Anderton Jim: Industry New Zealand and Trade New Zealand Integration Bill — Second Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Anderton Jim: Industry New Zealand and Trade New Zealand Integration Bill — Second Reading 
[Sitting date: 10 June 2003. Volume:609;Page:6081. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon JIM ANDERTON (Minister for Economic Development) 
: 
 I move  
That the Industry New Zealand and Trade New Zealand Integration Bill be now read a second time 
. When passed this bill will create a one-stop shop for economic development and trade promotion. We are creating this new organisation to integrate the services currently provided by Trade New Zealand and Industry New Zealand with the aim of making those services as seamless and responsive as possible. The coalition Government decided early in the process of this merger that it had to play a smart and active role in the economy and the work done by Industry New Zealand and the Ministry of Economic Development in our regions in regional partnerships in partnership with business communities local government trade unions with industry sectors with the Maori and Pacific Island peoples is starting to make a real difference. Those of my colleagues who celebrated the innovation day recently and will celebrate later this year our regional development conference and programme know full well how energised the regions of New Zealand are in engaging with a Government that is proactive in the economic development and progress of regional New Zealand. 
This new agency New Zealand Trade and Enterprise establishes a new economic development entity. It brings together Trade New Zealand and Industry New Zealand. The legislation will build on Trade New Zealand’s experience both internationally and in New Zealand’s export sector as well as Industry New Zealand’s experience in working with investors businesses and regions. 
The bill is evidence of a Government that listens to the business community. In many regional development visits that I have made up and down New Zealand I have visited literally hundreds of businesses and met thousands of business people who continually wanted to know why there was not a one-stop shop for business advice. They wanted to see the advice and support they needed for their growth and development and for increased investment and export opportunities all integrated into one service. 
The Wellington chamber of commerce and many other business organisations have called for a one-stop shop for some time. During the election the Progressive Party committed to this one-organisation approach during this term of office and I am pleased to say that the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise entity outlined in this bill delivers on that commitment and I know that my Labour colleagues made a similar commitment. The purpose of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise will be to support the development of internationally competitive New Zealand businesses. This role has been carefully chosen. Recent consultation with business groups on the aims and objectives of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise has shown wide-ranging support for this step towards integration. It provides a strong platform for the partnerships needed to stimulate business innovation and enterprise. Every New Zealand business needs to strive to be internationally competitive regardless of whether it has a domestic focus or is already trading internationally. We clearly need to raise business performance across the whole economy. Various submissions to the select committee on this matter raised issues that had been given careful consideration by both the select committee and the Government. I thank the members of the select committee for the way in which they went about hearing those submissions and deliberating on the bill. 
I hope we receive New Zealand First’s support for this bill. In looking at the origins of Industry New Zealand and the Ministry of Economic Development I note that New Zealand First supported it and I hope it will support this development as well because it is a continuation of what we commenced only 2 to 3 years ago. It is an important new step in the direction of an important entity to serve the business and regional communities of New Zealand. 
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise will support the Government’s commitment to developing our economy through innovation and working with key industries that can drive economic growth. That organisation will deal with businesses across a wide range of areas of business activity in this country. They will include the direct development needs of individual companies and clusters of businesses industry sectors as well as dealing with barriers to growth by developing individual sectoral and regional strategies and through initiatives that improve the business and enterprise culture in New Zealand. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: This will make the 6 o’clock news. 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: The fact that the New Zealand coalition Government of today is taking actions like this gives this Government a permanent place in the political history of New Zealand. Unfortunately the National Party which used to have some kind of substance has been proved to be a hollow shell. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: It won’t exit in 2 year’s time. 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: I doubt whether it will ever be across this side of the House—certainly not in the time the member who is interjecting now will be in this House. 
The decision to merge Trade New Zealand and Industry New Zealand will send a strong message to the business community. The message is that we want it to succeed we want it to do better so that New Zealand can do better. We want to see more innovation stronger businesses and stronger regions all leading to long-term sustainable high-quality employment in this country. I can say to the House that in an extensive visit I made recently to nine countries to have a very close look at industry regional and infrastructural development that is assisting the economies of a number of very progressive countries in the world there were a number of examples of high-quality institutions that received Government support that was integral and critical to the economic development of those countries. When we think that New Zealand turned its back on a positive and proactive partnership between central government local government the business community and local and regional communities in New Zealand for a very long time we realise we have a lot of catching up to do. 
The positive nature of the contribution that institutions like this proposed entity of the Trade New Zealand and Industry New Zealand merger will produce that. The examples of the performance of the economies in Ireland Finland Sweden Denmark and a wide range of European countries were quite remarkable in terms of the way in which the positive proactive role of government had made a significant contribution to the well-being of those societies. It is not a matter of “Government knows best”. It is a matter of the Government being positively involved in a constructive way with the people of each of the countries involved. New Zealand is now having to catch up on 20 to 25 years of neglect. This entity will make a very important contribution to the job we started 2 to 3 years ago. I know that the business community welcomes it. I know that regional New Zealand welcomes this opportunity. I know that this will do a lot to continue the progress and momentum we have gained in the activities we have engaged in through the Ministry of Economic Development and Industry New Zealand and the cooperation we have had with Investment New Zealand and Trade New Zealand. New Zealanders expect nothing less of this House than that we make rapid and constructive progress in passing this bill through the remaining stages so that we can get on with the job from 1 July that we have committed ourselves to do.