Goudie Sandra: National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna MAtauranga o Aotearoa) Bill — In Committee 
Goudie Sandra: National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna MAtauranga o Aotearoa) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:607;Page:4946] 
SANDRA GOUDIE (NZ National—Coromandel) 
: 
 I would like to reiterate National’s full support for the National Library and for the Alexander Turnbull Library and acknowledge their wonderful contribution as repositories of our history and as collectors of what will be our history in all the materials they put out. 
I would like to cover one or two aspects of the bill that I have noticed on a first reading because I have not been very familiar with it. I have put an amendment forward on the title of the bill. The title is the National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa) Bill and my amendment excludes the Maori words for a very good reason—the reason of cost. When one is looking to use words in titles and on letterheads there is a compliance cost that goes with that. There is no compliance cost with this bill but there is a compliance cost from this bill not just for the private sector but also for taxpayers through the public sector. So I think it is absolutely sufficient to entitle the bill the “National Library of New Zealand Bill”. The “National Library” means it is for the nation for the peoples of the nation and for the peoples of New Zealand. So the title “National Library of New Zealand Bill” is absolutely appropriate. If further thought were given to the cost of having all those words in the current title there would be some reconsideration given to this. There is no compliance cost report attached to this bill and this is the second bill I have had to speak on in as many weeks that has not had a compliance cost report. That is a serious oversight on the part of this Government and a measure of its lack of fiscal capability in that regard. 
I point out another couple of areas that could have been considered in a compliance cost report. Firstly there is the provision of guardians or kaitiaki as inserted in the bill; and secondly there is the provision for a commission as well as other advisory bodies. I struggle to understand why it is necessary to have a committee called “Guardians” as well as a commission and then supplement that with a number of advisory bodies. There is a considerable cost attached and I would have thought that needed to be assessed as to whether it is absolutely justified when perhaps just the commission is necessary in providing any advice sought and in working with the National Librarian of the National Library who is also responsible for the rest of the functions of the National Library and the Alexander Turnbull Library. I would have thought that the responsibility of the chief librarian should be left with the chief librarian and perhaps not taken away by means of a committee of guardians but instead left to the commission. I would have thought it was not necessary to have any other advisory bodies whereby there is no control over how many of them are going to be considered. 
I support my learned colleague Paul Hutchison in his recognition of the great importance of oral histories. It is good to see that provision and that those histories are subject to the Archives Act. 
However it makes no recognition other than that the Act provides for the Minister to have discretion as to when these oral histories will be released. But it is difficult to know when they will be released given that conditions may be imposed by the person lodging those histories. 
I turn now to subpart 3 of Part 2 “Guardians of Alexander Turnbull Library” which provides that the Minister of Maori Affairs must be consulted in the appointment of guardians. I do not see any justification or reasoning for that necessity. It is a duplication of process and more bureaucratic overlay without just cause. I think that provision should be deleted but I have not got around to putting in an amendment. However I am sure I will if I get the opportunity. 
I refer now to the interpretation of Internet documents and the collection of information. We have seen a huge plethora of information since the definition has been broadened.