"\u003C!DOCTYPE html\u003E\u003Chtml xmlns:xlink=\u0022http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink\u0022 xmlns:xsi=\u0022http://www.w3.org/2007/XMLSchema-instance\u0022 xmlns:mml=\u0022http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Chead\u003E\n    \u003CMETA http-equiv=\u0022Content-Type\u0022 content=\u0022text/html; charset=utf-16\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cmeta name=\u0022viewport\u0022 content=\u0022width=device-width, initial-scale=1\u0022\u003E\n  \u003C/head\u003E\n  \u003Cbody style=\u0022font-family:sans-serif; font-size:100%;\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002287d5f1df2a9c480ea5321307f8e0e687\u0022\u003EThursday, 16 August 2012\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000003\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00220a129b42e2f4499a9028ab553f5eb5ed\u0022\u003EThursday, 16 August 2012\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000002\u0022\u003EMr Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000004\u0022\u003EPrayers.\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000005\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022561de3bdede845f99a3ddfefbd8084d3\u0022\u003EBusiness Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000007\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002214e7d58e7aee4c0681f5383a228361cd\u0022\u003EBusiness Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u002285d00a6b55ba434a8c7ad1de20865cec\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000006\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002285d00a6b55ba434a8c7ad1de20865cec\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE (Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E When the House resumes on Tuesday, 21 August, the Government will look to complete the third reading of the Appropriation (2012/13) Estimates Bill and the remaining stages of the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill. The Government also intends to progress a number of other bills on the Order Paper.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022f05672fa7ae548959b0a80e03353fd10\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000008\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f05672fa7ae548959b0a80e03353fd10\u0022\u003EHon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour\u2014Hutt South):\u003C/span\u003E Can I inquire of the Leader of the House whether the Government has abandoned its intention to move next week on liquor law reform, given the intemperate comments of the Minister in charge of the bill? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u0022da330f42c43a4ab6a8a770ed81843d34\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000009\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022da330f42c43a4ab6a8a770ed81843d34\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE (Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E No. We have not made a decision about a time for the bill to come into the House, so clearly we have not abandoned anything.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000010\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c38719d7b0da4b1b9eada840666fdc0c\u0022\u003EPoints of Order\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000011\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c08cf789c02c457b89b2fd3a3edc5210\u0022\u003EPersonal Explanation\u2014Leave Sought to Correct\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a11ce4e-9fb3-4738-b0be-5a9f81d975da\u0022 data-id=\u0022dde50002169742248733c7a92dc65a34\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000012\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a11ce4e-9fb3-4738-b0be-5a9f81d975da\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022dde50002169742248733c7a92dc65a34\u0022\u003EHon MAURICE WILLIAMSON (Minister for Building and Construction):\u003C/span\u003E I seek leave to correct a personal explanation I made to the House yesterday. [Interruption] It is all right\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000013\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002232bd07e37ffe4987b0819ee84b0bf5fc\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Leave is sought for that course of action. Is there any objection? [Interruption] Order! I must be able to hear clearly. Is there any objection? There is no objection.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000014\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a11ce4e-9fb3-4738-b0be-5a9f81d975da\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ab3e540e6152449ca290be3ded6723bf\u0022\u003EHon MAURICE WILLIAMSON\u003C/span\u003E: Yesterday in relation to the\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000015\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002296e5ed8f45c541869798cc0c76cdc723\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000016\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002251008fc6cdce47fea6ec7b63b799e51d\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, a point is being\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000017\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b55cb885e25d402d929e07b3c3d43b98\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: There is objection. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022 data-id=\u0022e44fc32a28d44ff19cffc67c99eecdac\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000018\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e44fc32a28d44ff19cffc67c99eecdac\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I apologise if I did not hear objection. That is why I called for more silence\u2014so that I could hear. I apologise. It seems that I will need to put the leave again to clarify the situation, because if there is objection I should not ignore that. I did not intentionally ignore it. I feel I should put the leave to the House again. Leave is sought for the Hon Maurice Williamson to correct a personal explanation he made yesterday. Is there any objection? There is objection.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022eb6c3d9be7904931b606928814e34dc9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000019\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022eb6c3d9be7904931b606928814e34dc9\u0022\u003EHon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour\u2014Hutt South):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I just want to make it clear to the Government that the Labour Party will not speak if the Minister chooses to correct his ministerial explanation by way of ministerial statement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022 data-id=\u0022e798cc37d8eb495bb54239fe1fd3d8a1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000020\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e798cc37d8eb495bb54239fe1fd3d8a1\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I appreciate the member\u2019s attempt to be constructive, but I am not sure there is a provision for that\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000021\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002237ab43228b9b423baa9458c0903cd689\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: Well, he can do it if he wants to\u2014any time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ea597197481445118ece4ff2c06b8f48\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The member can certainly make a ministerial statement at any time. That is quite correct. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000023\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c6519fe248ab4395b0c8505d3f652168\u0022\u003EQuestions for Oral Answer\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000024\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c7a29c2668c94b0696819d3a7acafaa0\u0022\u003EQuestions to Ministers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000025\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b21ed2963a0544d0a90a28a992405dae\u0022\u003EEconomic Growth\u2014Report and Forecasts\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022 data-id=\u0022c4734ee14f1244b884e8c53338e6015f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000026\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E1. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c4734ee14f1244b884e8c53338e6015f\u0022\u003ETODD McCLAY (National\u2014Rotorua)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Finance: What reports has he received on progress in building a faster-growing economy?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022 data-id=\u002219513bfbdde34282b1a7a2f306487347\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000027\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002219513bfbdde34282b1a7a2f306487347\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE (Associate Minister of Finance)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Minister of Finance: Last week Treasury issued its monthly economic indicators for July, which showed the domestic economy remains in relatively good shape compared with most other developed countries. New Zealand posted a better than expected 1.1 percent GDP growth in the March quarter, taking annual growth to 2.4 percent compared with March 2011. This is better than most other developed countries, and compares well with Australia. Inflation is currently subdued. This should allow interest rates for households and businesses to remain lower for longer. Indicators suggest New Zealand will continue to achieve moderate economic growth in coming quarters, despite the further deterioration in international conditions we have seen recently. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000028\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002251092491a7b841d0b1e49c15ddceca65\u0022\u003ETodd McClay\u003C/span\u003E: What recent assessments of New Zealand\u2019s economic prospects has he received from offshore? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000029\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b2fd17244bb24f54a93c502ca041dda4\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE\u003C/span\u003E: New York - based credit ratings agency Standard and Poor\u2019s this month affirmed New Zealand\u2019s long-term foreign currency rating at AA with a stable outlook. We also remain one of only nine countries now with the highest possible AAA rating and a stable outlook with Moody\u2019s. Standard and Poor\u2019s noted this country\u2019s fiscal flexibility, resilient economy, and strong political and economic institutions. The ratings agency also noted that New Zealand has favourable prospects for sustained growth while there remains strong demand for our agricultural exports. As it pointed out, New Zealand\u2019s high level of private sector external debt remains its largest vulnerability. It is therefore pleasing to see the projected household savings rate reaching 4 percent by 2016, and remaining positive for a significant period of time\u2014in fact, the longest period of time for 20 years. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000030\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002282479be4b5e24ddc86e9fa13ca2f6156\u0022\u003ETodd McClay\u003C/span\u003E: What reports has he seen on reactions to the Government\u2019s various initiatives to boost exports and economic growth? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000031\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022883c485767604986ab7dfee4452281f5\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE\u003C/span\u003E: I have seen many, many reports that talk about economic growth but would do nothing to boost economic growth and increase jobs. I have seen reports of people talking about returning the Government\u2019s finances to surplus, then opposing every measure to reduce spending so that we can start repaying debt. I have seen reports of people wanting to encourage business growth, apparently, but then wanting to tax successful businesses more. I have seen talk of people wanting more jobs, but then proposing to pull up the drawbridge behind them by banning foreign investment. I have seen reports of people being supportive of convention centres when they are in Government, but vehemently opposed, suddenly, to similar convention centres in Opposition. And I have seen reports condemning resource extraction in New Zealand, but then bemoaning people leaving for jobs in the Australian mining sector. It is fair to say that those people are playing politics rather than having the best interests of New Zealand at heart. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000032\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fb9b8b05bfc0430f94ac25a1225c0e84\u0022\u003EHon David Parker\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I thought answers to questions were meant to be terse and to the point, and in that case the 5-minute bell was just about ready to ring. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000033\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226be37b2689e24a8a8cd45d3ae2b99c34\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The member makes a reasonable point. [Interruption] Order! Answers should not be longer than necessary, and I fear that that one did go on longer than necessary, and I blame myself for allowing that to happen. I should be more vigilant. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000034\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222a26b65c7a224665bec0e07b74ece9db\u0022\u003EHon David Parker\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister think that the 50,000 New Zealanders a year who are leaving are going because they believe he is making progress in building a faster-growing economy, or perhaps are they going because they see jobs being displaced by people on work permits working for less than the minimum wage, or is it because they see jobs being lost in the manufacturing sector, which is contracting? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000035\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c6eef9a8b7284cd7a0967aa14f250126\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE\u003C/span\u003E: Well, it is not the latter, because the jobs in the manufacturing sector have been growing over the last 2 years, so we can rule that out. I think that if you look at it, what we can reasonably assume is that those who are going to jobs in Western Australia are going there primarily to work either in the mining and resources sector or in sectors that service those sectors. The Government, after a long period of inaction by the previous Government, is working to get the settings right to encourage reasonable levels of development of New Zealand businesses, such as the resource sector, in this country. And we would welcome the support of the Opposition parties in doing that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000036\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e0192ed9-5715-4f6c-bd52-8db4f3466087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222b6caae4a1ca46d0bff6ef6c24984758\u0022\u003EHon David Cunliffe\u003C/span\u003E: Given that ratings agencies Standard and Poor\u2019s, Moody\u2019s, and Fitch Ratings have all criticised New Zealand\u2019s lack of export diversification and high-value exports, why does the export public relations glossy that he issued yesterday contain no quantitative target for export growth until the year 2025? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000037\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002286187de863154ccd97808731a1404feb\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE\u003C/span\u003E: The member\u2019s analysis is as deep as the normal puddle. The reality of the progress report\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000038\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e0192ed9-5715-4f6c-bd52-8db4f3466087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229dc737e23e2e4a5388979a644f09b8eb\u0022\u003EHon David Cunliffe\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. You will well remember yesterday drawing the Minister\u2019s attention to similar intemperance in his answer to my question yesterday.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000039\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c5d874de9ad8462bb6677062768df638\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! And, indeed, I would have responded directly myself, had I not listened to the question carefully and heard derogatory comment in the question. So if members include\u2014well, the member referred to a publication that the Government put out yesterday as some glossy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000040\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224103048e778c4f04aadfdc82915ee4c4\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s not derogatory.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000041\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b5e5d3f4ba5c4443a01c8e0082408d82\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: It is not objective language. If members want Ministers to stick to objective language, questions should contain objective language.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000042\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227be17b7363784202b1cc03813729de3d\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Referring to a glossy publication as glossy is hardly subjective.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f08017767dbe40fdb78502b4abbab0ed\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The language was intentionally\u2014[Interruption] Order! The Speaker might look stupid, but he is not that stupid. The language was intentionally derogatory about a publication. It is common language to refer to something as a glossy when it is considered not to have much content. The Minister therefore is at liberty to respond to that. And that is the end of the matter. I will not entertain any further points of order on that issue. Let me be very clear about that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000044\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e0192ed9-5715-4f6c-bd52-8db4f3466087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bc736cb5132b4513bc3ff6cf8a062863\u0022\u003EHon David Cunliffe\u003C/span\u003E: I seek leave to re-ask the supplementary question, omitting the word.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000045\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e93629536c6d4a25b81d42a10a8b6ac7\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! No, the member asked his question. The Minister is answering it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000046\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228397e410cabe44d3b3d72df9d7fdcc1b\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE\u003C/span\u003E: The point the member misses is that actually New Zealand\u2019s exports have grown substantially in the last 4 years, and, in fact, have grown 5 percent in the goods exports per annum over 4 years and 4.2 percent per annum every year over 4 years, as well. So we are making very good progress in exports. I tell you what would upset the ratings agencies would be if we attempted to manage the exchange rate as proposed by the Labour Party, which is true voodoo economics\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000047\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224eb6ecf239144722a534581ec7869d0c\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! That is sufficient on that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000048\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220c27a3b465ba42c79362e106e3fe72ea\u0022\u003EHon David Parker\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. We have no right of recourse against the little snipe about voodoo economics from the man who has his head in the sand\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000049\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002296b1a464d9994c408c5c2cf8f41df691\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The member will resume his seat right now. He knows he has intentionally abused the point of order process. I will not tolerate that. Members know that if they ask straight questions, they will get straight answers, if they use objective language. If they try to be clever, do not expect the Speaker\u2019s protection from more clever answers. Had the Minister gone down that track at the end there, in response to a very direct, straight question with objective language, I would have reprimanded him severely, too. But I will not tolerate the point of order process being abused like that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000050\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226807ed7962ea4ef2b7f93f8ce2893a62\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I invite you to relook at the tapes for this week of every answer and every supplementary answer from that Minister, and find one answer that was straight.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000051\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221978794a82b1423eae6a39c199067411\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! We are not going to get into that kind of argument by way of point of order. If members ask straight questions, I will do my best to endeavour they get straight answers. But the discipline is on the questioner.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000052\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e0192ed9-5715-4f6c-bd52-8db4f3466087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022772d3bab15e943639a0c3ddcc17e6ba7\u0022\u003EHon David Cunliffe\u003C/span\u003E: I seek leave to table an original version of the Government\u2019s Building Export Markets paper, to demonstrate that the word \u201Cglossy\u201D is, in fact\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000053\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223d40daff314d4e518671b52fd3101682\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Members will very shortly be leaving this House if they carry on this way. I do not care whether members have questions on the Order Paper or not. I will not see the point of order process abused like this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000054\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00220faedfc0e5be4a8b89f0b1b14cf48409\u0022\u003EMinisters\u2014Confidence\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022 data-id=\u0022af35826b054e4912adc91533c473bacf\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000055\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E2. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022af35826b054e4912adc91533c473bacf\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON (Deputy Leader\u2014Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Prime Minister: Does he have confidence in his Ministers; if so, why?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u0022a04ff4d978744fe686dc7d2790c73d15\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000056\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a04ff4d978744fe686dc7d2790c73d15\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE (Leader of the House)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Prime Minister: Yes; because they are hard-working and competent Ministers who are working hard for a better future for New Zealanders. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002293f40c61b0e941388cd81e3e352e0c02\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: How can he have confidence in the Minister for Social Development, who, despite being told by the Director of Human Rights Proceedings that she was wrong to release the details of beneficiaries for political gain, has refused to apologise or even rule out doing it again?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000058\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002280eea48311244deeb8a09853f7b7b5cc\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: I note that the director of proceedings for the Human Rights Commission has made the comment that this is a settled matter, and that is where it lies.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dc01361393fb472cbe48ed30287d63bc\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: How is it credible for him to have Ministers such as Judith Collins say that she has zero tolerance for privacy breaches in ACC, or for Work and Income staff to be sacked for accessing personal information, when he is actively endorsing one of his Ministers\u2014Paula Bennett\u2014to do just that?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000060\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cf1a1852589248819502f0315144032c\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: I can again only repeat to the member the words of the director of proceedings, who said: \u201COn the basis of the Minister\u2019s letter to me, I have agreed to close my file. The matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. The letter from the Minister [to the complainant is available in the public arena]. We have all agreed that the letter speaks for itself and we will make no further comment.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000061\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220f6e672d8bcd487088cf90afc62c80a9\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree with Judith Collins that people should lose their jobs over privacy breaches; if so, why will he not dismiss Paula Bennett for doing just that?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000062\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d19c1674785b4d2cb48aaabc022bdc62\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: There was no breach found by the director of proceedings for the Human Rights Commission\u2014simple.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000063\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220f3ac9a519ac4f878619f955b2dabe61\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: Would he have confidence in a Minister who released the details of tax paid by a business person who was campaigning for lower taxes; if not, what makes that different from doing it to someone like Natasha Fuller, who was asking for reinstatement of the training incentive allowance?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000064\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002275491a25817447a48b6d74b9ec9e16fb\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: That is a hypothetical suggestion, and I am not going to answer a hypothetical question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000065\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228496b717f2e44515b3411802aa8c5e6d\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: How can the Prime Minister have confidence in the Minister for Land Information when the Minister told the House yesterday that a pivotal court case involving May Wang\u2014which case he gave as the reason for the Overseas Investment Office and him being restrained\u2014had concluded, when the truth is that that pivotal case is not finished but subject to adjournment until 14 September?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000066\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227697802fcef7478885eb95bb1b582013\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: Because the Minister has handled this totally appropriately. He did not give authority for May Wang\u2014or permission or approval for May Wang\u2014to buy those farms, and as soon as these legal matters are dealt with, his department will, in fact, require those farms to be disposed of.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000067\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a7d03c0d77834e5aaf2ff6997d23dd76\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: How can he have confidence in the Minister for Land Information, who got up in the House yesterday and gave erroneous information from his department, and asserted it in numerous points of order and explanations to the House allowed by the Speaker, when, in fact, the critical reason that he gave for delay is not the fact\u2014the case is not over; it is adjourned in Hong Kong until 14 September? How can he have confidence in a Minister who gets it that wrong even on notice?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000068\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f34d4d83eea54113a643301239c06cfd\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: Well, the question was not on notice. Secondly, the salient point is that this is an illegal acquisition and it will be dealt with.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000069\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229c370b61c655492891621fc872dc0318\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: In light of his earlier answers, can he give the New Zealand public an assurance that the Minister of Education, Hekia Parata, did not access any Government records of personal information in order to identify which schools teachers writing to her to express concern about class sizes worked at, given that she sent her replies to those correspondents to their employers rather than to them; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000070\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ad107cccec1d48d1b1e11c83dcde3525\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: I can only speculate that the information probably came to the Minister of Education with the teachers themselves identifying the schools that they were in. Therefore, it was referred to them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000071\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002294b6af2fdd2844ae9f39971b03d3e28a\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: How can the Prime Minister have confidence in the Minister for Land Information when the Minister and his department chose, despite 27 months\u2019 delay, not to use their powers under section 42 of the Overseas Investment Act, which includes fines of up to $300,000, to fine Ms Wang and her company for the illegal purchase of four farms?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000072\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a0d0c739cfdc40448afba26ac02c07fa\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: My information is that in this circumstance you cannot move until that court case is dealt with, but the intention is the same. Those properties will be disposed of.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000073\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d9ec6401b9a34eb6a9689316230fcb18\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: If it is revealed that the Minister of Education did, in fact, access personal records in order to identify which schools teachers corresponding with her about class sizes worked at, will he expect her to resign; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000074\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226683c11858354679b8d8881ff23e0946\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: Another one of these speculative and hypothetical questions! My suggestion is that the member needs to set down a question to the Minister of Education to get better clarification of the situation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000075\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e66d487a0ae04681a76436716a732bb3\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: I seek leave to table a letter that was sent to the chairperson of a board of trustees\u2014with the name of the board chair and the board removed, and the teacher\u2019s name removed\u2014from the Minister of Education, dated 1 June 2012, responding to a letter that was sent to the Minister of Education expressing concern about class sizes. It was sent to the board, not to the individual concerned.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000076\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EDocument, by leave, laid on the Table of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000077\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00224fd261c1b8c64249a629fc7b20e0d9c1\u0022\u003EHealth Targets\u2014Elective Surgery\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022 data-id=\u00220e09664c9614436683ce22deefad62b9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000078\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022\u003E3. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220e09664c9614436683ce22deefad62b9\u0022\u003EDr PAUL HUTCHISON (National\u2014Hunua)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Health: What progress can he report on the numbers of patients receiving elective surgery?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022 data-id=\u0022026f1784ce084b68bce44ad8f493f028\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000079\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022026f1784ce084b68bce44ad8f493f028\u0022\u003EHon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health):\u003C/span\u003E The latest district health board data shows that an extra 7,500 patients got elective surgery in the last 12 months, meaning 153,000 people got the operations they needed in the last financial year. More patients are getting hip and knee replacements, cataract surgeries, and tonsillectomies sooner, and more prompt treatment improves recovery and gets patients back to normal life sooner. This means that under this Government the number of patients receiving elective surgery each year is now 35,000 more than in the last year of the previous Government. Under National there has been a 30 percent increase in elective surgery.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000080\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224f0b453dc6414256a9581c52a258e68b\u0022\u003EDr Paul Hutchison\u003C/span\u003E: What progress has been made on reducing waiting times for elective surgery?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000081\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223851ed140ec3408abbdb4dd8e8b64163\u0022\u003EHon TONY RYALL\u003C/span\u003E: Members will be aware that the Auditor-General expressed some concern that about 10 percent of patients treated in a certain period were waiting more than 6 months on a waiting list. As a result, the Government has worked with district health boards in order to reduce the number of patients waiting longer than 6 months to get their treatment or specialist appointment. We have in the last year reduced that number by 85 percent, from 5,700 to 840 patients. This includes 690 patients on Canterbury District Health Board\u2019s list, and if they are excluded, only 152 patients who are booked to see a specialist or get surgery are waiting more than 6 months across the country. This is a great achievement by the doctors and nurses, and the New Zealand public health service.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000082\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022fe64c295fd0148f486a1cc6313995576\u0022\u003EPoverty\u2014Official Data\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022 data-id=\u002276d57b07b0f449168f1b0312919681bc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000083\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E4. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002276d57b07b0f449168f1b0312919681bc\u0022\u003EJACINDA ARDERN (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Social Development: Does she stand by her answer to oral questions on Tuesday that \u201CThere is in New Zealand no actual poverty line\u201D and \u201CI do not see the measurement as a priority\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022 data-id=\u002217384d123b344c749e20c3bf2923ba3d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002217384d123b344c749e20c3bf2923ba3d\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, because it is correct. There is no official measure of poverty in New Zealand. The actual work to address poverty is perhaps what is most important\u2014things like insulating homes, making sure that we legislate for CPI increases in benefits, getting people into work, and ensuring children have access to free health care. That is the priority for this Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000085\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a22a38d002ab4a40a4fa0c7234b17fb4\u0022\u003EJacinda Ardern\u003C/span\u003E: When she said that the Ministerial Committee on Poverty was \u201Cgetting things done\u201D instead of \u201Cjust worrying about measurements\u201D, had she read the one Treasury paper provided to the committee, which stated that \u201Cgetting a New Zealand-specific sense of the dynamic poverty data could be a useful place to start.\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000086\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221e1142c8b1a44707abacb1ffd750582e\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: I certainly stand by the work\u2014the hard work\u2014that is going on within that ministerial committee. What we are concentrating on is the things that matter to New Zealand, and particularly to those most vulnerable children. Quite frankly, the list of the work that is happening is so long that, Mr Speaker, you would not allow me the time to actually read it out at this time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a1b8cf84659b4945a11f125d37927851\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! What I would allow the Minister to do, though, is to answer whether or not she had seen the paper that was the subject of the question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dc289ae187ca42618a1fd9e8fdbe85b9\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: Yes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000089\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002246658a1a7a554dcf98d7adbeccaa8208\u0022\u003EJacinda Ardern\u003C/span\u003E: What information was used to generate the figure in her own green paper that \u201CNearly 20 percent of New Zealand children live in poverty.\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000090\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002236a804fa720f492e9a4a807b22d1665b\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: I think that is exactly where we say that the measure can actually be controversial and at the same level speculative. What we have done, as you have seen\u2014you would have seen the research behind that green paper\u2014is that we have taken it from a variety of measures and come up with 20 percent. But I would say to you that it is relative and it could be changed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000091\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022937a738982c045099100dd4b68f53578\u0022\u003EJacinda Ardern\u003C/span\u003E: Does she agree that 20 percent of New Zealand children live in poverty?