Burns Brendon: Land Transport (Enforcement Powers) Amendment Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
Burns Brendon: Land Transport (Enforcement Powers) Amendment Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:658;Page:7219] 
BRENDON BURNS (Labour—Christchurch Central) 
: 
 I am very pleased to take another call on the Land Transport (Enforcement Powers) Amendment Bill. I have taken an intense interest in this issue firstly of course because of the plague that boy racers create in my electorate of Christchurch Central and secondly because this was the issue that my National opponent in last year’s election campaigned upon. It was her cause célèbre. At meeting after meeting she stood up and lambasted the then Labour Government for its supposed inaction on boy-racer issues. Her view is not supported by Minister Collins at least who has acknowledged that good work was done by Labour and that this Government is picking up on it—and that is why Labour is supporting this bill tonight. 
But there is a glaring omission a deafening silence around the issue of noise control. It was stated time and time again that National would address that issue. I do not have the full file because it is quite voluminous so I will give an abridged version of some of the undertakings made by Nicky Wagner a National list MP. In the  
Nor’West News 
 on 16 January last year she said: “We have some of the slackest vehicle noise rules in the Western World and so we need to make it so that vehicle noise standards are reduced from 95 decibels to 90 and require all excessively noisy cars to be tested at warrant of fitness time.” 
Hon Member 
: This bill doesn’t do that? 
BRENDON BURNS 
: No not a sign of it. It is missing in action in that respect. In the  
Press  
on 19 February last year Nicky Wagner wrote in an opinion article that the Labour Government’s new noise controls on vehicles do nothing to tackle the boy-racer problems in cities. In that article she also said that 95 decibels is much louder than the rules in many overseas countries. So again when I picked up this bill I expected to see a clause to reduce the maximum noise level down to 90 decibels. On 21 February 2007 she wrote in an article titled “Noisy vehicle amendments not good enough”: “Proposed amendments to the vehicle equipment rule will not bring New Zealand’s noisy vehicle standards up to scratch says National Party Associate Environment Spokeswoman Nicky Wagner. The noise problem has been getting steadily worse throughout Labour’s term. This is a basic environmental issue which the Labour Government just can’t get its head around. Under the proposed new rules the acceptable noise level for cars would drop from 95 to 90 decibels. This is a standard that’s been in place in Australia since 1983 and here we are still waiting. And we will be waiting until 2010.” 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: Who said that? 
BRENDON BURNS 
: It was Nicky Wagner. In a letter to the  
Press 
 on 27 February last year in reply to Darel Hall she stated: “Of course a 90 decibel level will catch 90 percent of boy racers because by definition a boy racer has a modified noisy exhaust. The Government must act now.” 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: Who said that? 
BRENDON BURNS 
: It was Nicky Wagner MP—then cheekily “Central Christchurch”. In another newspaper clipping from 10 March last year National MP Nicky Wagner said: “tighter noise controls were essential. She backed the 90-decibel level which she said was well above the standard of other countries and would not affect unmodified cars.” 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: Who said that? 
BRENDON BURNS 
: That was Nicky Wagner too. Here is something interesting; it is not just Nicky Wagner saying that. Here is a statement from 9 September 2005 headlined “National to get tough on noisy cars—National will toughen up the regulations and enforcement of car exhaust systems to get the noise levels in neighbourhoods down …”. Do members know who said that? It was National’s environment spokesperson Nick Smith. “The problem of noisy boy racers is huge. It causes annoyance and frustration for communities all over New Zealand. People have told me they have had nervous breakdowns marriage breakups and job losses due to the problems of increasingly noisy cars night after night in their neighbourhoods. National will toughen the requirement to ensure any modified exhaust system is at least as effective as the car’s original. Modifying a car to make it noisier will be illegal. National will introduce a quantitative standard similar to Australia so that cars can be properly tested. Labour has allowed boy racers to get away with blue murder. Our car fleet has become increasingly noisy and it is time a new Government said enough is enough.” 
Carol Beaumont 
: Who said that? 
BRENDON BURNS 
: It was Nick Smith environment spokesperson for the National Party. So there we are: not just Nicky Wagner but senior National front-bench MPs in positions of responsibility said they wanted to deal with the issue of noise. Here we are in the first year of this Government and despite its member having talked tough on the noise issue nothing is being done. 
This bill provides an opportunity. Despite the protestations of the Minister of Transport he can introduce an amendment. Labour members have indicated we would seriously look at such an amendment if the Minister wanted to introduce one. But no he is not prepared to do that nor is he prepared to give us any reason why the noise issue is not being dealt with. The officials are here tonight and they could give him the answers if he does not have them at his fingertips. We would like to know why nothing is being done despite repeated assurances to communities such as mine in Christchurch by not only backbench MPs but senior front-bench Opposition members at the time that they would deal with this issue. 
Labour when in Government took the flak week after week of being criticised for not dealing with the issue of boy-racer noise despite there having been a whole range of other bills. I acknowledge and commend my colleague Clayton Cosgrove for his bill back in 2003 which was the basis of the legislation we are amending this evening. It was a good measure and it was followed up by Harry Duynhoven’s measure. There were two sets of measures in terms of tightening the nuts to make sure we dealt with boy racers. But there has been nothing from this Government. [ 
Interruption 
] We will tighten their nuts all right. There has been nothing from this Government to deal with the noise issue. 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: Who is nuts? 
BRENDON BURNS 
: No we will not go there. There has been nothing from this Minister. He has the opportunity to tighten the nuts to deal with the noise issue and to bring the maximum level down to 90 decibels. But there is not a squeak. There is silence—silence of the lambs. National members were lions in Opposition and are lambs in Government. That is what I will be taking back to my electorate. The electorate’s expectations were raised time and time again throughout last year’s election campaign. In fact right back to 2005 National promised that a National Government would introduce legislation to bring the maximum noise level down to 90 decibels. The opportunity is before the Government with this legislation but there is not a squeak not a word not a clause nothing. There is not even an explanation from the Minister as to why it has not been proceeded with. 
I think the electorate has every right to feel jaundiced about that. It was promised that the noise issue would be dealt with. The people were told that at public meetings they were exhorted to fill out petitions and a member’s bill was introduced to try to deal with the issue. Expectations were raised. People were told that this issue would be sorted. Here is the first opportunity for this supposed Government of action and it has not done anything. I again ask the Minister to take a call to explain why action has not been taken. The Labour Opposition will support him if he wants to introduce a late amendment to the bill. 
I would also like to know what the officials think about this. Where are they on this issue? Do they believe that the legislation before the Committee tonight will deal with the noise issue? Obviously Labour supports the bill. It takes further steps to try to crack down to tighten the nuts on the boy racers. Yes let us all support that but there will still be a noise issue. We would like to know from the Minister tonight why he has not dealt with the noise issue. It was promised and pledged and the electorate has an expectation that it will be dealt with. It is about time the Minister fronted up and answered. 
The question was put that the amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 66 in the name of the Hon Steven Joyce to Part 2 be agreed to.