Bill for free pensioner health checks fails

Winston Peters said keeping Supergold card holders out of hospital will help to contain spending. Photo / Thinkstock

A bill which would give three free health checks by a GP every year to holders of the Supergold card failed to pass its first reading in Parliament tonight by 60 to 61.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said the bill would save lives and "precious health dollars."

He said the cost of a hospital bed in New Zealand for a day was $1243 and the cost of the average stay in hospital was about $10,000.

Mr Peters estimated the cost of three health checks would be $69 million a year based on the current number of Supergold card.

But it would be cost neutral if only one or two per cent of the Supergold holder were kept out of hospital because of the checks.

"Simply keeping Supergold card holders out of hospital will help to contain spending."

Labour, the Greens and the Maori Party joined New Zealand First in supporting the Supergold Health Check Bill but it was opposed by National, Act and United Future.

A bid by Mr Peters to hold a personal vote was rejected by Chester Borrows who was in the chair.

A bill that would prevent candidates for Auckland Council boards standing for more than one local board at a time passed its first reading.

The Local Government (Auckland Council) Amendment Bill (no 3) bill is in the name of National list MP Alfred Ngaro but it was also supported by Labour.

At present four people are on two boards.

But they would be unaffected by it if a companion amendment is passed at committee stages or adopted by the local government and environment select committee which will now consider the bill.

Two other private members' bills sponsored by Opposition MPs failed to pass their first reading.

The Electoral (Adjustment of Threshold) Amendment Bill which would have reduced the party vote threshold from five per cent to four per cent.

It was in the name of Labour list MP Iain Lees-Galloway and was defeated by 58 to 63 with National the Maori Party, Act and United Future opposing it.

The Underground Coal Mining Safety Bill in the name of West Coast Labour MP Damien O'Connor was defeated by 60 votes to 61.

The bill would have required the adoption of Queensland's mine safety regime. The Government argued that it had already reformed the health and safety regime since the 2010 Pike River mining disaster which killed 29 men. It also had further health and safety reforms before the House.

The Maori Party supported it along with Labour, the Greens and New First.