Parliament’s Urgent Response to Quake

Government puts House under urgency to pass two bills in response to the Kaikoura earthquake. The first, the Hurunui/Kaikoura Earthquakes Emergency Relief Bill, was given a first reading before being sent to the Local Government and Environment Committee where it will spend a day before being reported back on Thursday to be passed through its final stages. The second bill, the Civil Defence Emergency Management Amendment Act 2016 Amendment Bill, amending legislation passed just a few days before the earthquake struck early on Monday 14 November, is to be passed through all its stages. Question time includes one for the prime minister, John Key, about plans to build a new ministerial office on Parliament’s car park. A request for a snap debate on this issue is rejected by the Speaker, David Carter.