Bennett PaulaGENERAL DEBATEHon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Climate Change Issues): I move That the House take note of miscellaneous business. I am delighted to stand up today and announce that New Zealand will be ratifying the Paris Agreement and doing it earlier than we said we would. As we know it is a global climate change and the difference we make there as far as emissions are concerned will make the difference and the biggest difference for this planet. The fact that we have the biggest international treaty signed by the most countries on the same day and that New Zealand is part of that I think puts us in great stead for the future and in great stead for actually being part of what this amazing country stands for: its beauty its integrity and equally moving forward in the part that we will play. This shows our commitment to the momentum internationally and the fact that we want to actually be part of that. I must say that before I went to New York to sign the Paris Agreement in April certainly all the advice I got was to take 18 months or to take 2 years to look at ratification—that there was not a big hurry in that that it was good to be able to set those targets for 2030 and that you can wait and see what the international rules are before you ratify. However with the momentum that is picking up globally thanks to the Paris Agreement being part of the 55/55—that is 55 countries that need to sign making up at least 55 percent of emitters. Seeing people like President Obama and President Xi actually standing up and saying that they will be ratifying this year—and certainly every indication that we are getting is that that is still happening—and seeing other countries like Australia and Canada and then getting a very strong message from our international community that we will not get to sit around the table and help make the rules on what those accounting procedures mean unless we have ratified has led us to this day and at this moment saying that we will ratify early. Of course what all this means though is we need to bend the curve. We need to bend the curve and lower our emissions in New Zealand. Have no doubt about it—that is not an easy thing to do. We have a completely different emissions make-up from any other country in the world. We are looking at nearly 50 percent of our emissions being from agriculture when already more than 80 percent of our electricity use is renewable. You will see other countries making big bold statements and saying that they are having a higher degree of difference if you like in their emissions profile and they might just be doing that because they have got some pretty easy decisions that they can make; we have got some tough ones. I suppose my call out to this Parliament today is that I think that there is some work that we can do cross-party. I think that if you speak to businesses if you speak to consumers and if you speak to people about what they most want it is some certainty from us on some of the foundations. We can argue about what that means. I am sure that different parliaments and different Governments at different times would either go harder and faster or slower and more cautiously but I think that people need a degree of certainty from Parliament as to what the base conditions are and I think that this Parliament is well set to do that over the next year to 18 months. So—Rt Hon Winston Peters: A leadership bid but it's failing.Hon PAULA BENNETT: I welcome the member's contribution and I hope that he is a believer in climate change. Mr Peters are you a believer? You have been around long enough to see it changing and I am sure Mr Peters that you care enough about this country and what we are leaving for future generations that you will want to play a part in this. I am sure that I am hearing from the member across the House that he would like to be part of a discussion on what it actually means to leave our country in a better state for future generations and ensure that they can actually experience the beauty and the opportunities that we have as New Zealanders. Our identity is wrapped up in our land and we have a role to actually look after that the best that we possibly can. So I think this is a good day for New Zealand and a good day for Parliament. I would like to see some of that bipartisan—and congratulations and even a question in the House would have been nice but I understand that Labour members are struggling a little and have got other things on their minds at the moment. But while they actually think about what house prices might mean for future generations they might ask themselves whether if we do not make a difference in our emissions profile there will actually be parts of New Zealand that banks will not lend to and insurers will not insure because of the effects of climate change. It is a good day for New Zealand and a good day for us internationally.