Marcroft JennyJENNY MARCROFT (Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries): Thank you very much Mr Speaker. It is a pleasure to rise on behalf of New Zealand First and take a call on the special debate on the report of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee on its inquiry into illegal unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing. I firstly begin by noting the great work of the previous committee of which you were a member Mr Speaker in getting this report and then this committee for bringing it to the House. So well done to you all—great engagement to address the threats of IUU fishing to New Zealand and of course to our neighbours in the Pacific.The threats that are posed by IUU fishing should not be underestimated. IUU fishing is a fisheries issue it's a food security issue it's a livelihoods issue an environmental issue a security issue a trade and market access issue and the list could go on. The report is a very good piece of work. Recently I was up in the Pacific and had the privilege of representing New Zealand up in New Caledonia for Anzac services.But while I was in Nouméa I was also able to open the New Zealand - funded fisheries genetics fish ageing and fish taxonomy laboratories at Pacific Community (SPC). And this is where a great piece of science work is going on relating to climate change and how it's affecting the tuna fisheries. But I also had the ability while I was there to coincide with the SPC's annual meeting of the Pacific Heads of Fisheries and we had great discussions about the tuna fishery as well as the impact of IUU. I'd like to also acknowledge those members from the Ministry for Primary Industries and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade which supported me on that trip—thank you very much.The Pacific IUU fishing is mostly attributed to licensed vessels who under-report or misreport their catches so they can increase their profits. This undermines responsible operators and distorts market competition. As a seafood exporter to international markets it is in our interests that our operators compete on a level playing field and that their economic opportunities are not undercut. It's also in our interest that fisheries in the Pacific are sustainably managed and that Pacific Island nations have skilled professionals to manage and protect their resources. These fisheries are shared and New Zealand has a stake in them too.IUU fishing of tuna species costs the Pacific—as we've heard by a member just previously that half a billion dollars between 2017 and 2019 got taken out by illegal fishing. This revenue should be going back to the responsible operators and the Pacific Island economies.Now the same goes for our highly valuable fisheries in the Southern Ocean. We have successfully protected these valuable fishing grounds in the past but we cannot take this for granted. We need to ensure that this ecosystem is protected and that operators accessing these fisheries reap the benefits from legal sustainable fishing and that they get the best returns for their investments.The Government's been proactive in implementing some of the actions contained in the report and one of these is the Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill which passed its first reading a month ago and is now before select committee. This bill will update our legislative framework against IUU fishing to keep pace with and be at the forefront of international best practice. This will reaffirm our reputation and protect our continuing access to valuable and discerning global markets. Our $2 billion seafood export industry is projected to continue growing and the Hon Shane Jones is determined to do that and this bill will support its growth.The Government is also reviewing our international development cooperation to enhance its support of regional capabilities and capacities. Capable active and self-reliant Pacific fishery agencies and regional organisations are needed to manage the environmental social and economic benefits derived from fishery resources. Assisting our Pacific Island partners with managing their fisheries is part of the work to promote a resilient and prosperous Pacific nation and New Zealand is committed to doing just that.In conclusion underlying New Zealand's continuing action leadership and cooperation in the fight against IUU fishing this protects our reputation as a responsible seafood exporter and the prospects of our economy in a changing world. We are a primary producer we are an exporting economy and a Pacific nation and we need these resources to be maintained international markets to remain open and illicit economic activity to be stamped out. I commend the committee—well done all of you for this report and the Government for its response.