Hutchison Paul: Climate Change Response (Moderated Emissions Trading) Amendment Bill — Procedure Second Reading In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Hutchison Paul: Climate Change Response (Moderated Emissions Trading) Amendment Bill — Procedure Second Reading In Committee 
[Sitting date: 24 November 2009. Volume:659;Page:7948. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON (National—Hunua) 
: 
 That is a great choice Mr Chairperson. I too like Mr John Boscawen take great pleasure in speaking on this Climate Change Response (Moderated Emissions Trading) Amendment Bill— 
Chris Hipkins 
: Why? 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON 
: —and he asks why. It is because indeed it is exactly that. It is a very very practical response to the previous Labour Government’s legislation which was totally impractical and out of this world. 
It was a little rich to hear the Hon David Cunliffe going on about Treasury’s prediction of $100 billion. He was trying to verify that figure in as many ways as he could twisting and turning and thinking that people would believe him. That is a bit rich because it was the previous Labour Government that back in 2005 and 2006 campaigned and said a billion dollars would come New Zealand’s way if we took on its emissions trading system. What happened? We were a billion dollars in deficit. Labour’s track record is one of that sort of predictability. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: Weren’t you out by just 60 times? 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON 
: Mr Cunliffe knows very very well that this scheme will be reviewed at 5-yearly intervals and will be constantly monitored. He knows very well that there will be changes internationally that we cannot predict right now. 
In this excellent Part 1 which we are debating today we are introducing the absolutely practical and appropriate amendments that have come on Supplementary Order Paper 98 in the name of the Hon Nick Smith and the amendments introduced by Rahui Katene of the Maori Party. I say to Mr John Boscawen that he was right; Craig Foss made an excellent job of chairing the Finance and Expenditure Committee under very very difficult conditions. Indeed he was right to say Rahui Katene and the Maori Party have been quite appropriate in their response to ensure that New Zealand ends up with a practical and realistic emissions trading system. 
Earlier on this afternoon I recall that the Hon David Cunliffe made a comment that was a bit appalling. He said something about this generation of New Zealand’s children entering its twilight phase. That epitomises the pessimism of the Labour Party under this scenario; it absolutely epitomises the conspiracy theories that Labour members are manufacturing and say might occur. Those theories are similar to the $110 billion figure which is just absolutely unrealistic. The other thing that he said which worried me greatly when he was talking about Copenhagen is that Mr Charles Chauvel will be there as well undermining the extraordinary leadership we have from the Hon Tim Groser in putting New Zealand’s position. He will be there undermining and sabotaging it and that is totally totally unpatriotic to New Zealand. 
There is no doubt that Part 1 implements exactly what the Hon Nick Smith mentioned earlier this afternoon: a workable affordable emissions trading system. It will align New Zealand’s scheme with the Australian scheme. I challenge Charles Chauvel the Hon David Cunliffe and the Hon Pete Hodgson to come into my electorate of Hunua which I very proudly represent to speak to my farmers my growers the people who work in glasshouses the people in New Zealand Steel who employ a thousand workers and to tell them how the previous Labour Government’s emissions trading scheme would affect them. Those people are the backbone of the New Zealand economy. I challenge those members to come into the electorate that I very proudly represent and find out for themselves how unrealistic the Labour emissions trading scheme is. Those members would be thrown out on their ears. Those people in my electorate work for New Zealand and are the backbone of our economy yet the Labour scheme would cut them off at the knees. Those Labour members do not go out of their urban safety and security to find out what it is really like for those people and to find out how small medium and large businesses would be affected by Labour’s emissions trading scheme. 
There is no doubt that we can be very very proud of National’s emissions trading scheme which we will progress in the next few hours because it does indeed balance New Zealand’s environmental responsibilities with the economic realities of the day. I see a snide smile on the face of David Cunliffe and again I say to him that he should come into my electorate and tell my constituents that Labour would double the expenses for their businesses. That is totally unacceptable. A little while ago I was over in Canada and we see the situation there where that country is just not prepared to introduce an emissions trading system yet here in New Zealand under a National Government and its coalition partner the Maori Party we are bringing in a highly realistic scheme. It is excellent that Part 1 balances things that will be acceptable to the majority of New Zealanders and will keep viable the majority of New Zealanders’ businesses. Indeed our scheme will be a leader over in Copenhagen as New Zealand becomes only the second country that has actually implemented an emissions trading system—second to Europe.