Marcroft JennyJENNY MARCROFT (NZ First): Tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker. Thank you for the opportunity to stand and take a call on behalf of New Zealand First in support of this bill the Conservation (Infringement System) Bill making note that this infringement system bill breaks into eight core Department of Corrections (DOC) statutes as outlined by the Minister of Conservation earlier including the Conservation Act as well as the National Parks Act and the Reserves Act.We had a number of submissions come through the Environment Committee and it's a pleasure to serve on that committee with a fantastic group of colleagues. Generally we worked pretty well together. We had 56 submissions seven supplementary submissions and we had those submissions come through us in about May of this year. I note as the Minister pointed out that this bill was presented by the previous Minister the Hon Maggie Barry back in February 2017 and it didn't come through again until February of this year.Mark Patterson: And they used to support it.JENNY MARCROFT: And they did used to support it but they have changed.One of the things that I do note about the DOC focus really—the Department of Conservation; their focus—is the protection and conservation of our natural taonga. That's a really important role that they play the responsibility of the Department of Conservation to carry out in the best way possible and they really have a duty to ensure this. However they absolutely need the proper tools to carry out this work and the Conservation (Infringement System) Bill will give the department another tool to do that work.Human activities are among the contributing factors that lead to the degradation of our natural spaces our natural environment our natural heritage and often our ngahere so it is really up to us to protect it. Where there is an infringement that needs to be taken care of so we can return our ngahere return our natural spaces to the proper and right place that it should be. It is our duty to do that. So the bill will tidy up the law so that those who do commit any kinds of offences—whether they are minor or major but it's the minor end of the scale this bill is addressing—will face real consequences by way of an instant fine and there is that in place when this bill passes through the final stages of the House.I just note in my brief submission today here in the House that the Minister said that the public can expect DOC to take appropriate actions when breaches of the law occur. Enforcement not only discourages the offender from repeating the offence but also acts as a deterrent to others who might be tempted to do the same thing and currently we have a situation where a lot of people who do have these minor-end breaches actually get a bit of a slap over the wrist with a damp bus ticket. So this will finally see the infringement notice instead of a prosecution.Some of those sorts of offending that low-level offending would be along the lines of minor breaches of the whitebait fishing rules; fishing in a marine reserve where the boat has maybe drifted across the boundary; getting too close to a marine mammal but not injuring it obviously; fishing for trout in the Taupō fishery with a licence that has expired; and also taking a dog into an area where dogs are not allowed and there are many breaches in that particular area.I will note that one submission that came through from a warranted honorary ranger with the North Canterbury region Fish & Game council actually supported Fish & Game staff and councils having the power to issue infringements. So that body members inside that body—Fish & Game—actually support that they have the power to issue infringement notices.So really this was just a short contribution. We really must ensure that the taonga that exist inside our nature stores are protected. This will enable the Department of Conservation to have another tool to protect it and so personally I'm very pleased to see the Conservation (Infringement System) Bill in its second reading here in the House today. Kia ora.