National Diet Library's latest report reveals a detailed analysis of the handling of omnibus bills in the New Zealand Parliament, including their historical background, current regulatory framework, and operational practices.
While omnibus bills consolidating multiple law amendments have been used in New Zealand since the late 19th century, abuse of controversial omnibus bills like the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill from the 1980s onward led to concerns about improper shortening of parliamentary deliberations. In response, the current Standing Orders adopted on December 20, 1995, first introduced provisions restricting omnibus bill submissions.
Under the current system, bills must in principle relate to only one subject area, with omnibus bill submissions permitted only when: (1) falling under seven categories listed in Standing Orders (Statutes Amendment Bills, Taxation Bills, Appropriation Bills, Maori Purposes Bills, etc.); (2) containing amendments of a single broad policy or similar character; or (3) obtaining consent from the Business Committee or permission from the House. However, consequential amendments to existing laws affected by bill provisions may be included together, and bills containing only consequential amendments are not considered omnibus bills.
Operational data shows that 32.3% of government bills newly introduced in the 53rd Parliament (November 25, 2020 - September 8, 2023) were omnibus bills, comprising 22.6% falling under Standing Order categories, 71.0% containing single broad policy or similar character amendments, and 6.5% with Business Committee consent. This shows no significant difference from 1996-2003 trends, indicating the omnibus bill submission regulations are functioning effectively.
Division procedures for omnibus bills are also established, allowing division into multiple bills by the Clerk of the House based on decisions by select committees, committees of the whole House, or the Business Committee. While widely used for facilitating comprehension of updated provisions, this practice has dramatically decreased since 2015 when legislation began being published online. Additionally, procedures for collective debate of related bills were introduced in 2011 as an alternative to omnibus bills.
The National Diet Library evaluates New Zealand's system as functioning to balance preventing omnibus bill abuse while ensuring legislative efficiency, serving as an attempt to enhance parliamentary bill deliberation while maintaining effectiveness.