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Comments on Aotearoa’s 4th Open Government Partnership National Action Plan

The draft of Aotearoa's 4th Open Government Partnership National Action Plan is another disappointing piece of work stuffed with pre-planned work, aside from one commitment on equitable access to public services. Read the Council's submission. Keep reading “Comments on Aotearoa’s 4th Open Government Partnership National Action Plan”

Media release: Open Government – Sham consultation on yet another weak plan

The New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties today condemned the government for yet another in a series of weak National Action Plans produced as a member of the international Open Government Partnership (the OGP). Keep reading “Media release: Open Government – Sham consultation on yet another weak plan”

Submission: Independent Electoral Review

While great play is made of our Parliament being supreme in Aotearoa’s mostly un-entrenched constitutional arrangements, we believe it is weak, has too few members, is significantly under-resourced, does not function well, lacks independence, and is therefore dominated by the executive. We need to invest more in our Parliament to improve the quality and independence of its work, and thereby our democracy. Keep reading “Submission: Independent Electoral Review”

Submission: Review of Standing Orders 2023

Submitters have a common objective with Members – that the outcome of the scrutiny process should be thehighest quality legislation possible, even if this may sometimes mean  recommending that the bill be withdrawn for redrafting or consultation. Our  submission makes recommendations to improve the quality of select  committee and parliamentary processes so as to try and avoid that second situation. Keep reading “Submission: Review of Standing Orders 2023”
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Briefing on the Data and Statistics Bill

The New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties is opposed to the Data and Statistics Bill and wants it withdrawn. Once in a generation law reform, on a topic that needs all-party support to have credibility, should be developed collaboratively to ensure public confidence. Read our briefing to MPs ahead of the final stages of the Bill's passage through Parliament. Keep reading “Briefing on the Data and Statistics Bill”

The Ombudsman’s reply

Yesterday, the Council wrote to the Ombudsman, Peter Boshier, to complain about the decision made in his name to close our complaint against the former Minister for Covid-19 Response. The Ombudsman has replied to the Council, apologising for the management of our complaint, re-opening the matter, and undertaking to conduct an investigation. The text of the Ombudsman’s reply is below. Keep reading “The Ombudsman’s reply”