Watching Brief - July 2026

Matter of Opinion

MMP at 30: Promise, performance and the unfinished reform agenda

There is something fitting about the fact that, thirty years after New Zealand's first Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) election, voters will be deciding the fate of the country's first three-party coalition government. MMP was heralded as providing fairer representation, broader participation and more collaborative government. For most New Zealanders, MMP's first three decades would have to be judged a success. Indeed, as messy as it may seem at times, it is hard to imagine a better expression of the system's core promise than a government built on cooperation between three parties. In an age of international populism, MMP also seems to let off some steam before the pot boils over. 

But anniversaries are for more than celebration. They are also an opportunity to take stock of what MMP has delivered, what it has changed and where its unfinished business lies.

The rocky road to MMP

The road to MMP was not a smooth one. Although it was the culmination of decades of debate about the fairness and representativeness of New Zealand's electoral system, finally getting MMP was driven as much by political accident as by deliberate design. 

The decisive moment for MMP came during a televised leaders' debate before the 1987 election, when then Prime Minister David Lange inadvertently committed Labour to holding a referendum on electoral reform. While Lange's unexpected commitment was never fully embraced by the Labour caucus and was not ultimately delivered by Labour, the genie was out of the bottle. An issue that had long simmered in the background was now impossible to ignore. 

Dissatisfaction with the First Past the Post (FPP) system had been growing since the 1970s and 1980s and in 1986, the Royal Commission on the Electoral System concluded that its features had produced increasingly distorted electoral outcomes and recommended adopting MMP.

Seizing on Labour's broken promise, in 1990 National went into the election committed to its own MMP referendum process. Referendums in 1992 and 1993 followed, with 53.9% of voters ultimately backing MMP and setting New Zealand on the path to its first MMP election in 1996.

What MMP has delivered

After three decades and ten elections, three key themes stand out:

• Representativeness: Parliament today is far more representative of New Zealand than it was under FPP, with greater representation of women, Māori, Pasifika and Asian peoples. That was one of the Royal Commission's central objectives, and one MMP has largely achieved.
• Government formation and stability: MMP has proved more stable than many critics feared. Constitutional conventions governing government formation, caretaker government, and confidence arrangements have adapted to accommodate multi-party government and are now well established. Coalition negotiations have also become a regular post-election feature, with governments commonly formed through agreements between parties with different mandates and priorities. These arrangements have not always been frictionless, but they have proved durable: no MMP government has fallen on a confidence vote or failed to pass a Budget.
• Proportionality of influence versus proportionality of representation: MMP ensures that seats in Parliament broadly reflect votes cast, but this does not necessarily translate to influence in government. Under FPP, concerns centred on the ability of major parties to exercise majority power without majority support. MMP has prompted a different concern: whether coalition bargaining can allow minor parties to exercise influence that exceeds their electoral support. Under MMP, a party with a small share of the vote may hold the balance of power and secure significant concessions in coalition negotiations. MMP has therefore altered, rather than resolved, the longstanding tension between electoral support and political influence, shifting it from major party dominance to minor party influence.

The unresolved reform agenda

While MMP has become a settled feature of New Zealand's constitutional landscape and has delivered on many of its objectives, it has not delivered on all its promises. Two subsequent independent reviews of the MMP system have identified several reforms to improve MMP's proportionality. These areas for improvement include:

• The 5% threshold: The 5% party vote threshold to enter Parliament reflects a tension between proportionality and avoiding excessive parliamentary fragmentation. Its impact on representation has been evident in recent elections, when approximately 160,000 votes in 2023 and 250,000 votes in 2020 were cast for parties that failed to cross the threshold. Both the 2012 Electoral Commission and 2023 Independent Electoral reviews recommended lowering the threshold to 4% and 3.5% respectively. Despite these recommendations, no political party has lowered the threshold.
• The one-electorate seat threshold (or "coat-tail provision"): The ability for a party winning an electorate seat to bring additional list MPs into Parliament, even without reaching the 5% party vote threshold, has been widely criticised. Both independent reviews recommended abolishing this rule, which departs from proportional logic by allowing two parties with identical party vote support to receive markedly different parliamentary representation depending on whether one happens to win an electorate. The classic example is the 2008 election, where ACT gained four list MPs after winning the Epsom electorate, while New Zealand First received a higher party vote but no parliamentary representation. Again, this recommendation has not yet resulted in any legislative reform.
• The ratio of electorate to list seats: MMP relies on list seats to ensure Parliament's composition reflects the party vote. Because Parliament ordinarily comprises 120 seats, increases in the number of electorates to reflect population growth have correspondingly reduced the pool of list seats available to restore proportionality. If left unchecked, this risks undermining MMP's ability to deliver proportional outcomes. The reviews recommended fixing the electorate-to-list seat ratio at 60:40, with Parliament increasing in size as needed to preserve that ratio and avoid an even number of MPs.

MMP's next challenges

This election is bringing some of these issues into sharp focus. In particular, the 5% threshold has returned to public attention with The Opportunity Party polling close to, or over, the 5% threshold in recent polls.

As MMP enters its fourth decade, the question is no longer whether the system works. By most measures, it does. The question is whether its settings will continue to evolve so that it can deliver the proportionality and representation it was designed to achieve, or whether those objectives will gradually be eroded by institutional inertia and political reluctance.

If we can learn anything from the path to MMP, it is that electoral reform tends to occur when political incentives and constitutional principle briefly align. Thirty years on, the next phase of MMP's evolution may be waiting for precisely that moment.

In the News

Regulatory Standards Board open to hear complaints

As of 1 July 2026, the Regulatory Standards Board (Board) is operational. The Board is an independent statutory body which operates independently of Ministers and government agencies (with operational support from the Ministry for Regulation).
 
The Board was established by the Regulatory Standards Act 2025, which came into force earlier this year and creates a framework for assessing the consistency of legislation with 'principles of responsible regulation'. The principles cover the following areas: the rule of law, liberties, taking of property, taxes, fees and levies, role of courts, and good law-making. 
 
The Regulatory Standards Act also requires agencies to produce Consistency Accountability Statements for new Bills which set out whether the proposed legislation is consistent with the legislated principles of responsible regulation. 
 
The Board's functions are twofold:

• carrying out inquiries into whether Acts and secondary legislation are inconsistent with the principles of responsible regulation, and reporting on findings to the regulatory standards Minister and other persons; and 
• considering Consistency Accountability Statements for Government Bills introduced to Parliament or being reviewed by a select committee, and reporting to Parliament on its findings. 

The Board may undertake inquiries in response to public complaints or on its own initiative, and will report publicly on its findings and recommendations (which are advisory and non-binding). 
 
Members of the public who consider that existing legislation and regulations are inconsistent with the principles in the Regulatory Standards Act may now submit complaints to the Board via the Ministry for Regulation website.

Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill introduced

New Zealand has made important progress on disability rights over the past three decades, including through the Human Rights Act 1993, ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2008, and the establishment of Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People in 2022. However, the accessibility landscape has seen relatively limited reform in recent years.

NZ First MP Jenny Marcroft has recently placed the Accessibility Standards Bill into the biscuit tin – the Members' Bill ballot. If progressed, the Bill would mark a significant next step in New Zealand's efforts to identify and remove barriers to participation by establishing a framework for accessibility standards across a range of essential services and facilities. Standards could be developed for sectors including education, transport, telecommunications, justice, banking, essential household utilities, and services provided by Crown organisations and local authorities.

