Patch 2024.07

July 2024 proposals

Bills would enable random roadside drug tests, restrict gang displays and contact, widen firearms bans, and change Māori ward and election rules.

• Proposal to enable random drug tests — It would help police roll out random roadside mouth-swab tests for drugs by changing device approval rules.
• Proposal to restrict gang displays and contact — It would ban gang insignia in public and give police powers to disperse people and restrict some gang contact.
• Proposal to widen firearms bans — It would allow firearms prohibition orders for a wider group, including some gang members and associates, and provide a review process.
• Proposal on Māori wards and elections — It would change rules about local elections, Māori wards, and Māori constituencies.
• Proposal to update social security rules dropped — This dropped proposal would have made minor changes to social security and veterans’ support rules and removed an old home-ownership law.
• Proposal to require council water plans — It would require councils to prepare plans for delivering drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services.
• Marine farms could keep permits longer — It would automatically extend existing marine farm consents by up to 20 years, with a maximum expiry date of 2050.
• Proposal to preserve certain government rules — It would keep certain government rules from being automatically revoked or treated as invalid.