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Preparing Ministers’ papers for a meeting Ministers receive all Cabinet and Cabinet committee items in hard copy from the Cabinet Office. Papers should be prepared for a Minister’s attendance at Cabinet or a Cabinet committee by putting the papers in...

Some items go directly to EC without first being approved by Cabinet. These items are usually drafted in a department, rather than by PCO, and: will not be included in the Legislative Instruments series (but are published in the Gazette in the normal...

EC meetings are held on most Mondays at 4pm in the Executive Council meeting room on level 10 of the Beehive, and are presided over by the Governor-General or, in the Governor-General’s absence overseas, by the Administrator of the Government. From time...

Laws usually come into effect only after their publication (with the exceptions being matters of national security or matters of particular commercial or legal significance where time is an overriding factor). The Parliamentary Counsel Office's (PCO’s)...

The Governor-General has delegated responsibility for the custody of the Seal of New Zealand to the Clerk of the Executive Council. Documents that require the Seal of New Zealand to be affixed to them include: warrants for the appointment of...

Organisation Form (December 2019)docx21.26 KB Refer to these pages for more information Cabinet appointment paper template Appointment paper candidate CV form CabNet: Uploading attachments to Cabinet papers CabNet: How to upload...

All Cabinet material that has been created after 3 August 2015 which is relevant to an individual user in their capacity of supporting a Minister or a Ministerial portfolio will be searchable and viewable in CabNet. Cabinet material that is classified...

Key points The government has adjusted some aspects of the processes for selecting Law Commission projects, how the Parliamentary Counsel Office should work with the Law Commission and responding to Law Commission reports on government references....

Introduction 1Cabinet has recently agreed to changes in the Financial Veto procedure. This Circular updates and replaces Cabinet Office Circular CO (98) 15, “Financial Veto Procedure” 15 October 1998. It provides: an outline of the Crown...

Introduction and key points 1The Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) provides for the Minister for the Environment (and, in some instances, the Minister of Conservation) to intervene in matters of national significance under the RMA. Cabinet has...

Summary of key points 1Cabinet has agreed that it will make explicit decisions on whether draft Bills should include a provision stating that the Act will bind the Crown. This decision will be made at the policy development stage. The practical...

Summary of Key Points Cabinet has agreed that the New Zealand Government Locator Service (NZGLS) Metadata Standard will be the official New Zealand Government standard for creating discovery level metadata. The NZGLS standard provides a standardised...

Key Points Cabinet has agreed to standardise procedures for including non-official representatives on official New Zealand delegations to international meetings. Decisions about including non-official representatives in official delegations...

Summary 1 The Remuneration Authority (the Authority) is responsible for setting the remuneration of a number of individuals appointed to statutory bodies and other positions. This circular: 1.1 outlines the role of the Authority in relation to...

Introduction 1 This circular sets out guidance agreed to by Cabinet for Ministers and officials dealing with inside information relating to public issuers, including mixed ownership model companies and other companies in which the Crown has an...

Introduction 1 Cabinet has agreed to legislate (with additional admininistrative enhancements) to require the government to disclose key features of all legislation (with limited exemptions), substantive Supplementary Order Papers (SOP) (where a...

Introduction 1This Circular replaces Cabinet Office Circular CO (06) 6 Whole of Government Directions under the Crown Entities Act 2004. 2A direction to support a whole of government approach under section 107 of the Crown Entities Act 2004 (the...

Introduction 1On 15 February 2016 Cabinet approved new Cabinet Directions for the Conduct of Crown Legal Business. 2The new Directions are annexed to this Circular. Their primary purpose is to identify core Crown legal matters, to set out how those...

This wallchart provides an easy guide to the transmission, handling, storage, and disposal of different classifications of Cabinet material. See the CabGuide for more information on the secure handling of Cabinet material.

Purpose 1This circular sets out the principles that guide Ministers’ access to the records of the previous administration. It also provides guidance for officials handling requests for official information received before 26 October 2017, when...

Introduction 1This circular sets out guidelines agreed by Cabinet for policy-makers to consider the Treaty of Waitangi in policy development and implementation.

When developing policy proposals, consideration must be given to their consistency with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 and the Human Rights Act 1993 (the Acts).  The key aim of these requirements is to ensure Ministers are aware of the...

Introduction 1The Legislation Guidelines (2018 edition) are the government's key point of reference for assessing whether draft legislation conforms to accepted legal and constitutional principles. Cabinet has agreed that the Legislation Guidelines...

1 In June 2014, Cabinet approved the Attorney-General’s Protocol for Release of Draft Government Legislation outside the Crown.  2 In September 2018, Cabinet agreed to amend the Protocol to enable: 2.1 the release of draft legislation to...

Cabinet has recently approved a modified Fees Framework for determining or reassessing the fees paid to members of statutory and other bodies in which the Crown has an interest [APH-18-MIN-0271]. This circular and the attached Framework will take effect...

Introduction 1This circular sets out the requirements agreed to by Cabinet for agencies to implement the New Zealand Business Number (the NZBN).  This circular updates and replaces CO (16) 3.  2An agency must give effect to, or have regard...

Purpose 1 This circular sets out the requirements and procedures for the proactive release of Cabinet material (Cabinet and Cabinet committee papers and minutes). It updates and replaces previous advice. Key points 2 All Cabinet and Cabinet...

Introduction 1 This circular sets out guidelines and requirements agreed by Cabinet for Ministers and departments involved in contemporary Treaty of Waitangi issues, including: 1.1processes for appointing lead Ministers and agencies for...

Introduction 1This circular sets out the requirements for Ministers and agencies seeking approvals relating to government regulatory proposals.

Key Points 1This circular sets out the requirements for central government agencies to estimate and disclose the greenhouse gas emission implications when certain types of policy proposals are presented to Cabinet. It has been updated to reflect...

Introduction 1 This circular sets out the guidelines and requirements for Ministers and departments seeking approval of proposals with financial implications, changes to appropriations, and the authority to incur expenses. 2 This circular updates...

Key Points 1This circular provides guidance on the management of parliamentary business after Parliament has been dissolved. The key points are as follows: 1.1all parliamentary business will lapse on Sunday, 6 September 2020, when Parliament...

Government Decisions and Actions in the Pre-election Period This circular has been updated to reflect the election date announced by the Prime Minister on 17 August 2020. Introduction 1As announced by the Prime Minister on 17 August 2020, the 2020...

Introduction 1In January this year the Cabinet Office issued guidance on government decision making in the pre-election period.1 That guidance reiterates that the government has the right to govern as usual until the election. As in previous election...