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000092\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b05f5ef484204928bb7d3b529bf12507\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: I think children move in and out of poverty pretty much on a daily basis. What I do not agree with\u2014[Interruption] Well, they do. One week they can be in poverty, then their parent can get a job or increase their income, and they are no longer in poverty. Get in the real world! This is not \u201CLabour Land\u201D. This is the real world, and actually children move in and out of poverty, at times on a weekly basis. It is a fact. Read the research. What I do not agree with is that poverty and measuring it are what is most important for New Zealand children today. There is plenty of evidence that says that many, many, many parents whose children\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000093\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002249d2a69122094b9daad9a665438ee08f\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Paula Bennett was asked whether she agreed that 20 percent of New Zealand children are living in poverty. We have heard a diatribe but no answer to the most basic question. Does she agree, yes or no?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000094\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228cabdf95b99344c79fe38837baff6530\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Well, Ministers are never required to answer yes or no to that type of question. The Minister has stated how she sees that figure, and she has argued, to some interjection from the other side, that children move in and out of poverty. It is clearly an answer to the question. It may not be the one that member was\u2014[Interruption] Order! I am on my feet.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000095\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002209a5b71a-ca7e-4e7c-9e09-f9e63f18aa12\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002269bba38cb8114f1c81c1185589d2feb3\u0022\u003EHon Annette King\u003C/span\u003E: Sorry, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000096\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222d9957f9b23f44749f5fd554b228daf8\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you. It may not be the best of answers\u2014that is not for the Speaker to judge\u2014but the House was clearly indicating what it thought of the answer. But it was in order.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000097\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cd112dca92804e2b8b32089b354fe4ac\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Now that there has been that interruption\u2014and I apologise to my colleague for cutting in front of him again\u2014I think it would be appropriate if the Minister started the answer again, because I think we have lost some of the flow of it. [Interruption]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000098\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022df107ff2b4e54f8e91baec08b1040518\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I do not think that\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000099\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d28262cd1cca42d8b700147c8a6c6e65\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000100\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223309935c0a28406aa30d27386c439c15\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Now look, this point of order process will not go on too much longer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000101\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d310ada643da489fbbf27099e5314d92\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Surely the rudimentary assumption from the question is that on any given day\u2014that is, the 20 percent\u2014on any given day, does she agree that 20 percent are in poverty? Do we have to have these tortuous explanations\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002258dd05b90a9746399f780b897c006f75\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The member cannot dispute answers by way of point of order. If the member does not like the answer, ask a supplementary question. That is what question time is about. It is not about raising points of order because the answer is not liked. I am certainly prepared to entertain points of order when questions are not answered at all, and I intervened with this\u2014[Interruption] Order! I say to the Minister do not interject. I have had enough of this today and there will not\u2014the Minister is showing no more discipline, or less discipline, than a 3-year-old child. It will cease. I am serious.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000103\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cc67be68fb8744c88122ef8f21b3a785\u0022\u003EJacinda Ardern\u003C/span\u003E: Does she agree that today 20 percent of New Zealand children live in poverty? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000104\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022963ec8d8bdb746c5aa206610a8ecb34b\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The Hon\u2014[Interruption] Order! I have not even called the Minister. Can I encourage the Minister to settle down.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000105\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dc4a42fadf644ecfaf58d1d4e32da9d4\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: I have not measured them today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000106\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ffc56d38009148c6ba8e9a7de39cf4d8\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Question No. 5, Dr Russel Norman. [Interruption] Now look! I apologise to Dr Russel Norman, but the noise will\u2014[Interruption] Order! The House will settle down. This is absolutely disgraceful. Members of the public watching this will email me this afternoon about how disgusted they are by some of the behaviour. It has happened too often this week. I have had too many such communications this week and I do not like that kind of reaction from the public.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000107\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022bed61577309b4102b0c81c9dd30e7ec8\u0022\u003EPrivacy Issues\u2014Release of Personal Information by Ministers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022 data-id=\u00227fbe3231e7f64e899811bf96e440b1c7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E5. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227fbe3231e7f64e899811bf96e440b1c7\u0022\u003EDr RUSSEL NORMAN (Co-Leader\u2014Green)\u003C/span\u003E to the Prime Minister: Does he agree with the statement made by the Hon Bill English, in relation to the release of Natasha Fuller\u2019s private details by his Social Development Minister, that, \u201CPeople who enter into public debate are welcome to do so \u2026 and should provide their full information to the public\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u00221d45f28fdb18489fbb323a0e4e7f0ef0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000109\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221d45f28fdb18489fbb323a0e4e7f0ef0\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE (Leader of the House)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Prime Minister: Yes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000110\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022af33a90910aa4f40b48ab663d4224510\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Prime Minister agree with the director of the Office of Human Rights Proceedings that Paula Bennett breached the Privacy Act when she released Natasha Fuller\u2019s private details without her permission?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000111\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b35b42ba41ba4b1390d89986b355fb68\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: In fact, there has not been a finding that the Minister Paula Bennett breached the complainant\u2019s privacy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000112\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022554167a810ab4c4cb252b0aec1ed5fdb\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: Does that mean that he supports Paula Bennett\u2019s decision to reserve the right to release other people\u2019s private details without their consent in the future \u201Cdepending on the circumstances\u201D, and is this now Government policy?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000113\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022586de80b7e084dd68f800336efabf323\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: No.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000114\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002253c4faced9fe4a53849a66ccc594fe7f\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: Will the Prime Minister direct other Ministers to follow the Privacy Act and not release private information without the consent of the people concerned?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000115\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002260838ef92bdb40e2be7a21833af70626\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: Ministers do, every day, follow the provisions of the Privacy Act and many others as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000116\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c7903042d3f440b7a0e7eda101fa9b81\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: When Taleni Lafo entered the public debate about the state of Housing New Zealand Corporation homes, claiming hers was making her children sick, under what circumstances would he consider it appropriate for Ministers responsible for the Inland Revenue Department, social development, or housing to access her personal details about herself and her family and make them public?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000117\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221e75dde4f8b549238b576e02325afa19\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: The first expectation would be that the Minister investigated the circumstances and remedied the problem.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000118\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b204448466eb4c95bda599e3e44af186\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. My question asked about the circumstances under which it would be appropriate to release the information. The Minister talked about what they should do in the first instance. He did not address the question at all.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000119\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002223c7fbb72b9740d1b84d812d84578875\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I think the member has got a reasonable point there. I invite him to repeat his question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000120\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002203bfc86ff3534a1d9ed7470067c93f32\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When Taleni Lafo entered the public debate about the state of Housing New Zealand Corporation homes, under what circumstances would the Prime Minister consider it appropriate for Ministers to access her personal details and those of her family, and make these details public?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000121\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225ea8b1e51c404e78ac075568b50e18f3\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: That is a hypothetical question, and I am not answering a hypothetical question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000122\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002240e2d74fa45848ad80c22baede2e721d\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: When sexual abuse survivors criticise Government plans to cut back ACC for sensitive claims, under what circumstances would the Prime Minister support the Minister for ACC accessing the survivors\u2019 personal files, and releasing their private, personal details to the media?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000123\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228210fab744cb47daa89bc82402b68879\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: This is once again a highly hypothetical question. The member can go on all afternoon trying to put forward these alarming situations in a hypothetical sense. They cannot and will not be answered.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000124\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221f61f8eea0664cbf8b69fbbf9260997e\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: Are there any circumstances in which it is acceptable for a Minister of the Crown to go to the Government files and access the personal, private details of a member of the public, and release those details without consent in order to make political gain?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000125\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220a4642a1bc86491faeaf1aeef4174d39\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: I have to say, once again, he is asking for the answer to a question that poses hypothetical situations. What I can say is that when it comes to people like Stewart Murray Wilson, the public expect those details to be in the domain. Therefore, it is a very difficult question to answer specifically.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226735ae4f2c424bc0aad9ab803b17e9a2\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I asked for, basically, a policy guideline. What is the Prime Minister\u2019s policy for guiding Ministers on releasing this information?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000127\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fafd3da526774474b9acffec4d26814d\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The member actually asked, if I recollect correctly, whether there are any circumstances under which such information might be accessed and released. In answering it, it appeared the Minister indicated that perhaps there might be some, depending on the circumstances. That seemed to be the answer the Minister gave, because he seemed to cite a situation where that might be a desirable thing to do. It is totally the Minister\u2019s right to answer how he sees fit, but it was certainly an answer. He indicated that there may be some circumstances.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226af5743425b54d429db44a0453d887b5\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Prime Minister accept that having a Government that releases the private information of people who oppose Government policy\u2014information that is available only to the State\u2014is an approach that silences dissent, chills dissent in a democratic society, and is not acceptable in a democratic and free country?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000129\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002279161530f695427a98c660c53ebfb742\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: Well, quite clearly, by the long list of examples the member has given this afternoon, that is not the case.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022262bc43e26904c769b105beb3a59a14f\u0022\u003ETelevision, Switch-over to Digital\u2014Hawke\u2019s Bay and West Coast\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00220bfa5b74-8933-458a-99d4-bbd75d9898d0\u0022 data-id=\u0022878fc59331a94d06bee8a17fa744f6ed\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000131\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220bfa5b74-8933-458a-99d4-bbd75d9898d0\u0022\u003E6. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022878fc59331a94d06bee8a17fa744f6ed\u0022\u003ECHRIS AUCHINVOLE (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Broadcasting: What percentage of households in Hawke\u2019s Bay and on the West Coast of the South Island have gone digital ahead of the digital switchover in these regions on 30 September?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022659f6556-09a1-4ead-bc52-05cbdb4eaab8\u0022 data-id=\u002299dd044cb82a4eab8a59b74655e1cc17\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000132\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022659f6556-09a1-4ead-bc52-05cbdb4eaab8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002299dd044cb82a4eab8a59b74655e1cc17\u0022\u003EHon CRAIG FOSS (Minister of Broadcasting):\u003C/span\u003E Ninety percent of households in Hawke\u2019s Bay and 92 percent of households on the West Coast of the South Island have already gone digital, ahead of the switch-over on 30 September. There is a high level of awareness in these regions\u2014at least 96 percent\u2014of the need to go digital. Although some households may choose not to go digital, I fully encourage others to make the switch well before 30 September. Nationwide, 86 percent of households have already gone digital and are enjoying more channels, better pictures, and new services.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000133\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220bfa5b74-8933-458a-99d4-bbd75d9898d0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022771a626646094f9da201ece9b005fdab\u0022\u003EChris Auchinvole\u003C/span\u003E: What action needs to be taken by those households that want to watch TV after the digital switch-over?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000134\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022659f6556-09a1-4ead-bc52-05cbdb4eaab8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dfbc33dac78a4936ac0d6ec89e2645c6\u0022\u003EHon CRAIG FOSS\u003C/span\u003E: To keep watching TV, households need to go digital either by having FreeView, Sky, or TelstraClear, or by acquiring a set top box. People wanting to find out what they need to go digital should visit www.goingdigital.co.nz or call 0800 838 800. The rest of the South Island will have its digital switch-over at the end of April 2013. The digital switch-over awareness campaign will be rolled out across the rest of the South Island in the coming months.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000135\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b2b354db56844e0a91e0ddad8fe9be01\u0022\u003EFamily Court\u2014Fees, Subsidies, and Access to Advice\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022 data-id=\u002297efd71d86fa48a595d1b93e9e12ad7e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000136\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E7. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002297efd71d86fa48a595d1b93e9e12ad7e\u0022\u003ECHARLES CHAUVEL (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Justice: What assistance will be available to families unable to afford the fee of over $900 she proposes to introduce in order to access the new Family Dispute Resolution Service?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022 data-id=\u0022bc8eac54c2e943f590437b340d589c88\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bc8eac54c2e943f590437b340d589c88\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Justice):\u003C/span\u003E The premise of the member\u2019s question is incorrect. The fee for the new Family Disputes Resolution service is not over $900.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000138\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002236b4f52bc2d84e3fb5b592e92f0e7540\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: I seek to table a document from the Minister\u2019s office, released 2 weeks ago, indicating that the fee to access\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000139\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227221f076a5904c4da8a1943950b89860\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Is this a press release, though?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000140\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b2e5fe9e1ce047c8968a7c73b1661def\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: No, it is a Q and A issued by the Minister.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000141\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e994332abffe460db2fb05e593552c7c\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Leave is sought to table that document from the Minister\u2019s office. Is there any objection?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000142\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002268c384a01a2c422695c4fa473c5b07a2\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: To be clear\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000143\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229b5727f344064aee88851f67311ddd64\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I have put it to the House. I have put the leave. Is there any objection? There is objection.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000144\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002291cba8aab5654ff79a469cfc6d1776ab\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Can I ask that you review the systems within your office that allowed this question to be accepted if, in fact, it was not properly authenticated.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000145\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229ecd25a5b22f48239e136136696ecb2c\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The issue is an interesting one. Indeed, information for authenticating a question is often accepted as information in a press release, and that is often what is supplied. Just because a question is authenticated to be within the Standing Orders for it to be asked does not automatically mean that information contained in it is correct. I draw that distinction to the attention of members of the House: authentication does not of itself imply that the information contained in a question is correct. There is no way that my office can identify whether or not\u2014it is beyond our means to be able to ascertain whether or not information is correct. We can only authenticate it in terms of the information provided, and that is what was done here. The Minister, it appears, is refuting the accuracy of the information provided, and the Minister is at liberty to do that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000146\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228a12b51ff4a644fbb3e29fbc570dd916\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: Now that the Family Court review has been completed, will she reconsider the proposed restrictions in the Legal Assistance (Sustainability) Amendment Bill on entitlements to civil legal aid, including its requirement that the parties should meet the costs of counsel for the child?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000147\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002275e33d8422974d02b3fc5caf151b70f5\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS\u003C/span\u003E: That bill is currently being considered, and, of course, with the Family Court review and, hopefully, the shifting of many applications into Family Disputes Resolution, so that they do not need to go court, there are expected to be some more changes coming to the Legal Assistance (Sustainability) Amendment Bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000148\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223b41f6744db741f4ba869c48f4947b19\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: In addition to the 1,200 New Zealand families every year that her officials say will be deterred by the new $900 fee from using the Family Court, what modelling has been done on the deterrent effect of requiring families to pay for the cost of counsel for the child and the new legal aid entitlement threshold of an income of only $22,000 per annum?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ef2a165c65d241cdb55a70f839a862ac\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS\u003C/span\u003E: In fact, the advice from the officials was that about 1,200 families would be able to have their matters dealt with in the Family Disputes Resolution service\u2014in other words, preventing them from having to go to the Family Court to get their matters resolved. I would have thought that most people would think that when we had 26,000 applications to the Family Court in the 2010-11 year and they involved only 8,000 families, that tells us that there are an awful lot of applications and repeat applications from the same families, whose matters have simply not been resolved to their satisfaction. Family Disputes Resolution will be about helping them to come to the right conclusions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000150\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a1584e2ac017477c8599ea8c940cca94\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Minister addressed the premise of my question but not the substance of it. The substance asked her about the modelling that has been done, if any, on the deterrent effect of requiring families to pay for the cost of counsel for the child, and also being met by a new entitlement to civil\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000151\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222e955bfa220a4a90a9fb484afddbed13\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! To save time, I will allow the member to repeat his question, because I sense that there is some validity to his point.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000152\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002214b050754beb4073a574113bbfa77f6a\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you. The question is: in addition to the 1,200 New Zealand families every year that her officials say will be deterred by the new access fee from using the Family Court, what modelling has been done on the deterrent effect of requiring families to pay for the costs of counsel for the child, and the new legal aid entitlement threshold of an income of only $22,000 per annum?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000153\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e1bd51faae514ced872065f13b35ec9e\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS\u003C/span\u003E: The member has again put statements in his question that I do not believe give the full and right context. The officials have indicated that around 1,200 families will not need to go to the Family Court, because they will be able to have their matters resolved by the Family Disputes Resolution service. I would have thought that every responsible member of Parliament would think that was a good thing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000154\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222419e7f3ff41469f99f9ef07bcd65281\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am sorry, but I am renewing my objection\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000155\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002286eab02b58c341bfabea8a9bc6f1475f\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No. Order! On this occasion, having listened very carefully this time to both the question\u2014the member will resume his seat\u2014and the answer, I think the Minister\u2019s answer was a perfectly valid answer. The member made a statement at the start of the question. He did not ask what modelling had been done; he made a statement about advice around deterrents to use, if I remember correctly. The Minister in her answer argued that that statement was incorrect, and she is at liberty to do that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000156\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c35f34b9be5a471fbb60f317cc3bc9e3\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am not\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000157\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223a0c001f3a254fbb84110b36908e6e58\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Is this a further point of order?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000158\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022460b1a95741b44c1a8b48c3162771238\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: Yes. I am just trying to understand your ruling. I did\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a995002764af4cc28a2a87411c95436f\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The ruling is very simple to understand. If the member goes back and looks at the question asked, he made a statement before asking about modelling. He said \u201Cgiven\u201D. When members do that, they run a risk. There have been some Speakers who have not allowed that. I allow that because I think it is quite important, because sometimes that \u201Cgiven\u201D might be \u201Cgiven the Minister\u2019s previous answer\u201D, and I think it is good that members have listened to answers. The risk is that if a member makes a statement like that prior to asking the substance of the question, the Minister is at liberty to dispute that statement. That is what the Minister has done, and that is a perfectly fair answer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000160\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228ffd79fbed394ac8b49dcd6c97c87659\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I just want to be very clear. I did not begin my question with \u201Cgiven that\u201D. I did make a statement: I said \u201Cin addition to\u201D. But, surely, if the Minister disputes the statement, she is entitled to do that, but she is still required to answer the question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000161\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a87faf16e1c745cf8c06d600e50dca8a\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Not at all. Not at all. If members include statements in their questions, Ministers are perfectly at liberty to dispute the statement made, and that is the end of their answer. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000162\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220c2d033eb6dd486fbbce304cf1fb1c05\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: What advice has she received about how the closure of the Manukau Counties Community Law Centre next week and the threatened closure of other community and specialist law centres around New Zealand will affect the ability of family members to get access to the advice and representation they need to resolve domestic disputes involving vulnerable children?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000163\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002223924e35bdd941028c6313903a228fc4\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS\u003C/span\u003E: I am fully aware that there are, in effect, better services being put in place to deal with the situation in Manukau. If the member would like, I am very happy to provide him with a briefing. It is quite a sensitive matter, but, actually, better steps are being put in place.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000164\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221e72b859d4b2497ab6368264d883fd15\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. My question asked what advice the Minister had received about the effect of these closures on family law services. I do not think that was addressed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000165\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a95cd65551834fd58c9f5feb570cd018\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The Minister said that better services will be provided. She did not clarify whether that was the advice she had received. I will give the Minister the opportunity to clarify that. The question did indeed ask what advice she had received, and I think that should be answered.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000166\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b9a26a5603b449efa8a24b5038728990\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The supplementary question is a very long way from the primary question, and if the member wanted to have very detailed information, he could have put it down as a primary question. But I have already offered the member a briefing, which is quite sensitive, given the fact that there are some\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000167\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223b7c005f5f3a4378b7871678ff8d2064\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The Minister is going on beyond what is necessary for a point of order right now. I accept the point the Minister is making that we have gone from Family Disputes Resolution services to the Family Court, but it is not unrelated. That is why I do not think it would be fair to rule out the member\u2019s supplementary question. I believe that would be unfair. But the question asked what advice the Minister had received on that matter. Maybe the Minister does not have that information with her today, and that would be a perfectly fair answer, given the distance from the primary question asked. But I think it is unreasonable to ignore the question, and because of the time that has passed I invite Charles Chauvel to repeat his question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000168\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002213764131bff34a2198d6b4fc8c54ca12\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: What advice has she received about how the closure of the Manukau Counties Community Law Centre next week and the potential closure of other community and specialist law centres around New Zealand will affect the ability of family members to get access to the advice and representation they need to resolve domestic disputes involving vulnerable children?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c6045876c1fc455b9d0d4834c6a3548c\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS\u003C/span\u003E: I do not have that information with me, and I invite that member to write to me about it, because, so far, I do not believe I have received any communication from him. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000170\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002227790f3c32384dfbb6ed266bfd6d9029\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: In respect of civil legal aid and the Family Court, as well as access to justice in that court, what has changed since the President of the New Zealand Law Society, Jonathan Temm, said that the Legal Assistance (Sustainability) Amendment Bill and related measures were misleading about the savings they would deliver, would have an impact on child poverty, would make savings in one place but result in cost blowouts in others, and would fail to serve New Zealand\u2019s most vulnerable people well?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000171\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a01d7ffb8246429dbaf0b025d85dbec5\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS\u003C/span\u003E: I suggest, for a start, the period of time, because there has been a lot of water gone under the bridge since Mr Temm made those comments, and he is certainly very pleased with some of the work that we have been doing on this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000172\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ff47eee90f1d4b07a3b45722b725f0b8\u0022\u003ETe Ururoa Flavell\u003C/span\u003E: If wh\u0101nau do not have access to the new Family Disputes Resolution service, or any form of dispute resolution, in the event that they cannot afford the fee, what proposals will she be putting forward to ensure that wh\u0101nau are able to access these services, without income limitations preventing them from being able to do so?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000173\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022518d3f4e201042efafd891be1e4ad0d1\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS\u003C/span\u003E: That is a really good question, and the answer, in fact, is that families that cannot afford the fee, or their share of the fee, will be able to be subsidised so that they can access the service. We are very keen to get more people out of court and get these matters sorted out in a family situation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000174\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002229adfe4062114f6f8a7630fa2fd08e41\u0022\u003ECourt Facilities, Masterton\u2014Range of Services\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ae94eea7-ba5f-4303-bf71-49e708bc9888\u0022 data-id=\u0022f484612da272471a8c2cdf4b41c9d474\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000175\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ae94eea7-ba5f-4303-bf71-49e708bc9888\u0022\u003E8. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f484612da272471a8c2cdf4b41c9d474\u0022\u003EJOHN HAYES (National\u2014Wairarapa)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Courts: In light of the opening of the temporary courthouse in Masterton last week, what is the range of services that courts can now offer in Masterton?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022 data-id=\u00224872e1e66389460aa863ec7f77694592\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000176\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224872e1e66389460aa863ec7f77694592\u0022\u003EHon CHESTER BORROWS (Minister for Courts):\u003C/span\u003E Firstly, I would like to thank the member for his assistance in the process of identifying and securing a temporary court facility for Masterton, and also the community in the Wairarapa for the patience it has shown during the period that the courts have been operating out of the Frank Cody Lounge. I am very pleased to say that with the new, temporary courthouse operational, a full range of court services\u2014criminal, family, civil, and tribunal\u2014is once again being delivered in Masterton.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000177\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ae94eea7-ba5f-4303-bf71-49e708bc9888\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002257ffbc69618f46098d3b0f350a1e644a\u0022\u003EJohn Hayes\u003C/span\u003E: What progress is being made in repairing the original Masterton courthouse?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000178\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ef73146d23b9450ca86df306699662a8\u0022\u003EHon CHESTER BORROWS\u003C/span\u003E: Good progress is being made, and may I announce plans to fix the Masterton courthouse to bring it up to appropriate building safety standards. This work is on track, with expressions of interest having been sought in tender documents released today. It is intended that this work, costing about $3.5 million, will be completed by April next year.