Hutchison Paul: Callaghan Innovation Bill — Third Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Hutchison Paul: Callaghan Innovation Bill — Third Reading 
[Sitting date: 04 December 2012. Volume:686;Page:7019. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON (National—Hunua) 
: 
 It gives me great pleasure to speak on this Callaghan Innovation Bill and to take a short call. I must admit I was very concerned to hear that dreary dissertation from the Greens. They do seem to oppose anything that will enhance economic growth in this country. Of all things I would have thought it would be the area of science development and innovation and its commercialisation that this country badly needs particularly in the private sector. That is what this Callaghan Innovation Bill is all about. 
Just a few months ago the Government published its  
Building Innovation 
 report and it was particularly ambitious. It set out the Government’s determination to shift private investment in research and development from 0.5 to 0.6 percent of GDP as it is now to 1 percent within a few years and to shift the public investment from 0.68 percent as it is now to 0.8 percent. This is very important for New Zealand. The National Government under the very difficult conditions of a world economic recession has increased our investment in science research and development from $1 billion to $1.25 billion. 
We heard—again a dismal speech—Grant Robertson of the Labour Party saying how science in New Zealand was falling to bits. Shame on him. We have just had the Prime Minister’s Science Prizes and we saw the depth and breadth of science and scientists in New Zealand and the tremendous work that they are doing. Yes of course we would all like more investment in this area and again I report that in each of those areas of basic science such as the Marsden Fund the Health Research Council of New Zealand and the Performance-based Research Fund each of these areas has had more investment under National and there will be more over the next few years. Of course we would like to expand this when and if we possibly can. 
The Advanced Technology Institute now Callaghan Innovation was a key recommendation of last year’s  
Powering Innovation 
 report. It points out very much that it will have a wide spectrum of activities. It will help New Zealand’s industries to carry out more research and development and to commercialise them—from food and beverage to agritechnologies to digital technologies to health technologies to therapeutics manufacturing and to high-value wood products. 
I want to just point out that the late Sir Paul Callaghan wrote in 2011: “My view is that to succeed New Zealand businesses need to be the best in the world at what they do. I do not care what they do so long as it is legal and not morally objectionable.” We heard Megan Woods and we heard Grant Robertson and others talk about this bill being too permissive. The whole point of innovation is that it has to be. In an environment of flexibility and nimbleness that is what our businesses require. So Callaghan Innovation is all about assisting our businesses to be globally competitive and innovative so that they will indeed be the best in the world. It does indeed emphasise collaboration between business universities Crown research institutes and other research institutes. 
Lastly I want to once again pay tribute to Sir Paul Callaghan and his family for the amazing spectrum of activities that he has carried out over his many many years of research not only in science and not only through being a science communicator—I think we will all remember those wonderful wonderful interviews with Kim Hill and with many other interviewers from around the world and his many books including  
Wool to Weta 
—but also his huge generosity to politicians from every side of the House. He came into this building time and time again to give us his message. Indeed this Callaghan Innovation Bill is all about carrying out his vision for the future of New Zealand in science and innovation and its commercialisation to help economic growth in New Zealand for the benefit of all New Zealanders.