Collins Judith; Williams PotoOVERSEAS INVESTMENT AMENDMENT BILLIn CommitteeDebate resumed from 2 August.Part 3 Enforcement and other miscellaneous matters (continued)Hon JUDITH COLLINS (National—Papakura): Oh thank you Madam Chair. What an excellent choice I thought—if I do say so myself with all due modesty which is sort of none really. But at least I won't shout into the microphone like a new member might.Kiritapu Allan: Or like Dr Smith—he's pretty good at it as well and he's been around a wee while.Hon JUDITH COLLINS: I think one of the issues is this is really all about how to enforce it—and she's still shouting. I think it's really important that when we look at a bill like this and we think about why there are so many crossings out and so many amendments in the select committee stage we think about a very good piece of work done by the Finance and Expenditure Committee—unfortunately not good enough to change the bill and get rid of it entirely but certainly tried hard in the select committee. The reason that there are so many changes in the enforcement part of the bill is that the enforcement of the Overseas Investment Amendment Bill is going to be very difficult. This bill is really all about saying Keep those foreign people from buying our land." or in this case "Keep those foreign people from buying our houses." which I think is an amazing issue frankly. Where are these people going to take those houses if this bill doesn't go through? I have since I've been in Parliament—a mere 16 years; hardly anything really—Hon Member: Too long.Hon JUDITH COLLINS: —in the scheme of it. Who was that unusual person over there? It was Mr Strange wasn't it? Ha ha! The list MP from Hamilton—list MP from Hamilton.Hon Member: No I think he's from Christchurch.Hon JUDITH COLLINS: He's from Christchurch. Anyway he's someone who doesn't necessarily know what he's talking about.When I first came into Parliament in 2002 in that election campaign people then were talking about foreigners coming to buy our land. I asked that question then on the campaign trail in the then seat of Clevedon. I said "Where are they taking it?" People didn't seem to have a good answer but the foreign people that they were after in those days were the Americans who apparently were coming into New Zealand buying up land and making something of it—like actually putting money into it investing in it improving it.Rt Hon David Carter: Oh outrageous! They must be rich.Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Outrageous behaviour frankly. They're not to be encouraged at any time. As the Rt Hon David Carter says they must be rich. Well we don't want those people do we! We want people who can't do all of those things! Well that's the way it feels from reading this bill. Enforcement of these issues is actually really tough and speaking as a lawyer with 20-plus years' experience before coming to Parliament I know just how hard it is because if people really want to get around this it can be done. That's the point.Labour Governments are actually a great thing for law firms and accountancy firms—not that they actually necessarily like them but they love the fact that it creates a lot more work a lot more work getting around a lot more regulation. So thinking of my former colleagues in the legal profession they must be sitting there rubbing their little hands with glee thinking "We've got to think of some more schemes." and that's what happens. Whether it's in tax whether it's in anything else the more rules that we put in the more money and time and effort is spent in getting around them and that's what will happen. The people who will be caught by this will be the people who didn't go to all that effort and trouble and expense—you know the genuine people; the people who were actually just wanting to have a home in New Zealand; those people. I actually think most people will not be caught by this because this is going to be something that a lot of people are going to spend a lot of time and effort getting around.What is the great damage in somebody coming in and buying an apartment and then living in it say for six months of the year or three months a year in New Zealand—what is the great damage? I'm just wondering about that because what I know is this: ever since this Government has been in place there has been no over four-storey buildings built in Auckland in the CBD as apartment blocks. The reason is this: foreign buyers have already got the message they're not wanted and what that's meant is there are now fewer opportunities for people to buy their first apartment for people to move out of suburbia as well into the apartments in the city—that is why.This Government has already cut the knees out from under the apartment developers—already done that without this legislation getting in place. This enforcement part of the bill will not be needed because the message is already there: you're not welcome. We don't want your money. We just want to use you. That's what this Government's message is to the people who otherwise would be—CHAIRPERSON (Poto Williams): I'm sorry to interrupt the member. The time has come for me to leave the Chair for the dinner break. We will resume at 7.30 p.m.Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m."