Connell Brian: Resource Management (Aquaculture Moratorium Extension) Amendment Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
Connell Brian: Resource Management (Aquaculture Moratorium Extension) Amendment Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:616;Page:11650] 
BRIAN CONNELL (National—Rakaia) 
: 
 This bill extends the current 2-year-plus moratorium for another 9 months. In essence it is an extension to the extension bill. It is symptomatic of a Government that just cannot get things done and certainly that cannot make a decision. The Government is becoming paralysed. This paralysis is causing regional councils to lose momentum also. Regional councils are crying out for leadership but are they getting it under this Government? No they are not. What is the answer? The Government’s answer is to extend things a little bit longer and hope that nothing comes of it. Regional councils want direction so they can develop aquaculture areas but they will not get that direction from this Government. To be fair some regional councils are hiding behind the Government’s inertia because in effect they have not done too much either. But that is no excuse to exacerbate this type of behaviour. 
I know that the Minister in the chair David Benson-Pope wants to take a call. I know he wants to get to his feet and demonstrate that he has the capacity to do the job and has an understanding of this portfolio because for years he has been stuck as the senior Government whip confined to making snide remarks about every other speaker. Now the Minister has his chance to get to his feet to demonstrate that he does have the capacity to be the Minister and understand this portfolio so that other people in this Chamber and in the industry generally can have some confidence in him. People on this side of the Chamber are waiting with bated breath. 
The real purpose for this delaying tactic on behalf of the Government is not about managing or seeking time to manage aquaculture at all; it is about the Government trying to find a way to extricate itself from the fiasco it has got itself into regarding the foreshore and seabed. Because of its inability to deal with this issue the Government has got itself into an unholy mess. Who believes that another 9 months will enable it to sort out its warring factions? 
Lindsay Tisch 
: No one! 
BRIAN CONNELL 
: Mr Tisch is right no one believes that. On the one hand we have the Maori caucus that wants to annexe the whole lot and on the other hand we have poll-driven Government members saying: “Oh dear National’s going up in the polls. We must have got our strategy wrong. Let’s rethink this. Oh my God National was right and we were wrong!” and all the while an industry that has the potential to be one of our biggest export earners waits. It waits while this Government fiddles and the growth of one of our most important industries stagnates. 
My colleague Linda Scott estimated industry revenues of about $260 million now. The aquaculture industry has the potential to be a multibillion-dollar industry but what is happening? It is going backwards all because this Government is fiddling. Rather than sort out the difficulties around Marlborough and Tasman the Government has taken the too-hard-basket approach. Why not just say: “We’ll maintain some momentum where we can and sort out Marlborough and Tasman at our leisure”? 
The do-nothing option is just not good enough. This is where the Minister can take a call to demonstrate that he has heard what members are saying and that he has the capacity to say: “We the Government have rethought our strategy.” The Minister should not sit there like a lemon. He should take a call and say: “Our strategy now is a b c and d. We’ve heard you we know you’re right and this is what we’re going to do.” But will he do that? No he will not. Do members know why he will not do it? The reason is that he does not have a plan other than a do-nothing plan to extend the moratorium for another 9 months. Who believes that will bring it to a conclusion? No one of course. But my good friend and colleague Mr Heatley knows. The people of this country cannot wait for a change of Government because when it happens Mr Heatley will stand up and tell the House what the plan is. He will have the confidence of the industry. The industry is relying on some good strong leadership and Mr Heatley will provide it. 
National opposes this legislation wholeheartedly. It is not just National rambling on. I have done a bit of research and this is what I found: “Marine farmers are enraged by the Government’s proposals on aquaculture law reform which they say will suck millions of dollars out of the industry and hinder its enormous potential for growth.” That came from the industry leaders themselves.