Patterson MarkCROWN MINERALS AMENDMENT BILLThird ReadingDebate resumed from 12 February.MARK PATTERSON (NZ First): Thank you Madam Assistant Speaker. It is a pleasure to resume my contribution on this Crown Minerals Amendment Bill of course which amends the Crown Minerals Act of 1991. I only got a minute or so into my stride last time but I was actually responding to a previous contribution from Jonathan Young. I was reflecting on the irony that he referenced in his speech that there was an oil rig just turned up off the coast of Taranaki after months and months of dire warnings that we were banning oil and gas drilling. And lo and behold here we were with an oil rig turning up right off the shores of the member's own electorate putting a lie to that particular premise.I had been in fact so alarmed by the scaremongering of the National Party on that particular issue I had been scared to get my car or to have my vehicle too far away from a petrol station just in case the country ran dry. But we are moving towards a just transition. Of course in Mr Young's electorate the Provincial Growth Fund is investing in hydrogen. We know there's a great deal of potential in that technology. In fact I understand Budweiser are going to have all their trucks in the United States on hydrogen by 2020. So there are great strides being made in that alternative energy market and we are moving in that direction. As the Prime Minister referenced in her address we are showing leadership in this regard.Of course that's not to downgrade the importance of our oil and gas industry or minerals in general. Petroleum—we have $1.5 billion worth of petroleum exports which generates $500 million annually for the Crown. The reason this bill is significant even though it's minor and technical changes is the scale of this industry to New Zealand. The mining sector for example contributes $3 billion to New Zealand's GDP or 1.3 percent and we are a country that is rich in natural resources. I understand we are second only to the kingdom of Tonga in terms of natural resources per capita and that's why it's important that we get the provisions within this Act right because it is a significant part of our economy.The petroleum—we've referenced. Gold silver; coal is still a major mineral mined. There are of course massive phosphate deposits off the Chatham Rise which are potentially brought into play at a future date. I was just in at Venture Southland the other day actually looking at their soil electromagnetic mapping and there are deposits of uranium and thorium throughout Southland. Also of course more recently the Provincial Growth Fund has invested in facilitating a garnet mine just south of Hokitika in Westland. The Hon Paul Goldsmith in his contribution actually referenced the West Coast in regard to minerals and the Crown Minerals Act—and mining actually still contributes 40 percent of GDP. He was railing against the stewardship land issue in action on this side of the House.Well just the irony of that—after having had almost a decade to do something about it the Opposition spokesman on regional development based in that heartland of regional New Zealand Epsom has suddenly discovered the West Coast and the fact that 83 percent of their land is tied up in conservation department land. New Zealand First has been a firm advocate for looking at that land. There is some of it that is pristine conservation land and we have to get that incorporated in our national parks but there is also a considerable amount that is low-level scrub and very low-level conservation area at all. We need to be able to open that up for the likes of gold mining etc. which this bill and the provisions in it will assist.The bill itself gives the Minister new powers—powers to revoke permits. What we have in the oil and gas industry in particular is a system where when tier one companies get to a certain level with their wells they onsell that permit to a second-tier explorer or company that then has specialists that have technology that can make more use of or optimise the resource that is left. Now the danger of course in that is that if you get a cowboy operation that comes in that cannot fulfil its obligations then that is a very bad space indeed to be in. We've seen the Rena—even though that was an oil spill off a ship obviously but we've seen the danger of having an environmental catastrophe like that if we do not get our regulations right and we do not have credible companies operating these permits. So these provisions within this bill give the Minister the power to revoke a permit if we believe that that company is not a credible custodian. Of course it ups the fines to about $800000 if those disclosure provisions are not met which is I think—given the potential for catastrophe—an appropriate level.It also clarifies access to schedule 4 land—we know our pristine conservation land. Section 53(1) and section 53(3) actually directly contradict themselves so this bill clarifies that issue. I'd just like to pay some tribute to the Economic Development Science and Innovation Committee. During the process of that select committee they did actually modify the bill somewhat. They came up with some good recommendations and particularly around clarifying contracts around the existing settings for—so I've just lost my way there a little bit sorry with that provision. [Interruption] I only had one G and T at the British High Commission too I might say. There was a certain—ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): Order!MARK PATTERSON: —provision in there around contracts that was clarified—and it has come back to me Madam Assistant Speaker which is good and left me again as well. So I also just—ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): I certainly hope the member is not trying to tell me he's somewhat impaired.MARK PATTERSON: No no I'm certainly not. It was just the one but my notes are a little bit incomplete. So the select committee did play its role I guess is the greater point that I'm trying to make. They did make some clarifications around those contracts. To the submitters obviously thank you for participating and the officials as always—we are always well served by officials in this Parliament in tidying up a bill which I believe has wide support from the Parliament including from New Zealand First. Thank you Madam Assistant Speaker.