SpeechThird ReadingRt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Minister of Foreign Affairs): I move That the International Crimes and International Criminal Court Amendment Bill be now read a third time. The bill updates New Zealand's International Crimes and International Criminal Court Act 2000 by adding a series of war crimes amendments that were made to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). It will ensure that our implementing legislation remains up to date and will enable our ratification of these important amendments despite the fact that we've taken somewhat a long time to get this ratification occasion. The bill had its first reading on 3 December 2019 and was referred to the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee. The committee reported to the House in May 2020 and recommended that the bill proceed. The bill was read a second time on 24 June 2020 during which time Minister Martin noted that a Supplementary Order Paper would be moved to incorporate the starvation amendment into the bill. The starvation amendment was the most recent war crime amendment to the Rome Statute which criminalised the starvation of civilians in the context of non-international armed conflict. That amendment was made only after this bill's introduction and so was not included in the bill at the first instance. However we welcome that the Supplementary Order Paper has been approved and the bill amended to incorporate this amendment. I am pleased that the process allowed New Zealand to update the primary Act in an effective and efficient manner to now reflect all war crimes amendments to the Rome Statute.This bill will bring our domestic legislation in line with the most recent war crimes amendments to the Rome Statute and give New Zealand courts jurisdiction over these additional war crimes in line with our existing legislation. The bill demonstrates New Zealand's support of the global system of international criminal justice. It includes the rules of international humanitarian and criminal law. New Zealand recognises that these legal regimes form crucial elements of the multilateral rules-based order and that as a small State committed to the international rule of law and those institutions charged with upholding it we take our international role and responsibility seriously and encourage others to do the same. This bill demonstrates our commitment to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and all States and parties to the court have a responsibility to ensure their domestic systems and legislative regimes are set up effectively to investigate and prosecute these most serious international crimes under the system of complementarity. At the ICC Assembly of States Parties New Zealand has supported the inclusion of all these additional war crimes in the Rome Statute. We are pleased that we will now have the chance to give effect to these amendments in our domestic law. I'd like to thank all those who submitted on this bill and the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee for its work on this bill as well as examination of the starvation amendment. Sometimes these sorts of things can sound like they're boring and tedious and time consuming but the reality is it's through measures like this taken by countries all round the world who have and share our values and the ability to impose greater pressure—indeed embarrassment—on nations who do not follow the rule of law that change internationally may well much more quickly happen. So I commend the International Crimes and International Criminal Court Amendment Bill to the House.