Scrutiny Week: How does it work and what are the drawbacks?

The media desk at a busy Select Committee hearing during the 2025 December Scrutiny Week.

Photo: VNP / Phil Smith

Analysis: Politicians are gearing up for verbal combat in the biannual select committee clash known as Scrutiny Week.

RNZ's press gallery reporting team will be covering these committees at length across the week, but first, here's a bit of a glimpse into what Scrutiny Week is, and how it came to be.

What is scrutiny week?

The concept is about setting aside a couple of weeks each year to scrutinise government spending and performance.

These are not like sitting weeks - where MPs come to the debating chamber of Parliament to hold question time and debates and give speeches about incoming laws - but neither are they the typical recess week where MPs head back to their electorates and carry out other important work.

Instead, all MPs are expected to be at Parliament - but not for the usual sitting.

During scrutiny week, ministers and agency bosses front up for hours of grilling by the MPs on select committees about how their agencies are performing, including financially.

For instance, the Justice Committee is sitting on Thursday from 9am to 6pm, spanning the Police and associate Police ministers, the Justice and associate Justice ministers, and the Children's Minister.

The Prime Minister does not take part in Scrutiny Week hearings.

The idea was introduced as part of the last Parliament's review of its rules and processes, and brought in for this term - meaning the National, ACT, NZ First coalition has been the first government to experience it.

Scrutiny processes previously were carried out by the various select committees throughout the year, but this was changed with the aim of making the scrutiny more robust.

The debates can get quite heated, and the more fiery committee hearings typically dominate the news cycle during the week.

When does it take place?

Scrutiny week comes but twice a year: once around the middle of the year in June following the Budget, and again in December.

That said, because 2026 is election year and Parliament will be dissolving on 1 October, the December scrutiny will inevitably fall by the wayside.

The June edition focuses on what's in the budget and how spending plans will affect the way the ministries, departments and government-adjacent organisations operate.

Then, in December it's a similar setup but looking back at the spending that's actually taken place - and there's usually a stronger focus on hearing from agency bosses about what's gone right or wrong in their sector.

The schedules are laid out ahead of time

What are the rules?

As with any time a minister or agency fronts up to a select committee, the committee chair - usually a backbench MP from a government party - acts as the referee.

They can call time on a particular topic in the interests of moving on to the next - although opposition MPs often allege this is less about time-keeping and more about avoiding certain question lines.

Ministers and agency heads are expected to keep introductory remarks "very brief" before getting into questioning.

Opposition MPs get some questions and are expected to be able to pursue a line of questioning for a reasonable time.

There are, however, strict parameters on what the questions can focus on - in this case, it must relate to spending in the Budget.

That can mean MPs are forced by the Chair of the committee to discard question lines that are not on topic.

Government MPs on the committee are also able to ask questions to get their point of view across and can use this to get information that favours them into the official record.

Much like Question Time where government MP questions are referred to as "patsy's" that same softball approach is often on display in select committees too.

Any drawbacks?

There are a huge number of hearings that take place throughout the week, with a number of ministries and agencies that are in the spotlight.

That means there's also a huge amount of information that is communicated through the week - and there is only so much of that information that can then be reported on.

News coverage will tend to focus on key ministries such as Health, Education, Social Welfare or Police, or issues that their audiences may be most interested in.

Attention will also likely be drawn to issues that have attracted recent media attention.

It's unlikely every single hearing will get full coverage.

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