New Covid-19 traffic light settings have taken effect around the motu, and similarly Parliament has also reworked its own Protection Framework rules.
There is now an ‘open-for-spring’ feel about the place.
Partly that’s the new grass shoots appearing out on the front lawn, but mostly it’s the return of random members of the public inside the building as well.
Parliamentary educator Ben Logan-Milne sits on the Mapua School opposition benches, where he has been coaching interjecting. (file photo) Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox
Those new rules have already re-opened the chamber galleries, and are going further.
School visits will return to Parliament’s awesome education centre, public events will apparently begin again (because in normal times Parliament hosts everything from conferences to debating competitions), and apparently small tour groups will kick off again from April 11th.
As you might expect, in a workplace that brings together people from every corner of New Zealand, vaccine passes will be required for all these things.
But this week the first area to re-open was the public galleries where people can watch proceedings in the debating chamber. Under the red setting that is limited to just 50 at a time, but even a small audience changes the chamber vibe.
Crucially the re-arrival was just in time for a week busy with treaty settlement legislation where the allowance of an audience is crucial.
On Tuesday the Ngāti Maru (Taranaki) Claims Settlement Bill passed its third and ultimate reading. On Wednesday the Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill had a first reading.
It has become a tradition at Parliament that iwi members turn up in person to watch the passing of settlement bills - especially for third readings. There are frequently a full day of events around a final reading.
And it is also traditional that, after all the speeches and the vote, the visiting iwi give voice from the galleries in response.
On Tuesday Ngati Maru Taranaki raised the rafters in the House (you can hear some of that response in the audio report linked to above). It was wonderful to have ‘real people’ back in the bleachers.
