Points of Order — Committee of the Whole House—Amendments, Māori Purposes Bill

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. One of the bills that you will shortly declare the House in Committee on is the Māori Purposes Bill. I want to draw your attention to a number of Supplementary Order Papers that have been tabled today in the name of the Hon Te Ururoa Flavell, the Minister in charge of the bill—Supplementary Order Papers Nos 231, 232, and 233. I want to talk particularly to the first two of those amendments.

The first two Supplementary Order Papers I have just mentioned insert new parts into the Māori Purposes Bill that amend Acts that have not previously been part of the Māori Purposes Bill and are not consistent with the purpose of that bill. The purpose of that bill, as specified, is relatively narrow. Although it is an omnibus bill, the purpose, as specified in the bill on the Table, is that it is “an omnibus bill that seeks to amend the Māori Purposes Act 1991 to improve the governance and operational capability of the Wī Pere Trust and to correct a minor technical error in the Māori Trust Boards (Transitional Provisions) Order 2012.” That is the purpose of the bill as currently tabled and as it has been through the select committee.

The Supplementary Order Papers as presented by the Minister make amendments to the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Act. That has no connection whatsoever to the omnibus bill already before the House or to the provisions of it. Another one makes amendments to Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993. Again, that has no connection whatsoever. I want to draw your attention to McGee, on page 320: “In the case of a bill introduced as an omnibus bill, substantive amendments to it are confined to those Acts already proposed to be amended by it …”. I seek your clear ruling that that still continues to be the case and that those amendments as tabled by the Minister are out of order.

I thank the member for his comments. What I intend to do is seek further advice on the matter. I intend to put the House into Committee. There is other legislation that can be considered first, and I can seek some advice. I am not aware of the detail of the Supplementary Order Papers but I know they will have been checked by the Clerk’s Office. The member is saying they are inconsistent with the original Act. I need time to consider that. It may require me coming back to the House before we actually move to the Committee stage of that particular bill.