SpeechSIMON O'CONNOR (National—Tāmaki): I'd love to say to the other side because of Anna Lorck's actually exceptional speech that I've run out of adjectives be able to use. But unfortunately that's not the case.Anna Lorck: Not positivity. Come on get that positivity going!SIMON O'CONNOR: Oh no I'm very positive. I think this is a very good agreement and it's actually really positive to see that Labour has returned to the bipartisan approach to trade. And so look the United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement Legislation Bill—particularly for those at home—this is not the trade negotiation itself. This is the piece of domestic legislation that's required to bring that that treaty that trade negotiation into effect. And those who have sat on the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee will have already spent some time going through the agreement but I think it's really important for New Zealanders at home to understand that the way that our system works and in the likes of this free-trade agreement (FTA) this is done by Ministers the Government of the day the executive and obviously through the likes of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade—they negotiate the deal and they bring it back to Parliament. The select committee—as the Speaker will know—for various reasons will interrogate it look at it but it doesn't really bring about substantial changes. And then we are here tonight as we say the first reading of a piece of domestic legislation. Being a staunch monarchist I love the idea that once this is signed the same woman the Queen of the United Kingdom and the Queen of New Zealand—as I say the same person will sign off this piece of legislation. And I think there's a lovely comity in that. Look this is a very good agreement. This is a very very good agreement. It's one that obviously has come out of Brexit. And that's not me opining on the Brexit question but it has come out of that moment in time and rightly those speaking tonight have acknowledged the immediate now-past high commissioner Laura Clarke—or rather coming to the end of her term her work. But I think it's also useful to mention in passing Jonathan Sinclair who was the then high commissioner at the time—only for a few months it must be said but who had things started.I think it's also important as others have done to acknowledge the Minister—or all those actually all the Ministers involved. But it's right and proper to acknowledge Damien O'Connor who is the current Minister and the work that he's done and through him too all the officials within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade who have championed—there's too many to name. I'm conscious the Minister of Foreign Affairs is in the House—to acknowledge her work as well. These things are big and it takes a lot of work and effort. So look overall it's very very positive and it's on the background of that that I just want to raise a couple of I think relatively small points from my side—more considerations; as I said the trade deal is done. But just signalling with my arts culture and heritage hat on we've obviously seen a change in the copyright laws or rather we will see within I think 15 years that New Zealand has to move its copyright laws from 50 years to 70. I'm happy to be corrected on any of that—that's going to be a little bit of an adjustment for various Kiwi artists those who rely on copyrights. For what my own opinion's worth I'm more in line with aligning with other countries around the globe and I'm conscious for New Zealanders used to a particular system that any change is disquieting. But I think the more regular or normalised our rules are with others the better. I noticed too we have an artist resale rights scheme being put up and for those at home—R"s in a very long sort of elongated "R"—but artist resale rights scheme basically says that if you are selling artwork there can be a royalty on resale. So just because I might buy a piece of artwork at first I don't get to enjoy all the benefits of reselling it into the future—the artist gets some money.So there's two points I just want to raise in this first reading on this. The first is: I think there'll need to be a bit of explanation to the public to understand what this is about and obviously getting the scheme set up. But I also understand we're going to have to have another piece of legislation come to this House to bring that into effect. So again I think particularly for our artistic community to understand that the legislation we're discussing tonight does not bring about that resale rights scheme—another piece of domestic legislation will be required and I encourage the Government to begin consulting on that swiftly and bring that legislation to the House.The other hat I want to quickly put on is around customs. Look it's not going to be a surprise to this House that by and large that activity between the UK and New Zealand already works very very well. But I see that in the agreement there's a commitment to robust electronic systems and I suppose it's not so much to the Ministers here tonight in terms of foreign affairs and trade but through to the Minister of Customs to ensure that the necessary resources are put in place that New Zealand can make this work and work well. But I actually have quite a lot of confidence in that the customs guys and women are amazing and do a great job. A couple of other wider topics—and again this is not a complaint but I'm a great believer Minister in CANZUK—this is an acronym for Canada Australia New Zealand and the UK; a much much greater cooperation. I think this free-trade agreement particularly around the movement of people is a really positive step but it's certainly my bias—or happy prejudice—I think to want to keep working towards a much more mobile flexible system of movement effectively movement between our countries. And the reason I mention that is I think that's a good in itself. There is much which those five Commonwealth realms share in common but I think a wider part of it—and it's something I've waxed lyrical on for many many years and particularly not to New Zealand but to our British counterparts and certainly to our American ones who we're still waiting for an FTA from—is that we must now in New Zealand and in the UK Australia Canada and certainly in America understand trade is as much about our national security and sovereignty; it's as much about our national security and sovereignty. And I know and I'm sure Ministers on the other side of the House get this often we get told off for our reliance on the likes of China for example. Well my message remains to the likes of the United States as it has to the UK over many years: signing free-trade agreements with us in New Zealand is vitally vitally important. And to put it in a different context: we have free-trade agreements with China or an agreement with China. We don't with the likes of the States. And as I said up until recently we did not have one with the UK. So it's really positive—really positive to see this in place. Recounting a bit of history I did have the pleasure it would have been about three-and-a-bit years ago of actually meeting with Liz Truss when she was then the trade Minister—I had the great pleasure of having lunch with her a private lunch which then got me somewhat into trouble because then the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time were a bit miffed at why I was having a one-on-one lunch with her and they were not. But you know those are how things break. I think that's interesting. And I noted at the time—to be somewhat anecdotal—that the Brits if I might be so derisive were already nicking our New Zealanders to go into their Foreign and Commonwealth Office because they didn't have any of the expertise. So again being somewhat tongue in cheek Ministers I suspect New Zealanders in New Zealand and New Zealanders in the United Kingdom have negotiated this agreement which is probably one of the reasons it is relatively—if not very very—good.Last couple of points. It's echoing what others have said and I know what I believe pretty strongly—this is in the Government's agenda supporting the likes of the United Kingdom to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. I think that's a positive thing. Obviously these bilateral agreements are positive but turning them into something multilateral is very very good. I will just signal the EU side of things; I think it's positive that we're moving towards an agreement but there is a little alarm in my head and it has been noted by others that the last agreement that is signed is often the datum point for future ones and I think that will be a challenge for the Government moving forward as it seeks the new—and it will keep seeking I'm sure—free-trade agreements. Those they go to doesn't matter if it's India or parts in South America or South Asia or wherever—Africa those countries will be looking not so much to the gold standard which is this free-trade agreement with the UK but they'll be looking towards the EU one. But with that little caveat aside just wanting to acknowledge again in this first reading the great work that has been done I look forward for this progressing swiftly through the House and want to once again reiterate the National Party's support for this agreement."