Brown Peter: Customs and Excise Amendment Bill (No 3) — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Brown Peter: Customs and Excise Amendment Bill (No 3) — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
[Sitting date: 02 September 2008. Volume:649;Page:18509. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
PETER BROWN (Deputy Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 I sensed the member John Hayes’ relief when his 10 minutes came to an end. He struggled through those 10 minutes and I have to say to the honourable member that we suffered the pain also. It was a relief to us when he finished. 
This bill is a tidy-up bill. To my mind it does three things. It updates the penalties and procedures around offences and seizures and New Zealand First members think that is a good thing and eminently sensible. 
It provides for an individual—[ 
Interruption 
] I think the Berocca is kicking in over there. I sense the Berocca is kicking in. The bill provides for individuals to grow and cultivate tobacco for their own private individual use—provided that they grow it on their own land and provided that they manufacture the tobacco into whatever form they want in their own house. Those are the two provisos—and of course they have to be over 18. 
I was interested in the Greens’ minority report; it intrigued me. It states: “The Green Party member opposed writing into the legislation a limit of 15 kilograms for the personal use exemption as evidence received suggested that such a high limit was not appropriate.” I wonder what those members would have said if it were cannabis—an illegal drug. They do not mind growing and smoking cannabis but they have an objection to some old veteran growing a bit of tobacco putting it in his pipe sitting on his porch and enjoying watching the All Blacks win against whomever they are playing. We think that amount is a good insertion in this bill. 
I am particularly keen on the insertion that provides for craft—sea craft aircraft—that in extraordinary circumstances arrive in a place that is not controlled by the Customs Service. I think it is a good move. It is a sensible move. There are three provisos. The bill allows sea craft or aircraft to arrive as a result of a statutory obligation or navigation requirement and that is a good move. I can remember that when I was a chief officer at sea our ship carried a little amount of explosives—and I am not talking in respect of this country. When we arrived at the place we were taking them to we declared that we had explosives—a dangerous commodity. We were totally upfront—as we New Zealand First people normally are about things. We arrived at this particular port and we declared that we had explosives on board. A little bit of panic resulted and we had to berth away from the mainstream berths. That was a genuine circumstance. 
Shane Ardern referred to aircraft and I thought he made a very good point. I will not go over it. The bill allows for the result of a mishap—something happening on board either an aircraft or sea craft—or bad weather. Ships have to pull into all sorts of places in bad weather; I can tell members that it is sometimes pretty rugged. 
Finally it allows for craft authorised by the Chief Executive of the Customs Service for whatever reason. I listened to Shane Ardern and he made a very good point: can our border control officials and individuals cope with such circumstances? This bill at least provides a midway step. It compels the chief executive to consult before he or she gives an authority for a craft to berth wherever it needs to berth. The chief executive has to consult the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry the Ministry of Health and the New Zealand Police. If it is an aircraft the chief executive has to consult the Civil Aviation Authority and if it is a sea craft Maritime New Zealand. I think that is a step in the right direction; it recognises that other Government departments may need to be involved and that they need to be consulted. 
I will stop where I began by saying that this bill is a very good bill. It is very sensible. It is tidy-up legislation and New Zealand First supports it. 
A party vote was called for on the question that the amendments recommended by the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee by majority be agreed to.