Patch 2025.02

February 2025 proposals

This month’s bills would change tax and emergency relief, limit debanking, target disruptive protests near homes, allow holiday alcohol sales, plus collective and shooting-range rules.

• Proposal changes tax and emergency relief rules — The proposal would set 2024–25 income tax rates, allow emergency tax relief, and introduce reporting rules for crypto-assets.
• Proposal targets disruptive protests near homes — The proposal would create an offence for an unreasonably disruptive demonstration near a home regularly occupied by someone.
• Banks could face limits on debanking — The proposal would restrict banks from withdrawing services because of political views or certain environmental, social, or governance positions.
• Licensed venues could sell alcohol on holidays — Licensed businesses already allowed to open would be able to sell alcohol under their usual licence conditions on several public holidays.
• Proposal to extend collective agreement rights — Would let some workers enforce a collective agreement covering work controlled by another business.
• Proposal to ease rules for non-pistol ranges — Would create separate rules and replace approval and certification with enrolment for non-pistol shooting clubs and ranges.
• Parliament could get a four-year term — Parliament’s usual three-year maximum would remain, but it could be extended to four years in specified circumstances.
• Proposal sets rules for future referendums — The proposal would set common voting and counting rules for referendums held alongside either of the next two general elections.
• Proposal makes many business rule changes — The proposal would make smaller regulatory changes across commerce, consumer affairs, energy, justice, media, and technology.
• Boating club could use land commercially — The proposal would let Takapuna Boating Club use part of its site commercially while keeping community use as the main purpose.
• Proposal to ease children’s KiwiSaver sign-up dropped — The proposal to let one guardian sign a child under 16 up to KiwiSaver has been dropped and would not become law.
• Proposal to target ram raids dropped — The proposal to create a ram-raiding offence and allow bodily samples from some 12- and 13-year-olds has been dropped.
• Proposal changes social worker oversight — The proposal would change how social workers are suspended, complaints are handled, and registration work is managed.
• Proposal to target theft by employers — Would target theft by employers.
• Proposal to toughen sentencing rules — Would limit some sentence reductions, encourage cumulative sentences, and give more weight to victims’ interests.
• Crown entities could gain Māori names — The proposal would allow Crown entities to adopt Māori names in addition to, or instead of, their existing legal names.