Brownlee GerryHon GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam): It's interesting—listening to speeches so far this afternoon it would appear that this is a bill that has an enormous number of authors to it and I'm not going to join that long list. All I will say is that before an author can get started there has to be an idea and I am an ideas man. I did in fact raise this with Mr Hipkins some months ago—he acknowledges that—and indeed did the same thing in 2015 and I'm grateful that others took up the mantle to write the bills to go through the exercise and to get us to a point where we are today.But isn't it an absolute pointer to the ridiculous nature of the legislation we have that guides liquor licensing in New Zealand at the present time? It is not the sort of thing that is easy to get through Parliament because of course it is a conscience vote. I can look across the House and see some people now applauding this particular bill who had all sorts of issues on the day that the bill was last changed in 2012 to try and get a different sort of approach to things. It's utterly absurd that we have this every four years or every time there's a major sports event or what have you—that we come to the House and try and put through some special legislation. Today we've heard some criticism of the bill that I have myself just criticised. But it also comes down to the fact that there is so much discretion around what would constitute an event for a special licence. The previous speaker Clayton Mitchell mentioned that and I have to say that I'm taken back to the times when we were considering what arrangements would exist when the Rugby World Cup was in New Zealand in 2011. I do remember that our police at that time were not particularly helpful in understanding that it was an event where New Zealand had to show its widest hospitality not in getting people drunk but making the opportunity available for people to come together in licensed premises. And I think that attitude pervades them to this day. Some people have suggested to me that maybe they should be called the New Zealand Police and Prohibition Department". I think that's probably going a little too far but there are times when you hear about—like the RSA that my colleague mentioned before where on Anzac Day to have a special licence it was suggested that they dress up. Well would they consider the wearing of a poppy a dress-up because everyone knows that by the time they get back to the RSA the poppy is on the memorial? So I think there does need to be a great deal more flexibility and also consistency across the country by all of the district licensing authorities around.Look obviously we're supporting this bill and I do recall in 2015 the numbers of people who were saying "This will be a disaster. People will be staggering out of bars at you know eight o'clock nine o'clock in the morning when the kids are coming to school or to preschool. There'll be a mess everywhere. It'll be carnage from one end of the country to the other." Not one single incident occurred because in the end sports fans are there for the sport; they want to enjoy that occasion and not ruin it by getting themselves into such a messy state that they can't do exactly that. I would like to hope that Spark are on top of the technology and able to deliver these games to New Zealanders. They're not going to be cheap. If anyone has a Sky Sport platform at the moment if they have to go and get Spark then that's another $90-odd a month. So sport and its access to it in your home is becoming more and more of a luxury. I think the disappointment that I would express is that the bill on the Order Paper in the name of the honourable Clayton Mitchell the games of national significance bill has not been brought forward by the Government not embraced by the Government and on occasions when leave has been sought for that bill to come forward unfortunately it is the Government who have denied that leave—which is extraordinary because Clayton Mitchell is himself part of the Government. Can I say the All Blacks squad that was announced today carries with them the hopes of the nation in this tournament.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Bad luck on missing out.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: There will be—well my colleague says "Bad luck on missing out." I know Steve Hansen. I've always said to him I'm available and he just gives me one of those dull smiles when I mention that to him. Look can I say in a very serious way congratulations to those who have made the squad and best wishes for their work and best wishes to the coaches and to Steve for the great extraordinary record that he has as a coach. But I do want to make a special mention too of someone who has missed out and that is the great Owen Franks: 108 tests a truly great servant of New Zealand rugby and I've got to say too a wonderful human being. I don't know anybody who has had anything to say about him other than comments that are totally praiseworthy. I know that this will be a particularly disappointing day for him and for his family but I would want him to realise too that his legacy in the game is very very big and for all the years that are ahead of him he will be in the category of Brian Lochore and others for the contribution that he has made. So with that can I say I hope that people do enjoy the benefit of the extended hours that are going to be available and I express my confidence that people will act responsibly during those hours and above all enjoy the success of our team."