Parliament finished an intense week of sitting on 5 July 2026 with ten bills approved, six new bills introduced, and debate on 23 bills completed — all done under urgency, according to RNZ.

Parliament sat from early morning to midnight every day, and even came back on Saturday. It has now been three months since Parliament had a normal sitting week without urgency — meaning it has been running at this intense pace for much longer than usual.

What got passed

The Mental Health Bill is the biggest change. It replaces a law from 1992 that has controlled how people are treated when they need compulsory mental health care. That old law is being thrown out and replaced entirely.

The Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill changes how Health New Zealand works. It sets out new goals, new ways of deciding who runs things, tells health staff to stay out of politics, changes how Māori treaty rights work in the health system, removes the Health Charter, and adds specific number targets that are now written into law.

The Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill makes things easier for small businesses — those with fewer than 20 workers. Instead of following every rule, they just have to focus on the dangerous bits. Implementation starts in November.

The Offshore Renewable Energy Bill creates the first-ever system for approving offshore wind and tidal energy projects — from picking where to build them through to taking them down when they're done.

The Antisocial Road Use Legislation Amendment Bill makes it illegal to drive in a group in a way that frightens people. It also allows police to impound and destroy vehicles and creates fines for loud speakers.

Two bills about regulatory systems for things like real estate agents and court tribunals passed. A larger bill made over 250 small changes to farming and fishing laws.

Two more bills about local courts and environmental reporting completed the ten.

What's coming next

Six new bills started their journey through Parliament this week and are now open for people to have their say on them. One of these bills is about local government and is meant to help ease pressure on council rates.

Why this matters

Governments often use urgency to speed things up, especially later in their time in power. This is allowed by Parliament's rules. But the size and range of what got passed this week is quite broad — mental health, offshore energy, workplace safety, and how hospitals are run. These are normally areas where Parliament would take much longer to listen to different views.

When Parliament sits under urgency for three months without a break, it's hard for the opposition parties and the public to keep up. People trying to have a say on the new bills coming forward now have a lot to read.