Calder Cam: Game Animal Council Bill — First Reading 
Calder Cam: Game Animal Council Bill — First Reading 
[Advance Copy - Subject to minor change before inclusion in Bound Volume.] 
Dr CAM CALDER (National) 
: 
 It is a huge pleasure—a huge pleasure. [ 
Interruption 
] We have got eager people supporting the Game Animal Council Bill on this side of the House. We are men of the land here. It is a great pleasure to rise and speak on this bill the Game Animal Council Bill. 
The contribution from Mr Grant Robertson was audacious and barefaced in its disregard for reality. I have confirmed with the Hon Peter Dunne that in fact support for the Game Animal Council Bill was part of the 2005 confidence and supply agreement with the Labour Government. The only difference between the Government in 2012 and the Government in 2005 is that we on this side of the House as a Government honour our promises. We honour our promises which is no surprise to the people of the country and that is why we were re-elected. 
This is an excellent bill. I have to declare an interest. From the age of about 8 years old I have early memories of getting up before light; popping into a smelly old rattly truck; driving to the foothills of Mount Egmont/Taranaki as it was then known; picking up an old single-shot bolt-action “V”-sighted .22; and heading off into the foothills of partially cleared native bush and pastoral land to get myself a possum. That was my first introduction to hunting and it was something that has remained with me ever since. 
Sadly because of circumstances beyond my control it is not often that I do get out into the bush but I have had the pleasure of going fishing in Joes River with the Deputy Speaker who is in the Chair at the moment. We saw only old spoor there; we did not see any fresh sign nor did we see a live animal. But I have had occasion to open my account in the central North Island plateau in the last couple of years and to get a wild pig down in the Marlborough Sounds a few years prior to that. 
The species that this bill covers are deer tahr chamois and wild pig. You cannot go into your neighbour’s piggery and ping one and say it is covered; it has got to be a wild pig. There are of course herds of special significance as we have heard—the wapiti—and this is where the Game Animal Council will have a role. The Game Animal Council will have a role to have delegated power to manage herds of special interest. We have heard from the Hon Mr Dunne how this is happening to great effect in Fiordland with the wapiti legislation. 
 My friend and colleague on the other side of the House Shane Jones was concerned about whether Maori would be involved in the Game Animal Council. I can put your mind at rest. Hello Gary it is lovely to see you and thank you for all the work you have done on behalf of getting this bill to where it is and your colleagues around you. I want to mention Alec McIver as well a past-president of the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association who has worked. These interest groups will be on the Game Animal Council: recreational hunters commercial hunters meat exporters deer farmers safari park owners Maori hunting interests and conservation. They are all in the mix and they will be able to inform the Minister of Conservation and give feedback to her. 
This is an excellent bill. I have great pleasure in supporting this bill. I commend it to the House.