Tamihere John: Imports and Exports (Restrictions) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Tamihere John: Imports and Exports (Restrictions) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:606;Page:3648] 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE (Associate Minister of Commerce) 
: 
 I move  
That the Imports and Exports (Restrictions) Amendment Bill be now read a first time. 
 I will be recommending that the House refer the bill to the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee for its consideration that the committee have the authority to meet at any time while the House is sitting except during questions for oral answer and during any evening in a day on which there has been a sitting of the House and on a Friday in a week in which there has been a sitting of the House despite Standing Orders 193 and 196(1)(b) and (c) and with an instruction that the committee report back to the House by 8 May 2003. That report back date should allow New Zealand to ratify the Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions before they come into force.  
This bill amends the Import Control Act in order to provide for the making of export control regulations to give effect to the requirements of the Rotterdam Stockholm Basel and Waigani conventions and any other international obligations that bind or become binding on New Zealand. That provides for the restriction on or the prohibition of the exportation of certain chemicals products organisms wastes or other substances that pose a risk to human health or to the environment. Members may wish to refer to reports of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee that examined both conventions and that reported to the House in February 2002 that there were no matters to bring to the attention of Parliament.  
Importantly members should note that it is expected that there will be no cost to the economy arising from the export controls in the bill. The key measure in the bill mirrors the Import Control Act’s import control mechanism and provides for the Governor-General by Order in Council to make regulations that prohibit the exportation of specified goods. Any prohibition may be general limited absolute or conditional. A conditional prohibition permits exportation of goods subject to the grant of a licence or permit by the Minister or prescribed person.  
The bill also includes provision for export controls to be made to meet the requirements of the Basel convention on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal. The Waigani convention is to ban the importation into Forum Island countries of hazardous and radioactive waste and control the transboundary movement and management of hazardous waste within the South Pacific region. Currently export controls to meet New Zealand’s obligations under the Basel and Waigani conventions are in place through in Order in Council under the Customs and Excise Act. Those must be reviewed every 3 years. The bill provides a more durable mechanism to meet the obligations in those conventions and will consolidate the existing export controls with those required to implement the Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions.  
The bill together with certain amendments to the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act will enable New Zealand to ratify the Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions thereby adding value to efforts to protect the health of New Zealanders the quality of our food and demonstrating our commitment to multilateral solutions to global problems. I commend the Imports and Exports (Restrictions) Amendment Bill to the House.