In a democratic process unique to the New Zealand Parliament – three bills were drawn from a biscuit tin at today’s members’ bill ballot.

Enlarge image Table Office staff holds the tin while the Deputy Serjeant-at-Arms draws a token from it. Source: Office of the Clerk

The three members’ bills drawn from the ballot were:

What are members’ bills?

Most bills (proposed laws) considered by the House of Representatives are Government bills. However, MPs who are not Ministers can introduce their own bills, which are called members’ bills. Each member may have only one proposed bill in the ballot in their name at any one time.

The ballot is held to select one or more new member's bills to be introduced when fewer than eight members’ bills are on the Order Paper (the House’s agenda) as available for their first reading. The ballot is simply involves drawing numbered tokens from a container, with one token drawn for each available bill to enter on the Order Paper.

Read more about members' bill ballots