amount of bills passed under urgency. Now a 'people's select committee' wants to hear from submitters shut out of the process, writes Catherine McGregor in today's extract from The Bulletin. Late-night bill passed under urgency After a punishing budget week, the last place most MPs wanted to find themselves in the early hours of Saturday morning was still in the debating chamber. But there they were, locked in a drawn-out battle over accommodation subsidies, reports RNZ's Soumya Bhamidipati. After the Social Assistance Legislation Amendment Bill was called around 11.30pm, opposition MPs filed dozens of amendments in a failed attempt to slow the legislation, which tightens the rules on how boarders are counted when calculating the accommodation supplement. The bill passed under urgency – an increasingly common tactic for the coalition. The government set a record in its first 100 days for the most bills passed under urgency in the MMP era, a pace that's continued with controversial measures like the pay equity law change earlier this month. That, too, bypassed the select committee process, prompting critics to accuse the government of undermining public accountability in the name of speed. What is urgency – and why is it so easy to use? Urgency allows parliament to fast-track legislation, sometimes skipping key stages like select committee scrutiny. While often used for budget-related bills or emergencies, there are few formal checks on its application. A minister (usually leader of the House Chris Bishop) simply moves a motion to commence urgency, and the government's MPs pass the motion with a majority vote. While urgency is extremely useful for the government, it has plenty of downsides. 'Passing legislation more quickly risks the legal equivalent of the old 'marry in haste, repent at leisure maxim,'' writes The Spinoff's Shanti Mathias. 'The public has less chance to be informed about the law, there is reduced transparency, and legislation might simply be less good – imprecise wording or unintended effects can slip through.' The most contentious use of urgency is passing a bill into law, but that's not its only application. The Regulatory Standards Bill is an example: because of the budget, the House was still sitting under urgency when it passed its first reading on Friday. The controversial bill, which has attracted more than 22,000 submissions, will now be put before the Finance and Expenditure Committee, where there will be a chance for public feedback. A committee of the people steps in In response to the pay equity legislation being pushed through without public input, former National MP Dame Marilyn Waring has convened a 'people's select committee' to gather evidence the government did not. The hastily assembled group of former MPs from across the political spectrum will hear public submissions starting on August 11, RNZ's Russell Palmer reports. Waring said the hearings would be an 'evidence-gathering mission' with a 'really sound report' at the end. 'The government says that it wants to progress pay equity claims, the opposition is saying that it will rescind this and again address the legislation. So we're doing them all a good turn.' While the initiative lacks any formal powers, groups whose pay equity claims were halted by the new law are being invited to share their experiences. Asked to respond, minister Brooke van Velden said there'd be no changes to the law, but 'members of the public, including former MPs, are welcome to hold their own meetings'. A broader reckoning on accountability The controversy is feeding into a wider conversation about how parliament functions. As Politik's Richard Harman writes (paywalled), the select committee on David Seymour's four-year term bill has unexpectedly turned into a mini-referendum on parliamentary accountability. While a number of submitters have used the opportunity to call for a reinstatement of a second chamber of the House, others have taken aim at how select committees themselves operate. Among them was Sir Geoffrey Palmer, who said the current system is encouraging 'sloppy lawmaking' driven by overworked MPs and overloaded agendas. Regardless of whether the bill passes, the process has surfaced 'widespread disillusionment with the failure of select committees to scrutinise legislation,' Harman observed – a feeling only sharpened by the coalition's aggressive use of urgency over the course of its term so far.