Key features of the Bill include:

• allowing the responsible Minister to require Standards New Zealand to develop accessibility standards for specified classes of premises or services;
• requiring any accessibility standards to specify the class of entities and premises or services to which they apply, the reasonable accommodation required, and whether compliance requires an accessibility plan;
• ensuring accessibility standards are regularly reviewed (within 4 years initially, then at intervals of not more than 10 years);
• requiring consultation during the development of accessibility standards, including with representative organisations, affected entities, and the Human Rights Commission;
• providing that entities to which a standard applies may be required to prepare and publish accessibility plans, and must establish feedback processes;
• having a streamlined complaints process through the Human Rights Commission (under Part 3 of the Human Rights Act 1993); and
• promoting advice, education, and training in relation to accessibility issues and standards.

The framework is designed to balance the need for reasonable accommodation with the need to avoid imposing unjustifiable costs on affected entities. 

As a Member’s Bill, it will be introduced to the House if it is drawn from the biscuit tin, or it can skip the ballot process and be immediately introduced if 61 MPs, who are not a Minister or Undersecretary, support it.

Note: Russell McVeagh provided pro bono assistance to Access Matters Aotearoa during the development of this Bill.

Local Water Done Well – first water CCOs kick off operations

Less than a year after the Government completed the legislative package underpinning its Local Water Done Well reforms, the programme has reached its first major operational milestone. On 1 July 2026, the first council-controlled organisations (CCOs) assumed responsibility for local water assets and commenced operations. Such CCOs will eventually be providing water services to 76% of the New Zealand population.  

The five new water CCOs that have begun operating are:

• Waikato Waters, which has assumed responsibility in the Waipā, Waitomo and South Waikato districts, with other participating councils expected to transition over time;
• IAWAI, which has been set up to service Waikato District and Hamilton City Councils;
• Tiaki Wai, which has taken over ownership and operation of water infrastructure across five councils (Wellington City, Hutt City, Upper Hutt City, Porirua and Greater Wellington) replacing the previous Wellington Water model;
• Kaikōura Hurunui Water Services, which has assumed responsibility for the Kaikōura and Hurunui District Councils' water services; and
• Selwyn Water, which is a single council-owned CCO for the Selwyn District Council.

This has also coincided with the approval of the final mainland councils' Water Services Delivery Plans. The plans have been required for councils to demonstrate how they would deliver financially sustainable and compliant water services under the new framework.

As further councils establish and transition to new delivery models over the next year, the performance, governance and financing of these early water organisations are likely to be closely watched across the local government sector.

Government introduces bill to bar climate change tort claims

On 29 June 2026, the Government introduced the Climate Change Response (Tort Liability) Amendment Bill, giving effect to its May announcement (covered in our previous update). The Bill would introduce a statutory bar on climate change-related tort claims.

The Bill takes an expansive approach to achieving that outcome. It would prevent courts from imposing tort liability on a person (including businesses and the Crown) where their activities:

• cause or contribute to greenhouse gas emissions; and
• those emissions cause or contribute to emissions-related climate change effects. 

The proposed regime is intended to capture a wide range of activities, emissions and effects, and applies whether a cause or contribution is actual or potential, direct or indirect, or only partial, and regardless of whether it occurred before, at, or after the Bill's commencement. The Bill explicitly applies to the Smith v Fonterra proceedings, the claim that has been brought against six major companies. In 2024 the Supreme Court declined a strike out application, meaning the proceedings could go to trial.

The Bill also adopts a broad definition of tort liability, extending beyond established causes of action to encompass novel claims and a wide range of potential remedies. Taken together, the provisions are designed to comprehensively remove climate change litigation from the tort law sphere and leave New Zealand's response to greenhouse gas emissions to the statutory and regulatory framework established by Parliament.

The Bill passed its first reading on 30 June 2026, and has been referred to the Justice Committee for consideration, with public submissions on the Bill closing on Monday 13 July 2026.

Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regulatory responsibility changes

On 1 July 2026, the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) became New Zealand's single AML/CFT supervisor, assuming responsibility for all reporting entities previously overseen by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ). Approximately 1,200 businesses will transition to DIA's supervision, bringing all of the roughly 6,100 reporting entities under one regulator. On the same day, the DIA released a suite of 23 pieces of AML/CFT guidance. For more information on the guidance please see our Insight article here.

This change is part of a broader reform programme that was initiated following a Financial Action Task Force (FATF) evaluation of New Zealand's regime in 2021 and a subsequent review of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009. The suite of reforms has been rolled out in three stages:

• amendments to AML/CFT regulations and updating guidance;
• structural changes, including the move to a single supervisor and a new sustainable funding model; and
• wider legislative amendments to implement international standards outlined by the FATF.

This transition also marks the commencement of a four-year programme to implement the new AML/CFT National Strategy 2026–2030. An industry levy will be introduced to part-fund the reform programme alongside Crown funding. The levy was designed in consultation with industry, and its proceeds are intended to resource the New Zealand Financial Intelligence Unit, DIA's supervision function, and the Ministry of Justice's administration of the regulatory system. The levy will be payable from July 2027 and reviewed every three years.

Government's health and safety overhaul passes final hurdle

Health and safety laws have been under the Government's microscope this term. In what may prove to be one of her defining acts as Workplace Relations and Safety Minister before leaving Parliament, Hon Brooke van Velden has progressed the most significant changes to New Zealand's workplace health and safety framework since the enactment of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. On 1 July 2026, the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill passed its third reading and now awaits Royal assent.
 
The key changes made by the Bill include:

• the creation of a new subset of businesses with fewer than 20 workers (“small PCBUs”) that will only be required to manage "critical risks" – those most likely to result in death, serious injury, or illness. Given that around 97% of New Zealand enterprises are small businesses, this change will affect a significant portion of the workforce. While large PCBUs retain all existing duties, they will be required to prioritise such critical risks;
• officers’ duties being amended to focus on governance functions, with “due diligence” defined as taking reasonable steps to understand business operations and risks, ensure appropriate resources and processes are in place, and verify their use;
• a new provision for overlapping legislation where PCBUs are compliant with other risk-specific legislation (such as building or maritime law). For example, owners of buildings that are earthquake-prone but are compliant with their obligations under the Building Act 2004 will be treated as being compliant with the Health and Safety Act 2015;
• PCBUs that comply with an Approved Code of Practice will be deemed to have complied with their health and safety obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015;
• a new exception for PCBUs that manage land accessed for recreational purposes; and
• a refocus of WorkSafe’s main functions to prioritise education over enforcement.

We wrote about the key changes in more detail after the Bill's first reading here. The changes will come into effect on 1 April 2027, after being pushed back from 1 November 2026 (as proposed by the Education and Workforce Committee) to provide more time for implementation. Guidance to support implementation is expected to be released over the coming months.

In Trade

Indian Prime Minister to make historic visit to New Zealand as FTA momentum builds

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit New Zealand on 10-11 July, marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister in 40 years. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has described the visit as "historic" and an opportunity to celebrate the partnership between New Zealand and India. Discussions between the two leaders during the visit are expected to cover trade and investment, maritime security, education, technology, tourism, sport, and global issues. 

The visit comes amid growing momentum in the bilateral relationship following the signing of the New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in April 2026. As reported in our last edition of Watching Brief, the FTA, once fully implemented, will reduce or eliminate tariffs on 95 per cent of New Zealand's exports to India, with 57 per cent of New Zealand exports benefitting from tariff-free access from day one. The Government views the FTA as central to its goal of doubling the value of exports by 2034, unlocking opportunities in a market of 1.4 billion people within what is now the fastest-growing economy in the G20.

Legislation to implement the FTA (the India Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill) passed its first reading in Parliament in June 2026 and has been referred to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee for public submissions (open until 19 July 2026). 

However, on the practical front, the Government is pointing towards early trade gains which are already visible even before the FTA enters into force, including:

• apple export volumes to India having jumped 63% on the 2024 season, with India climbing from New Zealand's seventh-largest apple market to its fourth;
• kiwifruit growers standing to gain tariff-free access within a new quota starting at 6,250 tonnes and rising to 15,000 tonnes by year six, with the industry expecting around $125 million in tariff savings over five years;
• forestry, wool, and tourism also seeing strong momentum; and
• Air New Zealand having announced it is working on joint venture plans with Air India for the first direct services between the two countries.

