Peachey Allan: Immigration Bill — In Committee 
Peachey Allan: Immigration Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:657;Page:6673] 
ALLAN PEACHEY (National—Tamaki) 
: 
 The Immigration Bill is a very substantial piece of work. Clearly a lot of effort has gone into it. I was not a member of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee which dealt with it and when I look at the size of the task I must say that I am not sorry about that. The select committee is to be commended for its attention to detail and for the very solid and cooperative work that it has put into this bill. I also acknowledge the role of a number of Ministers of Immigration because it has clearly passed through several sets of ministerial hands to reach the point where it is at now although I believe that the current Minister in the chair the Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman deserves a lot of credit. 
Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. 
ALLAN PEACHEY 
: When we broke for the welcome dinner break I had just been commenting that the Immigration Bill is very substantial and complex legislation which has been worked on by a lot of people for a long time. I reiterate my congratulations to the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee; I was not a member of the committee during its deliberations. It clearly did a very good job as did several Ministers from both the current and previous Governments. I reiterate my compliments to the present Minister in the chair Jonathan Coleman for the fine job that he has done in getting this bill to the Committee. 
When legislation is as far-reaching and as I have said as complex as this bill it is very very important that Parliament gets it right. That takes time and it takes attention to detail. The time has gone into this bill; so has the attention to detail. As the previous speaker Lianne Dalziel said this is once-in-a-generation legislation. It is worth getting it right. 
Addressing specifically Part 1 I say the bill contains a statement of purpose. In summary the purpose is “to manage immigration in a way that balances the national interest as determined by the Crown and the rights of individuals.” As a previous Labour speaker has commented every nation has the sovereign right to control who comes across its borders. It is not a right to live in a country; it is a privilege. But it is important to get the balance right between the two and it is my view that this bill does that. The primary objective of reforming the legislation is to establish a stronger more flexible and more durable legislative foundation for New Zealand’s immigration system. The objective is to facilitate entry into New Zealand and to enable people to stay in New Zealand who are of the types that New Zealand wants and needs. 
H V Ross Robertson 
: Come on a bit of passion Allan! I know it’s been a long day but come on! 
ALLAN PEACHEY 
: Is Mr Robertson not enjoying this speech? 
H V Ross Robertson 
: I want a bit of passion. 
ALLAN PEACHEY 
: Well we decided on this side of the Chamber that on the last evening of urgency we would tone down some of the hard truths that we have had to say about the Labour Party and the previous Government. If the member would like to take a call himself and have a crack at me I would welcome that. It might get me motivated to take another call later in the evening. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: If you do that we’ll ask Aaron Gilmore to take a call. 
ALLAN PEACHEY 
: Ha ha! The business of the Government is far more serious than this surely. I guess one of the privileges of being in Opposition is that members do not have to take anything very seriously because they are not responsible for anything. 
In fact given the intention of this bill to set up a strong more flexible and enduring legislative foundation for New Zealand’s immigration policy it is important that there is as high a degree of cooperation across the floor of the Chamber among all parties as can be achieved. New Zealand needs to control who crosses its borders; it needs to control who is allowed to stay. Immigration is a very very important part of the fabric of what makes up New Zealand and of where many New Zealanders came from. So immigration needs to be managed in a fair and balanced way: a way that balances the interests of the Crown with the interests of the individual. Thank you.