Guy Nathan: Fisheries (Foreign Charter Vessels and Other Matters) Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeGuy Nathan: Fisheries (Foreign Charter Vessels and Other Matters) Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 30 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19727. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon NATHAN GUY (Minister for Primary Industries):The Fisheries (Foreign Charter Vessels and Other Matters) Amendment Bill is very very important. The bill strengthens the regulation of foreign-owned commercial fishing vessels operating in New Zealand waters. The bill is part of a range of measures that follow a ministerial inquiry in 2012 into questionable safety labour and fishing practices on some foreign-owned vessels. The ministerial inquiry led by the Hon Paul Swain found that although these issues are not widespread in the New Zealand commercial fishing industry they are serious and need to be addressed in a coordinated manner backed by legislative change.The key features of the bill are the requirement that all foreign-owned vessels operating in New Zealand waters carry the New Zealand flag from 1 May 2016 and operate under full New Zealand legal jurisdiction. It will enable the Ministry for Primary Industries to consider employment and vessel safety matters as well as fishery matters while assessing applications for registration of foreign-owned fishing vessels. It allows the fisheries observers from the Ministry for Primary Industries to collect information on employment and vessel safety matters as well as the scientific information they collect now and it confers new powers to suspend the registration of non-compliant vessels. The mandatory reflagging of all foreign charter vessels will ensure that New Zealand is able to enforce its vessel safety employment and fisheries laws on foreign charter vessels fishing in our exclusive economic zone.Through this piece of legislation the Government is sending a clear message that New Zealand is serious about the fair treatment of fishing crews the safety of vessels and its international reputation for ethical and sustainable fishing practices. The changes being made through the bill will protect our international reputation. Our trade access will also maximise the economic return to New Zealand from our very important fisheries resources. This is a robust and long-term solution that sends a clear message that New Zealand is very serious about addressing allegations of mistreatment and underpayment of crew on these vessels.I have carefully considered the exemptions proposed by the Primary Production Committee but before I talk about those can I just acknowledge the outstanding work of the chair of the Primary Production Committee Shane Ardern who gave his valedictory statement today. I also acknowledge all the members of the Primary Production Committee who have been involved with this bill. Importantly I just want to acknowledge a couple of other members who have recently given their valedictories and who have been a part of this select committee and they are Eric Roy and also Colin King and before that Shane Jones was also involved in this Primary Production Committee.In particular I have weighed up these exemptions and their impacts on the robustness of the fisheries management regime and the long-term certainty for the Government industry and our international trading partners. I believe that exemptions to reflagging risk undermining the Government’s ability to enforce its labour and vessel safety standards on foreign charter vessels under international law. Under the exemptions New Zealand would have only limited jurisdiction over these matters in our exclusive economic zone. Therefore exemptions have the potential to undermine New Zealand’s international reputation by being seen as weakening the reflagging regime.The only exemption that I consider should be retained is the exemption to enable foreign charter vessels to be used for vessels conducting fisheries-related research approved by the chief executive of the Ministry for Primary Industries. There are minimal risks to this exemption and it will enable the industry to innovate and move to commercially harvest new species in the event that New Zealand vessels are unable or unsuitable. In this regard I draw the Committee’s attention to Supplementary Order Paper 429 in my name to make these necessary changes.In summary the Government’s objectives for foreign charter vessels are to ensure that New Zealand’s labour standards—that is enforcing a safe fair working environment—are applied on all fishing vessels operating in New Zealand’s fisheries waters to protect New Zealand’s international reputation and trade access and to maximise the economic return to New Zealand from our very important fisheries resource.