Mr SPEAKERThe Appropriation (2008/09 Financial Review) Bill and the Television New Zealand Amendment Bill are set down for their first reading, but before I set down the Christ’s College (Canterbury) Amendment Bill for its first reading I need to address the issue of its classification. The bill amends a local Act, the Christ’s College (Canterbury) Act 1910. However, it is being promoted as a private bill, despite rulings by previous Speakers that any Act that has been passed as a local Act must be amended by a local bill. Standing Order 249 requires a local bill to be promoted by a local authority; clearly, the governing body of Christ’s College is not a local authority.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s the boundaries between what constituted a local bill and a private bill were unclear, and it was only in the 1920s and 1930s that the definition we know today was developed and adopted. Many bills that were passed as local Acts in those early days benefited private groups or corporate entities, and would, had they been introduced today, have been classified as private bills. Amendments to these early local Acts are not common. In the past the House has dealt with such amendments by suspending the Standing Orders. On other occasions they have simply been passed by the House as private bills, without comment. The Standing Orders, though, now provide clear guidance about the classification of bills. If a question arises, the Speaker is required to decide the matter.
I do not consider that it is necessary for the Standing Orders to be set aside in this case. I declare the bill to be a private bill. The Christ’s College (Canterbury) Amendment Bill is set down for first reading.