Parliament's Government Administration Committee has released its report on the Statutes Repeal Bill, recommending that it be passed with amendments.

The omnibus bill seeks to repeal 128 Acts and to partially repeal 9 Acts that are deemed redundant or superfluous. The report says these are considered "spent" - they are no longer needed because they have ceased to have any actual effect, have very limited effects, or are designed to achieve regulatory outcomes that are no longer relevant.

Of the Acts to be repealed, 61 are Finance Acts, dating from 1930 up to 1994.

One historic Act which will vanish will be the Consolidated Statutes Enactment Act 1908. This was an important part of the groundbreaking (and so far, only) consolidation of all New Zealand statutes in 1908.

The Michael Connolly Appointment Validation Act 1936 will also disappear from New Zealand's statute book. This was to correct a technical problem with the appointment of trade unionist Michael Connolly to the Legislative Council. Mr Connolly was, however, technically a civil servant at the time and was therefore disqualified from membership of the Council.

Another link to the past will go with repeal of the Hawke's Bay Earthquake Act 1931, enacted to deal with the devastating 1931 earthquake. The Act established an Adjustment Court which had the power to inquire into and resolve matters relating to property or personal rights where the earthquake had destroyed documents.