Business Statement

Today, the House adjourns until Tuesday, 20 August. On that day, the committee stage of the Appropriation (2019/20 Estimates) Bill will begin. This is the start of an 11-hour-long Estimates debate. Other legislation to be considered will include the remaining stages of the Financial Markets (Derivatives Margin and Benchmarking) Reform Amendment Bill, the second reading of the Conservation (Indigenous Freshwater Fish) Amendment Bill, and the third reading of the Contempt of Court Bill. Wednesday, 21 August will be a members’ day.

Could the Leader of the House give us some indication of when the House will be dealing with the backlog of Treaty settlements that now appear to be piling up on the Order Paper.

We’ve had feedback from those involved in Treaty settlements around the best timing for those. They’ve indicated that, in terms of travel to and from Wellington, Thursday afternoons work better for them than having them in the morning. So I’ve been working with the Minister for Treaty settlements to try and accommodate that time frame. It allows more people time to get here and to be here for an after-match function once the bill has been passed, which many people have indicated is important. In terms of the scheduling of the individual settlements, I do that based on the advice that I receive from the Minister responsible for the bills.