O'Connor DamienHon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister of Agriculture): Thank you Madam Chairperson and I'd like to take the opportunity to take a call here. It is an exciting and privileged time I guess to be Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Biosecurity and a few other things. Can I firstly acknowledge our coalition partners without whom we wouldn't be able to govern and do good things in the primary sectors and my colleague Mark Patterson who filled in for me at the Century Farm awards a celebration in Lawrence of people who have been on the land for over 100 years. The night before I was at the Ahuwhenua awards celebrating people who have been on the land for a lot longer than 100 years and that is our Māori. Māori agri-business is booming at the moment. It was a pleasure and an honour to be there at that.As the previous speaker Mark Patterson said we've seen a 7 percent increase in total growth of exports from our primary sectors. Can I thank and acknowledge all those people: the farmers the horticulturalists the forestry people the fishers—all those people out there who are helping create wealth for this country supported by a Government that does care not just about the cities and not just about a few people who can accumulate all of those benefits but actually every New Zealander. Our approach and our policy is that exports and trade should benefit each and every New Zealander. It's why we've gone out and negotiated the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement which is new opportunities which is why we're negotiating the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership which is a trade agreement we hope to get in place with half the world's population. But in creating those opportunities we've got to have industries that take them up and then we've got to have structures that share the benefits around. That's the difference between us and the previous Government.I'd like to respond to a couple of things raised by the Hon Nathan Guy in terms of M. bovis. Yes when we came into Government we were facing a big challenge. The previous Government had kind of been like a possum in the headlights with M. bovis—hadn't really taken any crucial decisions and so we had to get on to it. Can I say nowhere else in the world has this been done. We are not perfect and mistakes have been made but I have to say that we're still on track to eradicate this disease. No one else has done so. If we can do that we will save over time literally billions and billions of dollars for farmers—people at the front line—through animal medicines and through productivity that can still be maintained at some of the best levels across the world. There are a lot of reasons to get rid of M. bovis but we had a NAIT system that had been in place for about five years and hadn't been enforced hadn't been followed through and indeed even this week we had to expose the reality that there's still a bit of a casual approach.Now farmers have told me in the last day or two quite rightfully that the NAIT system's still not working well. Well I accept their criticism but NAIT is something owned by Beef and Lamb New Zealand DairyNZ MPI and Deer Industry New Zealand. It's not just MPI's responsibility. So while we get all the criticism the fact is that industry organisations have to step up and make sure that their softly softly approach to NAIT—as it was under the National Government—has been stepped up. But there's a whole lot of work to be done in making sure that the 0800 number can be answered in a timely fashion that the online connection can be effective and that farmers aren't facing unnecessary hurdles in trying to record the stock movements that go on every single day on and off their farms.Can I say that we will sort that out. We will change the law and the resources we put in but it's not MPI's fault. We will assist with regulation with the law and as part of that management regime but it is important that farmers and MPI and Deer Industry New Zealand and Beef and Lamb New Zealand all share the burden and get on and do as best we can.In regards to the Delane report which was an investigation into the pathways off the back of fruit fly I share a view of Nathan Guy that it was a good report and that it identified a couple of pathways that we know are risky—and that is New Zealand Post: with the growth in the online purchases from all around the world into New Zealand that has come under huge pressure. But it's been under pressure I have to say not just for the last 18 months but actually for years. The National Government refused to work with New Zealand Post to upgrade that.Let's move to the airport. Auckland International Airport is a disgrace. It's a disgrace when people come into this country and firstly face the biosecurity and customs requirements from us because they've invested in car-parks they've invested in buildings they've invested in everything other than in the area of biosecurity. I have to say that we've had some blunt conversations with them—and I'll continue to do that because it is really important that we welcome people. And while the previous Government wanted to fast-track people in what we are saying is No sorry biosecurity is too important and we are not going to fast-track people if there is a risk and we'll upgrade."Now the fact about the dogs that the Opposition go on and on about is look they set up the dog structure and the regime around the shifts. There was tension I accept and we've moved to sort that out. We've put one scanner in so that we can check all bags. We're going to get another scanner. We will upgrade and invest in biosecurity because it is necessary.Can I just acknowledge the good people in Auckland for their cooperation: Northcote Devonport and South Auckland where we've had the fruit fly. They have been incredibly supportive and understanding in working with Biosecurity New Zealand to try and catch every one of those flies. Thank you for your cooperation.Can I just go on to the trees as this was mentioned—Te Uru Rākau; yes we do want to plant a lot of trees. I have to say finally after years and years of neglect forestry's got its day in the sun. Can I acknowledge my colleague the Hon Shane Jones for really pushing ahead because forestry was important and then was ignored and now it's important again. We've set up a separate unit called Te Uru Rākau. They have some support but more importantly they went and they have mapped the whole of New Zealand—identifying areas where we can plant a billion trees plus and not have any impact on farmland.Yes there are some lazy speculative investors that are buying good farms—not that many of them to be fair and it's been ramped up. I share their concern that we should not have good farmland planted in trees. There are plenty of other useful areas to plant trees—the right tree in the right place. Watch this space.Can I say that we do accept that criticism but we have to be realistic about what the level of threat is and we're going to look at that. My colleague the Hon Shane Jones has acknowledged his part to play in that review that we are just looking at. Can I say that—Hon Nathan Guy: Have you got a review under way?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: No we don't have a review under way. We reflect on our actions every single day because we are not as arrogant as the previous Government to think that we know everything. We listen and we'll accept some criticism where it's warranted and we'll make changes where needed not the arrogance that we saw from the previous National Government.Can I talk in terms of the area of GE because it was raised by the Opposition spokesperson about ryegrass. Well there was a Government in place for nine years that had all the opportunity in the world to undertake these trials and indeed it didn't occur. Can I say that there are people that think we need to have a discussion on genetic engineering and the CRISPR technology and I think that does need to take place. It's not the magical one bullet or solution to all the issues that we face. Those who put it forward as the solution are very naive. So we'll work with that as needed.Can I say what we are doing—and somewhere where we've had an opportunity is somewhere like wool. Wool: biodegradable renewable been a part of our agricultural system and primary production for years and years—totally neglected and nothing done for nine years. Well we've got a group working on the opportunities and in my view when we compliment the meat income in a dry-stock operation with wool and maybe some trees we'll go back to mixed-farm models that are more resilient that are more sustainable and deliver more value from New Zealand because we are not going to ask farmers just to double exports and just to double everything they do which was the previous regime. We are saying to them that we will get more for what you do not just ask you to do more because we can't continue to drive agriculture and primary production without consideration of the environmental impacts and of the effect of labour on the skills that we need.So we are as a Government taking a comprehensive look at where we need to go. I'm proud of the work that has gone in and the approach that farmers are taking to make that transition. Wait for Thursday: we'll be in a position to show that we care and we are committed to the people in this country who drive primary industries."