Lee MelissaMELISSA LEE (National): Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to the examination of the Marrakesh Treaty today. This treaty has been a long time coming for the support of the disabled and special-needs communities in our country and across the globe who require alternate literary options to learn and engage with the wider community.It was a privilege to have chaired the Commerce Committee during the last Parliament when we examined this important treaty and I'd like to commend my colleagues from the committee including those who are no longer with us in this House for their due diligence and consideration of the issues that may arise from New Zealand's ratification of the treaty.As my learned colleagues who spoke before me have actually said it is estimated that 90 percent or more of the written materials that have been published across the globe are unable to be accessed in a format that supports the literacy needs of those with particular impairments such as the blind the visually impaired community or those who have print-learning disabilities.In New Zealand this means that there are nearly—as the Hon Tracey Martin said there could be more than one million people who are limited in their content of learning understanding and growing of their knowledge that they want to undertake. This creates significant barriers to their lives. It means they cannot have the same opportunities for work pursuits that their friends and their family can access or enjoy the same educational or recreational pursuits. It is important that New Zealand resolves this grave omission.The Marrakesh Treaty provides for an international legal framework to deal with copyright implications in facilitating the cross-border exchange of written materials that are being provided for the purposes of supporting those who are print disabled.The treaty requires countries who accede to its terms to provide copyright law exemptions for the reproduction of work exclusively for individuals with print disability allow for the distribution of these materials and ensure that they can be exported or imported in accessible formats rather than solely in the existing formats such as large print Braille audiobook and other accessible written material methods.The treaty will have a positive cultural economic and social impact on our country. It will help those Kiwis expand their horizons and open up opportunities that are currently being restricted from them by the lack of this important legal framework. It is important to note that through section 69 of the New Zealand Copyright Act New Zealand has had a standing exemption for people regarding this issue but many countries have yet to fully embrace the needs of the print-disabled community and take action.The treaty in being implemented will also save money for New Zealand's economy. At present our Government has invested in the production of educational materials for the print-disabled community through the Blind Foundation. At present recording a single book costs up to $3000 and producing a Braille publication can cost up to $5000 or more depending on the length the complexity and whether there is content that is more complex to transfer into the accessible media. But with a wider adoption of the treaty more educational and recreational materials will be able to be made available from a myriad of nations supporting a broader base which the print-disabled community can take information from.The treaty is in effect a furtherance of international human rights—a field New Zealand has been a leading champion for many many years in. It improves our obligation under several United Nations agreements including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Our closest neighbour Australia was one of the first nations to ratify the treaty but with our ratification more New Zealanders will be able to reach a wider supply of materials to support their learning.In conclusion I endorse this examination of the Marrakesh Treaty and look forward to further ratification by nations across the globe.