Power Simon: Motor Vehicle Sales Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
Power Simon: Motor Vehicle Sales Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
[Volume:607;Page:4751] 
SIMON POWER (NZ National—Rangitikei) 
: 
 At first glance the title of this bill may seem to be unimportant but there is quite a big difference between this and the original 1998 Motor Vehicle Dealers Bill—and the Minister will no doubt be keen to take a call on this. As we progress through the legislation part by part this evening and well into tomorrow evening it will be clear from the contributions from the National benches that there is a big difference between the prospect of a Motor Vehicle Dealers Bill as was previously the case and this bill. As I said at first glance it may not appear significant but this bill wraps up a whole lot of different environments where sales may occur when under previous legislation legislation of this type would relate only to registered motor vehicle dealers. The issue that leaps to mind relates to car fairs—and I say that quite seriously because in that type of environment there is usually a series of private sellers who bring their goods to the site— 
Hon David Carter 
: By car. 
SIMON POWER 
: They often drive there and trade motor vehicles freely between themselves. That type of activity was not previously caught by any motor vehicle dealers legislation unless the number of cars that were traded came into question. Under this legislation that type of selling will be caught so there is quite a subtle difference between the 1998 National legislation and the current legislation. 
During the discussion this evening members on this side of the Chamber will be tying back many questions and other parts of the bill to the title and explaining why it is that although at first glance the title may seem to be pretty inoffensive it is actually reflective of a different type of legislation to that which we have seen in this country until this date. I look forward to the contribution from my colleague the Hon David Carter who I know has spent some time looking at the title to this bill and who has very strong personal views about how the title relates to legislation that was before this House under a previous National Government. The differences between that legislation and the current legislation will no doubt become apparent as the parts pan out. 
 I just return to my theme that the Motor Vehicle Sales Bill is a different piece of legislation entirely and the title as my colleague points out is different from the title of the previous legislation. I could not be more to the point in saying that despite the previous bill being called the Motor Vehicle Dealers Bill the Motor Vehicle Sales Bill is a wider net cast into an industry that up until now has been governed by very specific legislation relating to licensed motor vehicle dealers and to private dealers who were trading from memory six vehicles or more in the course of one calendar year. What this bill does through the reflection of the title that we have been talking about for what seems some time now is to extend wider than that initial definition to include as I have said issues like car fairs and a more communal way of selling and buying motor vehicles than that which previous legislation covered. 
At this early stage I want to talk briefly about the other interesting point worth making—that is how this name came about given that the aim of the bill is to repeal the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act and to overtake the Motor Vehicle Dealers Bill of 1998. Perhaps the title including “sales” rather than “dealers”— 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: The member’s time has expired. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: It is clear that the member on his feet has a lot of new information and I seek leave of the Committee that he be given a 2-minute extension of time. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Leave has been sought. Is there any objection to that course of action being taken? There is no objection. I call the member. 
SIMON POWER 
: Clearly I should have objected myself but I thank my colleague. 
Gordon Copeland 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. The honourable member did not hear us but we did object down this end of the Chamber. We did so quite clearly. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I did not hear the member call. 
Gordon Copeland 
: We did very clearly indeed. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I am sorry I missed hearing the member but I have already given the call. 
SIMON POWER 
: I am not sure whether to thank my colleagues from the United Future party. Nevertheless I return to what is a complex area of this bill—the title. I will continue with what I was saying before I was interrupted by the bell and I thank my colleague the Hon Roger Sowry for allowing me to continue on this important road of discovery as I find myself more interested in this issue as time passes. Before my colleague granted me an extension—and I thank the United Future party for that with the benefit of hindsight—I was talking briefly about the fact that when the original Motor Vehicle Dealers Act of 1975 was repealed the then National Government decided in 1998 to introduce the Motor Vehicles Dealers Bill—again a completely different title from the one currently under consideration. That bill would have been apparently a very good bill although we have seen some differences through the proposal and comparison documents and my colleague will refer to those in his contribution to the title debate. We now find ourselves dealing with a bill called the Motor Vehicle Sales Bill. 
As I said earlier that at first glance may seem to be a title that we could probably not spend very much time discussing. Having said that I point out that this bill with its ranging five parts and two schedules will allow colleagues on this side of the Chamber to spend some time looking at those parts in detail in a way that reflects the title of the bill and its now quite expansive nature. The interesting thing about the term “sale” is that it immediately throws up ideas relating to a contract.