Turei Metiria: Misuse of Drugs (Classification of BZP) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Turei Metiria: Misuse of Drugs (Classification of BZP) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:645;Page:14763] 
METIRIA TUREI (Green) 
: 
 The Green Party has an amendment that will soon be on the Table. It is a very simple amendment to clause 2 in the Minister’s Supplementary Order Paper 180. The amendment substitutes 1 May for 1 April as the date on which the Drugs (Classification of BZP) Amendment Bill comes into force. It is not a huge change. 
We have made it very clear that we oppose this legislation on principle but there is a question here about the ability of businesses—particularly small New Zealand businesses regardless of whether we think they are good businesses—to be able to rely on the law as it stands. We need to have practical law in place that enables them to comply with new law in good time when laws change. 
The issue here is that between the time when this legislation is passed in this House and then comes into force a large number of small businesses in this country will have to find a way extremely quickly to recall the product they have distributed in various forms around the place—I do not know quite how that works—bring it back to their own central offices and then send it back to the distributor as it will not be lawful for those businesses to sell that product or to hold it any longer. They simply cannot do it all in what could end up being only 7 working days. It will be simply impossible for them to comply with that aspect of the law. 
As I say this is not about whether we like these businesses or about what the businesses are engaged in. But if this Government and this Committee has any respect for small businesses and for the fact that businesses are entitled to rely on the law as it stands and should be able to be assisted at least with time frames to comply with changes in the law then more time is needed. They do not need a heap more time and they are not asking for a heap more time just a few more weeks to be able to put in place the mechanisms to recall the products they will need to recall. 
I understand that they are asking for only 3 or 4 weeks in which to be able to do that. That is why we are not putting forward an amendment that will unduly mess with the legislation. It is not a delaying tactic. It is not designed to completely prevent the law from proceeding. We could have a whole range of amendments that do that. As members know filibustering is possible but the Green Party does not engage in it. We are very much engaged in practical measures to assist small New Zealand businesses. 
I urge the Committee to support the Green Party amendment which simply states that the legislation will come into force on 1 May rather than 1 April. That will give these business people the opportunity and time to recall the products they need to recall and make sure they comply with the legislation. Frankly from the information I am getting from small businesses in general—those who deal with these products in particular—I see that they want to comply with the law. They want to be able to meet the legal regulations. They are not happy with the changes obviously. The changes mean that many of them will go out of business. But they do not want to be in contravention of the law because of the very serious consequences. That is responsible behaviour on the part of these small-business people. 
These small-business people are doing their best to meet their legal obligations. Just as their product is legal now it will not be legal in perhaps a week or so and they want to comply effectively and properly. But they simply cannot within the time frame they have been given. 
I urge the Committee the Minister and the Government to seriously consider supporting the Green Party amendment which will delay the introduction of the bill for just a month. That is not a very long time but it does give a great deal of assistance to these small-business people to do the right thing. That is a perfectly rational and reasonable approach for the Government and for the Committee to take. These are businesses after all. They have employees whom they need to take care of. Employers will perhaps have to close down their businesses reorganise all of their financial arrangements fire the staff whom they have to fire and give up their premises. They may have contracts for premises. They will have to deal with all those financial consequences as well. 
There is a lot they will have to do and comply with in order to be able to go out of business if selling products containing benzylpiperazine is mostly what they are engaged in. They will have about a 7-day time frame in which to recall their products and manage their business while they are firing staff and getting out of other contracts that they may have to get out of. While bearing the financial burden of having to do that it is perfectly fair that they are not given this extra burden of having to comply within such a short period of time. I urge the Committee to think seriously about this amendment. Thank you.