The visit of Prime Minister Modi will, however, take place against a backdrop of political controversy over the FTA's immigration provisions. The FTA will create a new Temporary Employment Entry (TEE) visa category open only to Indian citizens, providing for an average of 1,667 skilled three-year visas per year focused on priority occupations where New Zealand has skills shortages. Indian officials have emphasised that the focus of the TEE is "mobility" rather than permanent migration, with India seeking better access for highly skilled personnel to move between the two countries on a temporary basis rather than settle permanently. NZ First leader Rt Hon Winston Peters, who has maintained opposition to the FTA, however, despite that, has criticised the TEE visa settings for treating Indian citizens less favourably than nationals from other FTA partner countries. Trade Minister Todd McClay has confirmed that the TEE visa is a unique category that no other country in the world would have access to, to honour the unique obligations negotiated with India in the FTA.

The ratification path for the FTA remains subject to parliamentary support and coalition partner NZ First has invoked the "agree to disagree" clause under its coalition agreement with the National Party. This means the Government requires the support of either Labour or the Green Party to pass the enabling legislation. Labour supported the Bill at its first reading and trade spokesman Damien O'Connor has indicated the party's main concern is ensuring that India was fully aware of New Zealand's intended immigration settings before the FTA was concluded. The Government is working towards ratification of the FTA later this year.

New Zealand collaborates with trade partners to mitigate trade disruptions from the Middle East conflict

Following the inaugural meeting of the Future of Investment and Trade (FIT) Partnership in November last year (see our article here), the partnership has already recorded its first significant collective response. With the conflict in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupting global supply chains, particularly for oil, gas, petrochemical products and other essential goods and downstream derivatives, collaboration within the FIT Partnership has already occurred.

On 31 March 2026, the FIT Partnership issued a Joint Statement on Maintaining Open and Resilient Supply Chains. The statement confirmed that member states would exchange timely information, coordinate approaches to mitigating supply chain disruptions and refrain from imposing trade restrictions, particularly on essential goods. New Zealand is a founding member of the FIT Partnership and succeeded Singapore as Coordinating Chair in April. The second FIT Partnership Ministerial Meeting will be held in Auckland this month, where trade disruptions will likely be a topic of discussion.

The Government has also been working with other trade partners to strengthen supply security. Drawing on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, New Zealand has mobilised existing frameworks and developed new collaborations aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of trade disruptions.

This approach was reflected in the signing of the Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies (AOTES) with Singapore on 4 May. The agreement builds on cooperation established during the COVID-19 pandemic, when New Zealand and Singapore worked together to facilitate trade in essential supplies, including food, fuel and medical goods. Prime Minister Rt Hon Chris Luxon and Minister for Trade and Investment Hon Todd McClay travelled to Singapore for the signing. Singapore remains one of New Zealand's most important trading partners and is one of the world's largest refined fuel and oil trading hubs. The importance of this relationship is reflected in Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters' visit to Singapore this week.

Other initiatives undertaken by New Zealand include joining the Joint Ministerial Statement on Energy Security and Supply Chains issued by CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) members on 26 June, undertaking ministerial visits to South Korea, an important, refined fuel hub and trading partner, and discussing fuel supply issues at the annual leaders' meeting with Australia.

These initiatives demonstrate New Zealand's increasing focus on maintaining resilient supply chains and safeguarding access to essential goods in an uncertain global trading environment. They also demonstrate that international cooperation will be a central feature of managing any future supply chain risks. 

In the House

The House will resume sitting on 21 July 2026. No Business Statement was issued as the House sat under urgency last week, meaning the Government has not yet signalled its legislative agenda for the upcoming sitting period.

However, the Parliamentary calendar is now looking towards the general election, with several key pre-election milestones approaching. The House will adjourn on 24 September, after which a short pre-dissolution period will occur, which will allow outstanding parliamentary business to be completed, including Royal assent and select committee reporting. Parliament will then be formally dissolved on 1 October, bringing the 54th Parliament to an end. This then triggers the formal election process, with the Governor-General issuing the writ on 4 October directing the Electoral Commission to hold the election and setting the key electoral dates. Election Day is scheduled for 7 November.

Progress of Legislation

Bills Introduced

Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Andrew Hoggard

This Bill would amend the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997. Key changes proposed by the Bill include:

• introducing a requirement for the Director-General of the Ministry for Primary Industries (Director-General), when evaluating the risks and benefits of a trade name product in a registration application, to have regard to an applicable assessment from a recognised overseas regulator;
• moving the power to exempt agricultural compounds from requiring registration from regulations to the Director-General;
• amending the reassessment and suspension provisions;
• replacing the provisional registration scheme for trade name products with a scheme for consenting the use of agricultural compounds in research and for other purposes; and
• establishing a new scheme for specifying manufacturing practice standards and issuing certificates of compliance.

Appropriation (2026/27 Estimates) Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Nicola Willis

This Bill seeks parliamentary authorisation of the individual appropriations and capital injections contained in the Estimates of Appropriations for the Government of New Zealand for the Year Ending 30 June 2027, presented to the House of Representatives as part of the 2026 Budget documentation. This permits the Government, with authority from Parliament, to incur expenses and capital expenditure.

Better Regional Boundaries Bill
Type of Bill: Member's
Member in charge: Tim Costley

This Bill would require public service agencies and Crown agents to align their administrative areas with one another and with local authority boundaries to the greatest extent possible, supported by agency consultation and coordination requirements and Public Service Commissioner guidance and monitoring. The Bill would not confer or impose legally enforceable rights or obligations and would provide for a five-year transition period.

Building Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Chris Penk

This Bill would amend the Building Act 2004 and related legislation by altering regulatory settings, including:

• establishing a proportionate liability regime where multiple parties contribute to defective building work, with related amendments to civil proceedings, adjudication, arbitration and contribution rules;
• requiring professional indemnity insurance for design consultants and home warranties for certain residential building work, supported by a home warranty provider registration regime and a liability regime;
• enabling territorial authorities to transfer building consent functions to other building consent authorities (BCAs), including standalone BCAs, council-controlled organisations and private BCAs, and to delegate related consent functions to BCAs that are council-controlled organisations;
• introducing a 10 working day fast-track building consent pathway for qualifying solar electricity-generating and sustainable residential buildings; and
• amending the framework for off-site constructed small stand-alone dwellings, to allow off-site construction before a project information memorandum (PIM) is obtained while requiring a PIM before on-site work begins and clarifying that homes cannot be occupied until building work is complete.

Climate Change Response (Tort Liability) Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Paul Goldsmith

This Bill would amend the Climate Change Response Act 2002 to introduce a statutory bar on tort liability for emissions-related climate change effects. If enacted, no person, including the Crown, may be held liable in tort for emissions-related climate change effects. 

The statutory bar would apply to both existing proceedings, not yet finally determined before the Bill's commencement, and to future proceedings.  

We discuss this Bill further in the In the News section of this edition of Watching Brief.

Community Magistrates Legislation Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Nicole McKee

The Bill would expand the jurisdiction of Community Magistrates in the District Court to hear a broader range of lower-level criminal matters, including accepting guilty pleas and convicting defendants, granting bail or remand at large, and directing preparation of pre-sentence reports in specified circumstances. It would also replace the Chief Community Magistrate with a Principal Community Magistrate who must be a District Court Judge and who would provide judicial oversight of Community Magistrates.

