Brown Peter: Foreshore and Seabed Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
Brown Peter: Foreshore and Seabed Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
[Volume:621;Page:17019] 
PETER BROWN (Deputy Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 I will endeavour to help out the member who has just resumed his seat Shane Ardern because he has asked a number of questions that I thought would be self-explanatory. If he looks at clause 11 “Public foreshore and seabed vested in the Crown” it will tell him if he is not already aware that the vast majority of New Zealanders—I would say almost 99.9 percent; obviously there will be one exception—want the foreshore and seabed to be in public Crown ownership. [ 
Interruption 
] The member is contesting that but I can tell the Committee that if one goes out and talks to New Zealanders they say they want the seabed and foreshore in Crown ownership. This bill delivers that and that makes common sense to most New Zealanders who are supportive of that position.  
Part 2 determines the rights of access. I ask honourable members whether they disagree with the right to be on the public foreshore and seabed and the right to enter remain in and leave the public foreshore and seabed; the right to pass and re-pass in on over and across the public foreshore and seabed; the right to engage in recreational activities in or on the public foreshore and seabed; and that every natural person has access rights in over or across the public foreshore and seabed. That is what this bill is endeavouring to deliver and will deliver by the time it is passed through the House under urgency.  
It is regrettable that the select committee could not find the time to overcome the difficulties and report the bill back.  
Hon Ken Shirley 
: The member obviously wasn’t there. 
PETER BROWN 
: I was not on the select committee— 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: You don’t know what you are talking about. 
PETER BROWN 
: I know what I am talking about. I think the select committee members should have got their heads around this bill in a far better way than they did. I am well informed on this bill. I have to compliment my colleague Dail Jones who has done an awful lot to put common sense into it. On top of that Dail Jones has done an awful lot to appraise his colleagues of the concerns related to it. Maybe I should use the word “awesome” as that is the modern language. I personally compliment my colleague.  
I have to dwell on clause 7A “Existing fishing rights preserved” because at least one member is confused. It means that any individual can go along and fish to his or her heart’s content.  
Tariana Turia 
: Can’t they do that now? What’s changed? 
PETER BROWN 
: Exactly! What has changed? So why are members standing up and saying that this will not occur? This protects it in legislation. This bill also outlines the rights of navigation over the seabed—[ 
Interruption 
] My colleague asked about navigation. How ridiculous would it be if we had a ship that could not navigate over a piece of— 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: Seabed—not foreshore. 
PETER BROWN 
: —seabed and water? I do not think any members in this Chamber would claim ownership of the water would they?  
Dail Jones 
: Yes. 
PETER BROWN 
: They might yes. Effectively one could not claim ownership of the water because it is ever-changing. It is logical that ownership cannot be claimed of the land that is beneath the water which is there for the common good. I am surprised that National members have not got their heads around this bill and are not supporting it. I really am. One has only to look— 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: We only got it yesterday. 
PETER BROWN 
: The member is indicating that he needs a little bit more time and then he would support it. Am I taking that from the member’s words? 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Answer our questions. 
PETER BROWN 
: I think he is getting umpteen answers. I suggest to honourable members that they go and read this bill and get their heads around it. I can tell them that it sits very comfortably with some of the statements that they have been making about Crown ownership of the seabed and foreshore. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: It’s a parliamentary outrage. 
PETER BROWN 
: The member says that it is a parliamentary outrage. I suggest that he reads this a little bit more thoroughly than he has done thus far.  
Gerry Brownlee 
: We only got it yesterday. 
PETER BROWN 
: I can only conclude that we have some part-time MPs sitting alongside us on the National Party benches.