Parliament recess break led by rough sleeper debate
Monday, 23 February 2026
AGENDA: While politics eases into a quieter phase with Parliament in recess, the week started off on a strong note for the Government with an announcement on move-on orders for rough sleepers.
The announcement, made by Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith, has been controversial since it emerged publicly in November and is likely to dominate discourse throughout the week, with the opposition already loudly against the move.
The proposal gives police the power to force rough sleepers and people begging out of public spaces, and will be applied nationwide to people as young as 14 years old.
Recess week means there will be no party caucuses, House meetings or Question Times.
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As such, politicians aren’t planning too much, but there is an expected announcement from Associate Education Minister David Seymour about an additional iwi-run charter school and as Associate Health Minister, another medicine funded under Pharmac.
The Prime Minister’s weekly post-cabinet press conference at Parliament has been cancelled this week with Christopher Luxon up in Auckland.
Also in the mix this week is Labour’s state of the nation address, which is kicking off on Monday.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins will deliver a speech to the Auckland Business Chamber, introduced by Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Simon Bridges.
The speech is a chance for the party to signal its tone and key priorities for the year ahead, especially interesting against the backdrop of the election later this year.
On Thursday, Seymour, as ACT leader and deputy Prime Minister, will speak at the All of Local Government meeting, the first time local government has met as a full sector since local elections last year.
Seymour is expected to talk about how cutting red tape can help local councils and will be vocal about what mayors and councils could learn from ACT’s approach.
In select committees this week, the Budget Policy Statement 2026 will be discussed, which was presented to the House last December ahead of this year's Budget and outlines the Government’s fiscal objectives and strategy for managing expenditure, assets and liabilities.
Also on the agenda, on Monday through to Wednesday is the Māori Affairs select committee on Treaty settlement legislation and how public organisations are fulfilling Treaty settlements. It follows a report last year from the office of the auditor-general, which said public organisations were treating Treaty commitments like transactions, not relationships.
Different iwi will meet the Government on each day.
Separately, the final report of the Royal Commission on Covid is due with Internal Affairs on Thursday.
Several reports are due to be released by Stats NZ, including a retail trade survey, child poverty statistics and household income and housing cost statistics.