Concealment of Location of Victim Remains Bill
Type of Bill: Member's
Member in charge: Tom Rutherford

This Bill proposes amendments to the Sentencing Act 2002 and Parole Act 2002 that would apply where a homicide victim's body or remains have not been located. Key amendments include:

• introducing the failure or refusal by the offender to reveal, or to co-operate in any efforts to identify, the location of the victim's body or remains as an aggravating factor at sentencing for homicide; and
• requiring the Parole Board to deny parole to offenders who have not cooperated satisfactorily in the investigation to identify the location of the victim's body or remains.

Conservation Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Tama Potaka

This Bill would amend the Conservation Act 1987 to reform the management and administration of conservation land. Key amendments would include:

• adding to various purpose and function-related provisions to recognise the economic opportunities that arise from the use and development of land and other resources managed by the Department of Conservation, and to enable this use and development to the greatest extent practicable;
• specifying the steps the Crown must take to give effect to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi in relation to land management processes;
• replacing current policies and management plans with a National Conservation Policy Statement (NCPS) and area plans, with the NCPS setting conservation policies, regulating area plan content, and providing for concession exemptions, pre-approved activities, and guidance on activity consistency with conservation purposes;
• reforming the concessions regime, including by introducing statutory processing timeframes, upfront fees and cost recovery, earlier refusal of concession applications, streamlined public notification processes, provision for third-party contributions, limits on reconsideration of decisions, allowing standardised concession conditions, extending lease terms to up to 60 years in certain circumstances, and establishing a framework for the allocation of concession opportunities;
• creating the ability for the Minister to establish visitor amenities areas on a range of conservation land types;
• enabling international visitors to be charged an access levy for entry to specified conservation areas, national parks, or reserves; and
• including transitional provisions to uphold Treaty settlement redress and Takutai Moana rights under the new framework. 

The Bill in its current form broadens the Minister's powers to exchange or dispose of conservation land, subject to specified criteria and safeguards, but the Government announced on 25 June 2026 that these provisions would be removed from the Bill.

Courts Remote Participation Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Nicole McKee

The Bill would replace the Courts (Remote Participation) Act 2010 with a new framework for remote participation in court proceedings. These changes would include standard approaches to remote participation prescribed through court rules and regulations, powers for judicial officers and Registrars to make case-specific decisions about remote participation and observation (including decisions to depart from standard approaches), remote access rights for victims (carried forward from the 2024 amendments), and new offences for the unauthorised making and publishing of recordings of court proceedings.

Crimes (Impeding Major Bridges, Tunnels, and Roads) Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Member's
Member in charge: Catherine Wedd

This Bill would amend the Crimes Act 1961 to create a new offence for trespassing on State highways, motorways, and any bridges, tunnels or roads designated under regulations, without reasonable excuse, where that conduct causes damage or serious disruption to vehicles or pedestrians. It would provide for a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment or a $20,000 fine.

Crimes (Virginity Testing Practices) Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Member's
Member in charge: Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan

This Bill would amend the Crimes Act 1961 to prohibit virginity testing and hymenoplasty by creating offences for performing, or causing the performance of, those practices in New Zealand, and for certain conduct relating to their performance overseas on New Zealand citizens or residents, including sending a child overseas for that purpose and aiding, inciting, counselling, procuring, or inducing such practices. The offences would carry a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment. The Bill also provides that consent is not a defence and protects the person on whom the practice is performed from liability as a party to the offence.

Criminal Records (Clean Slate) (Additional Eligibility) Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Member's
Member in charge: Tangi Utikere

This Bill would amend the Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004 to extend eligibility for the clean slate scheme to people who received custodial sentences of less than 12 months for category 2 offences or were subject to mandatory driving disqualifications for repeat offending, provided they have completed 10 years of lawful behaviour.

Crown Land Legislation Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Mike Butterick

This Bill would amend the Crown Pastoral Land Act 1998 and Land Act 1948 to introduce a new secondary use permit regime for a wider range of activities on pastoral leases, including renewable energy generation, horticulture, aquaculture, research and commercial recreation. It would also establish a new process for the reclassification and disposal of Crown pastoral land based on a public benefits assessment, and amend the decision-making framework for discretionary and permitted pastoral activities. In addition, the Bill would extend Treaty-related considerations in land management decisions, restrict consideration of environmental offsets, introduce cost recovery for permit and reclassification applications, and modernise aspects of Crown land administration, including recreation permits, seizure and disposal of property unlawfully on Crown land, disposal processes and digital advertising.

Crown Minerals (Prohibition on Mining on Conservation Land) Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Member's
Member in charge: Lan Pham

This Bill would expand the conservation land protected under Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act 1991 and prohibit new prospecting, exploration and mining permits on that land. Existing permits would continue, but existing applications would be treated as withdrawn and relodged after commencement. New access arrangements would be restricted to minimum impact activities and permits would be required to be surrendered if protected wildlife is discovered on permit land. The Bill provides that no compensation would be payable by the Crown for losses arising from its enactment.

Disability Support Services Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Louise Upston

This Bill proposes a new legislative framework for the provision and funding of disability support services (DSS) and responds to the Supreme Court's decision in Fleming v Attorney-General. It is intended as the first phase of a legislative framework for DSS, with further reforms anticipated in areas such as safeguarding, information gathering, and appeals and complaints. Key amendments include:

• empowering the Minister of Social Development to approve or establish programmes for the purposes of providing DSS, including payments to carers in familial or close social relationships;
• requiring the Ministry and contracted providers to take into account the role of families, communities and other available supports when making DSS funding decisions;
• clarifying that the Crown and its contracted providers are not the employers of DSS carers unless there is an intentional written employment agreement, and that they are not controlling third parties under the Employment Relations Act 2000 or involved in employment standards breaches relating to DSS carers;
• providing that family carers paid under an approved ministerial programme are not employees of the eligible person and, during a three-year transition period, that care provided beyond funded hours by paid family carers is not treated as work under the Minimum Wage Act 1983; and
• extinguishing and barring certain employment and discrimination claims by specified persons (including family carers) in relation to disability support services.

Environmental Reporting Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Nicola Grigg

This Bill would amend the Environmental Reporting Act 2015, including by:

• reducing reporting frequency by replacing three-yearly synthesis reports and six-monthly domain reports with six-yearly state of the environment reports, annual commentary reports, and new data and evidence priorities reports;
• requiring environmental reports to address drivers (factors that influence human activities and may increase or reduce pressures on the environment) and outlooks (which describe how the environment may change in the future), and enabling reporting on progress towards government priorities;
• requiring publication of environmental indicators and the standards and methods used to collect indicator data; and
• establishing a Strategic Evidence Panel to provide independent advice on environmental data, monitoring, and reporting.

Fair Trading Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Cameron Brewer

The Bill would amend the Fair Trading Act 1986 to modify its penalty regime, enable action against scams, and change how product safety requirements are updated. Key changes include:

• replacing most criminal offences under the Act with a civil penalties regime, allowing contraventions to be established on the balance of probabilities, while retaining criminal liability for serious or deliberate offending;
• introducing a two-tier civil penalty structure, with tier 1 penalties (covering provisions such as misleading and deceptive conduct, false representations, and unfair contract terms) set at the greater of $5 million, three times the amount of any gain made or loss avoided, or the consideration for the relevant transaction, and tier 2 penalties (covering consumer information standards, consumer transaction rules, and similar provisions) of up to $200,000;
• increasing maximum criminal penalties to $200,000 for breaches of management bans and impeding enforcement; and
• creating a defence for online service providers that take reasonably proportionate steps to disrupt suspected scams within 28 days of forming reasonable grounds for suspicion and promptly reverse those steps if the basis for suspicion no longer exists.

Financial Markets (International Money Transfers) Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Member's
Member in charge: Arena Williams

The Bill seeks to amend the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 to require greater transparency for fees charged on international money transfer services by:

• requiring fair conduct programmes to include effective policies, processes, systems, and controls to ensure disclosure of international money transfer fees before the fee is incurred; and
• enabling regulations to be made prescribing disclosure requirements for fees and charges for international money transfer services, including how information must be displayed.

Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Nicola Grigg

This Bill would amend the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996. Key proposed changes include:

• amending the application processes to provide greater efficiency and transparency;
• increasing application pathways with the aim of providing greater certainty for applications;
• providing support for risk-proportionate decision-making and public participation; and
• increasing compliance, monitoring and enforcement under the Principal Act.

Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Simeon Brown

This Bill proposes amendments to the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 to reform the health workforce registration system, including by:

• establishing a Health Practitioners' Review Committee to review certain responsible authority decisions, including registration refusals and scope of practice decisions;
• empowering the Minister of Health to direct responsible authorities to give effect to government policy (subject to limitations) and subjecting them to certain Crown Entities Act 2004 accountability requirements; and
• making operational changes, including enabling District Court banning orders and related offences to prevent people from falsely claiming to be health practitioners or practising outside their scope of practice, enabling restorative justice and conciliation processes for complaints, and allowing some Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal matters to be determined on the papers. 

India Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Todd McClay

This Bill would implement the India Free Trade Agreement. The Bill would:

• amend the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act 2001 to bring a tariff-rate quota for albumins under the existing licence allocation system;
• amend the Overseas Investment Act 2005 and Regulations to raise the consent threshold for Indian investors in significant business assets from $100 million to $200 million;
• amend the Tariff Act 1988 to provide a provisional transitional safeguard mechanism for imports from India;
• amend the New Zealand Tariff and Customs and Excise Regulations to enable preferential tariff rates and implement rules of origin for imports from India, and to introduce a concession for goods re-entered into New Zealand after repair or alteration in India; and
• establish quota management systems for apples, kiwifruit and mānuka honey exports to India.

Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Member's
Member in charge: Jenny Marcroft

This Bill would amend the Legislation Act 2019 to introduce definitions of "woman" as "an adult human biological female" and "man" as "an adult human biological male", with corresponding definitions for “male” and “female”. The definitions would apply in all contexts where these terms are used, unless specific legislation explicitly states otherwise.

Local Government (Management of Local Authorities) Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Member's
Member in charge: Stuart Smith

This Bill proposes amendments to the Local Government Act 2002 to clarify the governance and management roles within local authorities by providing that local authority activities are managed by the chief executive, subject to the direction and supervision of the governing body, and confirming the governing body's authority to direct and supervise that management.

New Zealand Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Medal Bill
Type of Bill: Member's
Member in charge: Tim Costley

This Bill proposes a new service medal to recognise service undertaken for humanitarian aid or disaster relief activities on behalf of New Zealand. The Bill provides for the medal's design and eligibility criteria and its conferral by the Minister on the advice of a dedicated committee, and would establish that committee to determine the medal's design, advise on awards, and report annually on its activities.

Ngā Hapū o Te Iwi o Whanganui Claims Settlement Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Paul Goldsmith

This Bill would implement the Crown's settlement with Ngā Hapū o Te Iwi o Whanganui, including a Crown apology for breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, cultural redress including statutory consultation arrangements, the transfer of culturally significant sites, the renaming of places, and the establishment of a joint governance board to manage specified reserves, and financial redress including the transfer of assets, forestry and other land and rights of first refusal.

Oranga Tamariki (Suitable Accommodation on Leaving Care) Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Member's
Member in charge: Hon Marama Davidson

This Bill would amend the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 to require the chief executive to support eligible young people aged 18 to 21 exiting care to find suitable accommodation, and enable financial assistance for reasonable costs associated with securing and maintaining that accommodation with regard to the young person's circumstances and other available support.

Overseas Adoptions Legislation Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Nicole McKee

This omnibus Bill would replace the temporary changes introduced by the Adoption Amendment Act 2025 in response to concerns about harm to children in overseas adoptions and risks to the integrity of New Zealand's immigration system. If passed, it would:

• establish the grounds for adoption order applications, including certain international surrogacy arrangements and applications based on exceptional circumstances;
• provide for DNA testing to verify an alleged genetic link between an applicant and the child;
• limit the effect of overseas adoptions (other than Hague Convention adoptions, which are subject to a separate recognition pathway) by preventing adopted persons from acquiring New Zealand citizenship solely through the adoption;
• restrict visas and entry permissions for persons adopted overseas, except for certain adoptions involving long-term overseas residents or designated countries;
• enable the Governor-General, following Ministerial recommendation, to designate countries whose adoption regimes provide sufficient safeguards against harm to adopted persons; and
• provide a range of transitional protections.

Post-settlement Governance Entities (Exemption from Jurisdiction of Māori Land Court) Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Tama Potaka

This Bill would exempt specified post-settlement governance entities (PSGEs), trusts controlled by PSGEs, and hapū trusts to which the PSGE has transferred settlement land, from the Māori Land Court's supervisory jurisdiction, while preserving access to the Court's dispute resolution processes. It would also enable further PSGEs and trusts to be exempted by Order in Council where trustees consent and the relevant trust deed process has been followed. It responds to the Supreme Court's decision in Paki Nikora v Kruger [2024] NZSC 130, which found that the Māori Land Court has supervisory jurisdiction over the Tūhoe Te Uru Taumatua Trust, contrary to the Crown's understanding at the time of settlement.

Public Finance (Prohibition on Providing Public Funds to Gangs) Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Member's
Member in charge: Rima Nakhle

This Bill would amend the Public Finance Act 1989 to prohibit the Crown and its agencies from directly or indirectly paying money to gangs or gang-associated organisations, require due diligence to ensure compliance, and create an offence for knowingly making funds available to or for the benefit of a gang without reasonable excuse.

Regulatory Systems (Social Security) Amendment Bill (No 2)
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Louise Upston

This omnibus Bill would make policy and technical amendments to the New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income Act 2001, the Social Security Act 2018 and the Veterans' Support Act 2014, and would repeal the Family Benefits (Home Ownership) Act 1964. 

Key changes include clarifying various benefit entitlements and eligibility rules, extending supported living payment work-trial periods from 26 to 104 weeks, enabling supported living payment recipients who donate a live organ to receive an emergency benefit for up to 12 weeks, and clarifying post-death benefit payments. It would also amend eligibility rules for those receiving New Zealand superannuation and veterans' pensions while living in certain Pacific countries and clarify when payments begin for recipients in the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau. 

Residential Tenancies (Requiring Landlords to Provide Curtains) Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Member's
Member in charge: Helen White

This Bill proposes amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 which would require the healthy homes standards to require landlords to install or provide insulated curtains or blinds where practicable. 

Serious Fraud Office Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Paul Goldsmith

This Bill would amend search warrant powers under the Serious Fraud Office Act 1990 by allowing the Director of the Serious Fraud Office to apply in writing for warrants to search specified places or things, permitting warrants to be issued by issuing officers, authorising remote access searches, and updating application, execution and site securing procedures. It would also align the admissibility of unlawfully obtained evidence in criminal proceedings with section 30 of the Evidence Act 2006, while retaining the existing "no unfairness" test for evidence used in exercising powers under the Act. 

Social Security (Jobseeker Support and Accommodation Supplement) Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Louise Upston

This Bill would amend the Social Security Act 2018 by introducing a parental income test for certain 16- to 19-year-olds seeking jobseeker support, unless it is unreasonable for them to rely on parental support, and increasing the accommodation supplement entry threshold for some homeowners from 30% to 40% of the relevant base rate.

Summary Offences (Move-on Orders) Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Paul Goldsmith

This Bill would amend the Summary Offences Act 1981 to introduce a new move-on order regime enabling Police to direct people aged 14 or older to leave, and remain away from, a public place for up to 24 hours where specified disorderly or disruptive conduct is reasonably suspected, including begging, rough sleeping, or obstructing access to businesses. It would also authorise detention for the purpose of obtaining biographical details and issuing or serving move-on orders, create related summary and non-compliance offences, prescribe requirements for the service, explanation and content of move-on orders, and provide exceptions for permitted activities such as protests and lawful freedom camping.

