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Parliament Act 2025
Parliamentary security
Limits on powers and duties of parliamentary security officers
189: Speaker may exempt person from application of powers and duties under this Part

Part 1:
Preliminary provisions

3Purpose 4Outline of this Act 5Interpretation 6Status of guide or outline provisions 7Transitional, savings, and related provisions 8Act binds the Crown

Part 2:
Parliamentary privilege

9Outline of this Part

Preliminary provisions

10Purposes of this Part 11How to interpret this Part 12Interpretation of this Part 13Meaning of proceedings in Parliament

Parliamentary privilege: purpose, content, status, and recognition

14Purposes of privileges, immunities, and powers of House of Representatives 15Content of privileges, immunities, and powers of House of Representatives 16Status and recognition of parliamentary privilege

Article 9 of Bill of Rights 1688

17Effect of Article 9

Prohibited impeaching or questioning of proceedings in Parliament

18Evidence, questions, and statements, etc, about proceedings in Parliament 19Use of confidential documents and oral evidence 20Use of evidence, etc, for interpreting legislation 21Use of evidence, etc, for establishing historical events or other facts 22Operation of subparts 4 and 5 not affected

Protected communication of proceedings in Parliament

Stay of court or tribunal proceedings

23Application of sections 24 and 25 24Speaker’s certificate that communication authorised 25Application and order for stay of proceedings

Qualified immunity

26Communications protected by qualified immunity 27Effect and operation of qualified immunity 28Other laws unaffected

Other provisions relating to parliamentary privilege

Part 3:
Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and parliamentary precincts

41Outline of this Part

Speaker and Deputy Speaker

Delegation of Speaker’s functions, duties, and powers

42Speaker may delegate functions and duties only if Act expressly authorises such delegation 43Speaker may delegate functions, duties, and powers to Deputy Speaker 44Speaker may delegate functions, duties, and powers under Public Finance Act 1989 to head of parliamentary agency 45How Speaker may delegate functions, duties, and powers 46Status and effect of delegations

Speaker may request Public Service Commissioner to perform certain functions

47Speaker may request Public Service Commissioner to perform certain functions under Public Service Act 2020

Authority to act as Speaker

48Deputy Speaker may act as Speaker under this Act or Public Finance Act 1989 49Member with authority to act as Speaker

Speaker and Deputy Speaker at dissolution of Parliament and from polling day

50Deputy Speaker to continue in office despite dissolution or expiration of Parliament 51How to read references to Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and member with authority to act as Speaker during period following general election

Parliamentary precincts

Land, premises, and status

52Parliamentary precincts 53House of Representatives may add land to parliamentary precincts 54Status of parliamentary precincts 55Map of land described in Part 1 of Schedule 2

Speaker’s role in respect of parliamentary precincts

56Speaker controls and administers parliamentary precincts 57Speaker is occupier for purposes of Trespass Act 1980

Part 4:
Salaries, allowances, expenses, and services for members and others

58Outline of this Part 59Administration of salaries, allowances, annuities, expenses, and services

Purposes and interpretation

60Purposes of this Part and Schedule 3

Interpretation

61Interpretation of this Part 62Meaning of adult dependant 63Meaning of authorised funding and services 64Meaning of dependent child 65Meaning of election advertisement 66Meaning of electioneering 67Meaning of eligible candidate 68Meaning of family member

Principles applying to determining and using expenses and services

69Principles applicable to making determinations 70Principles applicable to use of authorised funding and services by members and eligible candidates

Salaries, allowances, and certain expenses determined by Remuneration Authority

Remuneration Authority to determine salaries, allowances, and certain expenses

71Remuneration Authority to determine salaries and allowances 72Remuneration Authority to determine travel and accommodation expenses within New Zealand for certain persons 73Remuneration Authority to determine annuity of former Prime Ministers 74Remuneration Authority to determine travel expenses of former Prime Ministers

Application of Remuneration Authority Act 1977 to determinations made under this Act

75Application of Remuneration Authority Act 1977 to determinations made under this Act

Requirements applicable to determinations about travel and accommodation expenses

76Procedural requirements applying to determinations about travel and accommodation expenses 77How frequently determination must be made 78Remuneration Authority may amend determination 79Remuneration Authority must consult before making determination 80Consultation requirement if expenses result in personal benefit 81Remuneration Authority may require information and obtain independent advice 82Notifying Remuneration Authority’s determinations 83Resolving issues about authorised funding and services determined by Remuneration Authority

