New Covid-19 law to be reviewed

A controversial coronavirus law that was hastily passed, despite coming under fire for allowing police to search homes without a warrant, will now be reviewed.

Yesterday Parliament voted to send it to a select committee for inspection. The bill had passed 63 votes to 57 earlier this week after being hurried through the House in time for the move to alert level 2 at 11.59pm on Wednesday.

After being introduced on Tuesday, the law faced a tirade of opposition as the National Party ‘‘condemned’’ it as over-reach and ACT said the Government was ignoring concerns for the basic rights and freedoms of New Zealanders. Both parties voted against the law at its third reading.

Yesterday Parliament voted to immediately refer the Covid-19 Public Health Measures Act to a select committee for review of its operation. Attorney-General David Parker said the review of the operation of the Covid-19 specific law would be reported back to the House by July 27, in time for the House to consider whether to renew the act in line with the 90-day review specified in the law.

‘‘That will allow the House to take into account the advice of the committee before it makes the decision whether to continue with the law for another 90 days – or longer if the House decides,’’ he said.

The law enforces controls on gatherings of people and distancing. Parker said it narrowed the police powers compared with those that applied under level 3 and level 4.

The police could only use their enforcement powers under the act if the Government had authorised a Covid-19 Alert Level notice, he said.

‘‘The post-enactment review, which has been recommended by legal experts and academics, will be conducted by the Finance and Expenditure Committee, which will have MPs from all parties in Parliament on it.’’

While the Government backed down on some of the ‘‘extraordinary powers’’, the intent of the bill broadly remained the same.

A two-year limit on the law was reduced to three months, references to police being able to enter marae without a warrant were tweaked, and a requirement that only police operate roadblocks was removed. Community-led roadblocks sprang up around the country during lockdown.

Yesterday, Shadow Leader of the House Gerry Brownlee said the National Party believed the bill was a ‘‘gross invasion of civil liberties’’.

Sending a law to a select committee was a ‘‘most unusual’’ process, he said. The Finance and Expenditure Committee was a

Government-dominated committee and they could ‘‘just bury stuff’’, he said.

‘‘It should have gone to the Covid Epidemic Response Committee, where it would have got a better hearing.’’

He believed the Government wanted to terminate the committee, which is chaired by National’s leader Simon Bridges. ‘‘They are trying to say it is just business as usual but everyone in a workplace knows that it is not at the moment.’’

The Government did not like being unpopular, he said. He believed the review was a way to sway the public after negative feedback.

‘‘It should have gone to the Covid Epidemic Response Committee, where it would have got a better hearing.’’ Gerry Brownlee

Shadow Leader of the House