Coffey TamatiBROKERING (WEAPONS AND RELATED ITEMS) CONTROLS BILLIn CommitteeDebate resumed from 8 May.Part 2 Brokering activity registration and permits (continued)TAMATI COFFEY (Labour—Waiariki): I'm very happy again to speak on Part 2 of this particular piece of legislation. This area in the bill is all about the brokering activity the registration process and obviously the permits that are required if you are a person that has decided that you would like to broker in weapons. It is something that you don't talk very often about but these are things that need regulation and I'm sure that the good New Zealand public would like to know that we as parliamentarians looking after their best interests have actually got their back on this front.So putting in some regulations: let's talk first of all about the registration process. One thing that I would like to just get some clarification on is about who exactly needs to register and how would they know that. I heard a little bit last night about the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and how they would do some work in that space to be able to guide those people that are looking to participate in this area. I'm just seeking a bit more clarification about what exactly that entails.The second part that I'd like a bit of clarification on is about how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade intends to assess the applications. This is an area that conversations have been had in select committee I understand. The process would be as I understand it that MFAT would look at the applicant and decide whether or not that person was fit and proper to be registered as a broker and in accordance with the bill's criteria. There are a few things I understand which would make them a very undesirable—[Bell rung]—unfit and improper—Mr Chair? Sorry can I carry on?CHAIRPERSON (Adrian Rurawhe): Tamati Coffey.TAMATI COFFEY: Thank you. Sorry I was looking at that time—the things that would make them less desirable to actually be a person that brokers in weapons on behalf of New Zealand: that being as I understand it the breaking of any kind of United Nations Security Council resolutions including arms embargoes and also contravening some of our international obligations.I would like some clarification from the Minister from the Table up the top about whether or not something like that has already happened. Have there already been contraventions in this space that mean that we're having to stand here and have these conversations?I did ask some questions last night about some of the international export control regimes. I wanted to know a little bit about how we're going to comply and how we participate in them. At the time I didn't know; since then I've done a wee bit of homework. So if I could just get some confirmation from the Table about the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies. That's just one of the four that we participate with on an international stage. The other ones—the Nuclear Suppliers Group the Australia Group and the Missile Technology Control Regime—they all sound very big and very heavy groups to be a part of. But I'd just like to know a little bit more about that.Taking a little bit of a step back from the detail in here I'm also just wondering—because this part is actually about brokering activity I just wanted to know for the sake of the people that are listening out there how much of an issue brokering really is in New Zealand. I understand that there are 10 entities registered with MFAT under the voluntary registration scheme but there are fewer than 11 that are actually fully engaged in the actual brokering of weapons in New Zealand. So any kind of enlightenment on that front would be welcome.Just to further supplement the point that I made earlier about New Zealand meeting its obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty—I'm just wondering how we're sitting on that and if the reason that we're standing here having this conversation is because there has been a contravention in that space. It would also be really good to understand. I was just talking about how brokers—those few people that are actually looking to engage in that space—how exactly they will be engaged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. I understand there is that website—just a little bit of information about that for prospective brokers would actually be really good.This is a very good piece of legislation. As I say it's a bill that's going to help New Zealanders to sleep well at night especially in this political turmoil of a state that we find ourselves in around the world at the moment. There is the part that I would like to talk about—Hon Member: Hang in there.TAMATI COFFEY: —that being Subpart 3—yes that's right; the member opposite also wanted to know about Subpart 3. So for that reason let's talk about the criteria around permits—the application for permits—and what exactly determines the refusal for giving a permit. I also want to know how long the duration of a permit would go for. I was unsure as I was reading the document—it might be in there—but just a little bit of clarification around that.Now I understand the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade is the person that will receive the applications and I just wanted some clarification around that and also around the potential cancellation of a permit. What is it that actually enables the secretary to cancel a permit once an application has been made?All of this—these points may or may not have been addressed in the select committee process but I just wanted to take the opportunity while we're here in the committee of the whole House stage just to get some clarification around those points. You can see that a lot of work has been done on this and I would absolutely commend this to the House.