Katene Rahui: Smoke-free Environments (Controls and Enforcement) Amendment Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
Katene Rahui: Smoke-free Environments (Controls and Enforcement) Amendment Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:674;Page:20068] 
RAHUI KATENE (Maori Party—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
 I move  
That it be an instruction to the Committee of the whole House on the Smoke-free Environments (Controls and Enforcement) Amendment Bill that it have the authority to consider and if it thinks fit adopt the amendments in my name relating to the registration of tobacco sellers. 
 The reason I am moving this motion today is very simple: the Maori Party is absolutely committed to a smoke-free Aotearoa. We are committed to saving lives. We are committed to a healthy smoke-free environment so we are determined that we will leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of comprehensive and effective solutions to create a smoke-free nation. In January 2010 the  
New Zealand Medical Journal 
 stated that the scale of harm from tobacco use in New Zealand has not been matched by appropriate Government action to advance tobacco control. George Thomson Nick Wilson and Richard Edwards from the department of public health of the University of Otago laid down the challenge fair and square: “New Zealand political parties now need to engage with the idea of the end of commercial tobacco sales in a finite and predictable timetable rather than using small steps to control the tobacco epidemic.” 
This motion is to ensure that our pathway towards becoming smoke-free takes every contingency into account. We want to broaden the debate today to enable registration to be mandatory and a condition of selling tobacco. The problem my amendment seeks to address is that currently there is not a central list of tobacco retailers. As a consequence of that all national estimates for the number of retailers vary widely. In a letter I saw today from Professor Richard Edwards Dr George Thomson Professor Chris Cunningham Dr Heather Gifford Professor Janet Hoek and Stephanie Erick there was a clear message: with tobacco displays moved out of sight there will be difficulties in identifying tobacco retailers. Their letter makes a very clear statement which I again will cite for the record. “We see such a register as the minimum system necessary to enable health enforcement officers to effectively and efficiently do their job of working with retailers. Furthermore such a register would help to keep track of the growing move by tobacco companies to market tobacco products through temporary outlets at festivals and other events.” I want to make it explicitly clear: we are tremendously proud of the profile that the Maori Party and in particular Tariana Turia in her capacity as an Associate Minister of Health have been able to achieve in the area of tobacco control. The ongoing tobacco tax increases have triggered— 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: This is a narrow instruction to the House. You cannot get into the debate on its merits. State just the facts. It is a very narrow instruction that you are asking the House to consider so confine your comments just to that. 
RAHUI KATENE 
: Thank you. Our amendment today is in many respects to supplement and strengthen the rapid progress that Tariana has been able to achieve in tobacco control in general and in this bill specifically. This is ground-breaking legislation to phase out tobacco retail displays—out of sight out of mind. But of course there is the catch-22 dilemma that removing tobacco retail displays— 
Hon Steve Chadwick 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This does not appear to be a point of order; it is rather more of a speech. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: It is not a point of order. The member has the right to move which she has done—[ 
Interruption 
] No no she can also debate it. This is a debatable motion and she has moved it. She is speaking and she has 10 minutes in which to speak. It is not a point of order. Her comment earlier on was not correct but I have accepted that. She is moving a motion. She is asking for an instruction from the House to the Committee of the whole House to include her amendments. 
RAHUI KATENE 
: Thank you. There is of course the catch-22 dilemma that removing tobacco retail displays might lead to out of sight out of scrutiny. A mandatory register of all tobacco retailers is a perfect response to the declared need expressed by many health enforcement officers to keep track of retailers with complete and current data. 
We understand that ASH Action on Smoking and Health is in full support of these amendments. There are four strong reasons underlying its support: one a register is cost-effective— 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The member is now getting into the debate. As I mentioned earlier this is very narrow. You are asking the House to accept your amendments going into Committee. Members can read what your amendments are because they have been tabled. This debate is very narrow asking permission of the House by way of an instruction to go into Committee. You cannot get into the debate of what the content of the amendments are; they are tabled for members to look at. So just come back to the instruction that you are asking for. 
RAHUI KATENE 
: I am not somebody who randomly stands in this House to put forward points of order and move motions for debate to pass the time of day. In fact in my entire parliamentary career to date I think one would be hard-pressed to find more than a couple of times when I have stood to do something like this. I have taken this action today because the Maori Party is so committed to saving lives and to doing something about the 5000 people this country loses every year under the assault of tobacco harm. We truly believe that this measure is needed now and that this register will significantly enhance the efficiency and implementation of the entire Smoke-free Environments (Controls and Enforcement) Amendment Bill. It should be debated now. 
In closing I return to the submission I quoted earlier. It stated that it is highly anomalous that anyone can set up as a retailer of tobacco products given their highly hazardous and addictive nature and in light of the continued evidence of widespread availability of tobacco products to children. This motion and the amendments it relates to address this deficiency by requiring that at least health officials know who is selling tobacco through a register of tobacco retailers. I implore the House to at least give consideration to debating these amendments at the Committee stage.