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000179\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002259a1bcd3275b4541895239bb2123c292\u0022\u003EDenis O\u2019Rourke\u003C/span\u003E: Can the Minister confirm that all collections officers employed in the Masterton courthouse have been made redundant, effectively leaving the entire Wairarapa region without any full-time collections officers?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000180\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225f1453f8-c44e-4ce6-b699-64d600322276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228b7c55e6223843c29167ae0b131aaeb6\u0022\u003EHon CHESTER BORROWS\u003C/span\u003E: I am unable to answer that question, given its divergence from the primary question. I am happy to seek that advice and to get back to him, if he wishes to ask that question again.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000181\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002298bf9c225f01429896c29430fa319ec3\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Question No. 9, Denis O\u2019Rourke.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000182\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221614c4fa55864ad3b47906b6fd74edb8\u0022\u003EDenis O\u2019Rourke\u003C/span\u003E: Can the Minister confirm that all collections officers employed in the Masterton courthouse\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000183\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002218d7f960331e47fda14f3d56bbecc3aa\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I beg your pardon?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000184\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224544d582dbb143a1850959c04a9d9b12\u0022\u003EDenis O\u2019Rourke\u003C/span\u003E: I understood that you were asking for the question again.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000185\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002250075cadeaa6423089872c26f48c0aff\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, no, not at all. I was calling for question No. 9.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000186\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d663bfdff1b341acbd356419a64d94bc\u0022\u003EDenis O\u2019Rourke\u003C/span\u003E: I am sorry, Mr Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000187\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002271c3fa25006845458e0a8f33d878f400\u0022\u003EChristchurch, Recovery\u2014Plans for Christchurch Cathedral\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022 data-id=\u0022a559b4c6b53448eca593674286f97c0c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000188\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003E9. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a559b4c6b53448eca593674286f97c0c\u0022\u003EDENIS O\u2019ROURKE (NZ First)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery: Was restoration of the Christchurch Cathedral included in the Christchurch Central City Recovery Plan; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u002201d4fcd6414a4b85b023db1fa535f957\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000189\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002201d4fcd6414a4b85b023db1fa535f957\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery):\u003C/span\u003E No. Provision is made in the plan for a cathedral on the present site, but there is no indication of what form it will take. That is a matter for its owners, the Anglican Church. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000190\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e13f9635307d40e18af54aef40a6b30a\u0022\u003EDenis O\u2019Rourke\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister consider that the restoration of a building having the cultural, heritage, and social importance of the cathedral merits public investment as part of the Christchurch earthquake recovery programme? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000191\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002255e5328a5a5b447894a102862535ac7b\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: There are many buildings that would meet those criteria, and programmes need to be developed for all of them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247c29b78-eee0-4c91-afdf-7b07be780e1a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fb505434ba9a4ea992499ed9fffae428\u0022\u003EDenis O\u2019Rourke\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. My question did not relate to buildings in general in Christchurch. It related only to that particular building. That was what the question was about. It should be answered on that basis. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000193\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002252da725bedb14fef8cacf270c110a1cb\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! But the member\u2019s question, if I recollect correctly, asked whether the Minister considered something. The wording of the question in that way is never going to lead to a very precise answer. The Minister answered what he considered in respect of buildings of that nature.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000194\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002221a597d6a3b6449981014260f3bf1131\u0022\u003EWomen\u2014Well-being and Status\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b2567d3e-a09c-47b4-bd50-2f5bb4049762\u0022 data-id=\u0022dfef304e057649998d93bf4827206262\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000195\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b2567d3e-a09c-47b4-bd50-2f5bb4049762\u0022\u003E10. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022dfef304e057649998d93bf4827206262\u0022\u003ESUE MORONEY (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Women\u2019s Affairs: Is she satisfied with the action this Government has taken to improve the lives of women in New Zealand?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022 data-id=\u002211f83a5d74e5439bb002cddbea9965f9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000196\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002211f83a5d74e5439bb002cddbea9965f9\u0022\u003EHon JO GOODHEW (Minister of Women\u2019s Affairs):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, and I will give the House some examples to demonstrate this, but I acknowledge that there is still more work to be done. My priorities are to increase women\u2019s safety from violence, their participation in leadership roles\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000197\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225dd25fb1fad44b5e80d5cdd6ca3f6084\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The question did not ask about the Minister\u2019s priorities at all. All the question asked was whether she was satisfied with the action this Government has taken to improve the lives of women in New Zealand. I think the Minister answered that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000198\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b2567d3e-a09c-47b4-bd50-2f5bb4049762\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022aca89c36ba224391ab082387ac124385\u0022\u003ESue Moroney\u003C/span\u003E: What action has she taken to address reports from Wellington Rape Crisis that a funding crisis has forced it to close down 1 day a week, when demand for its services has nearly doubled in the last year, given that she has a goal of increasing the safety of New Zealand women?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000199\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002211ef032b35c540a783112ac81de101ad\u0022\u003EHon JO GOODHEW\u003C/span\u003E: Ministerial responsibility for funding and working with Rape Crisis does not rest with me as Minister of Women\u2019s Affairs. However, reducing sexual violence, as the member has already alluded to, does remain a priority for me. The Ministry of Women\u2019s Affairs contributes to cross-Government work in this area, and has reviewed New Zealand and international literature on sexual revictimisation, compiling an evidence base that will be used to good effect across Government work. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000200\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b2567d3e-a09c-47b4-bd50-2f5bb4049762\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223335506c4bb9495ba33a658e6fd80fcf\u0022\u003ESue Moroney\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. My question specifically asked what action she had taken to address reports from the Wellington Rape Crisis centre about its predicament. She did not address that question at all. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000201\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022397ff3106e9548389ab45cd8974a6d13\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! [Interruption] Order! The House will come back to order, please. I thought I fairly clearly heard the Minister say that she did not have responsibility for the funding of the Rape Crisis centre. That is a perfectly fair answer to the question asked. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000202\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b2567d3e-a09c-47b4-bd50-2f5bb4049762\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226923b8cc66184cc98657d6e24836e5c0\u0022\u003ESue Moroney\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. As I pointed out in my question, the Minister has a goal of increasing the safety of New Zealand women. That does mean that she has responsibility. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000203\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229c40613435b144478a2c6cd28e9dace5\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The Speaker cannot argue with a Minister over who has responsibility for certain things. I heard the Minister very clearly say that she did not have responsibility. That is the end of the matter.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b2567d3e-a09c-47b4-bd50-2f5bb4049762\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d393983bb32b4e30baf28763de779573\u0022\u003ESue Moroney\u003C/span\u003E: Will she, then, reinstate the comprehensive Action Plan for New Zealand Women, which her Government discontinued in 2009, and which the United Nations has requested be reinstated to improve the lives of New Zealand women? Will she take any action?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226146e0087ce64c10901078af4c9d2e45\u0022\u003EHon JO GOODHEW\u003C/span\u003E: I am very happy to answer this question, because this Government has not just an action plan for women but, in fact, action plans across the Government sector that women will definitely benefit from. Can I give one very good example of an action plan that will be very beneficial for women. The Reducing Crime action plan will reduce violent crime by 20 percent over the next 5 years. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000206\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b2567d3e-a09c-47b4-bd50-2f5bb4049762\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022717c363513654f4ca22d5f753cb4b202\u0022\u003ESue Moroney\u003C/span\u003E: What about the Rape Crisis funding? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000207\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224ab6078d0455474ea62b83e35e8e47eb\u0022\u003EHon JO GOODHEW\u003C/span\u003E: As that member knows, women are disproportionately the victims of crime, and therefore they will benefit more than men from this. Reducing reoffending by 25 percent over the next 5 years\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000208\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002297328593a8864cfb9181b4644c751d5e\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I think that is a reasonable answer to the question. We do not need to go on indefinitely with answers. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b2567d3e-a09c-47b4-bd50-2f5bb4049762\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224ad6e5ca9c4a4625832b831aaacf6a04\u0022\u003ESue Moroney\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I asked whether she would reinstate the Action Plan for New Zealand Women, and I am still no further ahead in my understanding. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000210\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d224d360f22d45f3a9c1ef9fc2469f8c\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I just ask the member, though, if the member wants a very specific answer, to please make the question short and to the point so that I can discern as Speaker whether or not it is being answered. I believe the question went on somewhat longer than that, and that is why I let the answer go on a bit longer. But the member has a further supplementary question, if she wishes to be very precise about it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000211\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b2567d3e-a09c-47b4-bd50-2f5bb4049762\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ae663112ccd44f448e2b64e7de71f885\u0022\u003ESue Moroney\u003C/span\u003E: Is she the first Minister of Women\u2019s Affairs to vote against extending paid parental leave? A straight question, Minister. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000212\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222d785e812f9d4c42a87992193bdca570\u0022\u003EHon JO GOODHEW\u003C/span\u003E: In regard to paid parental leave, the Government voted against the member\u2019s bill. However, we still spend $157 million a year on providing the current 14 weeks of paid leave. I believe that the member cannot require a yes or no answer, and therefore I will say that the dangers of running up huge deficits through extending paid parental leave is not something\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000213\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225540d39596574cc2885bb58944802e52\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. She was asked directly whether she was the first Minister to vote in a certain way, and she is yet to give us the answer. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000214\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f9e10880934244a2a03a4936c03f03a1\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The member will resume his seat. The member may wish to reflect on the ministerial responsibility\u2014ministerial responsibility\u2014a member has for a member\u2019s vote. This is question time about Ministers\u2019 ministerial responsibilities, not about how members vote in this House. I allowed the question, but, strictly, I believe the question was not in order, so I am not going to force a Minister to give a yes or no answer on something that there is no ministerial responsibility for. Votes in this House are the votes of members. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000215\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022454e801cace34ce18e8a048d907b5cc8\u0022\u003ERape Victims, Support\u2014Wellington Rape Crisis Funding\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022 data-id=\u00220708c331ca5b479caea7331d8ec68d69\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000216\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E11. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220708c331ca5b479caea7331d8ec68d69\u0022\u003EJAN LOGIE (Green)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Social Development: Is she concerned that Wellington Rape Crisis is shutting its doors one day a week because of funding shortfalls?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022 data-id=\u00224aa62c80a80145619bac8384a42811de\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000217\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224aa62c80a80145619bac8384a42811de\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, although I have just been reading a press release that says Wellington Rape Crisis thinks it is going to get that $55,000 and may not have to shut on that 5th day. But, certainly, from my perspective it is a valued and respected service for Wellington. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000218\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dc2f16cd05a84e1592a8ad9c09e8bc80\u0022\u003EJan Logie\u003C/span\u003E: Then why is the Government not providing enough funding so that vital services can be assured for victims? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000219\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002218d1cedd497f4d5b834562b8eeba6de9\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: I think it is really important to say that there has not been a reduction in Government funding for this organisation, and in fact\u2014[Interruption] Well, there has not been. I have certainly gone back and looked very, very carefully at the figures in the last couple of hours, and the information I have in front of me is that it has not had a reduction from Child, Youth and Family. What it may have got was Community Response Fund funding, which was, as we all know, time limited and came up at the end of last year, like it did for everyone. But there is no way that there has been a cut in funding. In fact, there has been an increase in its services from Child, Youth and Family. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000220\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002251e78f22722944e3b9c0e9460830284e\u0022\u003EJan Logie\u003C/span\u003E: Given the national increase in demand for sexual violence services, how does the Minister plan to protect organisations from the impact of effective funding cuts by ACC and the Ministry of Social Development for adult survivors? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000221\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002267cac4530c52481bb866caff2ee0b8d5\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: I think that is a really fair question. What we have been doing is working with Te Ohaaki a Hine\u2014National Network for Ending Sexual Violence Together, which certainly has been making representations on behalf of that sector to the Government. The member I am sure is fully aware of the task force and some of the recommendations from it. What we did instigate last year, which I think is quite important, is for the sector to have, at least, more say over its funding and how it is divided, and we put more funding, certainly out of my own budget, into that pool, so that it can have more say on how it is distributed. I think that ongoing funding and increases are always a challenge, and particularly in these times, but we are certainly open to continued dialogue so that we can work our way through the issues.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000222\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224876b9abf1f04ce898bed417cc0b17fe\u0022\u003EJan Logie\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister think it appropriate that Rape Crisis is reliant on one-off offers of money from organisations like Hell Pizza, which is trying to assuage its guilt for giving money away\u2014giving a free pizza\u2014for a confession of sexual assault?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000223\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c2a9e962036248d1a711f2930c589f78\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: I do not feel I have ministerial responsibility for what Hell Pizza may or may not have been doing. What I can say to the member is it is a shame that Wellington Rape Crisis had not asked to come and see me before I saw the press releases this week, because I would have willingly seen those people and perhaps have tried to work through a way to do this without going through the media. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000224\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a027e3df2d70481d91c24de3f1aa195f\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Jan Logie\u2014[Interruption] Order! I want to be able to hear Jan Logie.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225fe8c0d9f1e64de3b63f089ea32418f7\u0022\u003EJan Logie\u003C/span\u003E: Does she believe that the current funding crisis may be due to a lack of leadership, as evidenced by the media being bounced between Ministers denying responsibility, when they were trying to get comment on funding for Wellington Rape Crisis?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000226\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d0ae4d037e024d8c972376a60e537d9a\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: No, and, as I say, I have carefully gone through both phone calls and correspondence in my office in the last few weeks, and have seen nothing from Wellington Rape Crisis.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002227ea970a7af1457a81486c51d7671df8\u0022\u003ETransport Funding\u2014Capital Connection Rail Service\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022 data-id=\u00221901c1239d4848828d0503d89227bffb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000228\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E12. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221901c1239d4848828d0503d89227bffb\u0022\u003EIAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Labour\u2014Palmerston North)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Transport: Which commuter rail services, if any, do not receive funding from the New Zealand Transport Agency?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u00229fe54ed2949b4191be20ac49af080b27\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000229\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229fe54ed2949b4191be20ac49af080b27\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister of Transport):\u003C/span\u003E The only rail service that may meet the definition of \u201Ccommuter service\u201D not to receive funding from the New Zealand Transport Agency is the Capital Connection. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000230\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022002c97e72a3d4d1b8261bd63940648b4\u0022\u003EIain Lees-Galloway\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister believe that as well as congestion relief, factors such as safety, economic development, environmental sustainability, and value for money must also be taken into account when apportioning funding for public transport; if so, is he aware that fewer resources are consumed and far fewer injuries and deaths occur per passenger kilometre as a result of rail travel, when compared with roads?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000231\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002280fb0a76e8064d69975b8a367001bcba\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: All those facts are important and will be considered as my officials look at the business case for the continuation of the Capital Connection rail service, which has been provided to my office this week. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000232\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223f5114b71e754d00b33034b6385a999a\u0022\u003EIain Lees-Galloway\u003C/span\u003E: Given that the Government is prepared to borrow $2.3 billion for the Wellington road of national significance, which has a negative benefit-cost ratio, will he ensure that the Capital Connection gets the $0.0003 billion a year it needs to provide the service, which has a benefit-cost ratio of between 1.6 and 3?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000233\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e3d932862e974e41bcdfb41d1044aa95\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: The Government is not borrowing for the roads, as was suggested by the member.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000234\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e5831d29851d4051ba44de9d84a54318\u0022\u003EEstimates Debate\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000235\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022469c285c09e540509fa49f744644e730\u0022\u003EIn Committee\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000236\u0022\u003EDebate resumed from 14 August on the Appropriation (2012/13 Estimates) Bill.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000237\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002216379fb56dc74b06b63f9cc2e171a461\u0022\u003EVote Labour\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a40f5af7-f9b0-4b44-9669-9e63be1c3ced\u0022 data-id=\u002268b24e81196c4f0b8d4791b24e291749\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000238\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a40f5af7-f9b0-4b44-9669-9e63be1c3ced\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002268b24e81196c4f0b8d4791b24e291749\u0022\u003EDARIEN FENTON (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I am pleased to take a call on the estimates in Vote Labour. This is a Minister of Labour who has given up on her department. She has handed it over to Steven Joyce\u2019s mega-ministry, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, or MOBIE, where the labour portfolio will be swallowed up into\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000239\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022577f6d09dca64fabb709b047a9b776bf\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Mr Chairman.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000240\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002258f5079e826240ecaf6385b521f417c2\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I am aware of what the member\u2019s point of order is.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000241\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002268739ea070324c11842f66b3680e3393\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: The Government is missing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000242\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221aa001870e9546029581df256c4f5fee\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, we need a Minister in the chair. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I am sorry to interrupt the member.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a40f5af7-f9b0-4b44-9669-9e63be1c3ced\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226780b8dd2b4746fcacd79d0e94b219b7\u0022\u003EDARIEN FENTON\u003C/span\u003E: As I was saying, the Minister has handed over her portfolio to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, or MOBIE, where the labour portfolio is going to be swallowed up into the so-called business-facing ministry. Of course, the labour part of business does not count for this Government. In its view it is only business and money that count. Workers have nothing to do with wealth creation in its world, and they certainly do not deserve a specialist department that looks out for their interests. It is the first time in 121 years that we will not have a labour department, with the expertise and focus on improving our effective employment relationships, protecting workers from exploitation, and developing labour market strategies. The Department of Labour is one of our oldest Government departments, with a proud history and record, hailed by other countries for the work it has done, but this Government and this Minister have ditched it. Over the last 4 years all we have seen is the Minister of Labour overseeing a department that has spent a lot of time arguing on an ever-shrinking role for the department, and managers arguing over which bit they are going to be in charge of. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000244\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a40f5af7-f9b0-4b44-9669-9e63be1c3ced\u0022\u003EAt the estimates hearing, when we asked, there was no plan and no budget for Vote Labour, even though it was due to merge with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment 1 week later. The only thing useful we did learn was that the Department of Labour\u2019s Mediation Service\u2014a service that Labour introduced, which has a very, very successful record in resolving employment relations problems\u2014might be wound up, together with other mediation services like tenancy and weathertight homes. There is a lot in common between workers and weathertight homes, I am sure. What we will do is lose the expertise. The Employment Relations Authority is in a mess. It is in disarray. It has long queues of cases waiting to be heard, and it has determinations in the hundreds outstanding. The appointments process has been a shambles. It has been skewed by cronyism, and the Government no longer seems to think that employment relations experience is important for this job.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000245\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a40f5af7-f9b0-4b44-9669-9e63be1c3ced\u0022\u003E Night after night we hear on the news the impact on New Zealand workers and their families, who are paying the price of this Government\u2019s slackness. Job after job, family after family, story after story\u2014each one a human tragedy\u2014job losses, and good skilled jobs at that, are happening right across our country. Under the 4 years of this Government 25,000 manufacturing jobs have disappeared. They are good jobs that we need. But we do know that John Key\u2019s Government gave up a long time ago on trying to improve Kiwi jobs and Kiwi wages, and he has been trying to attract investment to New Zealand on the basis of cheap labour. The Government boasted about Heinz Wattie giving up on 400 or 350 good jobs in Australia and moving to New Zealand. Well, let us tell the truth about what happened there. What happened there is those 350 good jobs have ended up in New Zealand as 70 labour-hire workers on minimum wage. I do not think that is anything to be boasting about. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000246\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a40f5af7-f9b0-4b44-9669-9e63be1c3ced\u0022\u003EThe other panacea that we hear all the time from the National members is about the 90-day trial period. What I find so interesting about their boasting about its success is that in all the research that they have done they have not been able to find a single worker to give feedback on it, and especially those who have been sacked without reason, and without recourse to justice. Under this Government\u2019s watch we have had one of the biggest scandals ever around workers with the exploitation of foreign fishing crew. Sure, the Government set up an inquiry and it has indicated a resolution 4 years out, but what shames us all is that the 100 or 200 foreign fishing crew who were courageous enough to walk off their ships, tell their stories, and give evidence to the ministerial inquiry have been sent home, and a year later they still have not been paid what they are entitled to and have not been paid the minimum wage. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000247\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a40f5af7-f9b0-4b44-9669-9e63be1c3ced\u0022\u003EAnd now, of course, we have heard the story on Television One last night that there is a significant problem with other migrant workers. The Minister needs to set up an inquiry into that as well, because, clearly, sitting back and waiting for exploited workers to come forward and tell their stories does not work. I am looking forward to hearing a plan from the Government about how it is going to tackle this latest scandal.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000248\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002272c3638add404f0686be93295a3a7832\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: Don\u2019t hold your breath.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000249\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a40f5af7-f9b0-4b44-9669-9e63be1c3ced\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d7bceb5469964bf89a7268431231144c\u0022\u003EDARIEN FENTON\u003C/span\u003E: No, I will not hold my breath. I have had several contacts from people since that story broke last night, but one today told me it is not only migrant workers but also young people\u2014students and others\u2014who are being employed by larger companies in malls and being paid $10 an hour. So, you know something is going wrong with the Department of Labour when it cannot get on top of these scandals. As someone said on the news this morning, this is unsustainable. We cannot build a future based on cheap labour. We know that the Government is doing nothing about training New Zealand workers\u2014162,000 of them. Any of them would have loved to have one of the jobs that this Minister actually approved. She approved the 110 fa\u00E7ade installers coming to New Zealand instead of insisting that this company train New Zealand workers. These are jobs that workers could be easily trained for. They are described as basic labourers\u2019 work. I am worried about the Christchurch rebuild, as that will become a ground for further exploitation of migrants. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000250\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a40f5af7-f9b0-4b44-9669-9e63be1c3ced\u0022\u003EThe one thing I will say I am grateful for is that the employment relations changes that were revealed in May have not seen the light of day in this Parliament.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000251\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224566b34026d54ed189cc7dbed27beb1c\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: Yet! Yet!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000252\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a40f5af7-f9b0-4b44-9669-9e63be1c3ced\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222811e11bb71f491f89c993e1681c36ba\u0022\u003EDARIEN FENTON\u003C/span\u003E: It is a relief and a reprieve\u2014yes\u2014for workers, and particularly for those caregivers on minimum wage at Aranui Home and Hospital who were on strike for 3 days a couple of weeks ago because they had not been able to conclude a collective agreement. They told me they are extremely worried about the Government\u2019s amendments, because it means that their employer will just simply be able to walk away from the bargaining, and these low-paid workers will have to continue with their employer-imposed individual contracts. The Government and the Minister have been warned that these changes\u2014the changes that they are planning for amendments to the Employment Relations Act\u2014will have consequences for wages, for fairness, for collective bargaining, and that they will be in breach of our international obligations. I expect them to ignore that, as they usually do. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000253\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a40f5af7-f9b0-4b44-9669-9e63be1c3ced\u0022\u003EFinally, on health and safety, I will acknowledge that I think the Minister is sincere on that, but I am worried about the direction of that\u2014where the task force is going on that. I had a look at the fishing health and safety plan today. There is no worker involvement. It just believes in individual responsibility, and in a model that is about individual human behaviour. Have a look at the advisers to the health and safety task force\u2014have a look at what their experience is. There is hardly any worker input into that, because this Government does not believe that working people have anything to contribute as equal participants in the workplace. It thinks that workers should stay in their place, keep their mouths shut, and be grateful just to have a job. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000254\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a40f5af7-f9b0-4b44-9669-9e63be1c3ced\u0022\u003EFinally, can I mention once again\u2014as I have often in this Parliament\u2014the cleaners in this place, who clean up after us every night, who are on minimum wage, who want $15 an hour, and who could have $15 an hour if this Government was prepared to support David Clark\u2019s very, very reasonable Minimum Wage Amendment Bill. I cannot believe that in a place like this, where we are supposed to set an example, the Prime Minister is prepared to see his cleaner Jaine continue to be paid $14 an hour\u2014she gets $14 an hour because she is a supervisor\u2014and, because she is on only 30 hours here, work two jobs because that is the only way she can make ends meet. She is over 60. She is tired. She has been working long hours on low pay for most of her life. Now she has her son working here so he can help the family. This Parliament has to do something about it. We can do something about that situation\u2014they are not the only minimum wage workers in this place\u2014if the Government is prepared to stand up and be counted when it comes to David Clark\u2019s Minimum Wage Amendment Bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000255\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a40f5af7-f9b0-4b44-9669-9e63be1c3ced\u0022\u003ESo there is a lot happening in this labour portfolio. I do fear that this will be the last time we talk about Vote Labour\u2014well, maybe it will not be, but it will be Vote Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. It will be overwhelmed by Steven Joyce\u2019s ambitions. From what I have seen of the restructuring that has been planned for this mega-ministry, the Department of Labour\u2014the very, very important role that it has played for 121 years\u2014will be squashed, will be subsumed, and will have all of its energies apparently directed towards being business-facing\u2014business-facing, where workers do not get a look in, where all of the important work that we have had to do fails.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022163d0b68-eb0e-4094-9bed-99e184f063e1\u0022 data-id=\u0022eab60616afac45b2a77f0a7e1335468a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000256\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022163d0b68-eb0e-4094-9bed-99e184f063e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022eab60616afac45b2a77f0a7e1335468a\u0022\u003EJAMI-LEE ROSS (National\u2014Botany):\u003C/span\u003E That was 10 minutes of moan after moan, complaint after complaint, with zero solutions\u2014zero solutions to the problems of the world. Let me tell you that I am happy to take a call on Vote Labour, because we have got a good story to tell. We have got a good story to tell, because we are seeing more jobs created in the economy\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000257\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a40f5af7-f9b0-4b44-9669-9e63be1c3ced\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ff88f1b5968f4afbb5fb92ea94d58576\u0022\u003EDarien Fenton\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, rubbish!