Wong Pansy: Injury Prevention Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment Bill (No 3) — In Committee 
Wong Pansy: Injury Prevention Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment Bill (No 3) — In Committee 
[Volume:625;Page:20270] 
PANSY WONG (National) 
: 
 I am not sure whether I can persuade the Green member and the New Zealand First member to have less confidence in the assurance given by the Minister the Hon Ruth Dyson that the acupuncture sector will come together and start the self-regulatory process without the Government making some specific commitment to ensure that an establishment council will be set up. It has gone down that path before and has not come up with anything. In the meantime I would like the Government and all parties to consider accepting my Supplementary Order Paper which states that any treatment providers that apply for that recognition after due process with the final approval signed off by the Minister can have their status recognised through regulation rather than having to wait for another appropriate piece of legislation which is taking a long time. 
The reason I make that plea is that two of the potential applicants for recognition as treatment providers the New Zealand Chinese Acupuncture Association and Register and New Zealand Traditional Chinese Medical Practitioners Inc have been waiting and fighting the battle for the last 15 years. 
My confidence in the process is further lessened by reading this letter from the Hon Ruth Dyson to the New Zealand Chinese Acupuncture Association and Register which raised the question about membership of the New Zealand Acupuncture Standards Authority which this legislation seeks to recognise as the treatment provider. The question was whether their membership did cover 60 percent of the New Zealand acupuncture community. The Minister’s reply suggested that the questioner approach the New Zealand Acupuncture Standards Authority directly and request that it publish its membership. 
One would think that if due process had been completed it would be very simple for the Minister to reply assuring the questioner that the applicant had membership that covered 60 percent of the New Zealand acupuncture community. I hope that it is not about one standard for the New Zealand - European dominated organisation and a different standard that applies to an organisation that is dominated by Chinese - New Zealand acupuncturists. Otherwise my confidence in the Minister would be shattered. 
I hope the various political parties will look at my amendment and assure those two applicants that after 15 years if they are being treated fairly and going through due process they can have recognition provided by regulation. 
Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. 
PANSY WONG 
: I am really pleased that the Hon Ruth Dyson is now in the chair because I know that the Minister is of a mind that the future recognition of treatment providers who have gone through due process and assessment by the Accident Compensation Corporation can be recognised through regulation rather than wait through a lengthy process for the appropriate legislation to accompany that. 
I read in a letter that the Minister specified that she thought this bill would have accomplished that but I have read through the bill and I could not get any indication that that may be the case. That is why I am setting out a Supplementary Order Paper—to ensure that that process can be achieved. It would be very reassuring if the Minister could take a call to assure me that this bill can do that because I cannot see it. If the Minister can assure me of that then I am sure that other political parties who have now indicated to me their support for this Supplementary Order Paper can take the appropriate action. 
As I said two acupuncturist organisations have been fighting the process for the last 15 years and once they are allowed to go through a due diligence process I hope that the recognition of them if they are successful will not be further delayed by a legislative process through Parliament. I await with interest the answer from the Minister as to whether the bill addresses this issue.