What's in a name? 🌹

There’s always more than meets the eye to any name, and Point of Order! is no different. Our name was inspired by one of the institutions that ensure Parliament runs smoothly... well, as smooth as possible.

Our Parliamentary rules are called Standing Orders. These are enduring rules which cover everything from how laws are made, to how many questions are allowed to be asked, to the duration of speeches (which can change depending on what an MP is talking about!).

A point of order is raised when a Member of Parliament wants to question whether what has just happened has followed those rules. When a point of order is raised, all other business in the House is put on pause until the matter is resolved. It is then up to the Speaker of the House (also known as Parliament’s referee) to determine whether the proceedings in question are being carried out in accordance with Standing Orders.

Sometimes, MPs will take advantage of this interruption to proceedings to make a sarcastic comment or joke - but in doing so they risk being kicked out of the debating chamber by the Speaker!

Points of order are also time sensitive - they must be raised at the earliest possible moment, even if that means interrupting someone's speech. This means that points of order are sometimes used by MPs to be cheeky and interrupt a speech they disagree with, or throw off one of their colleagues who they think are getting a bit too excited.

With over 400 standing orders in place, you can imagine that remembering all the rules can be pretty difficult. Now, we’re throwing out the rule book. Point of Order! is giving young professionals the platform to reclaim our voice on issues impacting our future.

If you want to find out more about Standing Orders - check out this clip from NZ Parliament: