Williams Andrew: Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection) Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Williams Andrew: Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection) Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 14 November 2012. Volume:685;Page:6642. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
ANDREW WILLIAMS (NZ First) 
: 
 I take a call on behalf of New Zealand First on the bill brought before the House by the member Jacqui Dean the Conservation (Natural Heritage) Protection Bill. Can I congratulate her on having two bills in the House on the one day. Should she pull another bill from the ballot today I think she should be shouting us all because it is exceptional to have two bills in the House in one day. We are all heading off to Christchurch in the morning—that is the Local Government and Environment Committee including Jacqui Dean as a member—and she might be shouting coffee in the morning at the Wigram airbase I hope. 
But back to the bill. We in New Zealand First certainly do also support this bill. It is high time that the penalties were increased for those who offend in terms of our flora and fauna our wildlife and nature and that the penalties are made to such a significant level that hopefully it might deter some of the illegal activities that have been going on. 
It is pleasing to see in section 44 in clause 5 that the penalties will increase for individuals “to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years and to a fine not exceeding $100000 and where the offence is a continuing one to a further fine not exceeding $10000 for every day on which the offence had continued;”. Where the offence was committed by an individual for commercial purposes the penalty is “imprisonment for term not exceeding 3 years and to fine not exceeding $200000 and when the offence is a continuing one to a further fine not exceeding $20000 for every day on which the offence has continued;”. Where the offence was committed by a corporation the penalty is “a fine not exceeding $200000 and where the offence is a continuing one to a further fine not exceeding $20000 for every day on which the offence has continued.” It is also pleasing to see in this bill that a sentence of community work can be imposed where someone has erred and where perhaps a financial fine is not appropriate. Again we in New Zealand First support that. 
We believe that the amendments in this bill to the Conservation Act 1987 the National Parks Act 1980 the Reserves Act 1977 the Wildlife Act 1953 and the Wild Animal Control Act 1977 are necessary to bring that in to line. However there is a downside to all this and although we are applauding the move to increase these penalties we concur with some of the other members in this House that at times we are very lax with our conservation. As the conservation spokesman for New Zealand First I also have concerns and our party has concerns at aspects of conservation that are being let down in this country. We are so so dependent on our natural environment for our tourism and for the image of New Zealand as “100% Pure New Zealand”. 
Our conservation estate is extremely important and it flows on into our agriculture it flows on into our horticulture and it flows on into other farming aspects in this country. So if we do not have a healthy natural environment our commercial agricultural and horticultural environment can be affected as well. So it is very important that the two go hand in hand. 
Likewise this week I was somewhat disappointed when it was marked that the Maui’s dolphin which are endangered are nearing extinction with only 55 Maui’s dolphin left mainly off the North Island coast. I thought that perhaps the Government would also pick up that cudgel as it has picked up this one and move more swiftly on the issue of the Maui’s dolphin. I was one of the four MPs who went along to receive a print from artist Sheyne Tuffery presented by Greenpeace. It was one of 55 prints to mark the 55 remaining Maui’s dolphin that are in existence. 
It was a great shame that only four MPs were there all from Labour the Greens and New Zealand First and that there was no representation at all from National. I thought that was a shame. Regardless of your politics and regardless of where you are these 55 Maui’s dolphin cannot speak up for themselves they cannot defend themselves and they cannot protect themselves and it would have been nice on this occasion for some Government members to at least show some sympathy for the whole thing. 
Jacqui Dean 
: I don’t think we were invited. 
ANDREW WILLIAMS 
: Yes you were invited. Every MP was invited—every MP was invited. So it would have been nice because I think it is important and I think we would all have a huge conscience to bear in years to come if we found that the Maui’s dolphin was indeed wiped out and that every one of us in this House every single 121 of us in this House had not done more to try to protect it. 
But anyway in closing this particular bill is a good move. We support the increase in penalties. New Zealand First always supports things of this nature where they are good policy practical policy and will have a result. Thank you.