Making a submission
Background
In the process of a bill becoming an Act, most bills go before a Select Committee. (It is possible for the Select Committee stage to be skipped if the Government uses Urgency, but this is relatively rare.) Select Committees perform a vital function as they allow the public (including organisations) to provide feedback on a bill. There are up to 13 subject-specific select committees and ad hoc committees can be created for particular purposes. For example, the Health Committee deals with bills that relate to health. (For information about each Select Committee, the bills currently before the Select Committees and other information about Select Committees click here.)
Although Select Committees comprise MPs from a range of political parties, they are not simply rubber stamping committees. Select Committees often recommend changes to bills based on the submissions they receive from the public. Parliament, however, chooses whether or not to accept the Select Committee’s recommendations.
Share your expertise with a Select Committee
If the bill is on your area of research, normally you will have more knowledge of the area than the drafters of the bill and the members of the Select Committee. Select Committees are particularly keen to hear the views of academic experts, especially as academics tend to be more impartial than businesses and lobby groups, which are seen as being aligned to business interests.
If you agree with the bill and think the bill should be enacted as it is, you should still make a submission because that provides the Select Committee with feedback that the bill should not be changed. If most of the submissions are from people opposing the bill, the Select Committee could quite rightly believe there was little public support for the bill. Also, it is rare for people to agree entirely with a bill’s wording and there may be some places where you believe the bill could be improved.
Making your submission count
Crucially, not all submissions are treated equally. Select Committees normally treat submissions that are identical or similar as a single submission, even if thousands of people have sent in submissions. Therefore, if you want to make a submission to a Select Committee to voice your views on a bill and you have the time to write a submission:
Instead you need to write and submit your own independent submission.
How to make a submission
Submissions on bills can be made online at Make a submission or in writing to the Select Committee. If the submission is in writing, two hard copies must be sent to the Secretary of the relevant Select Committee c/- Parliament Buildings, Wellington. The online submission process is preferable as it is user-friendly and it also allows files to be uploaded easily.
Submissions are published on Parliament’s website www.parliament.nz and are thus accessible freely by the public and they can serve as a good means of disseminating your research to the public.The Select Committee hearings, if you choose to also make an oral submission, are also heard in public. It is possible, however, to request the Clerk of the relevant Committee to present evidence in private or in secret (the online submission process makes the ability to communicate with the Clerk of the relevant Committee a lot simpler).
A comprehensive guide on making submissions and the process Select Committees follow can be found here.
Top tips
Submit your own independent submission and submit it via Parliament’s website.
In the process of a bill becoming an Act, most bills go before a Select Committee. (It is possible for the Select Committee stage to be skipped if the Government uses Urgency, but this is relatively rare.) Select Committees perform a vital function as they allow the public (including organisations) to provide feedback on a bill. There are up to 13 subject-specific select committees and ad hoc committees can be created for particular purposes. For example, the Health Committee deals with bills that relate to health. (For information about each Select Committee, the bills currently before the Select Committees and other information about Select Committees click here.)
Although Select Committees comprise MPs from a range of political parties, they are not simply rubber stamping committees. Select Committees often recommend changes to bills based on the submissions they receive from the public. Parliament, however, chooses whether or not to accept the Select Committee’s recommendations.
Share your expertise with a Select Committee
If the bill is on your area of research, normally you will have more knowledge of the area than the drafters of the bill and the members of the Select Committee. Select Committees are particularly keen to hear the views of academic experts, especially as academics tend to be more impartial than businesses and lobby groups, which are seen as being aligned to business interests.
If you agree with the bill and think the bill should be enacted as it is, you should still make a submission because that provides the Select Committee with feedback that the bill should not be changed. If most of the submissions are from people opposing the bill, the Select Committee could quite rightly believe there was little public support for the bill. Also, it is rare for people to agree entirely with a bill’s wording and there may be some places where you believe the bill could be improved.
Making your submission count
Crucially, not all submissions are treated equally. Select Committees normally treat submissions that are identical or similar as a single submission, even if thousands of people have sent in submissions. Therefore, if you want to make a submission to a Select Committee to voice your views on a bill and you have the time to write a submission:
- do not put your signature to a hard copy or online petition;
- do not send a form letter;
- do not copy and paste the wording from another submission with a few changes to reflect your circumstances; or
- do not use a form, whether hard copy or online, prepared by another person or organisation which allows you to write individual comments on that form.
Instead you need to write and submit your own independent submission.
How to make a submission
Submissions on bills can be made online at Make a submission or in writing to the Select Committee. If the submission is in writing, two hard copies must be sent to the Secretary of the relevant Select Committee c/- Parliament Buildings, Wellington. The online submission process is preferable as it is user-friendly and it also allows files to be uploaded easily.
Submissions are published on Parliament’s website www.parliament.nz and are thus accessible freely by the public and they can serve as a good means of disseminating your research to the public.The Select Committee hearings, if you choose to also make an oral submission, are also heard in public. It is possible, however, to request the Clerk of the relevant Committee to present evidence in private or in secret (the online submission process makes the ability to communicate with the Clerk of the relevant Committee a lot simpler).
A comprehensive guide on making submissions and the process Select Committees follow can be found here.
Top tips
Submit your own independent submission and submit it via Parliament’s website.
- Begin your submission with your name, address, the Select Committee name which is hearing the submissions and the name of the bill you are submitting on. Also provide your contact details.
- Structure is important:
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- Say that you want to appear before the Select Committee in your submission. You can choose later not to appear. Select Committees meet in Wellington; however, if sufficient numbers of people outside of Wellington ask to appear before the Select Committee, it is possible for the Select Committee to travel to other centres to hear submissions.
- The timeframe for making a submission is often short; make sure you don’t miss the cut-off date for submissions.
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Assoc Prof Alex Sims, Commercial Law, Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Auckland.
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