Goldsmith Paul: New Zealand Business Number Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeGoldsmith Paul: New Zealand Business Number Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 09 February 2016. Volume:711;Page:8823. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH (Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs)on behalf of theMinister for Economic Development: In continuation of the speech on the New Zealand Business Number Bill the purpose of which is to enable easier and more efficient interactions for business in New Zealand I would just like to carry on and make a few points if I may. The bill has been clarified in its intent that all corporate and public entities will be eligible for New Zealand Business Numbers whether or not they are in business but that unincorporated entities must be in business. What is meant by “in business” for unincorporated entities has been clearly set out in the legislation and I support these amendments following the Commerce Committee’s investigation of the bill. I also support that criteria have been added to regulation-making powers so that the flexibility required to respond to a changing ecosystem is retained but with appropriate controls. I am pleased to note that the committee has recognised that the New Zealand Business Number will also benefit entities when they interact with each other and it has inserted an additional purpose clause to that effect. The committee has also recommended that the trading name of a corporate or public entity be publicly available. The committee has also taken the opportunity to examine the privacy implications of the bill and the controls that have been put in place. I am pleased that the committee is satisfied that the bill’s privacy safeguards are indeed adequate.I would like to comment on two points raised by the Labour Party in its minority view. Firstly the Labour Party asks why the IRD number is not used as the New Zealand Business Number. The IRD number would be a very poor choice for a publicly visible business identifier. The IRD number merely represents a set of tax and social policy affairs it is subject to tax secrecy provisions and it is actually not a unique entity identifier. Entities are entitled to have none one several or many IRD numbers. The global location number that has been chosen for use as the New Zealand Business Number is an international identifier. It is part of a wider system that enables businesses to meet sophisticated needs such as supply chain processes and where country locations of businesses need to be accurately identified in a standardised way.Secondly I disagree with the Labour Party that the New Zealand Business Number will be yet another number. I note that some submitters raised concerns about the removal from the bill as introduced of the requirement for eight Government agencies to recognise businesses by their New Zealand Business Number. Along with my colleagues the Minister of Finance and the Minister of State Services we have commenced the development of a directive to Government departments and a direction to Crown entities that interact with business to drive the implementation of a whole-of-Government approach to the New Zealand Business Number. I am pleased to inform the House that the proposed directions are more ambitious both in scope and breadth than what was contained in the exposed draft of the bill mentioned by submitters. The directions have been consulted on and will be in place early next year. They will set out clear expectations around uptake and use of the New Zealand Business Number by Government agencies.The benefits of the New Zealand Business Number ecosystem cannot be realised without this legislation. The New Zealand Business Number ecosystem will provide an opportunity for a step change in how Government works but also how entities work with each other. Businesses will spend more time on their business and less time on administration. I commend this bill to the House.