Otago Daily Times
05-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Buyer believes painting listed for $200 is $31K McCahon
By Soumya Bhamidipati of RNZ A painting thought to be worth about $200 has instead sold for over $31,000 in the United Kingdom, after it was identified as a work by famed Canterbury artist Colin McCahon. The work, titled 'Truth from the King Country: Load bearing structures' was consigned to John Nicholson's auctioneers for £80-100 (NZ$180-220). It instead fetched £14,000 (NZ$31,220) when it sold on 23 April to a New Zealand buyer against Australian bidding. A publicist for the auction house, Lucas Field Media, said the painting was identified as a work by the leading New Zealand artist on the day of the sale. "We had no contact from anyone about the painting before the sale." The 23cm x 33cm acrylic on canvas board artwork had been catalogued as 20th Century School, possibly Australian. It depicts a black 'T' shape against a green and yellow landscape. "The work, from 1978, was inscribed, signed with initials, and dated verso, but the signature was not initially recognisable." The company noted a photo of the back of the painting, published on the auction house's website, may have helped with the identification. The title and 'T' motif have also been used by McCahon in other works. Colin McCahon Trust not approached However, the New Zealand-based Colin McCahon Trust said it had not been approached to verify the artwork. Chair Peter Carr said the trust had a rigorous process for reviewing and verifying artworks thought to be by McCahon, carried out by a panel of experts. "The work sold at auction last week has not been through this process so it is not possible to comment on the veracity of the artwork. The trust was not aware that the work was for sale and has not had any correspondence with the auction house." The organisation is currently working on creating a digital archive of all of McCahon's works "to enable access and to preserve the integrity of his extraordinary body of work". The Colin McCahon Legacy Project launched in November last year, and new works have been uncovered and listed on the website. "However, there are more than 900 works in private collections yet to be researched for the new digital archive, in addition to the 600 works in public collections," Carr said. "McCahon is one of New Zealand's most significant artists and his work holds a unique place in Aotearoa's cultural heritage. The new website will be the only complete record of McCahon's work, and the trust is committed to ensuring these taonga are digitally available to all New Zealanders and to international website visitors who are interested in McCahon's body of work and interested in New Zealand art history." The trust encouraged owners of possible McCahon artworks, including pieces listed on its original website and those not yet verified, to contact it for a confidential discussion.
Otago Daily Times
05-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
$31K spent on '$200' painting thought to be by McCahon
By Soumya Bhamidipati of RNZ A painting thought to be worth about $200 has instead sold for over $31,000 in the United Kingdom, after it was identified as a work by famed Dunedin artist Colin McCahon. The work, titled 'Truth from the King Country: Load bearing structures' was consigned to John Nicholson's auctioneers for £80-100 (NZ$180-220). It instead fetched £14,000 (NZ$31,220) when it sold on 23 April to a New Zealand buyer against Australian bidding. A publicist for the auction house, Lucas Field Media, said the painting was identified as a work by the leading New Zealand artist on the day of the sale. "We had no contact from anyone about the painting before the sale." The 23cm x 33cm acrylic on canvas board artwork had been catalogued as 20th Century School, possibly Australian. It depicts a black 'T' shape against a green and yellow landscape. "The work, from 1978, was inscribed, signed with initials, and dated verso, but the signature was not initially recognisable." The company noted a photo of the back of the painting, published on the auction house's website, may have helped with the identification. The title and 'T' motif have also been used by McCahon in other works. Colin McCahon Trust not approached However, the New Zealand-based Colin McCahon Trust said it had not been approached to verify the artwork. Chair Peter Carr said the trust had a rigorous process for reviewing and verifying artworks thought to be by McCahon, carried out by a panel of experts. "The work sold at auction last week has not been through this process so it is not possible to comment on the veracity of the artwork. The trust was not aware that the work was for sale and has not had any correspondence with the auction house." The organisation is currently working on creating a digital archive of all of McCahon's works "to enable access and to preserve the integrity of his extraordinary body of work". The Colin McCahon Legacy Project launched in November last year, and new works have been uncovered and listed on the website. "However, there are more than 900 works in private collections yet to be researched for the new digital archive, in addition to the 600 works in public collections," Carr said. "McCahon is one of New Zealand's most significant artists and his work holds a unique place in Aotearoa's cultural heritage. The new website will be the only complete record of McCahon's work, and the trust is committed to ensuring these taonga are digitally available to all New Zealanders and to international website visitors who are interested in McCahon's body of work and interested in New Zealand art history." The trust encouraged owners of possible McCahon artworks, including pieces listed on its original website and those not yet verified, to contact it for a confidential discussion.
