Robson Matt: Rotorua District (Easter Sunday Shop Trading) Bill — Second Reading 
Robson Matt: Rotorua District (Easter Sunday Shop Trading) Bill — Second Reading 
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Hon MATT ROBSON (Deputy Leader—Progressive) 
: 
 Jim Anderton the leader of the Progressive party has a saying that one should not die wondering but he would not be against that happening in the case of some MPs here. He will vote against the Death in Dignity Bill but I will vote for it as I also believe that people should not have to die wondering. 
In this case so that my good friend Steve Chadwick knows I will vote against this bill and I will outline the reasons for that. First of all I am one of those men whose wife takes him to hardware stores—and I break into a sweat when I go. I advocate that hardware stores should be closed more often rather than opening on Sundays and Saturdays. My mother used to take me to the nurseries and if they open more often that means more planting more trees and more work on my day off. 
As well as that I have a very old-fashioned concern for the workers of this country. As a result of the philosophies pushed by Mr Rodney Hide and those in his party I have observed that more and more people are working in unprotected conditions and that they are being forced to work longer and longer hours. That may be an old-fashioned concern but I think it is one that is shared by a number of people particularly those who would like to live as long as they possibly can. There is a gentleman whom Rodney Hide probably reads quite a lot of whose name is Karl Marx. He advocated that workers should consider the theft of their time because capital was very avaricious in that regard—the more it can eat up people’s time and the less it pays for it the happier it is. That is a thinker whom Rodney Hide should pay some regard to. 
In addition there is a slogan of the labour movement that states that we should have 8 hours’ work 8 hours’ play and 8 hours’ sleep. There are variations on that slogan but the general principle is sound and there is room within it to look at the changes that are occurring in our society. Let us look at them in terms of balance. First of all let us look at the lack of balance between people’s working lives and their free time. It is out of balance at the moment because it has tilted towards there being too many people working too many long hours at the expense of their health and their families. The other reason that I will vote against this bill is that I am not only old-fashioned but an old-fashioned socialist. I believe it is important for us to look at our collective resources and to find ways to spend less time working so that our health family life and community life are improved. 
The National Distribution Union has written a letter to all members of Parliament and it has some very cogent arguments as to how we can move forward on this issue in a rational way. The union wrote: “The National Distribution Union writes seeking your support to defer the bill to the Shop Trading Hours Working Group. This position was put to the select committee hearing on the 20th of February 2003 by the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions and the Retail Merchants Associations. Simply we believe it is sensible and efficient to utilise the agreed working-party process to develop workable consistent law rather than making law by exemption.” I believe the argument put forward by the union provides a sensible way forward. Once we look at it in detail it will allow us to move forward in those areas where it is possible to extend shopping hours but not in the ad hoc way that this bill proposes. 
I understand that Steve Chadwick is looking at the economic needs of her area and is therefore presenting this bill as a responsible member. However this bill allows for the creep effect. In other words Tauranga Levin or wherever else will copy Rotorua without our reviewing the law in Parliament in a way that will give proper protection to workers and to those communities that are pushed more and more into giving up time with regard to their own recreational and family needs. I hope we are sensible and look towards the solution that the National Distribution Union has put forward.