Gallagher Martin: Customs and Excise Amendment Bill (No 3) — First Reading 
Gallagher Martin: Customs and Excise Amendment Bill (No 3) — First Reading 
[Volume:644;Page:13997] 
MARTIN GALLAGHER (Labour—Hamilton West) 
: 
 It is a huge pleasure for me to speak to the Customs and Excise Amendment Bill (No 3). I note that this Government wants to ensure that the processes surrounding forfeiture and seizure are as streamlined and practical as possible. I also note that in 2006 the Law Commission recommended that the current system which allows people to appeal after their goods are seized be changed to make the appeal process faster and cheaper for appellants. 
I also note that the New Zealand Customs Service has the very difficult job of balancing the needs of trade and tourism with the need to ensure that our borders are secure and our people are protected from harm. Managing that balance which is sometimes tricky sees the service working both to facilitate the movement of people craft and goods across the border and to enforce the laws that ensure that illicit goods or people do not enter or leave New Zealand. 
I take the opportunity in this first reading to pay a great compliment to the Minister of Customs my Hamilton colleague Nanaia Mahuta. I want to say what a very hard-working good Hamilton member the MP for Tainui is and what really good work she has done since she assumed this portfolio. This bill is just another example of Nanaia Mahuta’s very hard work. I know that all Hamilton and Waikato members of Parliament irrespective of their political affiliation support me in that. I have heard great praise from across the political spectrum for her excellent work. 
The other thing I want to acknowledge in the context of border security is the wonderful men and women of the New Zealand Customs Service and our border control agencies. I note particularly the very very good work done by the Customs Service in the Hamilton-Waikato area. The Waikato is emerging as a major inland port in the context of the Fonterra operation at the Te Rapa rail marshalling yard. That is a huge boost to rail. The number of containers that go out of there to the ports of Tauranga and Auckland means that many many trucks are now coming off the road. That yard is a jewel in Hamilton’s crown and I acknowledge the role of the Customs Service in terms of some of the processing that it does there. 
Also just the other day it was my pleasure to be present along with my good colleague Sue Moroney at the opening of the new Hamilton International Airport terminal which has customs clearance facilities. It was wonderful that that terminal was opened by the Prime Minister.  
Nathan Guy 
: David Bennett was there! 
MARTIN GALLAGHER 
: No sadly he was not. I think Lindsay Tisch— 
Sue Moroney 
: Yes Lindsay Tisch was there. 
MARTIN GALLAGHER 
: The member for Piako was there. I know that David Bennett wanted to be there but I suspect that ten to one the whips on his side of the House did not have the vision and the wit to give him leave to attend that very very important occasion. Our whips had huge vision; the Government whips allowed two members of Parliament leave to be there with the Prime Minister. Those whips showed some strategic thinking and recognition of the importance of the opening of that major airport terminal and customs facility. 
I want to focus in the context of this first reading speech on this bill on how important an airport such as the Hamilton International Airport is in terms of the customs process and clearance. I want to observe and acknowledge that it is a very good example of local authorities working together. The five key local authorities in the central Waikato area are shareholders in the airport. It is a case of collaboration of their working together with agencies such as the Customs Service which does a very important job. Balancing the needs of trade and tourism with the need to ensure that our borders are secure and our people are protected from harm is a matter of facilitation of both the people and the goods that come through an airport such as the Hamilton International Airport. Obviously we are very encouraging of further international flights there. 
We should bear in mind that this wonderful development happened under this Government and in the economic climate that this Government has created. I certainly acknowledge the member opposite Richard Worth for his huge support of it. I suspect he feels a degree of envy for the development that has taken place in Hamilton. He will know the huge pleasure I have along with Sue Moroney and others in representing this area. 
Finally I also compliment previous speakers on their very interesting contributions. 
In terms of some of the detail of the bill I note that currently when there is a dispute the appellants can appeal to the District Court or to the Minister of Customs. The bill replaces that dual system with an internal review process with a right of appeal to the customs appeal authority. That creates a cheaper and more expeditious review process. Again some processes are being streamlined. 
I also want to say that as a member of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee I am really looking forward to doing a lot of good hard work on this bill as is my good colleague Dianne Yates who is a very very good chair of that committee. [ 
Interruption 
] I think Palmerston North has a very good operation but I know that Simon Power in his heart of hearts will share a degree of envy of the wonderful Hamilton International Airport terminal in the Waikato which our good Prime Minister opened recently. 
Without further ado I commend the first reading of the Customs and Excise Amendment Bill (No 3) to the House.