Te Here ā Nuku (Nelson Tenths) Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Chris Bishop

This Bill would implement the 2025 Resolution Agreement between the Crown and Rore Stafford, settling longstanding litigation relating to the operation of the New Zealand Company or the Crown in respect of the Nelson Tenths scheme (Stafford v Attorney-General [2024] NZHC 3110, or the Wakatū case). It would continue the Te Here ā Nuku Trust, that the High Court found to have existed since 1845, and transfer Crown-held land within the Spain Award area to the trustees of that Trust. The Bill would also extinguish the Stafford and related Nelson Tenths claims, provide for the continued operation of Abel Tasman National Park through a minimum 25-year licence arrangement with the Department of Conservation, establish governance arrangements for specified Trust-owned reserves, and limit compulsory acquisition of Trust land under the Public Works Act 1981 to specified roading and emergency circumstances.

Trespass (Specified Retail Premises and Other Matters) Amendment Bill
Type of Bill: Government
Member in charge: Hon Paul Goldsmith

This Bill would amend the Trespass Act 1980 by extending the maximum duration of trespass warnings from two to three years, introducing enhanced trespass warning powers for specified retail and hospitality premises (including multi-premises warnings in some circumstances), deeming warnings to have been given where a person deliberately refuses or obstructs service, and updating service requirements. It would also increase maximum fines for certain trespass offences and refusal to provide identifying information to $2,000 and $1,000 respectively.
 

Bills awaiting First Reading

• Concealment of Location of Victim Remains Bill
• Courts Remote Participation Bill
• Crimes (Impeding Major Bridges, Tunnels, and Roads) Amendment Bill
• Crimes (Virginity Testing Practices) Amendment Bill
• Criminal Records (Clean Slate) (Additional Eligibility) Amendment Bill
• Crown Land Legislation Amendment Bill
• Crown Minerals (Prohibition on Mining on Conservation Land) Amendment Bill]
• Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Amendment Bill
• Human Rights (Prohibition of Discrimination on Grounds of Gender Identity or Expression, and Variations of Sex Characteristics) Amendment Bill
• Local Government (Management of Local Authorities) Amendment Bill
• New Zealand Bill of Rights (Right to Lawfully Acquired Property) Amendment Bill
• New Zealand Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Medal Bill
• New Zealand Infrastructure Commission/Te Waihanga Amendment Bill
• Oranga Tamariki (Suitable Accommodation on Leaving Care) Amendment Bill
• Pare Hauraki Collective Redress Bill
• Post-settlement Governance Entities (Exemption from Jurisdiction of Māori Land Court) Bill
• Residential Tenancies (Requiring Landlords to Provide Curtains) Amendment Bill
• Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Restrictions on Issue of Off-Licences and Low and No Alcohol Products) Amendment Bill
• Social Media (Age-Restricted Users) Bill
• Veterans' Recognition Bill

Bills defeated or withdrawn

• Girl Guides Association (New Zealand Branch) Incorporation Amendment Bill

Bills before Select Committee

Submissions Open

BILL	SELECT COMMITTEE	CLOSING DATE FOR SUBMISSIONS
Climate Change Response (Tort Liability) Amendment Bill	Justice	13 July 2026
Conservation Amendment Bill	Environment	13 July 2026
Fair Trading Amendment Bill	Finance and Expenditure	16 July 2026
India Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill	Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade	19 July 2026
Regulatory Systems (Courts) Amendment Bill	Justice	3 August 2026
Environmental Reporting Amendment Bill	Environment	20 August 2026
Building Amendment Bill	Transport and Infrastructure	TBC
Environmental Reporting Amendment Bill	Environment	TBC
Regulatory Systems (Social Security) Amendment Bill (No 2)	Social Services and Community	TBC

 

Submissions Closed 

BILL	SELECT COMMITTEE	REPORT DUE
Employment Leave Bill	Education and Workforce	13 July 2026
Natural Environment Bill	Environment	20 July 2026
Planning Bill	Environment	20 July 2026
Commerce (Commerce Commission Reform) Amendment Bill	Finance and Expenditure	27 July 2026
Ngāti Ruapani mai Waikaremoana Claims Settlement Bill	Māori Affairs	27 July 2026
Policing Amendment Bill	Justice	27 July 2026
Te Here ā Nuku (Nelson Tenths) Bill	Finance and Expenditure	29 July 2026
Data and Statistics (Census) Amendment Bill	Justice	31 July 2026
Electoral (District Boundaries) Amendment Bill	Justice	31 July 2026
Trespass (Specified Retail Premises and Other Matters) Amendment Bill	Justice	3 August 2026
Armed Forces Discipline Legislation Amendment Bill	Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade	10 August 2026
Disability Support Services Bill	Social Services and Community	13 August 2026
Immigration (Enhanced Risk Management) Amendment Bill	Education and Workforce	14 August 2026
Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust (Trust Variation) Bill	Social Services and Community	18 August 2026
Social Security (Jobseeker Support and Accommodation Supplement) Amendment Bill	Social Services and Community	20 August 2026
Modern Slavery Bill	Education and Workforce	31 August 2026
Serious Fraud Office Amendment Bill	Justice	31 August 2026
Summary Offences (Move-on Orders) Amendment Bill	Justice	3 September 2026
Trust Horizon (Trust Variation) Bill	Social Services and Community	11 September 2026
Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Amendment Bill	Primary Production	17 September 2026
Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Amendment Bill	Primary Production	17 September 2026
Better Regional Boundaries Bill	Governance and Administration	21 September 2026
Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill	Social Services and Community	1 October 2026
Fisheries Amendment Bill	Primary Production	1 October 2026
Military Decorations and Distinctive Badges (Modernisation) Amendment Bill	Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade	1 October 2026
Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Improving Alcohol Regulation) Amendment Bill	Justice	2 October 2026
Corrections (Management of Prisoners, and Prisoners’ Property) Amendment Bill	Justice	28 October 2026
Drug Overdose (Assistance Protection) Legislation Bill	Health	29 October 2026
Financial Markets (International Money Transfers) Amendment Bill	Governance and Administration	29 October 2026
Residential Tenancies (Registration of Boarding House Landlords) Amendment Bill	Social Services and Community	29 October 2026
Overseas Adoptions Legislation Bill	Justice	12 November 2026
Ngā Hapū o Te Iwi o Whanganui Claims Settlement Bill	Māori Affairs	13 November 2026
Deepfake Digital Harm and Exploitation Bill	Social Services and Community	20 November 2026
Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill	Social Services and Community	20 November 2026
Local Government (Port Companies Accountability) Amendment Bill	Transport and Infrastructure	20 November 2026
Public Finance (Prohibition on Providing Public Funds to Gangs) Amendment Bill	Justice	20 November 2026

 

