Adams Amy: Tariff (AANZFTA) Amendment Bill Customs and Excise (AANZFTA) Amendment Bill — Third Readings 
Adams Amy: Tariff (AANZFTA) Amendment Bill Customs and Excise (AANZFTA) Amendment Bill — Third Readings 
[Volume:655;Page:4946] 
AMY ADAMS (National—Selwyn) 
: 
 I am delighted to have the chance to speak in support of these two bills: the Tariff (AANZFTA) Amendment Bill and the Customs and Excise (AANZFTA) Amendment Bill. As we have already heard in the debate these bills will make the changes we need to make to our domestic legislation so that we can enter into the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area. 
We have heard already from all sides of the House in this debate as is usually the case in these free-trade matters of the importance of free trade and exports to our economy. I do not think anyone in this House would cast any doubt on the fact that it is our export economy that will lead us out of the recession. That is one thing that this National-led Government understands at a fundamental level. Our businesses our exporters and our ability to be the food basket for the Asia-Pacific region in particular will be New Zealand’s pathway out of this recession. Because of that we have to put in place every assistance that we can as a Government to ensure that the roadblocks to our exporters are addressed. The free-trade area that will be created will go a huge way towards freeing up one of the most fundamental progressive and developing areas of trade in the world. 
Let us look at the figures. In 2006 the ASEAN area represented $2.6 billion worth of trade to New Zealand. By 2007 a year later that had gone up to $3.1 billion. By 2008 it was up to $4.6 billion. That sort of growth represents the strong importance of this area to our economy and that is why when this agreement was signed in Thailand in February this year New Zealand should have let out a collective cheer and celebrated. Agreements like this help ensure that our exporters will be able to build the productivity that this country so desperately needs. 
I want to talk for a little minute about the rural sector which is essential to my electorate of Selwyn. I represent a vast area of rural production. In Selwyn that production is things like sheep arable crops horticulture viticulture dairy beef venison—the list is pretty much endless. In fact the other day I even visited a wasabi exporter who is based in Selwyn. Those areas of rural production primary production and horticulture are as I say the foundation for exports. For my constituents who rely on exports agreements like this that open doors for them are absolutely essential. I know that the economy in Selwyn as in all New Zealand is fundamentally tied up with our ability to get our goods into offshore countries. Our population is not strong enough that we can rely entirely on domestic trade. We must export. We are a small country but we can do some things incredibly well and agriculture is one of those things. 
We heard the last speaker Stuart Nash pay lip-service to the farmers of New Zealand which is pretty rich coming from a party that spent the last 9 years when it was in Government kicking farmers criticising them blaming them and running them down at every single opportunity. Now that Labour is in Opposition it is trying to find friends anywhere it can. The National Party has always stood up for agriculture. It is the party that has always understood the need to get behind our farmers our winemakers and our growers. That commitment to agriculture can be seen in our commitment to trade and to growing our export markets. 
In my patch we have a company that in the space of 2 years has gone from nothing to a $100 million processing plant solely on the back of its exports into the Asian market. That is the sort of business we need to be encouraging. That is the sort of business that will get the country through the recession. That is the sort of business that will benefit from this agreement. That is why I am so proud to support this legislation. I commend the Minister of Trade Tim Groser for his work in concluding the agreement. Thank you.