Select Committees

The Clerk’s Office now has the list of select committee members online. Much better format than previously with all one the one page. Would be useful to show party affiliations thought for those who don’t know all 120 MPs.

Both ACT and National are asking for a select committee inquiry into TVNZ. ACT are asking the Finance & Expenditure Select Committee and National the Commerce Select Committee.

You need 6/11 in favour on F&E. As well as Hide, one presumes Foss, Key, Smith L and Tremain will vote in favour. They need one more vote – either Copeland or Doug Woolerton. Now both Dunne and Peters do not like TVNZ so will they allow their people to vote in favour?

On Commerce you need 5/9 in favour. Auchinvole, Rich, Tremain and Wong again in favour with Copeland being the sole swing vote.

If Labour can’t block an inquiry, I expect they will vote in favour also, so it doesn’t look like a defeat.

Possibly National has already talked to Copeland and got him on board with an agreement to do it theorugh Commerce, not F&E as ACT wants. Why would they do that? Presumably because Commerce has Katherine Rich as Chair so she can hold witnesses to account better.