Utikere Tangi; Salesa JennyBUILDING (BUILDING PRODUCTS AND METHODS MODULAR COMPONENTS AND OTHER MATTERS) AMENDMENT BILLThird ReadingDebate resumed from 2 June.TANGI UTIKERE (Labour—Palmerston North): Fa'afetai lau afioga le Fofoga Fetalai. Talofa lava Madam Speaker thank you. It's a pleasure to rise and take a call on the third reading of the Building (Building Products and Methods Modular Components and Other Matters) Amendment Bill and in doing so can I acknowledge you Madam Speaker on the role that you have played with this particular piece of legislation as it has moved through the various parts of the parliamentary process. I also acknowledge the leadership of the Minister who spoke in the House last night the Hon Poto Williams along with officials and the Parliamentary Counsel Office in the drafting component and exercise in relation to this bill.I also want to acknowledge fellow Environment Committee members for their role in progressing it. I guess as a new member of this House there are many firsts and this is amongst the first one that I've been a member of the select committee that has gone through second reading committee of the whole House and then through to third reading as it stands presently. So it's always nice to have those learning opportunities along the way.This bill essentially will be some form of reform to the Building Act 2004: a piece of legislation that has been 17-plus years in the making. Many people in many various industries will have a range of different opportunities where they have engaged with that piece of legislation; it is a piece of legislation that is well known in many circles. What the bill will do is it will as referred to in second reading make it easier for people within the industry and outside of the industry to make some well-informed decisions because they will have specific product information around the components of building supplies but also the methods that would be used available to them. I'm sure that members of this House will agree that when they have more information they are in a better place to make particular decisions.We all know that a particular challenge that local councils and the sector face regardless of where you are in the country tends to be around the issue of consenting and obviously the Building Act has a key role in terms of a primary piece of legislation and what that means in that particular space. This will be yet another tool I guess in the tool kit for local government and for local councils alongside those in the industry to use in facing the various challenges that they have.What is pleasing is that as this piece of legislation has moved through its various processes the committee and the House has been responsive to the various aspects that actually came through this select committee process where members of the public had an opportunity to submit and that has worked its way through. As a result we have a piece of legislation that has a number of changes that are directly as a result of that select committee process. I said it at second reading and I'll say it again: it's a prime example of the select committee process in action and working so that's really pleasing as well.Yesterday we heard from the Minister of Finance who reminded us of the 100000 apprentices in New Zealand and that 57000 of that figure were actually new to that line of work. But he went on to inform the House that actually one-third of the 57000 were in the sector of construction. That's really important because the people who will be engaging with this legislative change will come from that very sector in the construction sector and so it's appropriate that I acknowledge them today.One of the aspects that came through the select committee process as a form of change was around pushing out the amount of time that would be given over to the authorities for regulations to be developed. I don't intend to go into the regulations as such but what I would say is that pushing it from 12 to 15 months just gives it that additional little bit of flex to make sure that actually when these regulations are developed made and effectively implemented there's adequate time for that to actually take place and for that to happen.One of the changes that we also saw come through to third reading was that around offences. So the bill does continue to create some new offences. It does continue to put in place some higher maximum penalties that—it's certainly my view—would serve as a disincentive. You can have a look at those particular new tariffs. I have no doubt that they will serve as a reminder to anyone that wishes to engage with the Building Act that they have a responsibility and indeed an obligation to make sure that they are compliant with that.It also extends the filing time frame for a charging document and my view is that when you look at the bill—and it's contained in replacement section 203A inserted by clause 51—it outlines a number of factors but also actually what is contained in the bill is around the process for investigation. Many people in this House I'm sure will be aware that often as part of a process of investigation there needs to be a little bit more time to make sure that the evidence the information is gathered that there are natural justice considerations and I'm pleased to say that they are very clearly outlined in section 203A around that. When you consider what that means in practice it makes sense to ensure that actually there is an extension as to the period of time by which local government or local territorial authorities may wish to take to actually file a charging document through the courts. So that is appropriate in that regulatory space.One of the aspects that I think is really important in this bill is that it introduces an opportunity in Part 2A of amended Schedule 1AA inserted by clause 97 to do things a little bit differently. It's certainly my hope that this would be something that was able to extend itself beyond this particular bill and into other pieces of legislation because it's about the way in which we actually go about notifying our community that things are happening. Many people in this House will be aware that the traditional approach is to put a public notice in a community newspaper or a local rag. We all know and we can all reflect on the various roles that we have in community groups and other organisations that actually most people—a lot of people; not all but a lot of people—will get the information from websites via email from digital newsletters and the like. So what Part 2A does as a new part is it provides an opportunity for these rules that would be developed—rules around the product certification scheme and also rules around the modular component manufacturer scheme—to actually be made available on the ministry's website. Instead of going through the process of putting that into a public newspaper which can be a little bit cumbersome from time to time this new provision will allow actually for the rules to move with technology and to ensure that there is a presence in that digital space.So not only is that a wonderful opportunity but if we look down further this particular bill also provides an opportunity for the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment to actually put on their website and make available to the public a consolidated version of the various scheme rules for both of those: the certification and the modular component manufacturer aspects as well. So not only are the rules in their entirety made available but also a consolidated version so that they're easy to access by the community. So that's something that I'm particularly proud of that stands out in this piece of legislation.Just last week I was talking with a local builder who is involved heavily in a local construction company. We all know that there are challenges in that particular sector from time to time—particularly so right now—and that there is certainly no shortage of work in the pipeline for people in the construction sector and industry. So I know that for him this will be some comfort to those challenging opportunities because it will make the process easier with the introduction of new product information requirements that will provide certainty. They will provide opportunities for consumers but actually also for builders and regulators to ensure that there is that sense of satisfaction but also that element of protection in that they will be aware and they will know that the products and the methods that they are going to use in construction are certified and are fit for purpose.This is another example of a bill that is well wanted well needed and I'm delighted that its time has come in terms of it coming to third reading. On that particular basis I'm delighted to be able to commend this bill to the House.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa): Fa'afetai.