Locke Keith: Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Locke Keith: Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:615;Page:11243] 
KEITH LOCKE (Green) 
: 
 I rise on behalf of the Green Party to support this bill as we did in the second reading. However in terms of the title debate I disagree with the previous speaker Lockwood Smith who said that the title does not indicate specifically enough what the bill is about. The bill is fairly broad. It does extend immunity to witnesses experts counsel and others involved in International Criminal Court proceedings. That immunity also applies to European Union representatives coming here or to international conferences of one sort or another that may be held here. The bill also refers to the OECD the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. As I understand it under this bill any conference can be designated as being appropriate for the level of privilege and immunity provided by this legislation. 
There is a certain lack of clarity in terms of the breadth of the title and what it contains. That is why I have moved an amendment to be discussed under the next clause—just to telegraph that—to make it clear that non-State actors who are participating in a specified international conference can be covered by this legislation. For example when New Zealand participates in an international conference often its delegation is made up of State representatives officially representing the Government and non-governmental— 
Dr Wayne Mapp 
: Is the member seriously suggesting that he is to give diplomatic immunity to Greenpeace? 
KEITH LOCKE 
: It may be—I would have to look back at the history of New Zealand’s participation in environmental conferences—that amongst the non-governmental representatives as part of the official delegation at an environmental conference and the Minister may comment on this that there was a representative of Greenpeace. At conferences on Antarctica representatives and specialists from non-governmental organisations have been involved in those issues. All that we are talking about here is that we want to make sure that all members of a delegation and perhaps even non-governmental organisation members who are not part of an official delegation that is coming to New Zealand may be covered. 
Under the bill and under the amendment I will be producing the Minister has the power to determine the non-State actors who could be covered by this legislation and given the privileges and immunities it confers. We are moving into an environment where State actors non-State actors and non-governmental organisations do work together on issues and we want to set a good model too. One thing that worried me recently just this year was reports from Indonesia concerning the official negotiators at an international conference on Aceh—they have had conferences like the one they had in Tokyo and they were having an official international conference to settle the Aceh dispute with negotiators from Gerakan Aceh Merdeka the Free Aceh Movement and the Indonesian Government. Those negotiations broke down at the dictate of the Indonesian Government. It said the conference was all off and it required that the Gerakan Aceh Merdeka representatives accept officially— 
The CHAIRPERSON (Ann Hartley) 
: I just bring the member back to the title please. 
KEITH LOCKE 
: I am just saying that the title needs to have the breadth—and here I disagree with Lockwood Smith—to cover the various possibilities that will be required if New Zealand is to involve itself properly in international conferences and if we are to give sufficient protection to people who are perhaps non-State actors or representatives of non-governmental organisations and not just the State actors.