Foster AndyANDY FOSTER (NZ First): I was actually going to start with exactly the same words that my colleague Cameron Luxton has which is to say that this has been well signalled it's been well expected and we've heard from the Labour Party member Tangi Utikere as well that in fact they were working on exactly this thing.Why has it been so well signalled? Well because—and we actually have to do something here—the existing rebate arrangement expires on 31 March. So if you actually want to continue that in some way as seems to be the suggestion that the member from the Green Party the Hon Julie Anne Genter has said you'd actually need to pass some form of legislation anyway. So to me this is very much about something that has been anticipated for some considerable period of time. It is about fairness; this is about contribution. We've known that there was an arrangement for electric vehicles (EVs) to not be liable for paying anything at all towards the roads for a considerable period of time. That was always going to come to an end and now is the time that that will come to an end when the current exemption expires on 31 March.I think there might be some debate around the level of discount. I think the Minister the Hon Simeon Brown has suggested that—around the level of discount for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and whether it's 20 percent or 30 percent or whatever—and we will look forward to hearing people's views on that and also as the member Julie Anne Genter has pointed out on actually what the level of charge ought to be and what is fair and what works.There is a very sensible exclusion around very light EVs. I took the opportunity to have a look at what the weight of EVs is and even relatively small vehicles like a Fiat 500 electric vehicle are 1400-plus kilograms. So that kind of vehicle would still be caught. You've got to have a very very small vehicle not to be caught by the 1000 kilograms. Also there is an exclusion which I don't think we've heard about for electric off-road all-terrain vehicles so they are not being penalised.I think we will need as a select committee—and I will speak on behalf of the Transport and Infrastructure Committee as the chair of the committee—to look at the recent consultation and see what sort of advice we had through that. We will need to call for submissions immediately because the time frame that we've been given is to report back by 14 March—i.e. by next week. And so members of that committee can expect a very very truncated submissions process and a very quick approach to getting those submissions in front of us and hearing from people.We also heard from the member opposite about EVs and incentives and he questioned the motive around that. Now I don't see that as being a fair question because on this side of the House there is clearly an intention to roll out EV infrastructure right around the country. So that clearly says we want to see more people using EVs. It's a matter of what the price arrangement is so that they're paying a fair price.Julie Anne Genter asked why we are doing it at pace. Well it's always been around 31 March. That's the time the exemption expires. It's got to be done by then. Look maybe it could have been done earlier in the legislative programme of this incoming Government; maybe it could have been done by the past Government. It hasn't been it needs to be addressed and it needs to be addressed now and that is exactly what we are going to do. She also questioned again the incentives for the use of EVs and as I said I think the Government has said we are going to be supporting the roll-out of EV infrastructure and I am going to be interested in the exploration of the costing around an EV trip versus a PHEV trip versus a petrol car trip. So I am very happy to support this and to commend this bill to the House.