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Parliament Bill

Clerk and Office of the Clerk - Clerk - Acting Clerk

110: Speaker may appoint acting Clerk

You could also call this:

"The Speaker can choose someone to fill in as Clerk if the job is empty."

You are looking at a proposed law change. If the Deputy Clerk is away or the job is empty, and certain conditions are met, as described in section 109(1), the Speaker can choose someone to act as Clerk. The Speaker can pick an employee from a parliamentary agency for this role. You can be appointed to act as Clerk before or while the Deputy Clerk is away or the job is empty. The Governor-General can make this choice instead of the Speaker in certain situations. These situations include when the Speaker or Deputy Speaker is away or the job is empty, or after a general election.

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This page was last updated on 9 November 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS803915.

Topics:

Government and voting > Government departments

109: Deputy Clerk may perform Clerk’s functions, duties, and powers, or

"Deputy Clerk can do Clerk's job if they are away or can't work"

111: Further matters applying to acting Clerk, or

"What happens when someone is acting as Clerk of Parliament"

Part 5Clerk and Office of the Clerk
Clerk: Acting Clerk

110Speaker may appoint acting Clerk

Subsection (2) applies if the circumstances described in section 109(1) apply and—
the office of Deputy Clerk is vacant; or
the Deputy Clerk is absent from duty (for whatever reason) and unable to perform the functions and duties and exercise the powers of the Clerk.

The Speaker may appoint an employee of a parliamentary agency—
to act as Clerk; and
to perform the functions and duties and exercise the powers of the Clerk.

The appointment may be made before the absence or vacancy occurs or while it continues.
The Governor-General may act in place of the Speaker under subsection (2)—
if—
1. the office of Speaker is vacant or the Speaker is absent from duty; and
2. the office of Deputy Speaker is vacant or the Deputy Speaker is absent from duty; and
3. there is no member with authority to act as Speaker; or
during the period following a general election.