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000258\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022163d0b68-eb0e-4094-9bed-99e184f063e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022641fe6c48206470eb935eeadd0b231b1\u0022\u003EJAMI-LEE ROSS\u003C/span\u003E: We are. The figures do not lie. We are seeing fewer workplace stoppages out there in the workplace. We are seeing a more harmonious working environment for New Zealand workers. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000259\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022163d0b68-eb0e-4094-9bed-99e184f063e1\u0022\u003EI think that any Government\u2019s labour relations policy should be judged on several things, two of which are: how many jobs are created in the economy, and how bad are the workplace stoppage rates in the workforce. We have got some good stories to tell. In the last 2 years, 60,000 jobs have been created in this economy. That means 60,000 people are out there working because jobs have been created in this economy. Over the next 4 years, we are expecting to see another 154,000 jobs being created in the economy. Those are jobs created for New Zealand workers to go out there, earn a crust, pay their taxes to the taxman, go home, and enjoy themselves because they have worked an honest day\u2019s work. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000260\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022163d0b68-eb0e-4094-9bed-99e184f063e1\u0022\u003EOn workplace stoppages, we have some good stories to tell here, too. Let me give the House some figures. In 2005 there were 60 workplace stoppages. In 2006 there were 42 workplace stoppages. That was at the height of Labour\u2019s time in office. The cost to the economy was quite high, too. In 2005 we saw $4.8 million of workers\u2019 wages and salaries being lost to workplace stoppages. It was $5.2 million in 2006. Come round to 2011, after several years of Kate Wilkinson as the Minister of Labour under John Key\u2019s leadership, and workplace stoppages are at an all-time low. We had only 12 workplace stoppages in 2011, versus the height of Labour\u2019s problems with 60 workplace stoppages. Lost wages and salaries for New Zealand workers are at an all-time low of $1 million. Those figures tell us that the harmonious relationships in New Zealand workplaces are good. Harmonious relationships are leading to fewer people having their wages and salaries lost and fewer workplace stoppages that businesses are having to deal with. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000261\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022163d0b68-eb0e-4094-9bed-99e184f063e1\u0022\u003EOur 90-day trials have done very well for New Zealanders, too. We know that there are 13,000 extra people working because the 90-day trial periods allow New Zealand employers to take a chance and employ some people. We saw workers having the opportunity to trade in an extra week\u2019s leave. The other side does not believe in choice. The other side does not believe that workers know best how to spend their money and workers know best how to take their holidays. We gave workers that extra week\u2019s choice, and people are taking it up and they are enjoying it. We have had some minimum wage policies implemented under this Government that are fair and sensible, and have actually seen $1,800 extra in the back pocket of minimum wage workers after tax. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000262\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022163d0b68-eb0e-4094-9bed-99e184f063e1\u0022\u003EIf we were to follow the policies that members on the other side wants to see, if we were to follow their policy-subjective arguments, then we would see 6,000 people who would be unemployed, because the Department of Labour has told us that if we went ahead with David Clark\u2019s bill, if we went ahead with what Labour wants, 6,000 extra people would be unemployed. Under Labour, 90-day trials would go. Under Labour, a sensible, pragmatic minimum wage policy would go. Under Labour, we would see more jobs heading offshore, because we know that when Australian jobs came to New Zealand, and when manufacturers from Australia said \u201CWe see New Zealand as a better place to bring our business.\u201D, we actually had David Parker opposing those jobs coming here. David Parker went out in the media and told New Zealanders that Labour\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000263\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022028fe95750144ac5952aa07c77c0a1bf\u0022\u003EHon Amy Adams\u003C/span\u003E: Anti-jobs.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000264\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022163d0b68-eb0e-4094-9bed-99e184f063e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224090a36d3b8f4e2e9913ef093be41aae\u0022\u003EJAMI-LEE ROSS\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014was anti-jobs and that Labour did not want to see more jobs coming to this country. Labour members said that manufacturing jobs coming to New Zealand for New Zealanders was bad. They told New Zealanders that the $1.5 billion of economic benefits from The Hobbit films being made in New Zealand was a bad thing. Labour is anti-jobs. Labour has done nothing to support our pro-jobs, pro-growth economic policies, and it is a disgrace when it comes to labour policy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000265\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022163d0b68-eb0e-4094-9bed-99e184f063e1\u0022\u003EWe have got a good story to tell. I am proud to tell it, and we have got a good Minister of Labour, Kate Wilkinson, working hard for this country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000266\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022163d0b68-eb0e-4094-9bed-99e184f063e1\u0022\u003EVote agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000267\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b044470d4e8341d5992f5141ec506ee9\u0022\u003EVote Immigration agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000268\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c169c10af6ea4a358c3fc42c844b128f\u0022\u003EVote Veterans\u2019 Affairs\u2014Defence Force agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000269\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022bd5d2aa8dd2249d9833490f28940a097\u0022\u003EVote Veterans\u2019 Affairs\u2014Social Development agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000270\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00223ad691f227b54ac4b95f45279c132e00\u0022\u003EVote Commerce agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000271\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c4eb6dacf16643ca8f7db696712b5ddd\u0022\u003EVote Communications agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000272\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a70415c33f364df186ae2f8658f2baa7\u0022\u003EVote Environment agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000273\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022ea80781278d04a52ba3af5c70657a529\u0022\u003EVote Internal Affairs agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000274\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00220a9730264369432eb5c25e0bcbf75b3b\u0022\u003EVote Customs agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000275\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022ffc567f4924941c49f531a8600da24b2\u0022\u003EVote Lands agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00222bcbe0abe0f04466a9475734ec997129\u0022\u003EVote Statistics agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000277\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229b76bd51797f43b680bdcb2b0d746b1f\u0022\u003EVote Senior Citizens agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000278\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00221d7051adf0f0470d84db6961d0206fff\u0022\u003EVote Women\u2019s Affairs agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000279\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00221c4f4bf9f10d4c06b78f3a2e7fc659ca\u0022\u003EVote Courts agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00225e7e1cc7f06c43db98116c399bf0ac6c\u0022\u003EVote Consumer Affairs agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000281\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b6e7d8d537c94bdcbaa2634039d9f2dc\u0022\u003EVote Revenue agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002225ab454028c240ea906a74c42e8b2bd0\u0022\u003EVote M\u0101ori Affairs\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022 data-id=\u0022ce32f55c0083469bbb26d7fd802cd0a6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000283\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ce32f55c0083469bbb26d7fd802cd0a6\u0022\u003EHon TAU HENARE (National):\u003C/span\u003E Kia ora, Mr Chair. I want to congratulate first and foremost our Minister of M\u0101ori Affairs, the Hon Pita Sharples, who has done a sterling job not only for the M\u0101ori Party but also for steering some resources into the M\u0101ori community, and also Wh\u0101nau Ora. The naysayers about Wh\u0101nau Ora will go on and on about a few fullas down somewhere getting a bit of extra money, but here is the thing: working on the whole family, not just a little problem here and there that becomes a bigger problem if left alone, is the way of the future. And what better way to use public money\u2014public money, taxpayer\u2019s money\u2014than by fixing up the whole family, identifying the problems, and parking the five cars up the driveway so the family does not have to go 10 miles to the south for the social welfare, 10 miles north for some other assistance, and 10 miles east for some other assistance. That is what Wh\u0101nau Ora is. That is why we, the National Government, have supported and put money into Wh\u0101nau Ora. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000284\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003EM\u0101ori health\u2014we talk about M\u0101ori health\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000285\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a536d3c2-6293-4216-b0bd-dfec1bd6f40c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225547f9a949d644e5be477236f7374c35\u0022\u003EAndrew Williams\u003C/span\u003E: Don\u2019t forget the Mongrel Mob.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000286\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022863da9f28879424f99b544ad612b60bc\u0022\u003EHon TAU HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: See, there you go. That is all they can do. All they can do is tear down. I remember what the Rt Hon Helen Clark said about some other party: they were haters and wreckers. Well, I will tell you who the haters and wreckers are. They are those people over there. They even denied a Minister leave to make a personal statement. How rude. How appalling. How unconstitutional. But I digress. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000287\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003EWe have got a problem out there called rheumatic fever, and this Government has made sure that, one, it has seen the problem, and, two, it gets in and tries to fix it. So that is why money has gone in to making sure that that disease of poverty is no longer around. All the health organisations around the country in the poorer areas\u2014in South Auckland and in the north\u2014have welcomed this Government\u2019s commitment to making sure that young people have what we had, and that is the opportunity. They do not want a handout. They want the opportunity to grow. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000288\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003EAlso, there is M\u0101ori economic growth. There was one time when nobody knew what it was. How is the M\u0101ori economy fitting in to the national economy? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000289\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022721a14ca-e9d5-4c2e-b3ef-03d03e4fea07\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222f46d4db826444ef989e1a0aa9909466\u0022\u003EMike Sabin\u003C/span\u003E: Does in Northland.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000290\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a6ab125aa46c4ce68781ec54032febee\u0022\u003EHon TAU HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I tell you what. Only a couple of weeks ago I attended an economic forum put on by none other than the new member for Northland, Mike Sabin. There was a huge turnout of people not only in the social services area but in the business area and the employment area, who want to get on with the job of training and employing young M\u0101ori from the north. They see that the longer M\u0101ori are unemployed in the north, the longer the economy does not work. The economy should work for everybody. So I applaud the Government\u2019s view and I applaud the Government\u2019s initiatives, but I also applaud the personal initiative of MPs such as Mike Sabin.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000291\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229d54c26c072e45c78a342f9aed78324a\u0022\u003EHon Nathan Guy\u003C/span\u003E: What did Shane Jones say?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000292\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022665044ab2c50411ebba98395c478a14d\u0022\u003EHon TAU HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: Look, nobody is really interested in what Shane says any more, which is a pity\u2014which is a pity\u2014because before he leaves he still has a contribution to make to this wonderful Parliament. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000293\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003EThere is one thing that I will say that this side of the Chamber has done better than anybody else, and that the Government\u2019s commitment to Treaty settlements.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000294\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c2e9b20ac3a84fb7a0b8f9baa96b3415\u0022\u003ELouise Upston\u003C/span\u003E: Absolutely.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000295\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222d84ac53da6143ddb5590782b8fa46f7\u0022\u003EHon TAU HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: Absolutely. Do not look sideways at me, Mr Grant Robertson, because some other people might think that you are thinking something else. [Bell rung] Mr Chair\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022 data-id=\u00224b5b8380bcf948e2ab7d85429839a96e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000296\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224b5b8380bcf948e2ab7d85429839a96e\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: Unfortunately, the time for this debate has expired.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022 data-id=\u002201fc245e23af4aa7b62611b03b663be6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000297\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002201fc245e23af4aa7b62611b03b663be6\u0022\u003ELe\u2019aufa\u2019amulia ASENATI LOLE-TAYLOR (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Chairperson. That member, Tau Henare, has stated that the Rt Hon\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000298\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002234b187db8580416f940b69024fa9bf14\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: Order!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000299\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022405268fd632a47e194ea468da96701e0\u0022\u003ELe\u2019aufa\u2019amulia ASENATI LOLE-TAYLOR\u003C/span\u003E: I am seeking leave, Mr Chairperson.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000300\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226a8c9758f5294fbf91449e8ec8f0d584\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: That is not how you start to seek leave, by criticising another member.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000301\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002261fe0aa9897f4114a1a17d2c2a67aca6\u0022\u003ELe\u2019aufa\u2019amulia ASENATI LOLE-TAYLOR\u003C/span\u003E: I am trying to seek leave to correct a comment that was made.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022 data-id=\u0022376fefeac7934b60a89aed8a808e86ba\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000302\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022376fefeac7934b60a89aed8a808e86ba\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: No, you cannot do that. You cannot correct. That is a debating point; that is not a point of order. The time\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022 data-id=\u0022d7846536800a48d0b6c2e1e0655a8412\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000303\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d7846536800a48d0b6c2e1e0655a8412\u0022\u003ELe\u2019aufa\u2019amulia ASENATI LOLE-TAYLOR (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E I seek leave to request that the member who has made an incorrect statement about Winston Peters\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022 data-id=\u0022f8d989ce5eb446c88300aaec62848baa\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000304\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f8d989ce5eb446c88300aaec62848baa\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Sit down, please. I have ruled on that. That is a debating point. You cannot enter into a debate or the alteration of a debate by the mechanism of a point of order. You simply cannot do that. The debate has now expired. I will put the question, which is that Vote M\u0101ori Affairs stand part.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000305\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003EVote agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u002285239a0ebb8b4a228e247f9be5461767\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the preamble, clauses 1 to 12, and schedules 1 to 7 be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 64\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; M\u0101ori Party 3; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 57\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 34; Green Party 14; New Zealand First 8; Mana 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EPreamble, clauses 1 to 12, and schedules 1 to 7 agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000306\u0022\u003EBill to be reported without amendment presently.\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000307\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c2a3ec9e32334e5ba0507e08f39f7223\u0022\u003EExclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000308\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e69e9a40075b485ab67433067941d1a0\u0022\u003EIn Committee\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022 data-id=\u00222327e22dde5043a4bd857f2542682f7d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000309\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222327e22dde5043a4bd857f2542682f7d\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON (Deputy Leader\u2014Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I seek leave that we report progress on the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill, in order for the bill and its accompanying Supplementary Order Papers to be referred back to the Local Government and Environment Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000310\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bafacac029e34e9392ed8898418ed80a\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: You can seek leave that we report progress. I am not sure whether the additional instruction or the reason is in order. So all the member does is just\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000311\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002246bf109e52074d0ebea62e091d9a63ed\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: I seek leave that we report progress on this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022 data-id=\u0022d1374d7feccd49f893969252f968eed1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000312\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d1374d7feccd49f893969252f968eed1\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: Leave is sought to report progress. Is there anyone opposed to that course of action? There is. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000313\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00229eea9b8a512344ca826ad8db81c6a797\u0022\u003EPart 1  Preliminary provisions\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022 data-id=\u00221055658aa88641569a244252d584a718\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000314\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221055658aa88641569a244252d584a718\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON (Labour\u2014Wellington Central):\u003C/span\u003E The Labour Party would very much like to see this bill return to the Local Government and Environment Committee. The reason we would like that to happen, in large part, relates to Supplementary Order Paper 100 in the name of the Minister for the Environment, Amy Adams. This Supplementary Order Paper runs to some nine or so pages of amendments\u2014actually, it is longer than that; some 13 or 14 pages of amendments\u2014that have been put forward in the name of the Minister. Many of these amendments are significant. They make substantive change to the bill. They are not issues that were dealt with in detail by the select committee. We are concerned on this side of the Chamber that the amendments will create loopholes in the law that will be exploited by people who want to undertake activity in the exclusive economic zone. There are some areas where we are simply not sure what the effect will be, and we need the opportunity, as a Parliament, for officials to take the time to go back and look at these changes and give advice to this Parliament as to whether or not these changes will have the kinds of impacts that we believe they will have. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000315\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EWe will of course now ask questions of the Minister for the Environment about these changes as we go through, but that is clearly not the best way to be able to ensure that this Parliament is passing legislation that we believe will be robust. Dropping on the Committee, in the way the Minister has, substantive changes like, for instance, changes to time limits for hearings, changes to the way in which existing petroleum activities become discretionary, and questions around when mineral prospecting and exploration may continue and commence for planned activities are significant issues and significant changes from what has previously been put before this House. I think it is a shame that the Government is not prepared to take the time to get this right. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000316\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EEverybody in this Chamber acknowledges the importance of creating a robust regime around our exclusive economic zone and the activities that take place within that area. On the first reading of this bill the Labour Party opposed this legislation, because we believed that it was inadequate in terms of providing that robust regime. We believe now, after the second reading, the select committee\u2019s amendments, and, indeed, the Minister\u2019s amendments, that it is still inadequate in terms of providing that regime and, what is more, it is now likely to increase uncertainty around activity in the zone. The Government would have an opportunity to provide that clarity if it did, at least, refer this bill back. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000317\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EIn the first of my contributions on Part 1, I want to make clear that we are appreciative of the fact that the Minister for the Environment has made some changes to the purpose clause of this bill, clause 10. There was a significant amount of feedback and submissions from not just Opposition parties but also a range of environmental groups, which said that the purpose clause as put forward by the Minister initially was not a sufficiently robust overall framework in which this bill would be looked at. The clause tried to create a balance between economic development and the environment, and, as many submitters said, it is not a matter of balance in this case. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000318\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003ENow the Minister has returned to us with a clause around sustainable management that is drawn from the Resource Management Act. That is a step in the right direction.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000319\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002273534920b4d3463abeb6c21fbaa20f22\u0022\u003ELouise Upston\u003C/span\u003E: Are you debating the right part?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000320\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ceb9bee362134afea7c00dcc8bda624a\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: That is good, but it is not part of what we would see as being the full, right, and correct answer. I am indeed on Part 1. Clause 10\u2014for the benefit of the junior whip on the Government side\u2014has the purpose statement in it. The purpose statement is now one that reflects the Resource Management Act, but it does not reflect the international obligations that New Zealand has. We need to go further than the Resource Management Act when it comes to our exclusive economic zone. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000321\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EThe reason for that is that our ability to make law in the exclusive economic zone arises from our ratification of, and our being a signatory to, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is absolutely clear in article 192, which provides that \u201CStates have the obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment.\u201D That is what is called a general obligation. It stands alone as article 192 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. As the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has noted, it is an obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment. Economic activity is allowable, but protection and preservation of the marine environment is essential and required. That is why article 192 provides for that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000322\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EArticle 193 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea does allow for the exploitation by States of their natural resources \u201Cpursuant to their environmental policies and in accordance with their duty to protect and preserve the marine environment.\u201D The purpose clause of the exclusive economic zone bill must show to all those who are interested in activity in the exclusive economic zone that the protection and the preservation of the marine environment is the baseline understanding of how that activity will happen. At the moment, despite the Minister\u2019s moving the purpose clause to a better place than it was, we do not see the language of protection and preservation appearing in clause 10. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EThere was a lot of talk during the select committee about making this bill consistent with the Resource Management Act, and that was an important consideration. It goes beyond that, because the Resource Management Act covers what happens out to 12 miles and we want to ensure consistency. But the issues that impinge upon the area between 12 miles and 200 miles are larger than that and require a recognition of the protection and preservation of the marine environment. If the Minister wanted to take on that notion, it would be possible to at least go an even further step towards getting us in line with our international obligations by providing to decision makers under the Act the matters they would need to take into account, just as the Resource Management Act does in section 6 of that Act. It is all very well putting in section 5 of the Resource Management Act as the purpose clause, but in the absence of giving an indication to decision makers about what are the matters of importance that are needed, this clause falls short of providing New Zealanders with the assurance that they have a bill and a law that will protect and preserve the marine environment. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000324\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EMost of the organisations that submitted on this bill have said they accept that there will be economic activity within our exclusive economic zone, but New Zealanders who are looking at that and looking back to events in the Gulf of Mexico and who are concerned about the isolation of New Zealand want to know that lawmakers understand the importance of creating a regime that is robust and based around those core principles of protection and preservation of the marine environment. That is absent from clause 10, it is absent from any other part of this part of the bill, and that makes it very difficult for Opposition parties, particularly\u2014and I can speak only on behalf of the Labour Party\u2014to be able to support a bill like this. It is made far worse by having other matters included in the Minister\u2019s Supplementary Order Paper. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000325\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003ESo there are Supplementary Order Papers on the Table, both from Labour Party members and from the Green Party as well, that are asking the Minister to relook at clause 10 of this bill and to give this bill a purpose that allows New Zealanders to say that we know our marine environment will be protected and preserved, and to say to the rest of the world that we are taking our international obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea seriously. We urge the Minister to look at the Supplementary Order Papers that are on the Table that would amend clause 10. It is indeed welcome that the Government has listened to submitters about consistency with the Resource Management Act, but although that is good, it is not good enough. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000326\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EIn the few moments remaining in my first call around this part I also want to note that there are a number of other issues that have not been dealt with in the Minister\u2019s Supplementary Order Paper that we believe should be dealt with, particularly around questions on the way in which the Treaty of Waitangi is represented. There are also Supplementary Order Papers on that. We have Supplementary Order Paper 104 from Annette King, which seeks to extend those clauses that relate to the Treaty of Waitangi to Moriori. That was an issue that was raised in the select committee. We believe it is important that it is noted here when we come to this particular part of the bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022 data-id=\u00225053236020db49cebf821f68c9874568\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000327\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225053236020db49cebf821f68c9874568\u0022\u003EHon AMY ADAMS (Minister for the Environment):\u003C/span\u003E I do want to take an early call on this first part of the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill, recognising that one of the key issues that will be considered by the House in Committee this afternoon is around the purpose clause and the changes that the Government is recommending in Supplementary Order Paper 100 in my name, and just to take the opportunity to address some of the matters raised by Mr Robertson in his contribution. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000328\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EJust leading into that, can I make the statement first off, by way of introductory comments in my first contribution this afternoon, that this is a bill that everybody\u2014certainly as far as I have heard, and all the major players\u2014recognise is long overdue, is much needed, and is an important piece of legislation to fill a gap in our framework that has been in place for some years and that the previous Government did not see fit to do anything about in its time in the House. We have come in and recognised that this is important legislation that fills a gap in the framework and it does need to be passed. My concern is about the continual steps made by the Opposition to defer the passage of this bill rather than actually have to make a call on it and form a coherent view. That is pretty consistent with its current position, which is a reluctance to take a stand and an inability to address the clear divisions in its own caucus about whether or not it supports mining, and whether or not it supports any activity in this space. Rather than form a coherent position, rather than vote for a bill that it may want to vote for politically, or vote against a bill that it knows it cannot justify, its option is just to play for touch and try to come up with some procedural reason to see yet more delay come into this and more time without this environmental protection, which everyone agrees is necessary, in place. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000329\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EIn that respect it is interesting to see that after the announcement of my Supplementary Order Paper we have had the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment come out in strong support of the passage of this legislation, saying she is happy with the form of the legislation, and she has called for it to be passed into law. She has called for it to be passed into law: the law is needed, she thinks it is in a good position, and she has called for it to be passed. I think that speaks volumes, and the fact that the Labour Opposition is still unwilling to support it, still unwilling to see this legislation put in place, speaks more about the position it is in. At least the Green Party knows what it is opposed to. We do not have any surprise at the fact that the Green Party is opposed, but at least it is prepared to take a stance rather than to simply political point-score and try to kick for touch.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000330\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E I want to comment on the changes to the purpose clause, which is in this part of the bill, and on Supplementary Order Paper 100, which is in my name and which seeks to change it. We have decided that it makes better sense to have a purpose clause incorporating the principle of sustainable management. I have talked in public and made comments around the reasons we have done that, and I want to repeat that here and now for the sake of the Committee. The changes are reflecting the fact that we do see considerable benefit for all stakeholders in having a regime of sustainable management that is well defined in case law, that parties do understand, and that, importantly, provides a consistency of approach between matters within the 12-mile limit and those outside that limit, between the 12 and 200-mile limit. We can certainly see benefit in applications that will have impact on both sides of that 12-mile limit by having some consistency of approach. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000331\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EIn that respect, I want to comment on, and respond to, Mr Robertson\u2019s allegations that although we have adopted what is a cousin of section 5 of the Resource Management Act, there is in this legislation no equivalent of section 6 of the Resource Management Act, which guides decision makers in carrying out their functions. In fact, Mr Robertson is quite wrong. I direct him to clause 59 of the bill, which does exactly that. Although that is not in this part, I address it here because of the comments and concerns of Mr Robertson about the lack of an equivalent of section 6 of the Resource Management Act. Clause 59 of this bill does exactly that. It lists the principles that decision makers are to take into account and have regard to when they are making decisions in respect of this bill. In that way, it absolutely mirrors the purpose of section 6 of the Resource Management Act in terms of its provision of information to decision makers for them to take into account. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000332\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EThe other comment that I wanted to make in this early contribution is simply to reiterate once again that there are clear statements that the bill is compliant with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and our obligations under it. Opposition members insist on trying to take a clause by clause look or a part by part look at those obligations. They are holistic obligations. They must be given effect to as a whole. They specifically enable sovereign States to make arrangements for using the economic resources in that zone in a balancing provision. That is exactly what this bill does, and that is why it has been cleared as compliant with our obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and our other international obligations. So to continue with the line that suggests that it is not compliant is simply not correct, and it is not borne out by the information from our foreign agencies that are in charge of monitoring our obligations under those international conventions. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000333\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EThe bill is an absolutely essential piece of environmental legislation. It is long overdue. The National-led Government is committing to getting it passed. We would call on other parties in this Chamber that genuinely do want to see an increase of protection in the exclusive economic zone to work with us to see it brought into law. We thank those parties that have given support. We look forward to hearing the rest of the debate this afternoon.