Joyce Steven: New Zealand International Convention Centre Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeJoyce Steven: New Zealand International Convention Centre Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 11 July 2013. Volume:692;Page:11980. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Economic Development):I moveThat the New Zealand International Convention Centre Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Commerce Committee to consider the bill. At the appropriate time I intend to move that the bill be reported to the House by 14 November 2013.It gives me great pleasure to introduce this bill. This bill is first and foremost about investment jobs and growth for New Zealanders and their families. For years the tourism industry and the business sector have been seeking an international-size convention centre to be built in New Zealand to ensure that we compete with Australia and Asia and tap into the growing market of high-value business visitors. This bill shows that this Government is again delivering on not only that but its economic promise to create jobs and growth. The agreement signed last week between the Government and Skycity to build a world-class convention centre in Auckland will create jobs boost tourism and bring significant benefits to the Auckland and New Zealand economies—and all of this for little if any investment by New Zealand taxpayers. These benefits include a projected $90 million annual injection into the economy an estimated 1000 jobs during construction and 800 jobs once it is up and running. It is estimated that the new facility will cater for 3500 international convention delegates at any one time and attract around 33000 more delegates each year. It is yet another worthy initiative—one of many introduced under the leadership of this Prime Minister—to build a more competitive and productive economy for this country. It is very similar to an arrangement signed in 2001 to build a much smaller convention centre one signed off under the Labour Government of that time and celebrated by the former Prime Minister Helen Clark and her then Minister of Tourism without any of the hysterical protest we see today from the Green Party or indeed parts of the Labour Party.This bill gives effect to the New Zealand International Convention Centre and Licensing Agreement including giving effect to the regulatory concessions ensuring that agreement terms may be enforced as intended establishing the protection of the names “New Zealand International Convention Centre” and “NZICC” and ensuring that the land upon which the International Convention Centre is to be built cannot be used for any other purpose. The concessions granted in the agreement are applicable only to the holder of the Skycity Casino operating licence and not all casino licence holders. The bill provides that the regulatory concessions may not be varied except by an Act of Parliament. In one simple amendment the regulatory concessions provided under the agreement will be subject to the existing gambling regime. The Gambling Act will apply to the concessions and all gambling conducted under the concessions as if they were permitted under that Act. The concessions will therefore be administered monitored and enforced in accordance with the Gambling Act and any rules or regulations made under that Act. That is a very important point for this House to note.Under the bill a person will be prohibited from incorporating or registering any entity under the name “New Zealand International Convention Centre” or “NZICC” and a person is also prohibited from using either of these names as the names of an organisation or building and from trading or carrying on business under either of those names unless the person has authorisation from the Minister for Economic Development. The House should note that it is the Crown’s intention to grant to Skycity an exclusive licence to the New Zealand International Convention Centre brand as part of the agreement.The bill provides for the following regulatory concessions for Skycity and these take effect on the signing of the building works contract and will apply until 30 June 2048 unless the agreement is terminated prior to that date. These include an extension of the Skycity Casino licence which is due to expire in 2021 out to 30 June 2048; an amendment to cover all ofSkycity’s properties in Federal Street; an additional 230 pokie machines on the casino floor; an additional 40 gaming tables; a further 12 gaming tables that can be substituted for automated table game player stations but not pokie machines; up to 17 percent of pokie machines and automated table games in restricted areas only being able to accept banknotes of denominations greater than $20; and introducing ticket-in ticket-out and card-based cashless gaming technology on all pokie machines and automated table games at Skycity Casino.The Government as part of this agreement has insisted on a number of significant harm minimisation measures to deter problem gambling and money-laundering. The agreement requires Skycity to implement these by the time the regulatory concessions come into effect. They are a predictive modelling tool that analyses data to identify players at risk of problem gambling; a voluntary pre-commitment system where players can elect to restrict the amount of time they play or the amount they spend; doubling the number of Host Responsibility specialists to deliver 24-hour 7-day-a-week coverage; and the introduction of player identification requirements when amounts over $500 are being put on to or cashed from ticket-in ticket-out tickets in non-restricted areas. The adoption of these measures does not affectSkycity’s ongoing obligation to comply with harm minimisation and anti - money-laundering obligations which again is a very important point for this House to note.An independent assessment by finance advisory firmKordaMentha has described the value of the concessions made to Skycity in exchange for the construction and operation of the convention centre as reasonable for both parties. Again the 230 new pokie machines is exactly the same number granted to Skycity under the previous Government in 2001 for the development of the existing and much smaller convention centre. Overall the number of pokie machines in New Zealand is falling by around 500 a year. This deal slows that reduction by less than 6 months. It is by no means clear at all that a marginal increase in the number of machines in one casino would increase harm overall especially when the total number of machines across Auckland and New Zealand continues to decline.We on this side welcome this bill being regarded as requiring a conscience vote. It will allow any remaining MPs in the Opposition who actually say that they see themselves as being in favour of jobs and growth to demonstrate that. By voting in favour of this bill they can really say that they support jobs and growth. We look forward to their support. This measure is just one measure in a number that this Government has been proud to support as we focus on jobs and growth for New Zealand families. Our changes to the Resource Management Act the Crown Minerals Act legislation for ultra-fast broadband the Employment Relations Act the economic exclusive zone legislation and so on have all been about creating jobs and growth in this country while minimising social impacts. This Government lines up behind minimising the social harm of unemployment. New Zealand needs an international-size convention centre in our biggest city to be internationally competitive. A $402 million international convention centre in Auckland will do that and will be a major asset for New Zealand for years to come. I commend this legislation to the House.