Bills awaiting Second Reading

• Arms Bill
• Building and Construction Sector (Strengthening Occupational Licensing Regimes) Amendment Bill
• Commerce (Promoting Competition and Other Matters) Amendment Bill
• Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill
• Employment Relations (Restraint of Trade) Amendment Bill
• Employment Relations (Termination of Employment by Agreement) Amendment Bill
• English Language Bill
• Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill
• Financial Markets Conduct Amendment Bill
• Financial Markets (Conduct of Institutions) Amendment (Duty to Provide Financial Services) Amendment Bill
• Gene Technology Bill
• Improving Arrangements for Surrogacy Bill
• Life Jackets for Children and Young Persons Bill
• Māori Purposes Bill
• Meteorological Services (Acquisition and Policies) Legislation Amendment Bill
• Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngā Pōtiki Claims Settlement Bill
• Oranga Tamariki (Responding to Serious Youth Offending) Amendment Bill
• Parole (Mandatory Completion of Rehabilitative Programmes) Amendment Bill
• Plain Language Act Repeal Bill
• Policing (Police Vetting) Amendment Bill
• Public Works Amendment Bill
• Referendums Framework Bill
• Retail Payment System (Ban on Merchant Surcharges) Amendment Bill
• Summary Offences (Demonstrations Near Residential Premises) Amendment Bill
• Tauranga Moana Iwi Collective Redress Bill
• Telecommunications Amendment Bill
• Telecommunications and Other Matters Amendment Bill
• Term of Parliament (Enabling 4-year Term) Legislation Amendment Bill
• Valuers Bill

Bills awaiting Committee of the whole House

• Appropriation (2026/27 Estimates) Bill
• Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Bill
• Crimes Amendment Bill
• Education and Training (System Reform) Amendment Bill
• Emergency Management Bill (No 2)
• Infrastructure Funding and Financing Amendment Bill
• Land Transport (Revenue) Amendment Bill
• Local Government (System Improvements) Amendment Bill
• Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) (3 Day Postnatal Stay) Amendment Bill

Bills awaiting Third Reading

• N/A

Bills awaiting Royal Assent

• Antisocial Road Use Legislation Amendment Bill

• Constitution Amendment Bill

• Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill

• Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill

• Mental Health Bill

• Offshore Renewable Energy Bill

• Regulatory Systems (Occupational Regulation) Amendment Bill

• Regulatory Systems (Primary Industries) Amendment Bill

• Regulatory Systems (Tribunals) Amendment Bill

Acts assented

Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Act 2026

This Act amends the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009 (AML/CFT Act). Key amendments include:

• updating several definitions (including beneficial owner, designated non-financial business or profession, trust and company service provider, and money or value transfer service);
• adopting a more risk-based approach to customer due diligence, including for trusts and identifying foreign politically exposed persons;
• strengthening record-keeping and information-gathering requirements, including the ability to require records on urgent notice; and
• broadening civil liability provisions and enhancing AML/CFT supervisors' enforcement and investigative powers, including cooperation with overseas counterparts.

Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (Supervisor, Levy, and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2026

This Act amends the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act 2009 (AML/CFT Act). Key amendments include:

• establishing a single AML/CFT supervisor;
• expanding the supervisor's enforcement and investigative powers, including powers to compel information and issue censures;
• introducing broader rule-making and exemption powers for the supervisor and Commissioner;
• requiring the Government to publish a national AML/CFT strategy and regulatory work programme;
• introducing an AML/CFT levy regime for reporting entities; and
• updating suspicious activity reporting and customer identity verification requirements.

Appropriation (2024/25 Confirmation and Validation) Act 2026

This Act confirms and validates government spending for the 2024/25 financial year that exceeded existing parliamentary appropriations, as required under the Public Finance Act 1989.

Appropriation (2025/26 Supplementary Estimates) Act 2026

This Act authorises the Government to incur expenses and capital expenditure for the 2025/26 financial year in line with the supplementary estimates presented to Parliament, ensuring that the scope of each appropriation in those estimates forms part of the legal appropriation.

Building and Construction Sector (Self-certification by Plumbers and Drainlayers) Amendment Act 2026

This Act amends the Building Act 2004 and the Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Act 2006 to create an opt-in scheme allowing qualified plumbers and drainlayers to self-certify building consent compliance. Key changes include:

• establishing a self-certification endorsement issued by the Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Board;
• allowing an endorsed practitioner to issue a certificate of compliance to assure compliance with the building consent;
• requiring building consent authorities to accept a certificate of compliance;
• requiring a public register of certificates of compliance; and
• giving the Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Board new monitoring, audit and disciplinary functions over endorsed practitioners.

Carter Trust Amendment Act 2026

This Private Act amends the Carter Trust Act 1961 to allow for the winding up of Carter Trust and the Carter Society.

Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Amendment Act 2026

This Act amends various Acts, including the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Amendment Act 2003, the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013, the Financial Markets Authority Act 2011, the Financial Service Providers (Registration and Dispute Resolution) Act 2008, and associated legislation. Key changes include:

• transferring responsibility for consumer credit regulation from the Commerce Commission to the Financial Markets Authority;
• requiring consumer credit providers to be licensed by the FMA, while removing the previous fit-and-proper-person certification regime;
• giving the Financial Markets Authority new exemption, interpretation, and enforcement powers, including stop orders and direction orders; and
• removing certain compliance requirements, including directors' and senior managers' due diligence duties.

Environment (Disestablishment of Ministry for the Environment) Amendment Act 2026

This Act amends the Environment Act 1986 to disestablish the Ministry for the Environment and transfers the Ministry’s existing functions to the statutory office of the Secretary for the Environment. This is designed to facilitate the consolidation of the Ministry for the Environment’s functions within the new Ministry of Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport.

Financial Service Providers (Registration and Dispute Resolution) Amendment Act 2026

This Act amends the Financial Service Providers (Registration and Dispute Resolution) Act 2008. Key changes include:

• allowing the Minister to require independent reviews of approved dispute resolution schemes, including how and when the review is carried out, the terms of reference and the reviewer; and
• enabling new regulations which would prescribe requirements for the membership of the scheme board (or other governing body). 

Game Animal Council (Herds of Special Interest) Amendment Act 2026

This Act amends the Game Animal Council Act 2013 to clarify that game animals within a national park can be designated and operate as a herd of special interest and managed for hunting purposes.

Gas (Market Transparency) Amendment Act 2026

This Act amends the Gas Act 1992 to improve the information available to the Government and gas industry. Specifically, this Act creates new regulation-making powers which allows the Government to require industry participants to disclose relevant gas market information to Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) or to the Gas Industry Company Limited (GIC). Applicable information includes petroleum reserves, forecasts of supply and demand, risks to security of supply, and information on trade agreements. The Act also allows for either MBIE or GIC to publish such information if satisfied of the necessity or desirability as assessed against specified purposes.

Imprest Supply (First for 2026/27) Act 2026

This Act authorises the Government to incur expenses and capital expenditure from the start of the 2026/27 financial year until the Appropriation (2026/27 Estimates) Bill is passed.

Local Government (Auckland Council) (Transport Governance) Amendment Act 2026

This Act amends the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009 to change the transport governance system in Auckland. Key changes include:

• establishing the Auckland Regional Transport Committee to develop a 30-year transport plan for Auckland and the Auckland regional land transport plan for approval;
• transferring most transport functions from Auckland Transport to Auckland Council, including regional policy and planning, capital programme delivery, and renewals and maintenance of infrastructure, and make Auckland Council the road controlling authority with policy, regulatory, operational functions and bylaw powers under the Land Transport Act 1998;
• allocating decision making for local transport functions on local roads to Auckland local boards; and
• reforming the role and functions of Auckland Transport by repealing the Auckland Transport legislation and re-establishing a statutory transport council-controlled organisation focused on public transport services.

Ngāti Hei Claims Settlement Act 2026

This Act gives effect to the deed of settlement between the Crown and Ngāti Hei. The settlement includes an acknowledgement of Crown breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles, an apology from the Crown for those breaches and the harm caused to Ngāti Hei and the transfer of 15 sites of cultural significance and financial / commercial redress.

Ngāti Rāhiri Tumutumu Claims Settlement Act 2026

This Act gives effect to the deed of settlement between the Crown and Ngāti Rāhiri Tumutumu. The settlement includes an acknowledgement of Crown breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles, including the confiscation of land by the Crown and the impact of native land laws which left Ngāti Rāhiri Tumutumu largely landless, an apology from the Crown for the promotion of such laws that led to the loss of land, and for the environmental damage to Te Aroha maunga and the transfer of 18 sites of cultural significance and financial / commercial redress.