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022 data-id=\u002297e09c992c96421fa88d509b35e95edb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000334\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002297e09c992c96421fa88d509b35e95edb\u0022\u003EMOANA MACKEY (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I also would like to put on record how disappointed I am that the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill was not referred back to the Local Government and Environment Committee so that Supplementary Order Paper 100 could be fully considered, because it is significant and it does make significant changes. It is not the positive step that the Minister in the chair, the Minister for the Environment, is claiming it is. In fact, when we went through the Supplementary Order Paper clause by clause, what was very clear was that the Supplementary Order Paper actually takes the bill backwards considerably. The bill should go back to the select committee. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000335\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EI want to address some of the Minister\u2019s comments on the purpose clause of the bill, because it does not meet the test of our international obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. We open ourselves up to a very real risk of legal challenges, which will, of course, be funded by the New Zealand taxpayer, in terms of their defence, if we do not get this right. There is a very simple way we could have got it right: put the wording of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea into the purpose clause of the bill. That is what other countries have done. If we use the term \u201Cpreserve and protect the marine environment\u201D in the purpose clause of the bill, then it removes any uncertainty that we are not consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. And if we have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which we have, then why would we oppose using the same language as the convention? It does not make sense. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000336\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EIf we agree with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which we must do, because we ratified it, then using the language of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea should not be something the Government opposes, unless, of course, it thinks that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is far too restrictive and might stop some of the oil and gas exploration that it has planned from going ahead, which is the only plan the Government has for the economy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000337\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EThe Minister in the chair, the Minister for the Environment, is a lawyer. She knows that this could have removed an awful lot of legal uncertainty. Instead, she has decided that she is just going to wing it and take the risk. I want to read to the Minister Part 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. There is a suite of provisions there. The Minister is very fond of saying that there are a whole lot of things under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and that they all have to be taken into context. Well, article 192 says: \u201CStates have the obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment.\u201D That is not qualified in any way. Nowhere does it say \u201Cunless this\u201D or \u201Cunless that\u201D. Nowhere is there a provision that overrides that. It says we have an obligation\u2014an obligation\u2014to protect and preserve the marine environment. Article 193 provides that the right to exploit natural resources must\u2014must\u2014be in accordance with the duty to protect and preserve the marine environment. It could not be more clear. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000338\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003ESo although the Minister has come up with a clause from the Resource Management Act that is better than the one that is in the bill, at the end of the day it still does not get us over the line. It does not matter, actually, how close we get to that line; if we are not over it, then we are in breach of our international obligations. We are in breach of those international obligations, and that is what the Labour Party has been concerned about from the first reading of this piece of legislation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000339\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EI do not know how the Minister can continue to claim that because she has aligned the purpose clause with the Resource Management Act, that somehow meets our international obligations. The Resource Management Act does not have to be consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Minister. Just because it is consistent with the Resource Management Act does not make it consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000340\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bcb1a771f3b3415fa3d67d2be6dcb6b9\u0022\u003EHon Amy Adams\u003C/span\u003E: It was, anyway.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000341\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002247782c1d47d74fa7831d5fedde29efd6\u0022\u003EMOANA MACKEY\u003C/span\u003E: Sorry?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000342\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225120e42e67f846b5a96296e94c69e42e\u0022\u003EHon Amy Adams\u003C/span\u003E: It was, anyway.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000343\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220e32967642b4486593e2e4c5080292e3\u0022\u003EMOANA MACKEY\u003C/span\u003E: It was not consistent. Instead of having this to-ing and fro-ing, why would we not provide absolute certainty and use the language of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea? Why would we not use the language \u201Cpreserve and protect the marine environment.\u201D? Then we would not have to worry about it. We have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, so, obviously, we agree with that, so why would we not just use it, and then we do not even have to have this argument any more? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000344\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EThe reason we are not going to use it is that the Minister well knows\u2014and as one of the energy companies told us when it came to the select committee\u2014they like this because it is intended to be more permissive than the Resource Management Act. That is what the energy company told us, and that is the reason that the purpose clause is deliberately not consistent with our international conventions. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000345\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EI want to talk about the changes to clause 11 in the Minister\u2019s Supplementary Order Paper. This is a clause around our international obligations. When the bill came back from the Local Government and Environment Committee we strengthened this clause significantly. We were clear. We said that this Act must be interpreted under various international conventions relating to the marine environment, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Convention on Biological Diversity. We thought that made it quite clear that everything in the bill was meant to be and intended to be consistent with our international obligations. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000346\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EWell, this has now been changed. Clause 11, in Supplementary Order Paper 100, now reads: \u201CThis Act continues or enables the implementation of New Zealand\u2019s obligation \u2026\u201D. In other words, we are not quite there yet\u2014we are not quite there yet. We are continuing to implement our obligations, but we do not want to say that it does implement our obligations, because that would be a much tougher test, and it would be interpreted differently. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000347\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EThere is a piece in the explanatory note of the Minister\u2019s Supplementary Order Paper 100 that I think was particularly interesting as well. When she talked about clause 11, her explanation was: \u201C\u2026 which provides for the Act to be interpreted under various international conventions, is replaced. New clause 11 records that the Act continues or enables the implementation of New Zealand\u2019s international obligations\u201D\u2014and this is the interesting bit\u2014\u201Cso that a decision-maker under the Act does not need to look beyond the Act to be sure that he or she is complying with those obligations.\u201D Otherwise, the people who are implementing this piece of legislation can ignore the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, can ignore the convention on biodiversity, because the new clause 11 states that they do not have to give any regard to our international obligations. They merely need to give regard to this piece of legislation, which, as I said, no longer says that this Act must be interpreted in accordance with our international obligations. It simply says that it is continuing along the pathway of maybe one day getting somewhere close to implementing and meeting the tests under our various international obligations. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000348\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EI find it astonishing that the Minister can continue to claim that this piece of legislation is in accordance with the international obligations, when it clearly is not. Although the concept of sustainable management is a good one, it is disappointing that throughout the rest of the bill, where we would have liked to see more consistency with the Resource Management Act, the one part of the bill that is purposeful, where we were not calling for the same language as the Resource Management Act, is the one where she has actually done it. And then everywhere else in the bill, where we have said \u201CPlease use the language of the RMA.\u201D, she has completely ignored it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000349\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EThe purpose clause must be consistent with our international obligations, and it is not\u2014it is not; it is quite clear that it is not. We have a right to exploit the resources in our exclusive economic zone, but that right comes with a duty and an obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment. That is not a balance\u2014as the Government was talking about before. That is not the language that we have in there now. Where is the language that states that we understand, under this legislation, that there is an obligation, a duty, to protect and preserve the marine environment? If the National Government thinks that this piece of legislation does do that, then why would they leave so much uncertainty? Why would they not just put that language in the legislation, so that we can be in no doubt that the purpose of this legislation is to protect and preserve the marine environment? There is only one reason why you would not use that wording, and it is because you do not want\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000350\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227cf1f8249389437187ce948a7af3000b\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: Order!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000351\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022aa789542c3c649b88c9b2330ac2fd9be\u0022\u003EMOANA MACKEY\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014sorry, Mr Chair\u2014the Government does not want to protect and preserve the marine environment. That is the only reason\u2014the only reason you would not do something so simple. It is because you do not want that to be the outcome of this piece of legislation\u2014that is the only reason. It would be nice if one of the National members would be honest enough to actually say that in the course of this debate. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000352\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EYes, I agree with the Minister\u2014we need legislation in place. But, at the same time, we do not need to be going out there and ramping up oil and gas exploration before this bill is passed. It is not a good enough argument to say: \u201COh, because all this stuff is going ahead, we just need to pass any old piece of legislation.\u201D Maybe we could pass good legislation, and then, once the protection is in place, go ahead with the oil and gas exploration. That would seem to be a sensible way of doing it, instead of putting the cart before the horse and allowing the gates to open. We are going to have some very interesting debates on the transitional provisions around this piece of legislation, which really have opened the gates to completely allowing exploration to go ahead, with no marine consent and no input. We look forward to that debate. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000353\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EIt is really disappointing that the Minister was not prepared to work with the members of the Labour Party, the Green Party, and the New Zealand First Party, who came to her and met with her, saying we need to find a compromise on the purpose clause and on this piece of legislation, because it is too important. Instead, the Minister dumped the Supplementary Order Paper at a meeting, with Grant Robertson sitting next to her and Eugenie Sage\u2014they had no idea it was coming. She did not give us the courtesy of saying: \u201CLook, I\u2019ve taken on board what we\u2019ve said in the meeting. I\u2019m going to release an SOP. Here\u2019s basically what it does.\u201D This is too important to be a piece of legislation where the pendulum swings between Governments. We could have found a compromise. We were not that far away. It is a shame we did not do it at the select committee, but we were shut down at every point at the select committee when we tried to get these changes. It was clear that it was just going to be the Government\u2019s way or no way at all. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000354\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EUnfortunately, the chair of the Local Government and Environment Committee, although I appreciate all the work she put into it, did not realise she had a tied vote on the committee, which involved a lot of cleaning up in the Supplementary Order Paper to clean up what happened to the bill because of the way it ended up having to be voted on, because the process was not clearly laid out beforehand. But we could have come to an agreement on the purpose clause that had the intention of preserving and protecting the marine environment. We could have got there, and it is a shame that the Government rejected that offer. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022 data-id=\u00220b29a05ae71e4eccac49455291260e11\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000355\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220b29a05ae71e4eccac49455291260e11\u0022\u003ENICKY WAGNER (National\u2014Christchurch Central):\u003C/span\u003E I am delighted to be here to support the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill in its Committee stage. I am delighted to support the bill, because up until now there has been absolutely no framework to manage the environmental effects of activities in the exclusive economic zone or the continental shelf. That means no legislation to manage seabed mining, no legislation to manage the platforms for oil and gas exploration, and no legislation for drilling, marine farming, energy generation, or carbon capture and storage. As the marine area covered by this bill is 20 times the size of the land mass of New Zealand, this legislation is well overdue. I think it is really interesting listening to the Labour members say they are not going to support the bill, because between 1999 and 2008 under Labour there were 46 wells drilled, with no legislation to monitor the activities and no legislation to protect the environment. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000356\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022\u003EI was really pleased to hear from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment this week, who welcomed the changes to this bill. She said she is satisfied that the legislation will provide environmental protections for our oceans. Obviously, Labour does not read the press releases. Obviously, Labour does not follow what the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says. She also congratulated the Government on bringing this legislation to Parliament, on listening to others, and on carrying on a conversation with environmentalists. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000357\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022\u003EI would like to thank our Ministers. I would firstly like to thank our ex - Minister for the Environment the Hon Nick Smith for promoting this legislation, and our present Minister, the Hon Amy Adams, for getting this legislation through the House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000358\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022\u003EWe are all aware, as New Zealanders, how our country is shaped by the oceans around it. We have one of the largest exclusive economic zones in the world. Most New Zealanders live close to it, and they want to protect our oceans. We enjoy our coastal oceans. And although we mostly know those beaches and the things near us and focus on those, we are also committed to looking after the wider oceans and the resources beyond, to the exclusive economic zone, which goes past the 12 nautical miles, up to 200 miles out to sea. The exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf are ours under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Because they are ours under this legislation, we have both rights and responsibilities. We have the right to manage and to use the resources in the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf, but we also have the responsibilities to protect and conserve the marine environment, and this is exactly what this legislation will enable. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000359\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022\u003EThe Local Government and Environment Committee worked hard on this bill. We made a large number of changes. The issues we were most interested in in Part 1 were the purpose clause of the bill, and whether the bill met with our international obligations. The original purpose of the bill was based on the principle of balance\u2014the balance between looking after the environment and managing our economy. But the Minister has since revised that purpose in her Supplementary Order Paper 100, and the purpose is now \u201Cto promote the sustainable management of the natural resources of the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf.\u201D Of course, this is in line with the Resource Management Act, which is the management tool that looks after that first 12 nautical miles of our coastal waters, so it makes sense to use that for the greater exclusive economic zone. It will create better consistency in environmental regulations for the different areas of the ocean, and will be particularly useful for any activities that span both the territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone beyond 12 nautical miles. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000360\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022\u003EThese changes will also please many of our submitters, as they were concerned that as the bill attempted to balance the economy and the environment, the environment might miss out. That is not what we want. Also, the concept of sustainable management is well defined in domestic law, and it has been used for about 20 years in Resource Management Act case law, so people understand the terminology and will be able to use it freely. The new purpose will ensure that any economic activities in the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf will be sustainable, and will be done in such a way as to safeguard the life-supporting capacity of the environment. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000361\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022\u003EI would like to take just a short call to talk about our international obligations. There was significant debate about whether the bill would meet our obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and also some submitters felt that it was a bit restrictive to use only that legislation. They suggested, and we did actually take their suggestion, to add the Convention on Biological Diversity. We sought advice, and we were assured that the bill did meet our obligations under international law. But the Legislation Advisory Committee advised us not to allow our international obligations to become an interpretations tool, because that would risk the bill becoming subject to international obligations not considered by our Parliament. However, we did include the Convention on Biological Diversity. Under the Minister\u2019s Supplementary Order Paper 100, the text is amended. Both the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1992 and the Convention on Biological Diversity of 1992 are included, and our commitment to both these obligations are clarified by saying that \u201CThis Act continues or enables the implementation of New Zealand\u2019s obligations \u2026 relating to the marine environment\u201D under these conventions, and everybody\u2014except, perhaps, Moana Mackey\u2014feels that this fulfils our obligations and is the right piece of language for New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000362\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022\u003EI believe that the amendments made to the original bill improve it significantly, and I would like to thank all the members of the Local Government and Environment Committee for the work they did to improve the bill. I would like to thank the Green Party for its input, and also the Labour Party, because there were times that we got a better outcome because of that discussion. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000363\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022\u003EJust before I go I would like to put an answer to Grant Robertson\u2019s concerns. This bill is predicated on caution. Because of the size of the exclusive economic zone and the unknown quantities of our waters, and because new emerging technologies are involved, it seeks to favour caution and environmental protection. As a default position, all activities are discretionary, unless they are classified as permitted, so, until we have more knowledge, each activity will be considered with a case by case approach. I think that is appropriate, and I think that should put Mr Robertson\u2019s fears to rest. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022 data-id=\u0022e45bd71655c8495c9da1920d39cc49b7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000364\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e45bd71655c8495c9da1920d39cc49b7\u0022\u003EGARETH HUGHES (Green):\u003C/span\u003E Kia ora. Ng\u0101 mihi nui ki a koutou, kia ora. I rise to take a call on the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill\u2014the \u201CExclusive Economic Zone Drilling Bill\u201D, as I call it. It is disappointing that we are having this debate now. I think that the Green Party and Labour Party were quite earnest in their desire to see this bill go back to the Local Government and Environment Committee. I do not think it was a matter of playing politics with this bill; it is just the scope of the amendments put forward by the Minister for the Environment on Supplementary Order Paper 100. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000365\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EI have asked the Minister whether we could vote clause by clause, because, as I will explain in my call today, some of the amendments we support, and some we do not. We would like to be able to vote for the ones that we do support. But the Minister said that she would not support that because the Supplementary Order Paper is so long and there are so many clauses being amended. If it is so large, if there are so many clauses being amended, what is the harm of taking it back to the select committee to have more investigation and to actually get a robust, solid bill coming out of the committee? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000366\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003E What I think everyone in this House wants to see is a good bill come out of this House. No party in this Parliament wants to see the current legislative, regulatory vacuum that occurs in our exclusive economic zone. By means of introduction to the people listening on telly and in the gallery today, what this bill does is set up a regime for our exclusive economic zone between the 12 and 200 nautical miles. It is a place where there has not been a great deal of rules or a framework through which you can apply for consents. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000367\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EThe Green Party, since 1988\u2014the earliest reference I can find\u2014when we first entered Parliament, has been calling for comprehensive oceans legislation, because there has been a huge gap. It is critical that this Parliament gets it right. A number of players, be they oil drillers or conservationists, want certainty. They want to know what the rules are. They want to know that the rules are not going to change, and that the carpet will not be pulled from beneath them. What everyone wants is a robust bill that gets turned into law that we can all agree on.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000368\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EWhat we want is something like the Resource Management Act, which has been an enduring framework. It is important to get it right because, as the chair of the Local Government and Environment Committee, Nicky Wagner, pointed out, we have a very large exclusive economic zone, the fifth-largest in the world. It is an amazing environment, where I think Kiwis take our sustenance from\u2014our spiritual sustenance, and obviously our physical sustenance, with our kai moana. It is where we get our economic sustenance from. You know, our $20 billion \u201Cclean, green\u201D brand, in part, comes from our ocean environment. It is where our tourism, our aquaculture, and our fisheries industries are thriving. The simple fact is that Kiwis love our environment. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000369\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EObviously people want to explore and exploit the environment, and that is why it is critical that we have this bill. So the Minister has come to Parliament with a huge number of amendments set out on her Supplementary Order Paper. I want to touch on this before going into a little detail on four of those points. The first thing is that we were earnest and up front with our desire to take this bill back to the select committee. I am hoping that the Minister will consider it. I understand that leave was sought, but the Committee is the master of its own destiny. The Committee might wish to consider putting that motion again. After all, what we want to see is a good law. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000370\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EWe think that the process around those amendments was less than desirable. The Opposition parties went to the Minister off our own bats to try to negotiate in good faith. We had a good meeting, and it is unfortunate that these amendments were literally sort of slammed on the Table or uploaded to the website with no notice. The Minister used what I call the Olympic strategy, because what we have seen is a number of quite significant announcements over the course of the Olympics, from M\u0101ui\u2019s dolphins, to sea lions, to the seismic regulations. What the Government has done is announce a raft of top-level changes with its amendments, but it did not actually alert the public or Parliament to the rest of the amendments. It is not just the five amendments that were highlighted in the press release. We are talking about pages and pages of various amendments. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000371\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003ESo while the Government was trying to spin the amendments as trying to strengthen the bill from an environmental perspective, I chuckled at the headline in the National Business Review that said the Government was buckling to Green pressure. What we know, I think, is that it is simply spin. It is simply spin from this Government. There are some amendments we can agree with, and a whole host that we do not, but ultimately we are not seeing a better bill coming out. We are not seeing a more robust, enduring solution for this vexed problem, which has faced numerous Parliaments. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000372\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EThe first significant amendment is to clause 10, the purpose clause. We endorse the change we have seen here, which is in the language \u201Csustainable management\u201D, but we think we should have gone a bit further. We take our hats off to the Minister because she got rid of that flawed \u201Cbalanced\u201D ideology, as I put it. What I think the Government is talking about when it talks about balance, is that you can trade off a little bit of environmental degradation for a little bit of profit. The flip side of that is that you can trade off a whole host of environmental degradation if there is a profit in it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000373\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EWhat we know about New Zealand is that in our oil industry we have got the fourth-lowest Government royalty and tax rates, for what we are getting. It is not the Kiwi economy that is benefiting, on the whole; it is those foreign-owned companies, meaning that New Zealand is facing 100 percent of the environmental risk for the fourth-lowest royalty plus tax rate in the world. It also means that there are numerous tax exemptions, that there are hardly any jobs for Kiwis, and that the profits are going offshore. We reject what we consider the flawed ideology around \u201Cbalance\u201D. We take our hats off to the Minister, in that she has removed it. But she has gone only halfway, because we have got those critical words \u201Csustainable management\u201D in clause 10, the purpose clause, but what we do not have is the rest of it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000374\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EThe Government, I think, has been a bit confused about how close or distant it wants to get to the Resource Management Act. Some days Government members talk about it as if they do not want anything in the exclusive economic zone bill to be related to it, and then on other days they want it to be strengthened to be more like the Resource Management Act. This comes with a whole host of problems, because in the area inside 12 nautical miles, one regime applies, with one set of rules, and in the area beyond 12 nautical miles, another regime applies, with a different set of rules. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000375\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EThe Minister has gone part of the way with the changing of the purpose clause to include \u201Csustainable management\u201D. What we do not have are the other key words from the Resource Management Act. The current amendment that the Minister is proposing uses the words \u201Ctake into account\u201D in respect of certain matters. The key words from the Resource Management Act, of course, are to \u201Crecognise and provide for\u201D. What we are going to see is the courts essentially deciding this, and I think the courts are going to have a significant power. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000376\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EI want to touch on the international negotiations, because what we are seeing here is a deliberate weakening of clause 11, \u201CInternational obligations\u201D. The committee, which all parties supported, wanted to have the word \u201Cconsistent\u201D in there. I think that we should have gone stronger and said: \u201CThis bill will be interpreted consistently with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS\u201D. This is critical, because this is how we get the right\u2014the responsibility\u2014to use and enjoy our exclusive economic zone. It is clear that we have international obligations. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000377\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EThe Minister is emphatic that the current legislation\u2014the bill in front of us and her amendments\u2014is consistent, but has the Minister got an updated legal opinion on the changes? What we are seeing is clause 11, \u201CInternational obligations\u201D, actually changing, and we are seeing the purpose clause and a whole host of other changes. So if the Minister could table that new legal opinion, I think that would be beneficial to the Committee. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000378\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EThe fact is that many commentators, from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, to legal experts, to the Opposition parties do not think the legislation will be consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. I think it is clear that we should be aiming to do this. I think the Government is scared of being taken to court, essentially, over the interpretation. You know, if you think it is consistent with the convention, you should say so. We should say: \u201CThis Act will be interpreted consistently with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000379\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EThe Minister also touched on the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment\u2019s support. Obviously the commissioner has come out in support, but I think the Minister is taking it a bit far and may be putting words in the commissioner\u2019s mouth when she gushes over the support for this bill. I think the commissioner, like the Green Party, wants to see something out there in the exclusive economic zone, because we have not had anything. But the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment quite rightly says she has a number of concerns with the bill. The key question is that this still is not the overarching oceans framework that her office and numerous other commentators have been calling for. Where is the conservation side? Where is the spatial planning side? What we are talking about is a consenting regime. We are not talking about a management regime, and this is what we need because we have got a gigantic ocean space, yet we know so little about it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000380\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EI looked into the research done by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research over the decades. We still know so little about the marine environment\u2014what is down there in the benthic and the atrophic environments. We know so little about it, yet we are about to go and exploit it. I understand that soon we are expecting a consent to be lodged for ironsand mining, which could involve 300 million tonnes of sand being moved off the west coast of the North Island. We are talking about Chatham Rock Phosphate\u2019s proposal to dig up, I understand, 3,000 square kilometres over the lifetime of the resource on the ocean floor. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000381\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EThese are huge questions, and with no information we think we should actively be managing our marine environment, but this is not what we see. What we are seeing is an increasing strengthening in a few respects, but on the whole we are seeing a bill that is still fundamentally flawed\u2014in fact, being taken backwards. I will be debating this in the debate on later parts, because this is where the transition measures and the penalties come from. But, basically, what we are seeing is a missed opportunity from this Parliament, a missed opportunity from this Government, and a missed opportunity from this Minister, who could have engaged a lot better. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u00220eb43e3c41124ab6b049b9ef80877a74\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000382\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220eb43e3c41124ab6b049b9ef80877a74\u0022\u003EJACQUI DEAN (National\u2014Waitaki):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you for the opportunity to speak in the Committee stage of the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill. The member who just resumed his seat, Gareth Hughes, referred to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. I think it is probably worth having a look at the full press release made by Dr Jan Wright, who has \u201Cwelcomed the changes to the Exclusive Economic Zone Bill made by the Government. The Bill is intended to regulate activities in the EEZ including deepwater oil exploration and iron sand prospecting. Dr Wright says she is satisfied that the legislation will provide significant protection to New Zealand\u2019s EEZ.\u201D So that comes directly from the website of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. It is one of two press releases that the parliamentary commissioner put out very recently, acknowledging the good work of the Minister for the Environment, the Hon Amy Adams, in recognising that through the select committee process, some improvements can, and should, be made to the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill. You know, hats off to Amy Adams. She has listened and she has made some very constructive changes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000383\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003EI also want to pick up on the point made by one of the Labour members who bemoaned the fact that Supplementary Order Paper 100 was something like 14 pages long and contained an awful lot of material. I would just like\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000384\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002212264c999ea9460d9a628ca4b59c2946\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: It was me.