Hawkins George: Sale of Liquor (Objections to Applications) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Hawkins George: Sale of Liquor (Objections to Applications) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:648;Page:17164] 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS (Labour—Manurewa) 
: 
 I take this opportunity to thank all those people and parties who have spoken tonight. I want to thank Rodney Hide for his contribution; it is not one I particularly agree with of course. Perhaps laws do not change behaviour but as he pointed out the marijuana laws are ignored by people yet that is no reason for us not to try to do something about it. I think that hoisting up the white flag is never a solution that is available to parliamentarians. 
I thank the parties for letting the bill come into the House—it actually jumped 20 other bills. I really appreciate being given that opportunity. I thank the other parties—United Future the Maori Party the Greens New Zealand First the National Party and Labour. It is very unusual in South Auckland and Counties-Manukau that the MPs get together and talk to each other. I am finding that it is a very good way of making progress for one’s constituents. Yes there are things we have differences on and we get up and fight over those as hard as we can. But we look around and see what is going on in our communities—that we can buy beer cheaper than bottled water and that we can go to the local dairy and it sells more grog than milk. People come to their local MPs and they want something done. Is it not really very reassuring that we have a Parliament where parliamentarians will work for their communities as the first priority? 
I have to say that some people may find it a little hard to understand what actually happens in South Auckland in much the same way as I find it difficult to believe what goes on in Christchurch with boy racers—I have no idea about these people going and getting tanked up and as Ron Mark said going to a restaurant a nightclub or a bar. I think that really shows that there are large differences around the country. 
I want to say that I am no expert on liquor. I probably consume less of it than some others here; I do not have the experience. Nevertheless I do have a lot of experience of listening to people. I hear people who are hurting who feel helpless that they cannot do something about it and who look to their local councils and Parliament. I will be able to go back and say to people in my own area that the MPs from South Auckland have come together and indeed MPs in Parliament have come together to try to do something about a problem that is serious. It will not solve the drink problem. It will not solve young people being out on the street. What it may solve is that when people run out of liquor they just pop around to the dairy and load up with some more. It may make it safer for dairy owners who sell liquor. It may be in the end that New Zealanders get up and say that they have had a gutsful of what liquor is doing in their community and that they will be very hard on it. 
I conclude by thanking everyone who has spoken tonight. I thank Rodney Hide for having a different view and for standing up for it. I thank my South Auckland MPs like Su’a William Sio Ross Robertson Judith Collins Pansy Wong Pita Paraone from New Zealand First and Dr Sharples who has some of his electorate in Counties-Manukau. I also acknowledge the support of United Future.