Permanent appropriations

84Permanent legislative authority for payment of expenses determined by Remuneration Authority

Expenses and services determined by Speaker

Speaker to determine authorised funding and services

85Speaker to determine authorised funding and services

Speaker may determine matters relating to information requests and reporting

86Speaker may determine matters relating to information requests and reporting

Speaker to determine expenses for certain inter-parliamentary and exchange programmes

87Speaker to determine travel and accommodation expenses for official inter-parliamentary relations and political exchange programmes

Requirements applicable to determinations made under this subpart

88Procedural requirements applying to determinations made under this subpart 89How frequently determinations must be made 90Speaker may amend determination 91Speaker must take advice into account and consult before making determination 92Consultation requirement if expenses result in personal benefit 93Resolving issues about authorised funding and services determined by Speaker

Expenses determined by Minister Responsible for Ministerial Services

94Minister Responsible for Ministerial Services to determine travel expenses for Ministers

Requirements applicable to determinations made under this subpart

95How frequently determinations must be made 96Minister Responsible for Ministerial Services may amend determination 97Minister must consult before making determination 98Consultation requirement if expenses result in personal benefit 99Resolving issues about authorised funding and services determined by Minister Responsible for Ministerial Services

Part 5:
Clerk and Office of the Clerk

100Outline of this Part

Clerk

Appointment, functions, duties, powers, and delegations

101Appointment of Clerk 102Clerk’s functions, duties, and powers 103Clerk requires approval of Minister of Finance to undertake certain financial activities 104Delegation of Clerk’s functions, duties, or powers 105Status of delegations 106Additional provisions relating to Clerk holding office

Deputy Clerk

107Functions, duties, and powers of Deputy Clerk 108Deputy Clerk may perform Clerk’s functions, duties, and powers

Acting Clerk

109Speaker may appoint acting Clerk 110Further matters applying to acting Clerk

Office of the Clerk

111Office of the Clerk continued

Employment

112Clerk appoints employees 113Clerk is employer and may remove employees 114Offence to solicit or attempt to influence Clerk in employment matters 115Additional provisions relating to employment in Office of the Clerk

Other provisions relating to Office of the Clerk

116Immunity for Clerk and employees 117Money to be appropriated by Parliament for purposes of this Part 118Audit 119Right of access to personal information

Part 6:
Parliamentary Service and other parliamentary bodies

120Outline of this Part 121Interpretation of this Part and Schedule 5

Parliamentary Service

Parliamentary Service continued

122Parliamentary Service continued

Functions, duties, and powers

123Principal functions, duties, and powers of Parliamentary Service 124Further functions, duties, and powers of Parliamentary Service

Chief executive: appointment, functions, duties, powers, and delegations

125Appointment of chief executive 126Chief executive’s functions, duties, and powers 127Delegation of chief executive’s functions, duties, or powers 128Status of delegations 129Additional provisions relating to chief executive’s employment

Acting chief executive

130Speaker to appoint acting chief executive

Employment in Parliamentary Service

131Chief executive is employer and appoints and may remove employees 132Appointing and removing parliamentary party employees 133Immunity for chief executive and employees 134Additional provisions relating to employment in Parliamentary Service

Parliamentary security officers

135Appointing parliamentary security officers 136Identity cards 137Immunity of parliamentary security officers and persons assisting them 138Further provisions relating to parliamentary security officers

Offences

139Offence to solicit or attempt to influence chief executive in employment matters 140Offence to resist or obstruct parliamentary security officer or person assisting them

Audit

141Audit

Parliamentary Corporation

Parliamentary Corporation continued

142Parliamentary Corporation continued 143Status of Parliamentary Corporation

Functions, duties, and powers

144Functions, duties, and powers of Parliamentary Corporation 145Specific powers of Parliamentary Corporation 146Parliamentary Corporation requires approval of Minister of Finance to undertake certain financial activities 147No borrowing power

Membership and procedure

148Membership of Parliamentary Corporation 149Chairperson of Parliamentary Corporation 150Chief executive and secretary 151Procedure of Parliamentary Corporation 152Regulation of procedure and performance of functions, duties, and powers

Parliamentary Service Commission

Parliamentary Service Commission continued

153Parliamentary Service Commission continued

Functions, duties, and powers

154Functions, duties, and powers of Parliamentary Service Commission

Membership

155Membership of Parliamentary Service Commission 156Party leader must appoint member or members to represent party 157Resignation or vacation of office