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000385\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222d5198b0133448559f6b5444abcbcdde\u0022\u003EJACQUI DEAN\u003C/span\u003E: Well, if you have a read of the Supplementary Order Paper, you will recognise that there are really three substantive\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000386\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022612709c6726d42fcae288dadf11b3b1a\u0022\u003EMoana Mackey\u003C/span\u003E: You haven\u2019t read it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000387\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002201e55830bf7c43e1b755b59b65150b57\u0022\u003EJACQUI DEAN\u003C/span\u003E: Look at the creases in the paper, see\u2014look at the creases in the paper. If those members had\u2014like I and my colleagues\u2014looked at that Supplementary Order Paper, they would have recognised that there are three key changes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000388\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003EThe first amends the purpose of the bill to incorporate the concept of sustainable management, which is similar to the Resource Management Act. I am going to pick up on that theme, maybe later in this speech or in other contributions. It also increases the maximum penalties for companies, from $600,000 through to $10 million. This, again, was another hotly discussed issue within the Local Government and Environment Committee. It clarifies that the transitional period will enable planned activities to proceed during the 2013-14 season, and also provides a statutory time frame of about 6 months for marine consent processes. Many of the other issues noted in the Supplementary Order Paper are tidying up and formatting issues associated with the bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000389\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003EI just want to pick up on the first point I made about sustainable management, and I just want to read from the bill\u2019s commentary: \u201CLabour would also like to see more consistency between [the exclusive economic zone] regime and the RMA. \u2026 Labour believes that better alignment of the two regimes would provide more certainty for industry and local government, as well as reassurance for the general public regarding the protection of the marine environment. The concept\u201D\u2014and I think this is the interesting part\u2014\u201Cof \u2018sustainable economic development\u2019 is well understood under the RMA, and should be carried through into this regime.\u201D That is really interesting. It gives a tick, I think, as my colleague says, for the concept of sustainable economic development. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000390\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003ESo when I pick up the Supplementary Order Paper and have a look at the amendment to clause 10, it says: \u201CPurpose\u2014(1) The purpose of this Act is to promote the sustainable management of the natural resources of the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf.\u201D So from that I am assuming that, having read Labour\u2019s minority report in the bill, which is calling for the concept of sustainable economic development, and then picking up the Supplementary Order Paper, which in the amendment to clause 10 talks about sustainable management, I would have thought that Grant Robertson might be well pleased. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000391\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003ESo why is it that Grant Robertson and Moana Mackey want to send this back into the wilderness and not actually take a stand and make a call on this legislation? Do you know why? It is because they do not want any regulation in the exclusive economic zone. They want to continue the legacy of their 9 years, while they were in Government, when there was a regulatory gap, which they were happy with, regarding deep-sea drilling, in their tenure of Parliament. If they were so happy\u2014[Bell rung] Just to finish off that point, it seems that Labour members want the concept of sustainable economic development. It has been picked up in the Supplementary Order Paper. They are still not happy. Why are they not happy? They would prefer to have a regulatory vacuum rather than some good legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022 data-id=\u0022fb229d86fa584bc6b77df30879043d73\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000392\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fb229d86fa584bc6b77df30879043d73\u0022\u003ECHARLES CHAUVEL (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I just want, first of all, to congratulate the Minister for the Environment. I think some fair points have been made in the debate, and I think there is general agreement that her proposed clause 10 in Supplementary Order Paper 100 is better than where we started. I think it is important to concede that right up front. Labour voted against the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill at the first reading for the particular reason that, specifically, as we said in the first reading debate, we had real concerns about the purpose clause. It was absolutely inadequate for the sort of exercise that this bill is designed to deal with. So the Minister has gone some way to try to remedy that, and I want to express, and put on record, appreciation for that, as have previous speakers in the debate. I understand that that will not have been an easy exercise, because, as was said in the first reading debate, the problem with this bill is it is too much of a developers\u2019 charter and not enough of a bill that has regard to the preciousness of our environment. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000393\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003EI just want, in that regard, to say a few words about the importance of a purpose clause. Other speakers have noted that there is likely to be litigation around this legislation. Of course there will be. It involves natural resources, it involves important economic considerations, and it will involve powerful economic actors. They will have recourse to the courts for the interpretation and declaration of their rights, so it is important that we start right up front with a very clear purpose clause to guide the courts as to the interpretation of the rest of the Act. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000394\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003EWe have already seen with the Environmental Protection Authority Act the sort of problem that Labour still has with this bill. In that particular piece of legislation there was a failure on the part of the Minister\u2019s predecessor to expressly provide in the purpose clause that the purpose of the Environmental Protection Authority should actually be to protect the environment. The major defect of that bill\u2014that Act, as it now is\u2014continues to be that there is no express requirement that its sections be interpreted with that prime obligation in mind. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003EI think we need to think quite carefully about what we are doing here as a Committee, because the public are entitled, I think, to look at legislation and to expect its contents to at least bear some relationship to its title. Well, clearly, in the case of the Environmental Protection Authority Act, that is a case where this Parliament, under this Government, failed. I do not want to see Parliament fail again to do that in respect of the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000396\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003EThe reason that I say we still are failing\u2014notwithstanding the fact that the Minister has, I accept, gone some way to try to take into account Opposition concerns\u2014is the issue that was raised by previous speakers, which is the problem of inconsistency with our international obligations. You know, we can pretend as much as we like in this Committee that we have been advised that it is consistent. We can say that black and blue, but any reading of the treaty and then any reading of the clauses that are now reproduced in the proposed purpose clause show that there is still a major inconsistency. The Minister in the chair, the Minister for the Environment, shakes her head. I hope she gets up and addresses this point, and I hope that when she does so she actually has a copy of the treaty provisions in front of her, because the basic problem we still have here is the failure to incorporate in the legislation and in the purpose clause the fundamental part of the treaty obligation, which is about preserving and protecting the marine environment. It is not about promoting the sustainable management of the natural resources of the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf. It is about preserving and protecting. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000397\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003EI have to ask the Minister, because I know that she was a respected lawyer in practice, why on earth we would set up this dichotomy for the courts so that they have the treaty provision on one hand and the purpose clause on the other being inconsistent. What is to guide the courts when they consider the principles that they ought to observe in considering any ambiguity in the rest of the text of the Act? The Minister knows that that is going to be a problem going forward with the text that she has proposed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000398\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003EThat is why Grant Robertson has put forward his preferred version of clause 10 in Supplementary Order Paper 97. There is a very careful attempt here to legislate consistently with New Zealand\u2019s international obligations. What he has done in subclause (1) is to very clearly say: \u201CThe purpose of the Act is to protect and preserve the environment while providing for sustainable economic development in the exclusive economic zone \u2026\u201D. Why on earth would we not do that? Why on earth would we not take the primary treaty provision and accept in the primary purpose clause in the legislation that it ought to be given prominence, and then say what else wants to be done? As I said, I am expressing gratitude to the Minister for having come some way, but I just cannot see, on the face of the competing Supplementary Order Papers, why on a logical comparison we would not prefer the approach that is contended for by Grant Robertson.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000399\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E The second issue around general interpretation relates to the Minister\u2019s suggestion for new clause 11 in Supplementary Order Paper 100. We heard a, frankly, extraordinary contribution from the chair of the Local Government and Environment Committee earlier where I think what she said\u2014what she seemed to think the officials had advised her\u2014was that if Parliament inserted references to the treaties, then the courts would not be able to consider the clauses of those treaties; they would be able consider only the terms of the bill. I think that is what she said. We all had a little giggle, including the Minister in the chair, because clearly that is entirely wrong. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000400\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003EBut actually looking at what is intended in the proposed new clause 11, first of all, the good thing is that, yes, there ought to be reference to the implementation of our obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and I welcome the inclusion also of a reference to the Convention on Biological Diversity. That was a good move, a good suggestion from the committee, and it is great to see the Minister taking it up. But what does this mean: \u201CThis Act continues or enables the implementation of New Zealand\u2019s obligations \u2026\u201D? I mean, which is it? When the court looks at this provision, if\u2014God forbid\u2014it is actually enacted, then what is the court to make of it? \u201COh, goodness me, I wonder whether this provision is intended to continue an obligation to which we have already accepted an international obligation, or are we now enabling that obligation?\u201D. Surely, if we have signed the treaty, we accept that we are a party to it, and it is not a question of enabling or continuing, but actually being clear in the text of the statute which one it is. I really hope that the Minister will clarify that point for the Committee. I see she has just asked one of the officials a question; I hope it is about that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000401\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003EThe final point that I just wanted to make in this call relates to a clause in Part 1A that will be influenced by the Minister\u2019s Supplementary Order Paper. That is the insertion of clause 17A. This deals with planned petroleum activities, and essentially declares that they can continue. The problem here is that planned petroleum activities are very different from actual ongoing activities. I think we do have to hear from the Minister as to why this particular means for transition is the one that she thinks the Committee ought to adopt, because it does not actually seem either consistent with principle or consistent with the protection obligations that we all know New Zealand is party to. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000402\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003EJust a word about process. Again, without detracting from my earlier comments praising the Minister for being willing to come some way from the extremism that we saw from Dr Smith in the original draft of this bill, which was simply a developers\u2019 charter for the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, we do have a process issue that cannot be ignored. We have a select committee system in our Parliament, for good reason. I have sat on the Local Government and Environment Committee. I sat on it this morning for an hour or two, and it is a good committee. It does its level best to make legislation before it better, but to drop a 16-page Supplementary Order Paper at the stage of the Committee of the whole House, in respect of legislation that is as important as this, is simply not good procedure. I think the Minister should refer it back to the select committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022 data-id=\u00227b8ff5a17c7445ce8e61418320befded\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000403\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227b8ff5a17c7445ce8e61418320befded\u0022\u003EHon AMY ADAMS (Minister for the Environment):\u003C/span\u003E I do want to take a call, just to respond to a couple of the issues that have been raised by a number of speakers around clause 11 of the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill and the international obligations. I will certainly come to that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000404\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003ELet me just start, though, by pointing out to the last speaker, Charles Chauvel, in respect of his concerns around clause 17, that clause 17 is not in Part 1 of the bill. It sits in Part 1A, which we will be debating next. So I am more than happy for him to return and make a contribution on that part, and we can address that there. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000405\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003ERegarding clause 11 of the bill and the wording of the international obligations, it is very valid that the Committee consider this carefully because it is an important part of the bill. But I want to get a few things on record. The first of those is that simply repeating in Opposition contributions to the debate that it is not consistent does not take us any further. What I have said repeatedly is that the advice that we have from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which is, after all, New Zealand\u2019s agency that has the responsibility for understanding and monitoring our compliance with our international obligations, has repeatedly made it very clear, both to the Local Government and Environment Committee and to me, that the bill\u2014actually before the changes, and certainly, again, with them\u2014complies with our international obligations in all respects. The point that the Committee has to take into account, as I have said repeatedly, is that the matter has to be looked at holistically. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000406\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EThe issue is that part 12 of the convention itself, although an important part of the convention, must be read in the context of the rest of the convention, the majority of which addresses use of the oceans, including exploitation of living and non-living resources, marine research, and navigation. In relation to the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the use of the oceans, particular note should be made of articles 56 and 77, which explicitly refer to a coastal State\u2019s sovereign right to explore and exploit the natural resources in its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EThe view goes on to express the fact that it is the obligation of States in the light of particular circumstances to attempt to strike an appropriate and reasonable balance between all of the interests. That is exactly what the very nature of this bill does. We had clear advice to the committee, and we have clear advice through me to this Committee from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade\u2019s legal team, that that is what the bill does. We had a legal submission to the select committee, I understand, from Simpson Grierson that made the same point. So if the Opposition wants to continue to assert that the bill does not meet the obligations, then it should find a legally qualified person who is expert in this area to say so. Until then, the information that we have put on the table has to be taken, I think, at face value. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000408\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EI want to also talk about the comments that have been made around the wording on Supplementary Order Paper 100 in respect of clause 11, which is\u2014let me just flick to that page quickly\u2014\u201Ccontinues or enables the implementation of New Zealand\u2019s obligations\u201D. A number of members have raised concerns about that wording. I simply point out to those members that it is a very well-used expression in this Chamber, and exists already in this space in the Maritime Transport Act, the Fisheries Act, and the Marine Mammals Protection Act, amongst others. So we are not talking about some new way of doing things. This is an established way of reflecting New Zealand\u2019s international obligations. I suggest that those members consider the framework that already exists in this House and the appropriateness of it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000409\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EI further want to make the point that, actually, the reason that concern was raised around the initial drafting of clause 11, and the reason we have not done what some members are suggesting, which is simply put the words automatically into this bill, actually comes in large part from the submission, or is certainly reflected in the view of the submission, of the Legislation Advisory Committee\u2014which is, at the end of the day, the expert on legislation and presents from a very unbiased, objective, and highly respected view\u2014that to do that would be entirely inappropriate. It made the point that it is not appropriate to build in these sorts of conventions and interpretation aids. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000410\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EThe purpose of these obligations, and the way to approach them, is to ensure that we set up frameworks in our own domestic legislation as stand-alone frameworks that in and of themselves give effect to our obligations. That is what this bill does. That is what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed it does. That is what the legal advice to the committee confirmed was the case. So I say to Opposition members again that rather than just saying and continually repeating that it is inconsistent, they should come up with someone who is prepared to say that and is an expert in these matters, because the experts we have talked to, who are in charge of this matter, repeatedly say that this is the appropriate way to handle it. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has said it, Simpson Grierson has said it, and the Legislation Advisory Committee has said it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000411\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003ESo I simply say to members that rather than continue to look for reasons to object to a bill that the members, clearly, simply do not want to pass, they should put some meat on the bones of their submissions. We have done that. We have made the point as to why we are doing it. We have provided the evidence to back that up. Members opposite need to do the same, rather than come up with more and more spurious reasons to simply not want to back this legislation. If they do not want to back the legislation, Labour members should simply say that. Do not try to come up with unjustified obligations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022 data-id=\u00229ce9bf5fb0ef42c3b274a9beb16bd746\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000412\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229ce9bf5fb0ef42c3b274a9beb16bd746\u0022\u003EEUGENIE SAGE (Green):\u003C/span\u003E The Green Party also believes that this Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill should be referred back to the Local Government and Environment Committee because this 16-page Supplementary Order Paper includes quite sweeping changes. It includes inspection powers from the Search and Surveillance Act and changes to the Biosecurity Act in relation to the eradication of unwanted organisms, and to the whole consenting regime for existing petroleum mining activities, which are licensed under the Continental Shelf Act. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000413\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EIt is good lawmaking when the select committee has an opportunity to consider changes of this scope in more detail, because we, like other members of the Opposition, want this bill to be robust law, we want it to be enduring, but the way in which the process has occurred, the fact that we have tried constructively to make amendments through giving the Minister for the Environment a number of Supplementary Order Papers last month, only to have Supplementary Order Paper 100 dropped on us last Friday, is not good lawmaking\u2014putting these quite major changes that are in this Supplementary Order Paper in the legislation without it going back to select committee and without the select committee having had the benefit of seeing how the package as a whole works. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000414\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003ECertainly this legislation is overdue. We do need to fill this major gap in our environmental management regime. The fact is that we do not have a consenting regime to regulate activities in the exclusive economic zone and in the extended continental shelf, when this is the fifth-largest exclusive economic zone in the world, so we certainly support the need for the legislation, but it still has a number of flaws. The Minister, with her announcement in the Supplementary Order Paper that we were getting rid of the balanced criteria that were in the last purpose clause and the proposed referral to the sustainable management provisions of the Resource Management Act, has created the impression that there has been a move away from the pro-development bias of the bill as introduced. It certainly is more consistent with the Resource Management Act and it is certainly desirable to have that consistency of purpose between what is inside the 12-nautical-mile territorial sea and what is outside it. But I think there are a number of fish hooks and the bill is not as consistent with the Resource Management Act as the Minister and others on the Government side have implied. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000415\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EThere is a fundamental difference between this bill and the Resource Management Act, and that is that in the Resource Management Act there is a hierarchy of matters to be taken into account when decisions are made. There are matters of national importance that decision makers have to recognise and provide for, whereas under the bill the matters that the decision makers take into account are all to be given equal weight with no emphasis on environmental protection and sustainability. So the priorities then conflict and there is no guidance for decision makers about the relative weight to be given to each of the matters. That will mean that there is much more likely to be a focus on short-term economic considerations because the financial benefits are so much easier to quantify than damage to a species or damage to a habitat. So it is this lack of a hierarchy to guide decision makers that is the critical difference between the bill and the Resource Management Act, and the fact that there are no environmental bottom lines as there are in the Resource Management Act through section 6 and section 7. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000416\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EThere is a real risk when you do not have those environmental bottom lines that decisions are quite subjective, because it is just like a big washing machine where all these criteria come into play and there is no prioritisation of the most important factors. There is also a major difference here, and a real risk that the sustainable management purpose will not have the weight that it has in the Resource Management Act because there is no equivalent in this bill to section 104 of the Resource Management Act, which requires decision makers to have regard to various considerations subject to Part 2 of the Act. I would invite the Minister to comment when she next takes a call on whether this is a deliberate omission, so that the bill means that she, as Minister, and the Environmental Protection Authority will not be required to make their decisions subject to the bill\u2019s purpose in clause 10, or whether that was just a slip because the Supplementary Order Paper has come into play relatively late. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000417\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EThere is Supplementary Order Paper 89 in my name, which seeks to address some of these issues. It addresses the lack of environmental principles. It seeks to better implement the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea\u2014the convention requirement to preserve and protect the ocean environment before exploiting it commercially by including a set of environmental principles to help guide decision makers, to help them prioritise. That would mean that they would be required to recognise and provide for a series of matters rather than just take them into account. So they put the emphasis on those matters. That would help us implement our responsibilities under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to preserve and protect the marine environment, because the matters that are listed in this Supplementary Order Paper include maintaining the integrity of marine ecosystems, protecting and preserving rare or fragile habitats, and preserving and protecting threatened species\u2014that those get given greater weight than they are given in the bill at the moment. We think that would then take a step forward to making the Act much more consistent with the Resource Management Act, and the prioritisation and the hierarchy that you get in Part 2 of the Resource Management Act, and giving that a similar prioritisation in this bill. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a536d3c2-6293-4216-b0bd-dfec1bd6f40c\u0022 data-id=\u0022f26edc2d73164f60b5c185ef3f72aa75\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000418\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a536d3c2-6293-4216-b0bd-dfec1bd6f40c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f26edc2d73164f60b5c185ef3f72aa75\u0022\u003EANDREW WILLIAMS (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E I will take a call on behalf of New Zealand First on this bill, the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill. Can I say that when this first came before the House, New Zealand First did oppose it because we had concerns about clause 10, the purpose of the bill. We were one of the Opposition parties that lodged a minority report seeking a change to the bill because the previous wording very much talked about a balance between economic development and the environment, and that is a very subjective word in terms of what is a balance. Is a balance fifty-fifty? Where is the balance, and if the economic factors are at a certain level will they override the environmental ones? We are very pleased that the Minister for the Environment, after a meeting with the delegation from the Opposition, reviewed that and was able to see fit to change the wording of the purpose of the bill. As a result, New Zealand First will be supporting this bill through the Committee stage and through to the third reading.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000419\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a536d3c2-6293-4216-b0bd-dfec1bd6f40c\u0022\u003E In supporting the bill, New Zealand First, firstly, would like to say that we have always said that we will support economic development where it is environmentally sustainable. We would hope and expect in good faith that the changes the Government has agreed to in terms of the purpose of the bill, and the Act when it comes into being, will provide sufficient safeguards for the environment to ensure that the environment is, basically, of course, the bottom line. In that respect, we do want to see economic development in this country. New Zealand First has always said that we want to see economic development, providing it is sustainable and in that manner. In terms of this bill, we have to remember that we are sitting on the fifth-largest exclusive economic zone in the world, with our 200-mile limit being potentially a very, very valuable resource for this small nation of 4.5 million people. Therefore, it is important that we do have a regime in place that will cover this. To not have this up until now, and to have legislation that, basically, took into account only the 12-mile limit and left the vast majority of the seas out there within our zone really open to all sorts of interpretation, was a big risk. New Zealand First certainly wants to see this enacted so that that risk can be closed off, to the benefit of all.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000420\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a536d3c2-6293-4216-b0bd-dfec1bd6f40c\u0022\u003EWe also acknowledge all the submitters who came to the select committee, the many very good organisations that made some very constructive suggestions\u2014much of which has also been taken up in terms of some of the amendments by the Government\u2014and, in particular, Dr Jan Wright, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. She gave us some very sound reasoning on a number of issues, and, again, the Minister and the Government have taken up a number of those matters. =\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000421\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a536d3c2-6293-4216-b0bd-dfec1bd6f40c\u0022\u003EHowever, there is still concern in parts of the Opposition in terms of some of the clauses, and we can understand that. We know that there are some technical terms and some of the wording that could be considered to still be slightly ambiguous, perhaps, and could be slightly misconstrued if misinterpreted. So perhaps there should still be some opportunity for some discussion on some of those minor points, but we are not going to die in a ditch about that. We are not going to stop this bill as a result, but perhaps the Minister would still be mindful that if there is still any room for any minor considerations in regards to some of those other clauses, then that would also be helpful and would show good faith, again, in terms of getting good support. We would hope at the end, because this is such as important issue for this country, that perhaps the whole of this Parliament can support this bill. At the end of the day, when you have got this huge, huge economic zone out there, which is going to have a direct impact on all of our people in this country, we would hope that we can have a collective buy-in from Parliament to try to do the very best by that economic zone. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000422\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a536d3c2-6293-4216-b0bd-dfec1bd6f40c\u0022\u003ECan I also just point out that many of the aspirations in this bill have been things that New Zealand First has had long-held belief in, in terms of what is required for our country. In terms of this, we have always said, through our manifesto, that we would seek an urgent introduction of interim standards for drilling and exploratory work in New Zealand waters, designed to meet New Zealand maritime conditions, while more comprehensive standards are worked out. We also have stated in the past that we would have a requirement that all drilling, exploration, and extraction projects in New Zealand waters be subject to public consultation. Exploration must be subject to the public concerns being mitigated, and, again, we expect that through this bill and by having this legislation in place this will be a platform to allow full and open public consultation on projects that are planned in the economic zone. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000423\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a536d3c2-6293-4216-b0bd-dfec1bd6f40c\u0022\u003EWe also, however, would sound a warning that we have always asked that we set up and train appropriate people and organisations for risk rapid response teams to deal with maritime environmental emergencies that can be deployed at short notice in New Zealand or abroad. I think that is something that this Parliament and this Government need to give further consideration to in the future. If we are going to see increased activity in our economic zone, where potentially\u2014and touch wood we would never see it happen\u2014there could be a risk from some of the activities to our marine environment, I think the very least we should ensure that we have is the appropriate response capabilities to deal with that. I think, in the next year or two, and perhaps as the economic situation improves, we need to be mindful that New Zealand maybe has to beef up its maritime services and Maritime New Zealand capabilities to deal with any contingency that might arise. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000424\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a536d3c2-6293-4216-b0bd-dfec1bd6f40c\u0022\u003EIn closing, can I just repeat that New Zealand First will be supporting this bill and we see great merit in it. I would like to just congratulate the members of the Local Government and Environment Committee who were involved in this. I think we have been sitting on it for 4 or 5 months now. There has been a huge number of submissions. A large number of organisations, individuals, and people around New Zealand have submitted on it. It has been a very good exercise in terms of public consultation. It has also been a good exercise in alerting the Government to some of their concerns and in the Government responding to some of those concerns in an appropriate manner. As a result, I think we have got a reasonably good level of legislation here, which we can support. New Zealand First commends the bill to the Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022 data-id=\u0022fc65f761af544145a9b8bc0625011cbe\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000425\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fc65f761af544145a9b8bc0625011cbe\u0022\u003ENIKKI KAYE (National\u2014Auckland Central):\u003C/span\u003E I am pleased to take a call in the Committee stage of the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill. I want to start off by acknowledging the purpose of this bill and the amendments that the Minister for the Environment has brought to the Committee on Supplementary Order Paper 100. I want to acknowledge all members of the Local Government and Environment Committee\u2014in particular, our chair, Nicky Wagner. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000426\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003EI think there are some very clear differences between some parties around this bill. I think what we on this side of the Chamber have been very clear about when it comes to our environmental policy is that we are interested in a very good risk management framework. That is what this bill is about: reasoned, sensible environmental policy based on good evidence and science. I think that part of my concern is that sometimes in this Parliament we do see emotion taking over. If we are serious about having some economic development in this country, then I think we have got to be very clear about where the risks are. I think what we have managed to do with this bill\u2014and I do again congratulate the Minister on her amendments\u2014is really ensure that we do have that balance, so that we have clear penalties, and we see that change in penalties from $600,000 to $10 million in the Minister\u2019s Supplementary Order Paper. Also, we need to ensure that we have a very good focus on sustainable management, and now that is reflected in the purpose statement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000427\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E I also think it is really important to remember that one of the reasons why we are here is that there is a regulatory gap. I was very pleased to see the statement from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment saying she congratulates this bill coming to the House and she congratulates the fact that there has been a wider conversation about it. We know there is a regulatory gap and we know that Parliament needs to do something, and that is why we are here. I think we have actually managed to end up with a pretty reasonable compromise that puts a very important risk management framework in place, which enables us to look at some of those economic development opportunities but also enables us to protect our environment. I think the changes that have been made in Supplementary Order Paper 100 are very important.