Hayes Joanne: Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) (Transitional Provisions) Amendment Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHayes Joanne: Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) (Transitional Provisions) Amendment Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 23 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4640. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JOANNE HAYES (National):I rise to take a final call on this amazing bill the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) (Transitional Provisions) Amendment Bill. This bill is in the name of Dr Nick Smith our Minister for the Environment.I just want to make a bit of a comment around what our colleague in New Zealand First said about our loyalty to our Minister. This is what this National-led Government and this National Party is all about. We are loyal to each other. It does not matter whether you are a Minister or not—we are loyal to each other. I believe that that kind of loyalty is a model that many parties within this House could take a page out of our book on when it comes to loyalty to each other and loyalty to the philosophies and principles that run our party. The Hon Nick Smith is a very good Minister. He is a very thorough Minister. He cares about our environment and has done a lot of work around the protection of our environment and also leading our Bluegreens caucus group which has been successful from day one through his leadership.A couple of other things that I also want to mention here are when one of my colleagues talked about business continuity—and the other member who spoke just before Adrian Rurawhe talked about how this is a Government that looks after only big business. This particular bill is actually for key businesses—for key petroleum gas and mining businesses that play a key role in the economy of this country. We cannot and will not be taken aside and beaten up about that. These are organisations that make sure that the people of this country are able to access gas without any interruption whatsoever.So yes as we have acknowledged in our select committee capably and competently led by—Tim Macindoe: Scott Simpson.JOANNE HAYES: —Scott Simpson our chair—I just about forgot his name! We are a committee that listens to the arguments. We listened to the arguments about changes and amendments and weighed them up and thought yes this is a good way to go. I am really pleased—I am really really pleased—to see that our colleagues in the Green Party have actually changed their vote and are now supporting this bill because it is a very important bill to support.The amendments that have been proposed in clause 4 amending section 162(5) allow existing operators who have applied for marine consents to continue operations until the application is decided so that they can go a little bit further working and operating until their application is agreed to and any other subsequent objections or appeals are determined. That is good for the industry of New Zealand. If the amendments were not made Shell Todd Oil Services would be in breach. As we know just recently Shell Todd Oil Services received its marine consent to operate but we still need to get this bill through to make sure that if there are going to be any appeals the organisation can keep on operating in the Māui field.The Māui field currently provides 20 percent of New Zealand’s gas. It is really important. We cannot afford any uncertainty in that for the people of this country. I can say that many constituents would actually have a go at us and say that we should have done more around this area and we have. That is the whole point of this. It is a narrowly focused bill but it is a bill that is so important to the economy and livelihoods of the people of this country. That is how we on this side of the House view all the bills that we put through especially around environmental protection.Currently as the law stands current operators who apply for marine consents would be in breach of the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act if they continued operating beyond the expiry date. This bill allows them to carry on past the expiry date until the Environmental Protection Authority has approved their application for consent. Even having a marine consent application being considered by the Environmental Protection Authority under section 162 of the Act does not allow operators to continue their activities as I said beyond the expiry date of their permits under the Crown minerals regime. This bill will actually make sure that that does not happen.As I said when I talked about big business as was talked about just recently and the dates for permit expirations we are looking at Shell Todd Oil Services whose permit was to expire on 27 June but has now been renewed for 35 years. We are talking about Australian Worldwide Exploration whose marine consent expires on 24 November 2025; OMV New Zealand Ltd whose marine consent expires on 1 December 2027; and Origin Energy Resources New Zealand—or Origin as we know it—its marine consent expires on 26 June 2031. We know that Shell Todd Oil Services did not apply early enough but what has happened now is that its application has gone through and now we just need to carry on and get this bill through its third and final reading. We cannot afford to let any of the 20 percent of the New Zealand consumer’s gas be held up by legislation that will stop that so that is what this bill is all about.Our natural environment as I have mentioned before is our greatest asset. Through the exclusive economic zone we have ended up with 44 marine reserves and the Environmental Protection Authority came into being. That is really key because pre-2008 there was no legislation in this country to protect our environment. The previous Government allowed 34 wells to be drilled without any protection for our environment. I believe that is quite irresponsible towards the people of this country and our environment because so many things could have gone wrong in those 34 wells that had been drilled without any sanctions or rules or a watchdog body looking after them.I heard what our Green colleagues said about there being no deep-sea marine reserves approved. That is fine—we have 44 of them so far and yes most of them are inshore and slowly—The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): Order! I am just going to invite the member to address the bill.JOANNE HAYES: Yes that is part of it. Slowly but surely we would be looking at those into the future. So this bill does not change anything for existing operators; it just tightens up everything and makes sure it all works.What it also does is give surety into the future for those who are consumers of gas and oil products. It also gives surety for the employment of people working on the Māui field. As I have said in previous speeches I have not seen too many Taranaki people walking around with their lip drooping because of the Māui oilfields. The Māui fields have given so much security for the people of Taranaki around employment and economic development. I have been to Taranaki and seen beautiful walkways there and the development of their town. That is all attributed to the people who work at and operate Shell Todd Oil Services who operate those Māui fields.I am as I have said before very pleased and very proud to support the progress of this bill into legislation. I am very proud of the work that Nick Smith does contrary to what some of my Opposition colleagues have actually said. He is a hard worker and one whose book many people could take a leaf out of on how to do things right—how to do things right acknowledge certain things need changing and do it. It is when people do not acknowledge it and do not change things that we get into trouble. This is a Government that listens. We weigh it up we have discussions—we are very open about that—and then we present it back to the House. I commend this bill to the House. Thank you.