Shanks Katrina: Commerce Commission (International Co-operation and Fees) Bill — First Reading 
Shanks Katrina: Commerce Commission (International Co-operation and Fees) Bill — First Reading 
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KATRINA SHANKS (National) 
: 
 It is my pleasure to take a call on the Commerce Commission (International Co-operation and Fees) Bill tonight. The proposals in the bill are part of the single economic market outcomes framework announced by the New Zealand and Australian Prime Ministers in August last year. The bill enables greater cooperation between the Commerce Commission its Australian counterpart and other overseas regulators. It is about lifting economic performance. The bill is part of the National-led Government’s focus on improving access for our exporters to world markets. Boosting innovation and improving export access to world markets is one of our six policy drivers for a step change in New Zealand’s economic performance. Only by lifting our economic performance can we create more jobs boost incomes improve living standards and provide the world-class public services that Kiwi families need. 
Actually it is a bit more than that; it is about making it easier to do business with Australia and making it easier for our businesses to go to bigger markets and this is one step towards that. We find when we go around New Zealand and talk to people in businesses up and down the country we have a huge number of businesses that have a huge amount of capacity and capability to go to bigger markets. But in New Zealand we have an issue: we do not have what is known as critical mass. In New Zealand we may have a company that is relatively small and that sells well within New Zealand to our market within New Zealand. But that market is very limited by the size of New Zealand itself so if our companies want to export if they want to grow in capability and capacity they have to go offshore. To do that means they are entering markets they are not familiar with markets that have different international laws markets that have different international regulations and markets that have different exchange rates and for a guy who is an owner-operator has a great business and who wants to take it to that next step it is a really big move. It is a really really scary move for a lot of those businesses that do not have the skills in law do not have the skills in accountancy and do not understand how to take their business to the next step. 
Going into overseas markets is a big step for these businesses to take. This legislation is one step towards finding another economy where we can go in one that has the same type of international laws as we do the same types of regulations as we do and an exchange rate we can understand because those New Zealand businesses are going out into international markets and competing with other companies that are already at that critical mass state. For a company to produce a million units in New Zealand it may have to go to one other exporting country whereas in America for a company to produce the same million units it does not have to leave the country to do it it does not have to enter new markets and it does not have to understand all the regulations around those markets. Immediately our small companies that are trying to grow are at a disadvantage because they have all these barriers all these regulations and all these costs to add on to the costs of their products and they are not as competitive as they might be. So it is really important that we ensure we go forward and make it as easy as we possibly can for these companies. 
It is my pleasure to be on my feet tonight to support the Commerce Commission (International Co-operation and Fees) Bill. Thank you.