Rurawhe Adrian; Eagle PaulFREEDOM CAMPING (INFRINGEMENT OFFENCES AND OTHER MATTERS) AMENDMENT BILLFirst ReadingDebate resumed from 22 September.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Members when the House was last considering this bill we'd just completed call No. 8 so it's call No. 9. I understand the member for Rongotai will seek the call—Paul Eagle.PAUL EAGLE (Labour—Rongotai): Thank you Mr Speaker and what a pleasure it is to talk on the Freedom Camping (Infringement Offences and Other Matters) Amendment Bill. Look the member who put this forward will know by now that we are opposing this bill—and for good reasons—and so we recapping on those just to bring you back into the fray after a short break. But really I want to just step back and just look at the situation.I know pre-COVID certainly there was a real dynamic around how we as a country manage freedom campers. They'd sort of got control of how they wanted to do things in their way and no matter what part of New Zealand you were from it talks about some of the more dominant areas in the South Island for example West Coast Tasman Christchurch and of course Queenstown Southland where those areas were just overrun. There was bad behaviour. It didn't seem that local government had the tools and the know-how to sort things out. Vehicles from hire companies also weren't equipped definitely with things like toilets and other sanitary conditions and the good nature and conservation of New Zealand took care of that. Well we all know what the locals said about that when they found suddenly their pristine coastlines and backyards were used as toilet blocks etc. etc.So the issue here is that whilst the direction is fully endorsed around this bill the Government is intending to introduce its own legislation. And before you say Hurry up let's get going." I was privileged enough to join the then Minister of Tourism that was the Hon Kelvin Davis. He was part of a working group a good one too. It's always hard to get local government and tourism authorities into a room. And then we had a very good conversation and I just happened to be with him for another project—he's a busy Minister—so he said "Come along." and at that I learnt a few things. I learnt there that actually a lot of what's being thought of I think that on this side of the House we will do it a whole lot better. Plus we'll have the full round of consultation which has been done. I know that the Minister's intending to do further work with the COVID lens.Hon Member: "Nashy".PAUL EAGLE: Yes that's the member for Napier the Hon Stuart Nash. But I was looking at the advances that have been made just in recent times and even the freedomcamping.org app or the website that all of you can have a look at and just quickly punch in that is significantly more advanced than when this was first talked about. And so I want to thank the then Minister the Hon Kelvin Davis for actually looking at that data and technology pilot that provided some of that real-time information. Too often we ignore what people say. Tourists both domestic and international said they wanted to know what spaces were free to ensure that they could go somewhere and do it right. They wanted to do the right thing and this was the best thing about it. Tourism New Zealand came on board with education campaigns and I notice just at the bottom of that website you can see the Tourism Industry Aotearoa and the Tourism Industry New Zealand Trust. So that partnered up like they said they would. They took the problem with both hands and said "We believe with this technology we can actually do things better. There was also talk about that free access to the self-contained vehicle standard saving users money—and so a lot of what's being proposed here. I know that the member will be thinking that's not enough but I know with the work that's been done already actually stuff has been delivered and it's not the sort of thing that's got a lot of rah-rah because most of us wouldn't be in that segment of society that is hiring campervans touring the country. Some of you might be in there. If you are therefore you'll know.The other thing that the group said is "We need to know a bit more. We were caught short." and I say that in terms of the tourism industry sector. They were caught short on saying "Look the market just went out there." As I said they put the vehicles in place but we needed the data to say "How do we make it a better experience for everyone?" So the direction gets a tick but we oppose this bill. Kia ora.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Members it's come time for me to leave the Chair for the dinner break. The House will return and I will return to the Chair at 7 p.m.Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m."