PARLIAMENTARY STUDY PROGRAMMES

Under this scheme, Parliamentary Seminars are organised by the Trust for representatives of the Trust’s corporate membership and hosted by the Speaker as President of the Trust. The seminars are held three times a year, normally in May, August and November, in Parliament’s Legislative Council Chamber.

This year the three scheduled seminars will be held on Wednesday 9 May, 8 August and 7 November.

These unique intensive one-day studies of the parliamentary system aim to illustrate how government is exercised through Parliament and to provide participants with an insight into the practical workings of the House, the effectiveness and limitations of committees, the process of legislation, and the programming of parliamentary business, etc.

Participants hear from MPs and those associated with the day-to-day running of Parliament just how the system works with a view to promoting understanding within the business community of the work of Parliament and its members.

A typical programme includes the following sessions:

THE RELEVANCE OF PARLIAMENT
(Speaker of the House of Representatives)
Historical perspective; the New Zealand Parliament; the parliamentary process; the Speaker’s role.

THE BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
(Clerk of the House, Senior Government Whip and Senior Opposition Whip)
Causes and demands for legislation; types of business transacted in the House and the process of legislation; whips of the government and opposition; the role of the Business Committee.

THE SELECT COMMITTEE
(A Party Leader or Select Committee chairperson)
The role of select committees; making a submission; making the most of a select committee submission.
ATTENDANCE AT A SELECT COMMITTEE

EXERCISING GOVERNMENT THROUGH PARLIAMENT
(Prime Minister)
The role of the Prime Minister; demands and constraints; the role of the executive; collective responsibility; MMP at work.

THE OPPOSITION IN PARLIAMENT
(Leader of the Opposition)
The role of the opposition leader; opposition parties in the MMP environment; demands and constraints.

PARLIAMENTARY TOUR
A brief guided tour within the Parliament Buildings complex.

PARLIAMENTARY SITTING
Attendance during question time in the Debating Chamber.

THE MINORITY PARTIES
(Minority Party Leader)
The role of minority parties in Parliament; effectiveness and limitations; working in the MMP environment.

THE CABINET MINISTER
(A Minister of the Crown)
The demands and constraints on ministers – a working week; relationships with officials; collective responsibility and the minister.

THE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
(Three First-term MPs)
The MP in Parliament as government, minority party representatives; pressure groups and lobbying; effectiveness and limitations of an MP.

REPORTING PARLIAMENT
(Press Gallery representative)
The role of the Press Gallery.

Parliamentary attachments
Those corporate representatives who have participated in one of the Trust’s Parliamentary Seminars are invited to undertake a unique two-day secondment to a selected MP, shadowing the MP in his/her work, for one day in Parliament and the second day in his/her home territory or constituency.

The MP can be chosen from the list of the Trust’s Associate Members and the attachments are aimed at the next generation of top management and those with a particular interest in government and parliamentary liaison.