The committee ultimately recommended that the bill be scrapped. It was voted down at its second reading.
Speaking to The Front Page about a range of topics, Meager said it was “a good lesson in diplomacy”.
“I’m sure Parliament learned some lessons about how to run submissions, and I think we need to be looking at what the select committee process is and should be for in the future.
“Because we’re seeing a lot of submissions coming in that are one or two lines now, whereas that process generally is to try and improve and enhance and amend legislation, it’s not supposed to be an advocacy piece or a set piece for political action.”
He said the process is about looking at bills and seeing how they could be improved or amended, rather than being treated as a de facto referendum on the popularity of a particular piece of legislation.
“So I wonder whether or not we need to review what the purpose of select committees is so that we can maintain the public access into the legislative process without flooding the system so much that nothing can happen.”
Meager no longer chairs the committee, after being promoted in January to become a Minister outside of Cabinet, holding the portfolios for Youth, Hunting and Fishing, and the newly-created role of Minister for the South Island.
He told The Front Page that the South Island needs a good voice in Parliament.
“We’re an independent bunch down south and often like to be left alone, but also we like to make sure that we’re playing our role in things like growing the economy and producing exports.
“Hopefully, I can be the voice for different projects and issues around the South Island. Things like raising the possibility of turning Invercargill into a data centre or looking at what the opportunities are in Queenstown for film tourism... Bringing those ideas to the relevant ministers and trying to promote them as much as I can,” he said.
As part of his role as Associate Transport Minister, Meager’s big focus is on regional connectivity. Flights from Wellington to his hometown of Timaru can “be upwards of $400 to $500 each way depending on when you book”.
“Part of it is making sure that the connectivity is reliable. We’ve extended reporting for ‘on-time performance’ to the regions for the first time, so people know exactly how reliable their flights are.
“Then of course, it’s assisting the likes of Air New Zealand, but also our smaller regional carriers with workforce, making sure they’ve got enough engineers and pilots, access to the parts.
“All of that gums up the system, makes it more difficult for them to operate, which makes the costs pass on to consumers.
“Airfares for consumers are probably the biggest focus, especially if you live in the regions. It’s expensive to travel, sometimes you’ve gotta travel by road quite a bit just to get to the airport and then pay $800 or $900 to fly north or south,” he said.
The Minister for Youth role was established by the Fourth Labour Government in the late 80s, around the time Meager was born.
Net migration fell with a loss of 47,100 Kiwis in 2024, the largest number recorded. Young people aged between 18 and 30 made up 38% of the 72,000 departures last year.
“The best thing we can do is give them opportunities. And at the moment, we’ve got a neighbour in Australia, they’re a wealthy country, and a very attractive place to go and work and to earn a living. It’s not perfect over there.
“But, ultimately, we’ve got to create an economy where there are jobs and opportunities for young people. We need to create a society where people feel supported and can raise a family in a safe, secure country. And all of that takes time. It’s not gonna be turned around overnight,” Meager said.
“One of the things that Australia does have is that they’ve got an enormous amount of resources that they use, and I think we’ve got the same opportunity... But there is more we could do to encourage our resources sector, our energy sectors, construction sector to be able to keep those young people here in New Zealand.
“I think we’re on the right track. I think we can always do more.”
Listen to the full episode to hear more about how the Government could better help the South Island.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
