Committees of the New Zealand House of Representatives are subsets of the New Zealand House of Representatives which deal with specific tasks delegated to them by the House. The functions of committees include scrutinising draft legislation (bills), conducting inquiries into subjects within their expertise, receiving public comment on matters before them, and overseeing the operation of the public service (including, for some committees, the operation of Parliament).^[1]

Most parliamentary committees are composed of between five and twelve members of Parliament. These are known as select committees. In addition, a committee of the whole House, comprising all members, conducts detailed scrutiny of draft legislation. For more information, see New Zealand House of Representatives committees § Committee of the whole House.

Since the 1960s select committees have taken an increasingly powerful role, dealing with more bills. From the 1970s they became more open to the public and the media, and from 1979 they handled nearly all legislation.^[2] The present system, with permanent committees for designated subject matters, was implemented in 1985, in order to promote accountability and a greater separation of Parliament from government.^[2] The strengthening of the committee system was in response to concerns that legislation was being forced through, without receiving due examination and revision. Today, public meetings of select committees are livestreamed online.

Each new Parliament appoints a number of select committees, which remain largely unchanged between parliaments. Committees for the 54rd Parliament are established by Standing Order 185.^[3] If a bill passes its first reading, it is referred to a select committee for scrutiny. Which committee receives the bill is determined by the member responsible for the bill, subject to the agreement of the House, and the referral motion is not a debatable motion in the House.^[4] By default, committees have six months to consider legislation although this can be varied on a case-by-case basis.

Committees can call for submissions from the public, thereby meaning that there is a degree of public consultation before a parliamentary bill proceeds into law. They may recommend amendments to a bill and they may recommend bills are divided into two or more bills. Committees may ask other committees for their opinion on legislation. Committees' recommendations on bills are reported back to the House and voted on at the bill's second reading.^[5] The version of the bill approved by the select committee is then scrutinised by the committee of the whole House.

Select committees are sometimes referred to as the "engine room" of Parliament.^[6][7][8] Most (but not all) committees are chaired by MPs from government parties and have government majorities. There have been calls for increased independence of select committees from the likes of former Green MP Sue Kedgley in 2012 and ACT New Zealand leader David Seymour in 2021 by providing greater opportunities for opposition chairs and opposition majorities on committees.^[7][9]

The following table lists the select and specialist committees of the previous, and their respective chairs and membership breakdown.

The procedure of legislation passing through Parliament requires the House to form itself into a "Committee of the whole House" following a second reading, allowing for the bill to be debated clause-by-clause or part-by-part by all Members. This committee sees the Deputy Speaker or Assistant Speakers presiding over it.^[29]

• Politics of New Zealand
• New Zealand Parliament
• Constitution of New Zealand