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000428\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003EI also want to address just one particular aspect of Part 1\u2014there will be an opportunity in other parts of the debate to deal with other aspects of the bill\u2014and it is around the role of the Environmental Protection Authority. In this Parliament we pass legislation and we give confidence to certain institutions. I think that is where I would challenge the Green Party, because I think there have been a few statements that have been made around the role of the Environmental Protection Authority. We just want to be very clear that we have confidence in the Environmental Protection Authority and we do have faith in its ability and in its decision makers to make broad judgment on the matters that are reflected within clause 59 of the bill. I think we just need to be clear that we do have that faith and we do not see it as appropriate that as parliamentarians we fetter the discretion that we have given the authority under an Act of Parliament. I think a really important point is that there is a role for parliamentarians in setting out that overall framework from an environmental management perspective, but actually as to the detail of particular decisions, we need to ensure that we give that confidence to those institutions that we put in place. We have confidence in the Environmental Protection Authority and we have faith in its overall broad judgment, and that is why we set up the Environmental Protection Authority under this Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000429\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003EWe have got a pretty good record when it comes to environmental management. We have done massive reform in terms of the Resource Management Act. We have put in things like the Environmental Protection Authority. We have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on cleaning up our rivers. This is just another piece of reform that this Government has undertaken. I think it is really important as well that it is actually reform around our oceans, because we know there has been a gap. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000430\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003EI congratulate this bill and I congratulate all the people who have worked on it. I think we have come to a really sensible balance that is going to not only protect our oceans but also ensure that we can potentially have a higher standard of living in this country. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022 data-id=\u00228a1ee56aaac54eb086ddcef6fc1d1786\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000431\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228a1ee56aaac54eb086ddcef6fc1d1786\u0022\u003ERINO TIRIKATENE (Labour\u2014Te Tai Tonga):\u003C/span\u003E I am pleased to make a contribution in the Committee stage of Part 1 of the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Amendment Bill. Just picking up on the previous speaker, Nikki Kaye, where she mentioned about the attempt at a balance being made with this bill, that is exactly the language that has been removed from the purpose clause. We acknowledge the actions of the Minister for the Environment and her officials in attempting to address what were two main issues, I guess: firstly, the failure of the bill to actually meet the obligations of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and, secondly, bringing greater alignment with the Resource Management Act. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000432\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EThere has been an attempt, obviously, to bring greater alignment with the Resource Management Act, but it is arguable that the amendment to clause 10, \u201CPurpose\u201D, does not go far enough in making sure that we meet our obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, in making sure that the preservation and protection of the marine environment is paramount. I know that this has been debated quite a lot in this Committee stage, but I just wanted to express our disappointment as well that we could not give further consideration to these amendments, which were hastily pushed into Supplementary Order Paper 100, at the Local Government and Environment Committee. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000433\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI would like to use my opportunity in this call to talk in support of two Supplementary Order Papers. The first is in the name of the Hon Parekura Horomia, and that Supplementary Order Paper 96 seeks to amend clause 14, the Treaty of Waitangi clause. As Miss Sage mentioned in her contribution, there is a hierarchy in terms of our environmental legislation. What this Supplementary Order Paper seeks to do is to make sure that the Treaty obligations on the Crown are paramount and that there is primacy to the Crown and iwi relationship up front in clause 14. At the moment, as it is currently drafted, the obligations towards tangata whenua are pushed down, and are relegated to notifications by the Environmental Protection Authority on applications and the like. That does not go far enough, and, indeed, it is not consistent with many other general clauses. We cannot water down the Treaty. We cannot water down the Treaty. We must make sure that the general obligations between the Crown and tangata whenua and iwi are restored and put up front into those clauses. So I commend the Hon Parekura Horomia\u2019s Supplementary Order Paper 96. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000434\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EThe second Supplementary Order Paper is in the name of the Hon Annette King, and that proposed amendment is to give recognition to the Moriori people. The Hon Annette King and I share the Chatham Islands in our electorates, and it goes without saying that the Moriori are the indigenous peoples of the Chatham Islands. Before there was Te Wai Pounamu, the actual name of the South Island was Te Waka-a-M\u0101ui. For everyone who knows their M\u0101ori mythology, Te Waka-a-M\u0101ui is the canoe of M\u0101ui, who fished up the North Island. The Chatham Rise, back in the day, was a stretch of land that stretched all the way out to R\u0113kohu, so the Chatham Rise could well have been the mast on the waka of M\u0101ui. But the Chatham Rise is a highly significant feature on the ocean floor. It is probably the most abundant fishery in the world. It supports a lot of the economy, not only on the mainland but also on the Chatham Islands. Also, there is a huge interest in the Chatham Rise in regards to oil and gas exploration. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000435\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EThe Moriori people, and the community of the Chatham Islands as a whole, gave a very compelling submission. Although I am not a member of the Local Government and Environment Committee, I did read their submission. I did read carefully the submission from the Hokotehi Moriori Trust, and its plea to have recognition in the bill of Moriori and their tikanga. I have been part of that. Twenty-five years ago I was privileged to be on the Chatham Islands at the unveiling of the memorial statue to Tommy Solomon, who was the last full-blooded Moriori. Those events were the start of the, as they say, Lazarus-like resurrection of the amazing people of the Moriori. There has been recognition of Moriori right through, for instance, the M\u0101ori fisheries settlements. But in terms of this legislation, there is no direct recognition. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000436\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003ETherefore, I do support the Hon Annette King\u2019s Supplementary Order Paper 104, which provides that Moriori are given specific recognition through the definition of \u201CM\u0101ori\u201D, and that it does include Moriori also. Likewise, \u201Ctikanga M\u0101ori\u201D will also refer to \u201Ctikane Moriori\u201D. The Moriori do have their own unique reo, their own unique language. I actually have not been taught in that, so I will not attempt to articulate the Moriori language, their reo. But I guess we want to support and make sure that we give recognition to that community, because, as I mentioned, the Chatham Islands does make a huge contribution. Potentially, there are significant development activities that will be taking place on the Chatham Rise following the passage of this legislation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000437\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI just want to recap the Hon Parekura Horomia\u2019s comments on the Treaty of Waitangi. We want to make sure that the Treaty of Waitangi is given primacy, which is a general obligation on the Crown. I support his Supplementary Order Paper 96. Likewise, I support Supplementary Order Paper 104, from the Hon Annette King, which does give recognition to the Moriori people and their special relationship, their culture, and their traditions with regard to the marine environment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022 data-id=\u0022d058c6a7fed94be8bd110cb96728fee0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000438\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d058c6a7fed94be8bd110cb96728fee0\u0022\u003EPAUL GOLDSMITH (National):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Chairman. That is very kind. I am very pleased to be able to speak on the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000439\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022895e973152cb40beaefada3a123a9c08\u0022\u003EHon Members\u003C/span\u003E: Steady. Don\u2019t fall down.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000440\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226d0c252155644906bf1e58fe7bde74d9\u0022\u003EPAUL GOLDSMITH\u003C/span\u003E: I will hang on to a podium here. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000441\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228cf0fb6b-0b8f-4327-983d-73e1166c220e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bacc3341a2a94e97afab817ca44aed3b\u0022\u003EDr Cam Calder\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019ll come and stand beside you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f8df53e732374a1aa436e325033f7c39\u0022\u003EPAUL GOLDSMITH\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you. This is the effort and the outcome of a very hard-working Minister and a Government that is getting on with legislation. We are not going to be taking 10 years to get on to this important issue\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000443\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227b149a0f40884bbeb58fcf5cb1764b52\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: Unlike Labour.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000444\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bc5b1c79a2fc4411b1bdd10537cca6cb\u0022\u003EPAUL GOLDSMITH\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014unlike the Labour Party and the previous Government\u2014which affects the exclusive economic zone around New Zealand, the fourth or fifth-largest in the world. We were not going to wait until the end of the Olympics\u2014as our friend from the Green Party suggested we should do\u2014before we got on with any announcements. We are about getting on with the job, and not avoiding the issue. These are difficult issues that we need to resolve and deal with in this country. At the end of the day, New Zealand does face some continual dilemmas about how it balances and weighs up the importance of economic growth and the desire to retain and protect the natural environment we have inherited. That is what we continue to do every day, and what this bill is all about. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000445\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003EWe can see, from Supplementary Order Paper 102, where the Greens are coming from. We have got a suggestion here from Mr Hughes, I believe it is, that basically says that no person may undertake oil or gas exploration or production in depths of more than 200 metres. That is it. It is simple\u2014just do not do it. Do not do it. The Greens\u2019 attitude and their response to New Zealand going forward and growing is \u201CJust don\u2019t do it.\u201D and \u201CStop it all.\u201D, and it is the same with fracking: \u201CDon\u2019t do it.\u201D The Americans can be lifting their standard of living by getting access to shale gas, getting on with things, getting on with the world, transforming their economy, and making their economy much stronger, but not in the Greens\u2019 world. It is simple: \u201CNo. Just don\u2019t do it.\u201D I suppose you have got to respect that approach. At least Green members are consistent. They stick to their guns. Their attitude is always the same. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000446\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003EFrom within this House we have heard plenty of criticism, however, of the slight contradiction that there is between the desire to provide jobs for people in New Zealand, in communities around New Zealand, to provide work and opportunities for people, and this continual desire to say no to everything that comes along. That is the Greens\u2019 position. Labour\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000447\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f8bf3e5c8b304fba8725a4f23f759f18\u0022\u003EAndrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: Have you got a new speech to give? Have you got something new to say?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000448\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225b8a78f57c7245c49f82570418bb004a\u0022\u003EPAUL GOLDSMITH\u003C/span\u003E: Restatement and consistency are very important in this House. People want to see consistency. I see that the Labour Party continues on this issue here and has been raising a lot of red herrings\u2014talking about the UN legislation. We are relying on the advice of the Legislation Advisory Committee, and we are relying on the advice of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which have been very clear on this, that this bill is not inconsistent with our international obligations. I would certainly prefer to take their advice on this topic than take advice from that legal expert from the East Coast, Moana Mackey. I am not saying anything. I am not criticising her legal abilities by any stretch, but I am more inclined to take the advice of the Legislation Advisory Committee, which has been consistent all along that this bill here is consistent with our international obligations. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000449\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003EThe most surprising thing, though\u2014and I was greatly reassured to hear it\u2014is that New Zealand First members, who were breathing fire and brimstone against this bill for a long, extended period, have now seen the opportunity to reconsider and have come in behind this legislation following the Supplementary Order Papers that were elegantly expressed and brought to this Committee by the Minister Amy Adams. So on that basis I am very supportive of this bill, and I think we should get on with it, get this legislation in place in time, deal with an issue that has been left to drift for so long, and get a clear understanding of what is and is not able to be done in our exclusive economic zone. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022 data-id=\u0022c22554c999444152a0ab9085c479f3f8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000450\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c22554c999444152a0ab9085c479f3f8\u0022\u003EANDREW LITTLE (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you for the opportunity to speak on the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill. Following on from the last speaker, Paul Goldsmith, if there is one thing that the members on the other side of the Chamber just do not get it is that the world is changing\u2014the world is changing. There is a race on. There is a race on for resources, and they are mineral resources and they are fossil fuels. Whereas before there has been no proper and adequate regulation of the exclusive economic zone in this country, and, indeed, in many other places around the world, now there is a need to do that. It is those offshore areas that have become the target for the bounty hunters, for the pursuers of that mineral wealth. This side of the Chamber says that there is nothing wrong with chasing and pursuing those mineral resources, provided that there is recognition that this is not a long-term strategy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000451\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EThe world is changing, and the availability of, particularly, fossil fuels is changing. What there are left are difficult to obtain or in difficult to get to places of the world. That is why deep-sea oil drilling has now become the key target of investors and oil companies around the world. It also means that even other mineral resources\u2014and I am referring specifically to seabed ironsand mining\u2014are getting harder to come by in many other places around the world. So the race is on. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000452\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EBut the other big change is that the world has become much more sensitive to, and aware of, the impact on the environment of this type of intervention, when it comes to harnessing and trying to get those resources. I know that in the area where I grew up and spent a lot of time, in Taranaki, it is not a simple equation of drill more, get more. There are many members in the community up there\u2014and it will not be just in Taranaki, and it will not be just the surfers who go off East End in Fitzroy or down at \u014Cpunake\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000453\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228cf0fb6b-0b8f-4327-983d-73e1166c220e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f14889dbefef4b4e9cb537f9e8a494d0\u0022\u003EDr Cam Calder\u003C/span\u003E: Back Beach\u2014Back Beach.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000454\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e2dffdd9566d4e9ba9125f7f0068e9df\u0022\u003EANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Calder, there are not many surfers down at Back Beach at the moment. There is a r\u0101hui in place. The member may not be aware that there is a r\u0101hui in place at the moment. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000455\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EBut, typically, the surfing community and many others who are dependent on that part of the great Tasman Sea for their livelihoods are very concerned about the proposed developments in that part of the world. I might also say that the surfies off Lyall Bay are somewhat concerned, too, not because they want to stop the opportunity but because they know and are aware of the impact that it will have. And so it is very important that the legislation that we put in place is sensitive to, and takes note of, the environmental impact. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000456\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003ESo we come back to clause 10 of the bill, which is the purpose clause. Modern interpretation and modern judicial activity now look very closely at the purpose of legislation like this, and there is an expectation. The courts expect that Parliament will express itself clearly and consistently. If there are questions that are going to arise over the pursuit of development opportunities in our economic zone, then the courts will be looking at not only the regulatory legislation but our international obligations as well. That is why the purpose section of the legislation is so important. Where we clearly have international obligations that we are expected to meet as a compassionate global citizen, then we need to get it right. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000457\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EThe problem with the wording of clause 10, even in the Minister for the Environment\u2019s Supplementary Order Paper 100, is that it simply does not properly reflect the international obligations that we have. It is not enough to say that we just have this balance where one day we will go for unfettered, unrestrained development, and on other days we will pay due respect to the environment. It is about the international obligation that we have signed up to, which is to preserve and protect\u2014preserve and protect\u2014the marine environment. That is our obligation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000458\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EAlthough the international obligation does not stop economic development\u2014oil drilling, seabed ironsand mining\u2014it does mean that our principal starting point, our primary obligation, is to preserve and protect the marine environment. That puts an onus and an obligation on the regulators when they are considering applications for development to ensure that the safeguards\u2014proper safeguards, meaningful and effective safeguards\u2014are in place so that the marine environment, the seabed, and the sea that flows through it are not affected adversely or improperly, and so that we still have an ocean environment for future generations to partake of, to enjoy, and in which to harness the natural products of the sea and of the marine environment. So the point I am making is\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022 data-id=\u00224d134540ef43407c88442e903bae6ed4\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000459\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224d134540ef43407c88442e903bae6ed4\u0022\u003EMOANA MACKEY (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I want to come to the Supplementary Order Paper in the name of my colleague the Hon Parekura Horomia, Supplementary Order Paper 96, and congratulate him on the work he did, which relates to the clause around the Treaty of Waitangi. What was very disappointing at the Local Government and Environment Committee was that there had been absolutely zero consultation with iwi on this legislation in the development of the bill. It really surprised the members on the Opposition side of the select committee that on a piece of legislation\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000460\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225b6b1d74-9e5e-42ba-a922-85b0ea7f5ab6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bda69dd2a76743e2bdab40cc0c468442\u0022\u003ESimon O\u2019Connor\u003C/span\u003E: Have you consulted iwi about this speech?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000461\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220d27822c785f45c680f6922b05be611a\u0022\u003EMOANA MACKEY\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, Parekura Horomia has consulted iwi in the drafting of this. I mean, look at that: \u201CHave you consulted iwi in the giving of this speech?\u201D. What a ridiculous statement. This is a piece of legislation that iwi are actually enormously concerned about. It might be a joke to Simon O\u2019Connor, but the fact is that the Government should have consulted with iwi in the development of this piece of legislation. I mean, he only has to look up the East Coast at Ngati Porou, to Te Wh\u0101nau-a-Apanui, who are deeply concerned about the implications of this legislation for their iwi, for their livelihoods\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000462\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c5a8262d656d4646961751fb56a38aae\u0022\u003EPaul Goldsmith\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah, well, they should be concerned about getting some jobs, as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000463\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d7a59c5a861d44249404d29b2c10b63b\u0022\u003EMOANA MACKEY\u003C/span\u003E: Because they will get jobs? Petrobras has said there are no jobs on the East Coast, actually, Mr Goldsmith, OK? So you can keep trotting out that same old line. I welcome any National MP to front up on the East Coast, because no National MP has, including our local MP, on this issue. I welcome all these National MPs who suddenly have so much to say about iwi\u2014so much to say about how great it is going to be for iwi on the East Coast\u2014to come at any point, because we have been waiting for a National Minister or MP to come up and have that debate and to provide the information, and perhaps allay some of the concerns that iwi have around it. But when you look at the attitude in this bill of not consulting with iwi\u2014like when it came to the permit that was given to Petrobras on the East Coast, again, and iwi heard about it on the 6 o\u2019clock news, as did the rest of us\u2014there is kind of a pattern there that is disturbing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000464\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EDr Apirana Mahuika from Ngati Porou came to the select committee. I have known Api for a long time, and I do not think I have ever seen him as angry as he was when he gave that submission to the select committee. In fact, the iwi submissions were the only submissions that actually said that this bill should stop completely and start again. See, most other submitters were actually very constructive, even though the Government ignored everything they had to say. They came along and said: \u201CYes, we need legislation, we want it to go ahead, but this is how we think it should be changed.\u201D Those were very constructive submissions, and we welcome that. Iwi were so angry about this and about the Treaty of Waitangi clause, and about the lack of consultation, that they actually said: \u201CYou need to stop and do it again.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000465\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EWe had a very compelling submission from Mark Solomon from Ng\u0101i Tahu, who pointed out that when you look at the area of the exclusive economic zone that Ng\u0101i Tahu have an interest in, it is astonishing that they were not told about the bill or consulted on it in any way. I would again urge the Government to think seriously about the way it consults with iwi on these pieces of legislation. When we had the submission from Te Iwi Moriori Trust Board, it came along and pointed out that it is only because of the Chatham Islands that New Zealand has such a large exclusive economic zone. It is only because the Chathams are so far away from the mainland and they drag our exclusive economic zone out as far as that, so it would like to have been consulted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000466\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EI welcome the Supplementary Order Paper, and I really do, in all sincerity, urge the Minister in the chair to consider Supplementary Order Paper 104 by the Hon Annette King, which would give recognition of Moriori people in the legislation, as we have done for M\u0101ori. We have done this in the fisheries legislation as well, so this is not something that is setting a new precedent that the Government would need to be worried about. It is done in fisheries legislation, and it is entirely appropriate that it be done in this legislation as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000467\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EI know that there were members on the Government side of the select committee who were actually quite swayed by that submission, but in the end we were not able to get it across the line. I do think that perhaps, Minister, this is one Supplementary Order Paper that we could consider going through. I know that it would mean an awful lot to the Moriori people, and, as I am sure the Minister is well aware, they have some local debates going on about phosphate mining on the Chatham Rise, which means that this piece of legislation is particularly something that they are reminded of daily when they are looking at what is happening in that particular area.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000468\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EI want to come on to clause 21 of Subpart 4, which is about the Environmental Protection Authority. The member Nikki Kaye made some comments about this along the way that I wanted to pick up on. In terms of our concerns about the Environmental Protection Authority, and we raised this at the select committee, we asked whether, if a legal challenge is taken against the Government questioning its authority under this piece of legislation to allow this activity to go ahead\u2014putting aside all the issues we have with the purpose clause, putting aside all the issues we have with the clause around international obligations\u2014the agency that actually awards the marine consent could be a factor that an international tribunal would take into consideration. Is that something that an international tribunal might look at when it is deciding whether or not that marine consent has been legally, I suppose, in terms of our international obligations, granted? We had a bit of a discussion around it, and where we got to was that the answer was actually yes. For example, if we were allowing Shell to issue marine consents on oil and gas exploration, that would probably be something that an international tribunal would say would put us in breach of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. That is an extreme example, obviously. But it does mean that we need to be very careful, when we look at the Environmental Protection Authority, as to how that might be viewed by an international tribunal.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000469\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EThe problem with the Environmental Protection Authority is that it does not have as its purpose the protection of the environment. We know that because when that piece of legislation establishing the Environmental Protection Authority was going through Parliament, Labour put up an amendment saying: \u201CHere\u2019s a really wacky idea: let\u2019s make environmental protection one of the purposes of the Environmental Protection Authority.\u201D, and the Government voted it down. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000470\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022032dd354573a4c00b196d425ba85d3fa\u0022\u003EAndrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: No!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000471\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ac4b5364fb33413fa143c32efb8a226a\u0022\u003EMOANA MACKEY\u003C/span\u003E: The Government voted it down. So you do not have to look very far, and an international tribunal would not have to look very far, to see that environmental protection, which is required under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is actually not part of the purpose. It was not just accidentally left out and not just unmentioned, but by a vote in Parliament the Government showed that environmental protection was not one of the purposes of the Environmental Protection Authority.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000472\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003ESo, Minister, when we talk about the purpose clause and the importance of ensuring consistency with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, we need to make sure we get ourselves well over that line so that we can be absolutely certain. This is even more important when you consider the Environmental Protection Authority\u2014and the Environmental Protection Authority officials were very good on the bill, as were all the officials; I want to thank the officials, as I meant to do in my first speech, who helped us on this legislation, because we certainly ran them through their paces. But the international tribunal will look at the Environmental Protection Authority and say: \u201CWell, not only have you got this purpose clause that we don\u2019t think quite meets your obligations but the agency that is dishing out the marine consents is actually an economic development agency.\u201D That is what it is, if we are being brutally honest. It is not an environmental protection authority.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000473\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EWhen we come to the functions and the clauses in Part 1 around the Environmental Protection Authority, I do think that it is a reminder of why we need to go back to the purpose clause and ensure that it gets us across the line for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, because we have left ourselves wide open in terms of the Environmental Protection Authority, being the organisation that administers it, having more legal challenges.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000474\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EI want to just finish off by going back to some comments that Jacqui Dean made about Labour\u2019s desire to see more replication of the language and legal tests of the Resource Management Act throughout the legislation. I am very pleased that she read that out, because that is absolutely what we believe. But when it comes to the purpose clause, that has to be consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. That is the bottom line for the Labour Party, and putting the language of the Resource Management Act in there, as we have said, is nice\u2014I mean, that is great\u2014but the Resource Management Act does not have to be consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, so it does not get us over that line that we have to get over\u2014the line that actually we are legally obliged to get over. This is not a kind of \u201Cnice-to-have\u201D or a case of \u201CWe might want to do it.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000475\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EWe have ratified this convention. The only reason we are even allowed to go and exploit resources in our exclusive economic zone is because we ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. So adhering to it is not a case of: \u201CWell, you can if you want to, it would be nice if you want to.\u201D It is actually: \u201CYou must.\u201D That is why it is important to use the language, because, as my colleague Charles Chauvel said, a court is always going to look back to the treaty that gives us the right, which is the entire reason that we are actually putting this legislation into place in the first instance. The only reason we are doing this is that we have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, so to suggest that under the \u201CInternational obligations\u201D clause you do not need to look any further than this legislation, that this legislation is all you need, and that you can ignore the international conventions that we have ratified is simply not true, and the Minister knows that. The court is always going to go back to the treaties, which are actually where this legislation came from and are actually the reason why we are doing it. That treaty says quite clearly that we have a right to exploit those resources, but it comes with a duty and an obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000476\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EWhy can we not just have that language in the legislation so that it can be clear that what we want to do is be consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea? That is all we want to do. Having the clause in there that we have now is better than the one we had before. The idea of balance was ridiculous and was never going to work, and good on the Minister for getting rid of that. We are very pleased to see that that has been abolished, but\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00228cf0fb6b-0b8f-4327-983d-73e1166c220e\u0022 data-id=\u0022f4044608021d4086b24db085a30c2e23\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000477\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228cf0fb6b-0b8f-4327-983d-73e1166c220e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f4044608021d4086b24db085a30c2e23\u0022\u003EDr CAM CALDER (National):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the question be now put.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022 data-id=\u002212ce1818b5ac42d392d71ff006f7c410\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000478\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002212ce1818b5ac42d392d71ff006f7c410\u0022\u003EGARETH HUGHES (Green):\u003C/span\u003E Kia ora, Mr Chair. As we have been debating this afternoon, the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill is all about activities in the exclusive economic zone. What I want to quickly touch on, though, is the agenda, the rationale, behind the bill. This Government has got a clear \u201Cdrill it, mine it, frack it\u201D agenda for this country\u2014this 19th century approach, where we are looking to the past for inspiration, not to the future economy. What we know from the Government\u2019s amendments on Supplementary Order Paper 100, which has been tabled, is that they have had this green spin put on them by the Government. It has improved the purpose clause, partially, with the inclusion of \u201Csustainable management\u201D. It has upped the penalties. But what did not get covered in the media was all the meat that is in the amendments, and that is what I want to talk about today. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000479\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EAlthough the media around the Minister for the Environment\u2019s changes called them a back-down to the Greens and the green agenda, in the National Business Review, what it should have said is that actually what we are seeing is also a back-down to the oil industry. What we see in the amendments to clause 17 and in new clause 17A\u2014the \u201CAnadarko clauses\u201D, as I call them\u2014is this Government backing down to oil industry pressure. These are sops, in terms of both an SOP and a sop to the oil industry. What we are seeing is the amendment to clause 17 simply giving oil projects that have been rejected more time, and in new clause 17A we are making the outrageous suggestion that all you have to do to avoid having to get a consent for the period of passing this bill is simply to plan an activity. