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- Engage-in-Brief: 24 February 2025
Engage-in-Brief: 24 February 2025
Holly Bennett
February 24, 2025
A free fortnightly 5-minute read to make advocacy simple
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TWO TRICKS TO TRY
If you’ve got a cause that you want to build public support for, you might want to petition Parliament to take action. Anyone can start a petition, which means anyone can get their issue on Parliament’s agenda — and it’s even easier to sign one! Check out the petitions currently open for signatures, and if there’s one you agree with, sign it!
Most people have heard of the members’ bill ballot and the Biscuit Tin, where members’ bills are randomly selected for introduction to Parliament. But bills can skip the ballot and go straight on the order paper if they get the support of 61 MPs that aren’t part of the Executive. So if there’s a Member’s Bill you like the look of, consider writing to your local MP and asking them to express their support for it!
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ONE THING YOU NEED TO KNOW
From the moment an MP, Minister, or official has a clever idea for legislative change up to the point that it receives Royal Assent and is enacted, it’s a long journey for a bill to become law — and there’s a lot of steps even before it gets introduced to the House for debate. The department responsible for the bill will usually do policy analysis, consult with the public (your first opportunity to have a say!), and prepare a Cabinet paper for Ministerial approval, before the bill gets its first draft.
The draft bill undergoes consultation, which often includes another round of public feedback (another chance to have your say!), changes are incorporated, the draft is signed off by the responsible department, and it’s sent for Cabinet approval.
And then it reaches Parliament!
Each stage has a different purpose but all together, the idea is that there is enough opportunity for officials, MPs and the public to look at these proposed laws and suggest changes before they're passed. The goal is that the version that gets passed into law is the best version of itself, so it doesn’t have to be amended too quickly — when the whole journey has to begin again!
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FROM OUR TAUIRA
I loved this course and would recommend (and have been) to anyone and everyone. The really 'in house' practical tips like when the house is sitting, what key elements you need in a press release, tips for good photos etc - it was a shame we only had one day!
ONE FUNNY THING
@jasonwalls6 Want to know what happened in the beehive today? Look no further! Here’s everything you need to know in politics today. #news #politics ... See more
It’s pretty common to get turned around in the circular corridors of the Beehive, but it happens a bit less often on the black and white tiles (where the vast majority of media interviews take place)! Check out this video from Newstalk ZB’s Political Editor Jason Walls, who snapped Hon. Nicola Willis, the Minister of Finance, getting bamboozled post press standup. We empathise with the Minister — all parts of Parliament are a bit of a labyrinth; even the best of us have found ourselves heading in the wrong direction on occasion 😂
That’s it for another edition of Engage-in-Brief. Remember, you have a voice and you can use it. If you need training to support your advocacy efforts simply reply to this email. And if you try out one of this week’s tricks, let us know about it!
Mauri ora!
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