Power Simon: Charities Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Third Reading 
Power Simon: Charities Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:625;Page:19958] 
SIMON POWER (National—Rangitikei) 
: 
 I thank Mr Hide for his contribution and just say to United Future— 
Hon David Benson-Pope 
: He visits Fiji regularly for a contribution. 
SIMON POWER 
: That Minister should go back to sleep. I say to United Future to beware of legislation that sets up a commission. The Tertiary Education Commission was also created in a similar vein. That commission was to be a light-handed steering instrument to guide strategic priorities in the tertiary sector—whatever that means. Two hours and lots of paper later I was none the wiser. The story with the Tertiary Education Commission is that it now has a staff of 324 people— 
Rodney Hide 
: No! 
SIMON POWER 
:—that is the light-handed steering instrument—and cost $210 million to set up and run. It has been restructured once already—every job readvertised in a complete restructuring of a governance system that parties in this House said would not work. The Government was told at the time that commission was set up that it would not work. But no the Government members sat opposite and said that we did not understand that that was a light-handed steering instrument and was not designed to get in the way of the tertiary sector. The same thing will happen in the charities sector. 
I say to voluntary organisations and charities to beware of clause 7 that sets up a commission. I will tell those charities what is coming with that commission—320 bureaucrats will storm down the doors of their charities to monitor work that the charities have always done unencumbered without needing to seek the permission of the Government to do too much and with their independence never compromised. I tell charities to beware of legislation that sets up commissions. That means one thing: that the pitter-patter of an army of bureaucrats is on its way to disrupt the good work that charities throughout New Zealand do. 
Where is the hint in the legislation that that is what is coming? Well members and those interested should turn to clause 10. There we have a page and a half of the commission’s functions. It is very reassuring that it will be a light-handed organisation that will leave the sector to get on with its business! There is a page and a half of things it will do—a page and a half of functions to interfere with the workings of charities. 
But my favourite clause is clause 10(i)—it is a doozy. This commission will monitor charitable entities to ensure that the entities that are registered as charitable entities continue to be qualified for registration as charitable entities. Look out here comes the commission with its clipboards and pens both red and green for initial checking and auditing. That group of bureaucrats will be on the march to disrupt the good independent work that charitable organisations have done up until this point. 
The real questions the sector should be asking the Government are why do they need that commission why do they need more people interfering in the way they conduct their affairs and why do they need clause 10 with paragraphs (a) through to (o) outlining the functions of the commission. I say to those organisations that the same thing happened with the tertiary education sector. It was promised a light-handed commission that would guide the sector gently. Look at what has happened! The commission has 324 bureaucrats and costs $210 million. I tell the sector to beware of legislation that sets up commissions. 
The question was put that the following amendment in the name of Judith Collins to clause 10 be agreed to: 
to add to clause 10 the following new subclause: 
(2)When carrying out the functions of the Commission the Commission must have regard to the need where reasonably possible to minimise the compliance costs of the registered charity.