Sio Hon Aupito WilliamSTATUTES AMENDMENT BILLFirst ReadingHon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO (Associate Minister of Justice): I move That the Statutes Amendment Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Governance and Administration Committee to consider the Statutes Amendment Bill.As a member of this action-oriented Government I'm happy to usher this bill through the House—[Interruption] Why are you chuckling? Ha ha!—with the support of our political parties present. As the House will be aware statutes amendment bills are legislative vehicles that make minor technical and non-controversial amendments to a number of Acts. They allow amendments to be made that would not usually receive sufficient priority to be progressed individually. This is achieved with the support of all parties in Parliament.The bill as introduced amends 42 Acts administered by 10 different Government agencies. Many of the amendments are designed to correct drafting errors and incorrect references such as an amendment to the Coroners Act 2006. Previously coroners could rely on powers in the Criminal Procedure Act to order any person committing contempt to be taken into custody—this would apply until the rising of the court—or to sentence that person for contempt. Due to a cross-referencing error made by the District Court Act of 2016 coroners currently cannot sanction contempt of court for coronial proceedings. This amendment would restore the contempt powers of coroners. Another example is the amendment to the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009. This act sets out the order of priority when distributing money or property that is forfeited. One of the payments is paying the Secretary for Justice any amount payable by way of legal aid to the person whose property is forfeited. However it is the Legal Services Commissioner's function to recover legal aid debt not the Secretary for Justice. This amendment would correct these references.Some amendments make non-controversial and supported improvements to the way various Acts work in practice. The amendments to the Building Act the Chartered Professional Engineers of New Zealand Act and the Registered Architects Act would ensure greater efficiency and consistency of the appointment process for all occupational regulatory boards. These amendments take away the Governor-General's appointment and removal role to create a consistent process across all occupational regulatory boards and to ensure more efficient process by reducing administrative work. An amendment to the Standards and Accreditation Act would modernise modification requirements for vacancies and resignations to the New Zealand Standards Approval Board. This amendment would mean that vacancies can be notified online reducing costs and increasing the efficiency of the appointment process. Other changes make technical amendments to facilitate functions of governance. The New Zealand Government Property Corporation Act currently has a restriction on powers of attorney being used for documents that must be executed as deeds and are executed in New Zealand. This amendment would remove this restriction reducing practical and administrative burdens.The examples of amendments I've mentioned demonstrate the value of the Statutes Amendment Bill as a vehicle for advancing technical yet important amendments. While all the political parties in Parliament support the amendments proposed in the bill I do look forward to hearing the committee's examination and views on these matters as well as any views of the public. I look forward to the passage of this bill through its stages and will be working constructively with all parties as such bills are put together in the future. Madam Assistant Speaker I commend this bill to the House.