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000480\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EI will go into that in a little bit more detail. Clause 17, to begin with, is around how planned petroleum activities may\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000481\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226ef8862b638a4aecb8e312db7a556107\u0022\u003EHon Amy Adams\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Chairperson. The member might not be aware, but the clauses he is discussing are not in Part 1. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000482\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225acff6b0cbf044e983a8dafed1392203\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: I think they are in Part 1A. The member will come back to Part 1. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000483\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a4ccb5431ddb453d842fe02236841ca6\u0022\u003EGARETH HUGHES\u003C/span\u003E: Sure. I would like to talk about those amendments later, when we look at Part 1A. But what I would like to point out is my amendment on Supplementary Order Paper 102 that would amend clause 15 in Part 1. What my amendment does, quite simply, is make deep-sea oil drilling a prohibited activity. This is defined as anything greater than 200 metres. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000484\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EThe Government always says the Greens are against everything. That is its meme, its talking point that it goes on about at the moment. But the fact is that we are against dumb ideas. We are against ideas that are not in our economic interests. We are against ideas that risk our environment for foreign oil-drillers\u2019 profit. It just so happens that many of those same bad ideas come out of this Government\u2019s office. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000485\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EMy amendment to clause 15 would make deep-sea drilling a prohibited activity. We have got to do it, because it is a different kettle of fish from what we have done in Taranaki over the last 100 years, where we are talking about drilling only 130 metres deep. Now we are talking about, under this bill, this Government allowing oil drilling in New Zealand as deep as 3,000 metres. One of the permits under consideration by Minister Heatley is for drilling between 1,000 and 3,000 metres. This is at the frontier of science, the frontier of technology, and there is no amount of rules, regulation, or legislation that this Government can introduce that is going to plug a well. We saw from the Deepwater Horizon incident that a spill from an exploratory well cost $40 billion. What this Government is quite happy to allow are planned activities. All that drillers need to have is a permit to go ahead and drill exploratory wells in an environment\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000486\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022543b01235deb4de49f18a4d9745cf414\u0022\u003EHon Amy Adams\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Chairperson. Clause 15 is also not in Part 1. It too is in Part 1A. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022 data-id=\u0022003b66e7bd4e4a5fa3894fff7f90adf9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000487\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022003b66e7bd4e4a5fa3894fff7f90adf9\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: There are several questions. I am going to put the questions now. The first question is on the amendment in Eugenie Sage\u2019s name\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000488\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220a70774671f34e08923662f36e646091\u0022\u003EEugenie Sage\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Chairperson. I was seeking a call on two Supplementary Order Papers in my name, which I have not had an opportunity to speak on yet. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000489\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b8df79ae64664eec90995655ced32917\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: The member has had two calls. I have started to put the questions. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000490\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003EThe question was put that the amendments set out on Supplementary Order Papers 90 and 101 in the name of Eugenie Sage to clause 4 be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022dc7a077295bc4f758d13ff774c3c38c3\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendments be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 47\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 34; Green Party 12; Mana 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 71\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; New Zealand First 8; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendments not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022 data-id=\u002230bd14a63f064c8493059aa1788b1bdc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000491\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002230bd14a63f064c8493059aa1788b1bdc\u0022\u003ECHRIS HIPKINS (Senior Whip\u2014Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Chairperson. I just want to clarify with you what happened there, and why we are now voting on these clauses, given that Mr Hughes was actually still speaking. Did you terminate his speech? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022 data-id=\u0022da1423eee5324fe99377755b7ff4aeee\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000492\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022da1423eee5324fe99377755b7ff4aeee\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: No, I did not. He sat down, I looked around, and no one took a call. I commenced putting the questions. I was actually into the questions, so I just proceeded to continue putting them\u2014simple as that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000493\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003EThe question was put that the amendments set out on Supplementary Order Paper 105 in the name of Eugenie Sage to clause 4 be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u002225bcf97e43354dca8a22e13659cc12ab\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendments be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 47\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 34; Green Party 12; Mana 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 71\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; New Zealand First 8; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendments not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000494\u0022\u003EThe question was put that the amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 89 in the name of Eugenie Sage to clause 10 be agreed to.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022c2b72bd0d4ca4b57936030b19c3c7597\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 48\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 34; Green Party 13; Mana 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 71\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; New Zealand First 8; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000495\u0022\u003EThe question was put that the amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 97 in the name of Grant Robertson to clause 10 be agreed to.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022256116c9b02d4f93ad1bfba5ee1d20f5\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 48\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 34; Green Party 13; Mana 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 71\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; New Zealand First 8; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000496\u0022\u003EThe question was put that the amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 89 in the name of Eugenie Sage to insert new clause 11A be agreed to.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022fbcefd4b771d4a8c9568a03331f3c8cb\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 48\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 34; Green Party 13; Mana 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 71\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; New Zealand First 8; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000497\u0022\u003EThe question was put that the amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 96 in the name of the Hon Parekura Horomia to clause 14 be agreed to.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022cd43f0d30fc64c4fbdc9ba8f9b25a925\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 48\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 34; Green Party 13; Mana 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 71\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; New Zealand First 8; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000498\u0022\u003EThe result corrected after originally being announced as Ayes 47, Noes 71.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000499\u0022\u003EThe question was put that the amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 101 in the name of Eugenie Sage to clause 14 be agreed to.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u002241d77ee747b94c058c3512b8f5a0cb1e\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 48\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 34; Green Party 13; Mana 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 71\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; New Zealand First 8; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000500\u0022\u003EThe result corrected after originally being announced as Ayes 47, Noes 71.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000501\u0022\u003EThe question was put that the amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 104 in the name of the Hon Annette King to insert new clause 14A be agreed to.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022f3b586e234cd4e7ab17564867cf8dd81\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 56\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 34; Green Party 13; New Zealand First 8; Mana 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 63\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000502\u0022\u003EThe question was put that the amendments set out on Supplementary Order Paper 100 in the name of the Hon Amy Adams to Part 1 be agreed to.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u00225bf59856b80e40ea9b14330003af635f\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendments be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 71\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; New Zealand First 8; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 48\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 34; Green Party 13; Mana 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendments agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022f24408fe2ba045b2b8db95271cea06a5\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That Part 1 as amended be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 71\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 59; New Zealand First 8; M\u0101ori Party 2; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 48\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 34; Green Party 13; Mana 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EPart 1 as amended agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00227d322adda60d45398ed3708f127c5688\u0022\u003EPart 1A  Duties and restrictions\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022 data-id=\u0022e555e1b4ab064ea4a1d9d596f9d4cf24\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000504\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e555e1b4ab064ea4a1d9d596f9d4cf24\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON (Deputy Leader\u2014Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much for the opportunity to take a call around Part 1A. I want to focus this contribution on two elements of the Minister for the Environment\u2019s Supplementary Order Paper 100. These are the amendments to clause 17 and the new clause 17A. These are two clauses that are representative of the concerns that were raised by members of the Opposition during the debate on Part 1 around matters being included in the Supplementary Order Paper that we believe need more attention, certainly need more explanation, and could have benefited from a referral back to the Local Government and Environment Committee. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000505\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EIn particular, in that regard I want to note the amendment to clause 17, which does not even rate a mention in the Minister\u2019s explanatory note of her Supplementary Order Paper. Clause 17 does not get a mention there. I am just checking right to the end of the explanatory note, and no\u2014no mention whatsoever of the justification for the amendment to clause 17. It manages to get new clause 17A in there briefly, but there is absolutely nothing in the explanatory note to tell the Parliament why there should be the replacement of clause 17(3) that has been suggested in the Supplementary Order Paper. That is why the Opposition parties want this Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill referred back to the Local Government and Environment Committee, because in the amended clause 17(3) we have a change that appears to create a very large loophole. There is no explanation from the Minister in her explanatory note. She has just dumped it on the Table and said: \u201CAccept this.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000506\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EWell, if we have a look at the proposed new clause 17(3) that is here, we see in it, among other things: \u201CIf the person undertaking the activity applies for a marine consent within the period described in subsection (2), the activity may continue after the period has expired until the application\u2014\u2026 (b) is returned as incomplete under section 42 and any objections and appeals are determined.\u201D So what that clause could be doing is saying that if someone has an application and it is returned by the Environmental Protection Authority as being incomplete, that process can carry on. That process can actually carry on ad infinitum, because when you look at the referenced clause 42, it actually says that every time it is returned\u2014if it is incomplete and then it is returned\u2014it is considered to be a new application. So we could be launching into a continuous process here for an application that is returned as incomplete. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000507\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EBut we have got no explanation from the Minister as to why we should be agreeing today to allow for a situation that would see an incomplete application simply carry on\u2014no explanation whatsoever from the Minister for that. There may well be a good explanation. This may well not be the giant loophole that it looks like, but from this side of the Chamber it is very hard to tell. An incomplete application is an incomplete application. It has not met the rules. It should not be being processed, except that under this provision it gets an exception, and then it gets to come back again as a new application. So the Minister may want to take a call and explain to the Committee, having completely failed to put any explanation in the explanatory note on this matter, why that clause has arrived.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000508\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ca8b30b0204644f0977a738238cae995\u0022\u003EGareth Hughes\u003C/span\u003E: Maybe she has an old legal opinion about it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000509\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223ee6e30a610943c6bbd846dbec15c947\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: A legal opinion! That would be right. We had a bit of a struggle with that along the way. I hope the Minister does take a call, because this is the problem with dropping a large Supplementary Order Paper like this on the Table without the opportunity for proper select committee analysis of it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000510\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EThen we come to the new clause 17A, which at least does get a mention in the explanatory note. This is a clause that allows for planned petroleum activities to commence and continue. Let us be absolutely clear about what this new clause is doing. It is talking about planned activities\u2014not just existing activities, but planned activities. So what this does is it says they both \u201Cmay commence and continue\u201D. What stage are some of the activities around New Zealand up to at the moment\u2014whether they are existing or planned? This clause is effectively saying that if it is planned, it can carry on. It is the green light for some projects that have potentially been causing concern around New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000511\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003ESo we have got two clauses here in Part 1A that I believe have come to this Committee without adequate explanation, and that appear to me to look like clauses that are loopholes. We have to, I believe, have a more adequate explanation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022 data-id=\u00221d92d906aa074a1b9a27c6a433d6ad7b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000512\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221d92d906aa074a1b9a27c6a433d6ad7b\u0022\u003EEUGENIE SAGE (Green):\u003C/span\u003E One of the most eloquent submissions that we had at the Local Government and Environment Committee was actually the last submission. That was from a masters ecology student, Lan Pham, from Otago University, and she said: \u201C[You can] acknowledge that the economic benefits which may stem from utilisation of resources contained in the EEZ and [extended continental shelf] may be enormous, but the ecological consequences associated with some activities would dwarf those economic benefits.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000513\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EThe costs associated with the Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf of Mexico\u2014and that, of course, was an exploratory well, not a production well\u2014were well over US$15 billion. That reflects the huge environmental and economic risks associated with deep-sea oil drilling. That is why my colleague Gareth Hughes\u2019 Supplementary Order Paper 102, which would prohibit deep-sea oil and gas exploration or production in depths of more than 200 metres, is essential. We have seen, with the grounding of the Rena, just how difficult it is to manage an oil spill. That, of course, happened close to New Zealand\u2019s largest port, it occurred in good weather, and it was within the one-in-100-year spill event for which New Zealand has a capacity to respond. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000514\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EThe Government will claim that the bill, the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill, is not about oil spills, and that is because it is in a state of denial that oil spills are a potential consequence of deep-sea oil exploration and oil drilling. When the Ministry of Economic Development did a comparative review of the management of offshore petroleum operations after the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, it had a number of important conclusions. That review highlighted that these accidents, of course, were unpredictable and that we had very limited resources and expertise available in New Zealand to regulate or seek to control these sorts of disasters. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000515\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003ESo when you combine this with the findings of last year\u2019s formal review of our oil pollution response capability, which concluded that we have got unpredictable sea conditions around New Zealand and that this and our low sea temperatures mean that controlling an offshore oil spill would be \u201Cextremely difficult\u201D, and that we have got in New Zealand the potential for a similar breakdown in oversight as occurred in the United States, because you have got several different agencies having varying responsibilities, that is why this Supplementary Order Paper in Gareth Hughes\u2019 name needs to pass. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000516\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EThe Government is spending several billion dollars on responding to the Christchurch earthquakes. That is a major cost on our economy. Why would we contemplate having a similar economic cost from a disastrous oil spill from deep-sea oil drilling and exploration? That is why the Supplementary Order Paper should pass. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022 data-id=\u00227005f64d8301435eb5a089479ce41898\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000517\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227005f64d8301435eb5a089479ce41898\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: I have a small announcement to make. The votes on Supplementary Order Papers 96 and 101 were incorrectly announced. The result should have been 48 in favour and 71 against, in each case. There is no change to the outcome of the vote and the record will show the correct result. My apologies to the Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022 data-id=\u002248fd72a2709641dd8a8850a22619e08c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000518\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002248fd72a2709641dd8a8850a22619e08c\u0022\u003EMOANA MACKEY (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I want to talk about the Minister\u2019s amendments set out on Supplementary Order Paper 100, and I want to start with new clause 17A, which is for planned activities, not just existing activities, and I should say that these are transitional arrangements. This is recognising that there is already some activity taking place in the exclusive economic zone. Obviously, there needs to be some way of bringing them into this legislation, without being too disruptive to those who are already carrying out activities. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000519\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EWhen we were discussing the transitional provisions at the Local Government and Environment Committee, there were some concerns that we had around those existing activity provisions. We just wanted to make sure that there were not going to be any gaps that might result in some kind of accident because it fell through a gap that we put in when we put these transitional provisions in place. We were reassured, I think, by and large\u2014I mean, there were some arguments around some of the time frames and whether it was too short or too long, and industry had one point of view and the environmental organisations had another point of view. But, ultimately, I think we got to the point where we thought: \u201COK, well, the provisions for existing activities\u2014probably there are not too many gaps in those.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000520\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EThe reason that we were convinced of that is that it kept being raised time and time again that this was not about stuff that was just planned\u2014this was about stuff that was already happening. So if we were to just shut that down, it would mean actually stopping something that was already happening, as opposed to something where someone had said: \u201CWell, we\u2019re intending to do this, but we haven\u2019t started yet.\u201D That was the point that reassured us. So to suddenly see that in this Supplementary Order Paper we are now extending out transitional provisions for planned activities, which we were reassured at the select committee would not happen, is really concerning\u2014very, very concerning. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000521\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EI would like the Minister to take a call on this, in all sincerity. I just want to read this out. The definition of \u201Cplanned petroleum activity\u201D, it says here, \u201Cmeans an activity involved with the exploration, prospecting, or mining for petroleum if, before the new regulations come into force,\u2014(a) the exploration, prospecting, or mining for petroleum with which the activity is involved is authorised by a permit\u201D\u2014basically under the Crown Minerals Act\u2014\u201Cand (b) the activity has not commenced.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000522\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EWhat I would like to know from the Minister is what this means for the permit that has been issued on the East Coast of the North Island to Petrobras. At the moment it has carried out seismic surveying, so that would be considered an existing activity, and there are clauses to deal with that and that is all fine and good. It has not yet done any drilling. I want to know whether this transitional provision means that because it has been given a permit by the Crown under the Crown Minerals Act, and because that activity has not yet continued, is it going to be able to go out and drill in the Rauk\u016Bmara Basin, which is 3,000 to 4,000 metres deep, without having to get a marine consent and without having to go through a full process that involves public consultation and the ability for the community that I live in on the East Coast to have a say? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000523\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EMaybe I have got that wrong, but my reading of the bill is that that could be how this is interpreted. I would really like the Minister to reassure me that this is not saying that just because something was planned, and someone has been given a permit, they are now basically exempt and will not have to go through the processes that we are setting out in this piece of legislation\u2014they will not have to go through those processes because it was a planned activity. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000524\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EThat is very different from an existing activity, where someone is already doing something, and it would be unreasonable to say: \u201CYou now have to stop and go through all these processes.\u201D, because they have made investments, and that is absolutely fine and good. But where they have not started that activity, and where the structures are not currently in place, they should have to go through the full processes in this piece of legislation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000525\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EI would like some clarity from the Minister around that, because obviously that will be very concerning as we have the Government going out and issuing more and more permits under the Crown Minerals Act. Before this legislation has gone through Parliament, before the regulations have been finalised, it is out there issuing permits. That now suddenly carries much greater legal weight than this clause in the Minister\u2019s Supplementary Order Paper, because under the bill as it came back from select committee that did not mean that just because they had the permit they were going to be able to avoid the processes in this bill. They would still have to go through them because they were not already doing that activity. This now says\u2014or suggests to me\u2014that they do not have to go through those processes, that they could just go out there and drill in the Rauk\u016Bmara Basin without going through a process that ensures that environmental protection is considered before they start carrying out those activities. I would like the Minister to respond to that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000526\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EAnd then clause 17, and replacing clause 17(3) and introducing a major loophole, is also an issue. Maybe even if there was a time frame that was inserted within that clause\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000527\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220de5fa22081748029e6de527b450a982\u0022\u003EHon Amy Adams\u003C/span\u003E: There is.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000528\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225ad587e41efe42e1951d31af55496eb1\u0022\u003EMOANA MACKEY\u003C/span\u003E: The Minister says there is\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022 data-id=\u00223febd90662f043989cccf353acddc9f3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000529\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223febd90662f043989cccf353acddc9f3\u0022\u003EHon AMY ADAMS (Minister for the Environment):\u003C/span\u003E I am happy to take a call and clarify that matter, and I have just double-checked it between Mr Robertson\u2019s first contribution on it. The way that the wording of clause 17 works is that if, in fact, the application is returned as incomplete, then they have an ability to submit a new application but within the original 6 months, which was provided in clause 17(2) in the original bill. So it is not circular\u2014it cannot go on and on. They can submit a new application, but the provisions in clause 17(3) and (4), as set out in the Supplementary Order Paper, make it clear that that can happen only in the original time frame set out in clause 17(2), which is the original 6 months.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022 data-id=\u0022011898ce416d4618851dccb3a26b551a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000530\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022011898ce416d4618851dccb3a26b551a\u0022\u003EMOANA MACKEY (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I thank the Minister for the Environment for that clarification. Unfortunately, section 17(2) actually says: \u201CThe activity may continue without a marine consent for a prescribed period or, if no period is prescribed for the activity, for 6 months from the date \u2026\u201D. One of the other issues that I wanted to raise was the extensive use of regulation in this area. Right through the bill we talk about prescribed periods. We were assured at the Local Government and Environment Committee that that prescribed period would pretty much be fewer than 6 months, but we do not have any certainty around that. The prescribed period could be longer than 6 months, in which case that would become a concern. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000531\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EOn the issue that the Minister has just clarified, and I thank her for doing that\u2014and I am going to have to go back and have another read through it in light of what the Minister has said\u2014I do think it might be good, because I know that clause 40, I think, which is around the incomplete applications\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000532\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227e3d6c316a904c68aa74f646de136766\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: 42.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000533\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022af44d013b462485aa86b2ab038f81d40\u0022\u003EMOANA MACKEY\u003C/span\u003E: \u201442\u2014does not have a time period in it. I wonder whether for clarification it might be useful, because although I take on board what the Minister has said, I am not necessarily convinced. As I said, I will have to go back and have a read of it, but maybe having a time frame in there just to clarify that there is not a loophole will be in everyone\u2019s best interest. We will certainly go away and have a look at the amendments, but the amendments might be better if they are drafted by the Minister and her very, very able\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000534\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fd20687cfba14788b9551a787b68ccd9\u0022\u003EHon Amy Adams\u003C/span\u003E: PCO.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000535\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d6d229202825425683c3ce80baac5463\u0022\u003EMOANA MACKEY\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014Parliamentary Counsel Office. That would be useful. But I do think that would just clarify it, because when I read through it\u2014and we did a lot of work on clause 17 at the select committee\u2014it did not jump out to me that it was that absolutely clear that once it was sent back as an incomplete application, that time period still applied. Maybe clause 42 is where that clarification can be put in to say that this does not now suddenly just become never ending. I thank the Minister for that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000536\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003EComing back to the issue of clause 17, I think it is a very real issue about what that means. I am sorry the Minister did not clarify new clause 17A about planned activities and what that might mean where permits are now currently issued, because I know that there is deep concern amongst a lot of communities around the country that suddenly this is providing an awful lot more legal protection around the permits that are given out under the Crown Minerals Act, or legal weighting, and the ability to go on perhaps without having to go through the processes that we are setting up here. I would be, as I said, very, very concerned if on the East Coast of the North Island, where the activity has not started, where structures are not in place, the companies that have been issued the Crown Minerals Act permits were suddenly able to just go ahead and carry out drilling, when in fact none of that has been done and we understood that they would have to go through this process. I look forward either tonight or the next time we discuss this to the Minister actually being able to address that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022 data-id=\u00224565981729b34beaafb4660c4135c865\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000537\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224565981729b34beaafb4660c4135c865\u0022\u003EGARETH HUGHES (Green):\u003C/span\u003E It is good to hear that contribution from the Minister for the Environment that it is not circular, and I agree with the recommendation by the member Moana Mackey that maybe it could be clarified a bit, because what we do not want to see is a whole bunch of legal challenges\u2014a feeding frenzy for lawyers\u2014as we try and work out what these laws actually mean. But it would be good to get more clarity from the Minister around new clause 17A. What does it actually mean\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022 data-id=\u0022c1933e9df3ab4a45bc02d46268856383\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000538\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c1933e9df3ab4a45bc02d46268856383\u0022\u003EThe CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: I am sorry to interrupt the member. The time has come for me to report progress. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000539\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003EHouse resumed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003EThe Chairperson reported the Appropriation (2012/13 Estimates) Bill without amendment and progress on the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000541\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003EReport adopted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000542\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00222ef90101fc4f4af8918f18c3036ae966\u0022\u003EPersonal Explanations\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000543\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002264d7aeb19163463f9eb8976b2471c730\u0022\u003ECanterbury Earthquake Recovery, Minister\u2014Actions Incorrectly Attributed to Hon Lianne Dalziel\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u00220668882af6934962b5a7331e70daaef7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000544\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220668882af6934962b5a7331e70daaef7\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery):\u003C/span\u003E I seek leave under Standing Order 354 to make a personal explanation about an impression that might have been garnered from an answer I gave to a question 5 months ago.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000545\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022525c3c56d11f44f2a39896fe6693e18c\u0022\u003EThe ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch)\u003C/span\u003E: Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There is no objection.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000546\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220af96a4f9a9845a2ad9c920e82fc4cb9\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: On 22 March, in answer to oral question No. 5 from the Hon Lianne Dalziel, I gave an answer that relied heavily on statements previously made by the member concerning her personal circumstances. Although you have found no matter of privilege in the answer, I none the less apologise for any unintended reputational damage to the member. The last 23 months have been difficult for all members of Parliament from Canterbury, including me, and I acknowledge that throughout that time all have sought first to represent the best interests of their constituents.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000547\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EThe House adjourned at 5.57 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20120816ae7ed99596d44a7eb4c9aebb5cc0ed73000548\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n  \u003C/body\u003E\n\u003C/html\u003E"