Ngāti Tara Tokanui Claims Settlement Act 2026

This Act gives effect to the deed of settlement between the Crown and Ngāti Tara Tokanui. The settlement includes an acknowledgement of Crown breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles, an apology from the Crown for failing to protect them from alienation of their land and the transfer of nine sites of cultural significance and financial / commercial redress.

Online Casino Gambling Act 2026

This Act establishes a licensing and regulatory regime for online casino gambling, including prohibitions on conducting or advertising unlicensed online casino gambling. Key features include:

• a three-stage competitive licensing process, with no more than 15 licences and limits on significant influence over more than three licences;
• consumer protection requirements, including age verification, harm minimisation measures, exclusion of certain persons from gambling, a prohibition on the provision of credit, complaints handling processes, and reporting obligations; and
• powers to make regulations on harm minimisation, consumer protection, advertising, and fees, together with minimum standards for gambling technology.

Patents Amendment Act 2026

This Act aligns the lower examination criteria to divisional applications filed under the Patents Act 1953 with the stricter criteria under the Patents Act 2013, by

• requiring the Commissioner of Patents to be satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the application complies with the novelty, inventive step and support requirements of the Patents Act 2013; and
• aligning opposition, revocation and re-examination procedures with the Patents Act 2013.

Public Finance Amendment Act 2026

This Act amends the Public Finance Act 1989, aiming to improve fiscal transparency and responsibility. Key changes include:

• requiring the Minister to publish an annual tax expenditure statement;
• removing the wellbeing objectives from the Budget process;
• extending fiscal forecasting from three to five years;
• amending fiscal risk disclosure and election-year reporting requirements; and
• updating appropriation and reporting rules for public entities and narrows restrictions on Crown debt issuance.

Public Service Amendment Act 2026

This Act amends the Public Service Act 2020 to strengthen chief executive accountability and public service performance. Key changes include:

• clarifying chief executives' responsibilities;
• making it mandatory for the Public Service Commissioner to set minimum standards of integrity and conduct;
• expanding the Commissioner's role in chief executive performance reviews;
• introducing powers to manage national security risks through restrictions on specified vendors, services, or products; and
• requiring agencies to maintain business continuity arrangements.

Racing Industry (Closure of Greyhound Racing Industry) Amendment Act 2026

This Act amended the Racing Industry Act 2020 to manage the phased closure of commercial greyhound racing. The Act provides for the wind up of the greyhound racing industry before commercial racing ends on 1 August 2026. This includes the establishment of the Greyhound Racing Transition Agency which is responsible for a transition plan to wind up Greyhound Racing New Zealand and greyhound racing clubs, and to provide support to industry participants as they exit the industry.

Redress System for Abuse in Care Act 2026

This Act creates a new framework that modifies State agencies' processes for responding to claims of abuse in State care. Key changes include:

• creating a presumption that a serious violent or sexual offender is ineligible for financial redress;
• establishing an independent redress officer who may allow financial redress to such offenders in specific circumstances;
• requiring people seeking financial redress to consent to a criminal record check and declare serious violent, sexual or firearms offences; and
• creating strict liability offences for failing to declare those convictions.

Regulatory Systems (Internal Affairs) Amendment Act 2026

This Act amends multiple pieces of legislation that are administered or operationalised by the Department of Internal Affairs. Key changes include:

• amending the Charities Act 2005 to broaden access to the register, repeal privacy-related search restrictions and require online publication of procedural information by the Taxation and Charities Review Authority; and
• amending the Electronic Identity Verification Act 2012 to clarify suspension grounds for applications and expand the definition of participating agencies.

Regulatory Systems (Transport) Amendment Act 2026

This Act amends land transport, maritime and aviation legislation, including to:

• provide broader powers to the New Zealand Transport Agency and the Director of Land Transport, including for emergency response and road closures;
• enable digital alternatives to physical licences, labels and notices, including digital driver licences and electronic infringement notices;
• expand investigation powers and update penalty regimes across transport modes; and
• address regulatory duplication, gaps and inconsistencies, including in rule-making, levy collection and definitions.

Resource Management (Auckland Housing) Amendment Act 2026

This Act amended the Resource Management Act 1991 to reduce the statutory minimum housing capacity requirements under the Auckland Unitary Plan from approximately 2 million to 1.4 million dwellings. Other key changes include:

• allowing Auckland Council to respond to proposed amendments to Plan Change 120 and provides a period for public consultation and input;
• a transitional arrangement that confirms that developments can continue if those developments complied with the Medium Density Residential Standards on or before 9 October 2025; and
• an exemption for Auckland Council from the requirements in the National Policy Statement on Urban Development 2020 to prepare a Housing and Business Development Capacity Assessment or to review or prepare a Future Development Strategy for the purposes of informing its 2027 Long Term Plan.

Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Sales on Anzac Day Morning, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Christmas Day) Amendment Act 2026

This Act amends the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 to permit alcohol trading on Anzac Day morning, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Christmas Day. Businesses permitted to open on those days may now sell and serve alcohol during their normal trading hours, removing the previous restrictions that applied to bars, restaurants and other on-licensed premises. The Act also provides that any existing licence conditions inconsistent with the new rules cease to have effect.

Social Security (Modernisation) Amendment Act 2026

This Act amended the Social Security Act 2018 to modernise the administration of the welfare system, including by:

• introducing a new mandatory review framework requiring the Ministry of Social Development to periodically review beneficiaries' entitlement to specified benefits;
• updating medical evidence requirements to apply across benefit types, including new provisions requiring beneficiaries to provide updated medical certificates or evidence at prescribed intervals, with benefit suspension as the consequence of non-compliance;
• expanding the scope of automated electronic systems to cover administrative programmes; and
• providing a structured process for determining ongoing eligibility for dependent child rate benefits and specified children's benefits when a dependent child turns 18. 

Taxation (Annual Rates for 2025–26, Compliance Simplification, and Remedial Measures) Act 2026

This Act sets the annual income tax rates for the 2025-26 tax year and amends the settings for income tax, GST, tax administration, KiwiSaver, and other social policy rules administered by Inland Revenue. Key features of the Act include:

• setting the annual rates of income tax for the 2025–26 tax year;
• allowing non-resident visitors to remain in New Zealand for up to 275 days within an 18-month period without being deemed tax residents, provided they are lawfully in New Zealand, do not perform work for a New Zealand-based employer or client, and are a tax resident in another country. They would remain subject to non-resident tax liability for New Zealand-sourced income, except for exempt income from remote work performed for overseas employers or clients;
• introducing a new revenue account method for calculating foreign investment fund income, which would be on a realisation basis (i.e. on dividends derived and 70% of gains or losses);
• permitting joint venture members to individually account for GST on supplies made or received in connection with the venture under their respective GST registrations, rather than requiring separate registration of the joint venture entity;
• allowing unlisted companies to elect to defer the tax liability for employees who receive shares or share options under an employee share scheme until the occurrence of a "liquidity event", such as the sale or cancellation of the shares, payment of a dividend in respect of the shares, or listing of the company; and
• allowing the Commissioner of Inland Revenue to share information with other government agencies in prescribed situations.

For more information see our previous Insight on the Act as it was first introduced.

Taxation (Budget Measures) Act 2026

This Act made various amendments to the Income Tax Act 2007, the Student Loan Scheme Act 2011, and the Tax Administration Act 1994. Key changes include:

• introducing a $100,000 ceiling for gifts qualifying for donation tax credit;
• exempting dry leases of aircraft or aircraft parts from non-resident contractors’ tax;
• making outstanding company loans to a shareholder taxable six months after the company has been removed from the Companies Register; and
• making various changes to the Working for Families scheme.