Mahuta Nanaia: Telecommunications (TSO Broadband and Other Matters) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Mahuta Nanaia: Telecommunications (TSO Broadband and Other Matters) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:669;Page:16080] 
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Labour—Hauraki-Waikato) 
: 
 I am pleased to take a call on the Telecommunications (TSO Broadband and Other Matters) Amendment Bill. Of all the speeches from Government speakers who have chosen to take 2-second calls that speech from Jonathan Young must have been the most energetic speech and that is of concern to me. When the Minister for Communications and Information Technology tabled the bill and read his first reading speech it took 3 minutes. If this is such a significant issue for the Government—it is No. 2 on National’s election platform and it is receiving funding worth $1.5 billion—then I ask why the Minister took such a scanty call when he introduced the bill into the House. Such a minimal and limited amount of calls coming from the Government benches shows an absolute disregard for people who are interested in how the Government proposes to roll out broadband. 
As I said previously this is a significant election issue for the Government. We will be sending this bill to the Finance and Expenditure Committee and we want to hear a full and robust number of submissions. 
I listened carefully to the contribution made by the member of the Maori Party. She pointed to many positive examples throughout the country where local providers have got on board and have rolled out opportunities for connecting fibre-to-home network cabling. If that member can give an assurance in light of the proposals in this bill that a national consortium must be approved under the Rural Broadband Initiative and that local providers will survive under this regime then perhaps it is an opportunity. But they simply will not be able to compete if bigger national consortium providers are part of the picture. That has to be of concern to that member because if she cannot assure that then she should question further through the select committee process how local providers can be involved in the roll-out of rural broadband. She understands like I do that in many parts of our electorates we would absolutely want our local providers to be involved because it provides local employment. This roll-out can provide opportunities for people to be a real part of an infrastructural project that will make a significant difference yes to lift the productivity in our country and to enhance growth but more important—and I am sure that this is the member’s concern like it is my concern—to also create jobs where the rubber hits the road. We want to make sure that local providers will not be washed away under these types of proposals and that is what we will pursue through the select committee process. 
Many speakers have spoken about the real opportunities of broadband roll-out and more important the opportunity for access to broadband in homes and schools. I visited a school where the science class was able to access some of its learning through videoconferencing. More important the particular school I visited was studying what was happening in coalmines. It actually had a camera go down into a mine and capture what happened in the work environment. The kids were able to see without actually being down there the types of things that were happening. They were able to have discussions with people who worked in the industry who were on the other side of the camera. I think that is a fantastic opportunity. 
This technology is also being used to educate kids about the marine environment. In Whitianga kids can see what the marine environment looks like using this technology. The curriculum is taught via video links that can access all manner of curriculum content. Those types of opportunities can be afforded when schools particularly rural schools have access to broadband. I have visited a number of schools that would be considered quite small. If the entire learning of students at those schools was based on the knowledge of the teaching staff alone then the content for the curriculum could be limited to the sole teacher in schools that have only one teacher. But now we have the opportunity for more of our schools to access through broadband an international classroom environment and for other people to look at the world outside further afield than their rural community. That has to be a good thing. 
There are other benefits in terms of business. As we have heard people can get products to markets and pursue opportunities overseas when they have access to broadband. It will increase the opportunities for many small businesses in many rural areas to get their products to market. Again that is a positive thing. 
If the Ultra-fast Broadband Initiative and the Rural Broadband Initiative are to happen successfully—and it has taken 2 years for the Government to get its act together and identify providers whom it will partner with—one would expect that the cost would not be a limiting factor. That is another point that was raised by my colleague Clare Curran. If access to broadband is compounded by increased costs we will not see the take-up that we should be seeing. We do not want cost to be a barrier. A significant concern raised by members on this side of the House is that access should not be limited due to cost burdens and we will pursue that issue in the select committee. 
We want to make sure that when we look at the options promoted by the bill in its entirety certain issues will be addressed. We want to ensure firstly that local community providers are not necessarily disadvantaged by the proposals as I outlined to the member for Te Tai Tonga and secondly that access is not limited due to high-cost burdens. 
I want to highlight the issue of the length of time it is taking the Government to roll out such a major and strategic initiative. We are moving into an election year next year and I would be concerned if we are only at the first reading of this legislation at that time. If there continues to be a time delay beyond expectation we need to know because people want progress to happen quickly and efficiently. The Government needs to ensure that this infrastructure will be a real opportunity for them. I am concerned that it has taken so long for the Government to roll it out and that Government members have taken hardly any calls on the initiative. At least the country deserves— 
Simon Bridges 
: We just love to hear you talk.  
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA 
: The member for Tauranga should take a call. He is happy to chip away but he will not take a call and I challenge him to speak for 10 minutes to his Tauranga constituents about what the Government intends to do. I bet he will not. He will not take even a 3-minute call because the Minister did not speak for longer than that. If the member for Tauranga is so confident about the proposal that is put down here he should read the bill take a 10-minute call and explain to the good people of Tauranga how the roll-out of broadband will happen when it will happen and how many jobs will come from it for the people of Tauranga. I am sure he is unable to do it and I challenge him to do it this morning because it is a very important question.  
I say once again that Labour is happy to support this bill going to the select committee but we have reservations. Members of the Opposition have outlined quite constructively that our reservations are of detail and not symbolic in opposition to the bill because we understand the importance of rolling out throughout the country efficient broadband that will work for all New Zealanders enhance our opportunity for growth and ensure greater productivity. So far the Government has not outlined how that will happen. The Minister took a 3-minute call and every other Government speaker has spoken for less than 2 minutes. It is an absolute shame. I challenge the member for Tauranga to take the next call and make it 10 minutes.