Justice Committee travels the country after massive interest in End of Life Choice Bill

After receiving an unprecedented number of submissions on the End of Life Choice Bill, the Justice Committee will be travelling around New Zealand to hear people's thoughts on the bill.

The Justice Committee will travel to more than a dozen locations across the country to help as many people as possible have their say on the End of Life Choice bill.

The member’s bill, currently being considered by Parliament’s Justice Committee, seeks to give people with a terminal illness or a grievous and irremediable medical condition the option of requesting assisted dying.
Doctors hands hold patients hand Enlarge image

The End of Life Choice Bill seeks to give people with a terminal illness or a grievous and irremediable medical condition the option of requesting assisted dying.

Source: iStock

The committee received more than 35,000 written submissions on the bill. About 10 percent of people have indicated they also want to speak to the committee.

The committee has already heard oral submissions from many national organisations. Due to the unprecedented interest in this important and complex matter, Justice sub-committees will now hold meetings across New Zealand to hear from individuals, community groups, and regional organisations, who asked to share their views with the committee in person.

Committee staff will be in touch with individuals and organisations who made submissions and asked to be heard, to assist them with times and venues. Hearings will be advertised on the Parliament website and communicated to the public via social media.

Hearings are open to the public and media, and where possible, will be livestreamed to the Justice Committee’s Facebook page.

Submissions will be published on the Justice Committee’s page on the New Zealand Parliament website as they are processed.

Below is the indicative hearing schedule. It may change at short notice due to urgent parliamentary commitments.

Auckland     Thursday 28 June 2018 (full committee, national organisations based in Auckland)     Rydges Hotel Auckland, 10.00am - 12.00pm

Auckland     Friday 29 June 2018     Rydges Hotel Auckland, 9.00am - 4.00pm

Christchurch (morning)     Monday 2 July 2018 (full committee, national organisations based in Canterbury)     The George

Hotel Christchurch, 10.00am - 12.30pm

Nelson (afternoon)     Monday 2 July 2018     The Rutherford Hotel, 4.30pm - 9.00pm

New Plymouth     Tuesday 17 July 2018     The Copthorne Grand Central, 10.30am - 3.00pm

Napier     Thursday 19 July 2018     The Crown Hotel Napier, 10.30am - 3.00pm

Auckland     Friday 20 July 2018     
Tauranga     Monday 23 July 2018     
Wellington     Monday 23 July 2018     
Auckland     Friday 27 July 2018     
Auckland     Monday 30 July 2018     
Rotorua     Monday 30 July 2018     
Wellington     Monday 30 July 2018     
West Coast     Monday 30 July 2018     
Auckland     Friday 3 August 2018     
Whangarei     Monday 6 August 2018     
Invercargill     Monday 6 August 2018     
Dunedin     Monday 6 August 2018     
Auckland     Monday 6 August 2018     
Auckland     Friday 10 August 2018     
Hamilton     Monday 13 August 2018     
Wellington     Monday 13 August 2018     
Palmerston North     Thursday 23 August 2018     
Whanganui     Tuesday 28 August 2018     
Christchurch     Monday 3 September 2018