Boyack Rachel; Tuiono TeanauRACHEL BOYACK (Labour—Nelson): Thank you Mr Chair. I appreciate the opportunity to take a call in the annual review debate. Just at the beginning of my contribution I do want to note for the committee the changes in the Standing Orders that occurred last year that have led to a change at annual review so that as well as looking back over that previous financial year we can also look to strategic intent and it's that strategic intent that I wish to put my comments on the record on this evening. I want to specifically ask some questions around live exports and I understand my colleagues have already asked some questions tonight. But this is a critical issue for New Zealand from both a New Zealand Inc." point of view but also an animal welfare point of view. The concerns that the Labour Party have about the reintroduction of live exports are numerous. First of all there are the animal welfare issues and we've all seen images of ships where we have cattle up to their knees in their own muck in cramped conditions reports and photographs from vets who have been on these boats showing absolutely appalling conditions for cattle. Particularly for us in New Zealand when we are exporting animals across to the other side of the world they have to pass across the equator and it is in incredibly hot conditions. No matter what occurs with the ships we are sending cattle through conditions that are detrimental to their health and wellbeing. We've seen recently Australia having ships returned because of the ongoing conflict in Gaza and Israel and ships not being able to get through to port. They're having to return to Australia and having cattle then observed with a significant number of health issues.The other point I want to make around that is the risk that that presents to New Zealand's international reputation. We are seeing global trends change in terms of the type of products people wish to purchase and consume. People are making choices around environmental decisions. People are also making choices around animal welfare positions. I note in my own electorate of Nelson a company called SnapIT doing amazing work first of all on cameras on boats but also other technology that can help track an animal from the beginning of its life through to the moment it arrives on the plate. Consumers actually want to have access to that information and there is a genuine concern that people will stop purchasing New Zealand products if we're not upholding the highest environmental and animal welfare standards.Furthermore there's the issue of intellectual property (IP). Why would we give away our IP in terms of our best breeding stock to countries on the other side of the world? Why would we do that when we have such a proud industry here in New Zealand that we should be supporting?But what I did just want to come to is that I have asked the Minister of Agriculture through written parliamentary questions about custom-built boats. The previous National Party spokesperson Nicola Grigg went on television last year and said that if live exports were reinstated there would be custom-built boats. Now she never said who would pay for them—they're billion-dollar boats—or who would build them. The concern I have is that the questions I've put to the Minister through written parliamentary questions state that he is still seeking advice on that specific issue. Now the National Party actually made a commitment to having custom-built boats. Having said that we've also seen that with some of these custom-built boats we've had examples of where the stench from the boat can be experienced throughout the whole area and actually—Hon Member: Oh I'd go on a billion-dollar boat. Hon Member: I'd go on a billion-dollar boat. RACHEL BOYACK: Yeah maybe we should put the National Party on some custom-built boats—that sounds like a great idea. So my question first of all is: is the Minister going to backtrack from that position of the National Party around custom-built boats and if he does proceed with custom-built boats—as I've asked him but have not had a response—who is going to build them and who is going to pay for them?CHAIRPERSON (Teanau Tuiono): Thank you. Just before we continue I'll just give folks an update on our times because the clock is literally ticking. We've got five minutes and five seconds with the National Party; 25 minutes and 30 seconds for the Labour Party; four minutes and 54 seconds for the Green Party—this is at 5.31 p.m.—eight minutes and 53 seconds for the ACT Party; three minutes and 39 seconds for the New Zealand First Party; and 10 minutes and nine seconds for Te Pāti Māori. So just a bit of an update there."