Te Pāti Māori has accused the Government of being a "dictatorship" for using urgency to progress its policy programme.
It comes as Parliament moved into urgency again to progress legislation to remove taxpayer funding for cultural reports, to disestablish the Māori Health Authority and to repeal smokefree legislation today.
Te Pāti Māori wrote to Speaker Gerry Brownlee this morning requesting an urgent debate around the Government's use of urgency, but it was not successful in the House.
Leader of the House Chris Bishop said urgency was needed so that the Government could progress the policy agenda it promised in the election campaign, which it had a mandate to do having been in a position to form a coalition after the election.
He said many of the bills were also repeal bills, for legislation which had already been through a select committee process.
The Government has introduced a bill just days out from a legal challenge against the move. (Source: 1News)
"The Government considers urgency is more than justified in this case," he said in Parliament.
Urgency speeds up the legislative process, usually meaning the select committee process — which invites submissions from the public and expert and public service advice — is foregone.
It is allowed under Parliament's rules, is voted on and agreed to or not by Parliament, but usually is agreed to due to a government's majority.
It was employed by the previous government, and governments preceding it.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said the Government's "use and abuse of urgency has created a dictatorship in what should be a Tiriti-led democratic state".
A dictatorship, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is "absolute rule unrestricted by law, constitutions, or other political or social factors within the state".
Ngarewa-Packer said the use of urgency "destroyed public, judicial and legislative oversight and participation".
"Urgency has been used in every sitting week of the 2024 sitting year — it is an abuse of government's power.
"We have seen urgency used to abolish three waters legislation, workers' rights including fair-pay agreements, 90-day trials, and section 27 cultural reports."
Ngarewa-Packer said urgency deprived legislators and the public of adequate time for scrutiny and deliberation on significant legislative measures.
Examples of those were the disestablishment of the Māori Health Authority and the abolishment of some smokefree legislation, she said.
"In addition, a pre-dated hearing had been scheduled by the Waitangi Tribunal into the disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora. The tabling of the bill ahead of the hearing defeats judicial scrutiny."
"This is an intentional approach adopted by the government to ram-raid public, judicial and legislative participation," said co-leader, Rawiri Waititi.
"Such a debate would provide an opportunity for representatives from all parties to voice their concerns, and ultimately ensure that legislative processes remain fair, inclusive, and respectful of te Tiriti o Waitangi and democracy."
In the House this afternoon, the Greens and Labour also expressed support for an urgent debate on the Government's use of urgency, with Greens co-leader James Shaw saying 16 out of 17 bills to date had been progressed using the convention.
SHARE ME