House Leader Chris Hipkins hits back as Judith Collins criticises Government's 'lazy' Parliament schedule

House Leader Chris Hipkins has hit back at National leader Judith Collins after she criticised the Government for "taking so long to bring Parliament back" and described it as "lazy".

"I've never heard anything like this before," Collins told The AM Show on Wednesday, questioning the Government's schedule which will see Parliament rise on December 9 - two weeks after the formal opening - and reconvene two months later on February 9. 

"Two months," Collins said in disbelief. "This is extraordinary that the Government's taking so long to bring Parliament back and I can only say the answer is because they have almost no legislation other than a tax rise to get through." 

Collins added: "I think it's amazingly strange... It does sound awfully like a lazy Government. But that would be a negative thing to say."

Labour MP and House Leader Chris Hipkins said Collins is "wrong" for two reasons, one procedural and one because of National's "shambolic state". 

He said the election writ - the official notification of the result and who has been elected to Parliament - has not yet been returned by the Electoral Commission because of recounts in Māori electorates

"The House can't meet until the writ is returned. It is expected that this will happen on Sunday," he told Newshub. "For the House to open just three days after the return of the writ is historically very quick."

Hipkins said it's quicker than any of the three National Party-led Parliaments, which were 16, five and 11 days, respectively.

Hipkins also pushed back on Collins assertion that the only piece of law the Government has lined up to pass is Labour's promise of a new top income tax bracket. 

He said there are seven pieces of legislation awaiting first reading, more waiting for second reading and others at select committee.

"We have a full agenda," Hipkins said. "This followed 2019, when more Bills were passed than in any of National's nine years (counting divided Bills as one so that the like-for-like comparison is accurate)."

Hipkins argued that the Government has passed a "huge volume of legislation" in a short time. 

He said 43 pieces of legislation were passed in eight weeks of Parliament between the return of a full Parliament post-Budget and the original end sitting date of early August. 

The large amount of legislation passed was "helped by National ignoring its constitutional role as Opposition in the House, when its MPs and the leadership were too busy fighting among themselves to debate Government legislation", Hipkins said.

The 53rd Parliament will open next week with two ceremonies, starting with the formal opening on November 25 with Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy, Chief Justice Dame Helen Winkelmann, and the Clerk of the House who presides over the election of the Speaker. 

The following day the Governor-General gives the Speech from the Throne, which outlines the Government's plans for the term of Parliament.

The following week will be a regular week of parliamentary proceedings, and the week after that Parliament will wrap up for the year before returning in February after Waitangi.