Dear Parliament: submissions open on Oranga Tamariki & Rental bills

Changes to tenancy laws and the removal of Treaty obligations from Oranga Tamariki - two proposed new laws ask for public feedback.

Two bills considered for the first time this week were highly contentious. Having had a first reading, both bills will go to select committee - the chance for public feedback.

Listen to The House's outline of the bills in case you want to pitch in.

The entrance to Parliament

The Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill proposes to remove section 7AA from the law that governs Oranga Tamariki (the Ministry for Children, a government agency that looks after vulnerable children). That section says a few things, but most crucially it says that: 1) the agency must have regard to the fact that vulnerable Māori children in its care are Māori, and 2) should develop partnerships with Māori groups to improve Māori children's outcomes.

In the current bill, those cultural obligations are subsidiary to the overriding obligations for care and protection. Some, however, see those extra culturally-oriented instructions as confusing, even damaging, and want them gone.

The Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill includes a lot of new rules around tenants' pets, smoking, and family violence provisions. It also brings back 90-day no-cause terminations, allows termination notices and reduces the notice a tenant needs to give for periodic tenancies, and allows notices to end fixed-term tenancies at the end of the term.

Further information & submission links

More information about the bills is available here:

The Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill

The Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill

The above links are to each bill's Parliamentary page which includes links to the actual bill, Hansard reports of debates, as well as the ability to submit directly to the Social Services Select Committee.

RNZ's The House - journalism focussed on parliamentary legislation, issues and insights - is made with funding from Parliament's Office of the Clerk.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details