Procedure

158Chairperson of Parliamentary Service Commission 159Procedure for meetings of Parliamentary Service Commission 160Regulation of procedure and performance of functions, duties, and powers

Part 7:
Parliamentary security

161Outline of this Part 162Interpretation of this Part 163Meaning of specified offence 164Speaker’s authority not affected

Application of parliamentary security officers’ powers and duties

165Where parliamentary security officers’ powers and duties may be exercised or performed 166Chief executive may authorise exercise or performance of powers and duties in particular electorate and community office

Powers and duties of parliamentary security officers

Limits on powers and duties

167Limits on parliamentary security officers’ powers and duties

Power to ask for identification

168Power to ask for identification

Search power and related duty

169Power to ask to search 170Duty of parliamentary security officer relating to searches

Powers and duty relating to examining and seizing detected items, and process to be followed

171Power to ask to examine detected items

Person does not hand over detected item

172Powers if person does not hand over detected item

Item handed over gives officer reasonable grounds to believe person may recently have committed, or be about to commit, specified offence

173Power to seize detected item connected to specified offence

Item handed over gives officer reasonable grounds to believe item is capable of being used to commit violent offence or is otherwise dangerous

174Power to ask person to surrender detected item 175Duty of parliamentary security officer relating to request to surrender detected item

Item handed over gives officer reasonable grounds to believe item may constitute threat to security of parliamentary precincts

176Power to ask to take detected item into temporary custody 177Duty of parliamentary security officer relating to request to take detected item into temporary custody

Power to seize item

178Power to seize item

Powers to detain person

179When power to detain person may be exercised 180Power to detain person 181Power to use handcuffs

Other powers

182General power to deny person entry to, or remove person from, parliamentary precincts 183Power to use reasonable force 184Powers included in power to deny entry to, or remove from, parliamentary precincts

Consequences of denial of entry to, or removal from, parliamentary precincts

185Entitlement to enter or re-enter parliamentary precincts if denied entry or removed under certain sections 186Entitlement to enter or re-enter parliamentary precincts if denied entry or removed under section 182 or specific power to deny entry or remove 187Duty of parliamentary security officer to inform of consequences when person denied entry or removed

Limits on powers and duties of parliamentary security officers

188Powers and duties not generally applicable in relation to members, officers of House, and other exempted persons 189Speaker may exempt person from application of powers and duties under this Part 190Powers and duties may not be exercised where parliamentary meeting in progress unless person presiding directs exercise 191Powers not generally applicable if Police involved 192Powers subject to conditions or limitations in notice of appointment

Reporting requirements

193Parliamentary security officer must report exercise of certain powers 194Chief executive must report annually on exercise of specified powers

Schedule 1:
Transitional, savings, and related provisions

Schedule 2:
Parliamentary precincts

Schedule 3:
Administration of salaries, allowances, annuities, expenses, and services for members and others

Schedule 4:
Additional conditions of Clerk holding office and chief executive’s appointment

Schedule 5:
Employment in parliamentary agencies

Schedule 6:
Procedure of Parliamentary Corporation and Parliamentary Service Commission

Summary of changes

Parliament Act 2025

Parliamentary security - Limits on powers and duties of parliamentary security officers

189: Speaker may exempt person from application of powers and duties under this Part

You could also call this:

"The Speaker can let you off some rules."

The Speaker can choose to exempt you from some rules. These rules are about powers and duties in subpart 2 or 3. You can be exempt from one or all of these rules.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS918255.

This page was last updated on 25 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Government and voting > Government departments

188: Powers and duties not generally applicable in relation to members, officers of House, and other exempted persons, or

"What rules don't apply to some people in Parliament?"

190: Powers and duties may not be exercised where parliamentary meeting in progress unless person presiding directs exercise, or

"Parliamentary security officers can't act during meetings unless the person in charge says so"

Part 7Parliamentary security
Limits on powers and duties of parliamentary security officers

189Speaker may exempt person from application of powers and duties under this Part

The Speaker may exempt any person or class of persons from the application of any or all of the powers and duties in subpart 2 or 3.

Parliament Act 2025

Parliamentary security - Limits on powers and duties of parliamentary security officers

189: Speaker may exempt person from application of powers and duties under this Part

"The Speaker can let you off some rules."

Part 7Parliamentary securityLimits on powers and duties of parliamentary security officers

189Speaker may exempt person from application of powers and duties under this Part

Part 7Parliamentary security
Limits on powers and duties of parliamentary security officers