Arbuckle JamieJAMIE ARBUCKLE (NZ First): Thank you Madam Speaker. I rise on behalf of New Zealand First to speak on the second reading of the Gangs Legislation Amendment Bill. I must say that I spoke on this bill in the first reading with tremendous confidence that we might get full support around the House on this bill and I was slightly dismayed at some of the comments that were made by the Opposition. That unfortunately has continued. The view of the Opposition seems to be very different from that of the Government. Unfortunately I must say as I said in the first reading gangs are intimidating and there's no doubt that across New Zealand people find gang members and the way that they act is intimidating to them. It is fearful for the majority of New Zealanders. As we are going about our daily lives because of gangs and the way they act it is that fearfulness that it puts into communities that makes all of us feel unsafe. That is one of the reasons this Government and New Zealand First support this legislation to give the police some more tools in their tool box to actually go after gangs and make our streets safer and our communities safer so that we don't feel as intimidated and we can go into our daily lives and just live how we want to live. Gangs unfortunately are involved in organised crime. We all know that and to hear Opposition members continuously get up in this House and through the select committee to support gangs and their way of life—which as we know is around organised crime—is to me extremely disappointing. In the 2023 election while on the election campaign I and many people on this side of the House heard continuously that New Zealanders want some action around gangs because of the way that they are intimidating people and putting fear into New Zealanders' lives. I heard on the campaign trail that we wanted action. Since 2017—and this is the biggest part of this—there have been 5343 registered gang members. By 2024 going by what the Minister of Police said in his press release recently this year there were 8607 registered gang members. That was a 61 percent increase in gang members under the Government of members on that side of the House who were soft on gangs and their way of fixing it was to give millions of dollars to gangs and to hand out money. We will fix the gang problem" they said "by giving the gangs money." How ridiculous is that? After their failure to keep gangs under control we saw an explosion in numbers and in our communities was that explosion of fear and intimidation. This bill is trying to achieve some fresh signals from this Government towards raising the issue of prohibiting gang insignia in public places enabling police to issue dispersal notices and empowering the courts to issue consorting prohibition notices which all signal to gangs that the game is up. No more intimidating behaviour and—importantly for New Zealand First—if someone is in court it will be an aggravating part of their sentence. We heard numerous discussions through the Justice Committee and it was sometimes to the amusement I think of the Government side that it was almost suggested by members from the other side of the House that the police couldn't issue a dispersal notice. This debate went on for weeks and weeks to the point where the New Zealand Police came in a number of times and actually showed how a dispersal notice would be issued. Yes personal service is basically the most common way that you would give a dispersal notice. At the time of the offence: "Here is the notice." and it is done. You can give an email—yes—or you could go to the police station. But it's not rocket science. This is giving the police a tool in their tool box to give a dispersal notice to gang members that will actually say "Hey you're not allowed to be here—out." and to me for those members to say that the police could not issue a dispersal notice is absolutely ridiculous. Also non-consorting orders can be made around specified gang offenders. It would have to be a specified gang offender and that is another tool in the tool box that means that certain gang members cannot interact together. But it is a process that would have to be done after the court has heard an application by the Commissioner of Police. So that is a very very high bar. We also heard through the submission period about the gang list and there was a lot of discussion on the gang list. That has been updated and it can continue to be updated and clause 30 of the bill gives the Governor-General by Order in Council the ability to update that list as it is required to be. New Zealand First had committed to this in our manifesto and now we are delivering what was set out in our coalition agreement into legislation. We have also been pleased to hear throughout the select committee process of practical and sensible ways in which this bill can be enhanced. Several points that were raised in the select committee were both insightful and strengthened the effectiveness of this bill. We must improve public confidence in law and order through creating new offences and giving the police powers relating to gangs. As I say making gang membership an aggravating part of a sentence is very important to the New Zealand First Party and something that was strived for a number of years was to get that into legislation. We are proud to deliver what we campaigned on and we are confident that in ensuring that gang membership is considered an aggravating factor in sentencing will bring about positive change. Gang members that ruin so many people's lives are now facing consequences for their behaviour—[Interruption]—and the Opposition members continuously shout out in this House in support of gangs probably because they were the only ones that voted for them at election time. But members opposite must realise that the victims of gangs are at the heart of our justice system and criminal behaviour will be punished. Intimidating behaviour from gang members and having people feel unsafe is not acceptable. I proudly commend this bill to the House."