Labour leader Chris Hipkins used an address to The Law Association of New Zealand members to detail plans to regulate paid lobbyists, restrict parliamentary urgency and strengthen the Official Information Act, framing each as part of a broader argument for restoring accountability to democratic institutions.
Vice President Samira Taghavi welcomed members and guests to the luncheon at the Northern Club in Auckland. Introducing Hipkins, she noted that The Law Association’s 11,500 members see firsthand what changes in legislation, policy and the economy mean for individuals, businesses and families. “Lawyers, as we all know, are not short of opinions,” she said. “Sometimes we can even wait to be asked for them.”
The room included The Law Association Council, King’s Counsel, senior practitioners, Law Society President David Campbell, New Zealand Asian Lawyers Association President Dr May Chen, and Judith Collins KC, President of the New Zealand Law Commission.
On lobbying, Hipkins said a Labour government would introduce a mandatory code of conduct for paid lobbyists, a public register disclosing who they represent and who is paying them, and a stand-down period preventing ministers from moving directly into paid lobbying after leaving cabinet. He argued that access to government should not depend on the ability to retain someone with the right connections. Transparency, he said, “should not be a favour that ministers grant when it suits them.”
He also committed to restricting parliamentary urgency to genuine emergencies, correction of urgent legal errors, budgetary measures and policies clearly signposted before the election. Any legislation passed under urgency would trigger an automatic select committee review within six months. He said that detailed scrutiny exists to help parliament catch mistakes before they become law, and that a winning election mandate does not remove the need to listen.
On the Official Information Act, Hipkins said the legislation was designed for the era of filing cabinets and needed to work for the way government operates now. He called for ministerial diaries to be proactively published and for effective penalties to be introduced for breaches.
A wide-ranging question-and-answer session followed. Hipkins committed to giving the Modern Slavery Bill a first reading within the first 100 days of a Labour government, expressing frustration that the current parliament had not progressed it despite cross-party rhetoric of support. On under-16s and social media, he acknowledged practical difficulties, including definitional problems and evidence from Australia that restrictions are routinely worked around, while signalling support for the intent. He confirmed Labour would reintroduce fair pay agreements, arguing the current framework allows employers to compete on wages rather than quality.
Asked about the prospect of a grand coalition between Labour and National, Hipkins said he would not pursue one short of an absolute emergency, arguing on a personal basis that ceding the centre ground risks allowing political extremes to grow. He did, however, say he was open to greater bipartisan cooperation on long-term issues such as infrastructure, where consistency across changes of government would reduce costs and improve delivery.
The Law Association hosted Hipkins as part of its ongoing series of political luncheons. As Taghavi observed in her welcome, occasions like this exist for constructive discussion, different perspectives, and a better understanding of the issues shaping the country.
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