Tirikatene RinoRINO TIRIKATENE (Labour—Te Tai Tonga): Thank you Madam Chair. I'm pleased to make a contribution in the committee stage of this wonderful bill and I want to acknowledge the Minister in the chair the Hon Damien O'Connor. Once again it's another example of this positive Government taking positive action and addressing the long-term issues and challenges that are facing our country and in this instance we are addressing the issue of the massive amount of debt which is saddled on our farmers and on our primary producers right across the board. I want to take issue with Mr Bennett. I wish he would cheer up at times. It's always as if the sky is falling and—you know Businesses are going under." That's not what the people of New Zealand want to hear Mr Bennett. That's definitely not what the primary sector want to hear. Contrary to what Mr Bennett has said this is a welcome piece of legislation which provides a structured process—that's all it does. It provides a process between creditors—the banks—and farmers to ensure that where that relationship may be getting close to an event of default where problems may be arising there is a constructive process which is prescribed in legislation which can help the parties hopefully come to discussions and resolution through mediation to perhaps address the issues which will ensure the continued operation of the farming interests or likewise it will also lead to a dignified exit or a wind-down of activities. One thing is for sure: this Parliament and no one can prescribe business success. That is the risk that businesses take when they take on debt. It's a risk. It's a risk but there are thousands of primary producers up and down the country who have taken that risk and who are trying to do the best for their families and for their whānau to build that wealth base to contribute to the GDP and to the growth of our economy and so I acknowledge all those people right across who this bill is aimed at. This bill is a welcome mechanism that's available to those that have debt and that may be getting into trouble to be able to work constructively with their banks through a mediation process and ultimately come to an agreed resolution. So this is a very welcome piece of legislation. I want to acknowledge also the genesis of this bill through New Zealand First—Mark Patterson—and their advocacy in ensuring that this No. 2 bill is the right bill that we as a House can come together and pass. I want to acknowledge the Primary Production Committee. It wasn't as if the—I know; Mr Bennett I do want to acknowledge the contributions that the National members made but it was actually the combined parties within the Primary Production Committee who all contributed to this bill. There were a lot of refinements that have been made. Whilst this bill has been modelled off a similar Australian piece of legislation from New South Wales there are actually some really helpful tweaks that we as a committee were able to incorporate into this bill. I want to acknowledge the officials who were very helpful and we were quite a demanding committee in terms of what we wanted the officials to look at. I do want to acknowledge them for coming back to the committee with some very well-drafted solutions. The main effect—to cut to the chase—is that we want to ensure that this is an accessible programme but we also want to ensure that it can be accessed earlier in the process and that it's not all dominated by the banks. So I commend this bill."