Lewis Steph; Rurawhe AdrianBIOSECURITY (INFORMATION FOR INCOMING PASSENGERS) AMENDMENT BILLFirst ReadingSTEPH LEWIS (Labour—Whanganui): I move That the Biosecurity (Information for Incoming Passengers) Amendment Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Primary Production Committee to consider the bill. It's a privilege and honour to be able to bring the Biosecurity (Information for Incoming Passengers) Amendment Bill to the House for its first reading and I want to begin my kōrero tonight by acknowledging the Hon Kiritapu Allan who after meeting and talking with stakeholders across our primary industries heeded their concerns about what they saw as a gap in the layers of protection at our borders and took the initiative to draft this bill. Thank you Kiri for your work to support our growers and food producers and for your efforts to protect our environment. We're wishing you a speedy recovery. I was pleased to have the opportunity to put my name to this bill because in the Whanganui electorate we have a large number of farmers and growers who contribute significantly to our local economy and who like farmers across the country have played a big part in our export-led recovery. The farmers and growers in Whanganui South Taranaki and Stratford produce a range of foods for both our domestic and international markets including milk artisan cheese berries meat and more recently quinoa. We also have beautiful forests rivers lakes and national parks all of which could be put at risk from a biosecurity incursion. I grew up in the region on a sheep and beef farm in the back of Waverley. I remember when we first bought that farm we would sit up at night listening to kiwi call across the valley but sadly those calls have disappeared over the years. So I know how important robust security measures are to protect our native species and to protect our ecosystems and our food and fibre sector. I know that if we faced a significant biosecurity threat in my electorate it would take a significant toll on local farmers and growers not just financially but on their wellbeing as well. It would also cause strain on their relationships with w'ānau and friends. So the Biosecurity (Information for Incoming Passengers) Amendment Bill is a small bill but I think a common-sense bill. It will strengthen the layers of defence against biosecurity threats at our border protect our food and fibre sector—that's the livelihoods of our farmers and growers and their families—and also protect our environment. It does this by inserting a new section into the Biosecurity Act 1993 which would require all craft coming into New Zealand to provide passengers with approved written and audiovisual information about our biosecurity. Videos must be approved by the Director-General of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and be played in a prominent position that can be seen and heard by all passengers on the craft. Currently it's optional to provide passengers with information about our biosecurity and many conservation advocates and those from our food and fibre sector have raised concerns that only some of the airlines coming here are providing that information and that this creates an unnecessary biosecurity risk. This bill will fill that gap by adding another layer of protection reducing the likelihood of a preventable biosecurity threat entering New Zealand with an incoming passenger. As well as making the provision of approved information mandatory the bill will create a new strict liability offence under the Biosecurity Act for failing to provide passengers with approved information. It would also be an offence if approved information was not updated and were to become erroneous or misleading. Our food and fibre sector contributes significantly to our economy. We are well-known for punching above our weight and Aotearoa is the country of 5 million that feeds 40 million across the globe. In the last financial year export revenue from this sector was around $47.5 billion. The tourism sector also contributes significantly to our economy and the many visitors who pre-COVID came here to see our taonga—that's our national parks and our native birds fish lizards all in their natural habitats. So a biosecurity incursion that takes hold here would have a critical impact on our economy especially our regional economies. Requiring those operating a craft to provide approved information means everyone coming to New Zealand will be given common-sense information about what they can do to help us protect our biosecurity—information like Do not bring fruit or vegetables or animal products into New Zealand." and "Wash your shoes before you visit a farm or a national park here." These small steps can prevent a biosecurity incursion here which could have serious consequences for our environment and those in our food and fibre sector. Take the Queensland fruit fly for example. The last time we had a small incursion of the Queensland fruit fly in Northcote and Devonport it cost us $12 million to eradicate. But if travellers are told on the plane not to bring in the apple that they've put in their bag but to leave it on the plane or put it in an MPI bin at the airport that reduces the risk of an undetected fruit fly or larva hitching a ride into New Zealand. MPI estimates that 80 percent of New Zealand's horticulture crops are susceptible to attack from the Queensland fruit fly. That would devastate our multibillion-dollar horticultural industry as well as our regional economies. Fruits and vegetables attacked by the Queensland fruit fly are inedible and an infestation would mean we would face trade restrictions on our produce. After having the good fortune to have my bill pulled from the ballot I've so far been able to meet with biosecurity advisers from DairyNZ Horticulture New Zealand and Zespri and I especially want to thank DairyNZ for their support and Horticulture New Zealand who I know were thrilled when they heard that this bill had been drawn. Each of these organisations as well as many others who support our food and fibre sector have a strong focus on biosecurity. They spend millions of dollars each year trying to understand the probability of a potential threat entering New Zealand and the potential for those threats to spread to a large number of farms or growers and the resulting impact that would have. By knowing which of these threats pose the greatest risk to their industry they can develop targeted surveillance programmes to detect incursions sooner. It also means they can better support our farmers and growers to respond. We don't just monitor direct threats to our produce; we also closely monitor potential threats that could impact what we feed our livestock—in other words pest or diseases that could threaten our pastures and crops. Last year the fall armyworm which feeds on crops and pastures made it into Australia. If an infestation occurred here it would devastate our pastures and crops seriously impacting our growers and farmers their livestock and our economy. Now to those of us here in New Zealand who understand our unique environment we know how lucky we are to be free of so many pests and threats that other countries battle and that's in big part due to our being located at the bottom of the Pacific. Being free from unwanted pests and diseases gives us a competitive advantage. It's played a role in building our international reputation as a nation that exports high-quality products. The arrival of new diseases and pests puts that at risk. But for those who aren't coming from an isolated country with few pests or diseases it seems perfectly normal to pack some fruit for the trip some honey as a gift or some dried meat as a snack and the boots they've just worn in a forest or on a farm. In fact at an international airport overseas once I watched as someone got a tree wrapped to take on the plane with them—a sight that would cause anxiety for many New Zealanders. That's why this bill is necessary. It adds another layer of protection for our industries by providing information to those new to our shores. Now is the time while our borders are closed to make sure that we've got the safeguards right to ensure that when the time comes to reopen to the world we have a robust biosecurity system that ensures pests and diseases are kept out of Aotearoa and our environment and the wellbeing and livelihoods of New Zealanders are protected. I'm looking forward to considering this bill with my colleagues at the Primary Production Committee and I can't wait to hear and read submissions from those in our food and fibre sector who want to protect our environment and interested members of the public. This bill aims to protect our environment and the food and fibre sector through a strong biosecurity system which includes providing information that explains to passengers on their way here about the important role they can play to keep our biosecurity strong. Therefore it is my privilege to commend this bill to the House. DEPUTY SPEAKER: The question is that the motion be agreed to."