edithatogo/nz-hansard-corpus huggingface dataset:
Pallett SarahSARAH PALLETT (Labour—Ilam): Thank you Mr Speaker. I rise as a member of the Health Committee in support of this piece of legislation. I just want to acknowledge and thank Dr Liz Craig the clerks and officials and everybody who worked so hard on this piece of legislation—with particular mention to the Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall who as Mr Bishop pointed out earlier has had a huge amount of success in achieving her aim of passing this bill and also of achieving the goal of introducing folate. But let me reassure Mr Bishop that she's only just getting started; she isn't done yet.So we've seen that this gives the Director-General of Health the power to direct a local authority to fluoridate the water and that's what this piece of legislation was about. But we had 2384 submissions but only 93 of those actually discussed the change that was proposed in this piece of legislation and that gave me cause for significant concern. The reason for my concern was the amount of misinformation that was actually present in some of those submissions.I'd just like to add to the previous speaker Brooke van Velden from the ACT Party when she was reassuring us that fluoride is naturally present in the water. It's not only naturally present in our water but it's a naturally occurring mineral. It's in grapes and tea and potatoes and spinach and wine. So I've probably got really good levels of fluoride from the spinach obviously. And what it does is it actually is a bit of a magic mineral. It actually remineralises teeth and it protects them from decay. And as we've heard before the science is actually settled. It really is. The science is settled the evidence is compelling. This magic mineral helps reduce tooth decay and it's something that we urgently need in all of our communities but particularly those who are experiencing deprivation living in poverty. I commend this bill to the House. Thank you.
McLellan TraceyDr TRACEY McLELLAN (Labour—Banks Peninsula): Thank you Mr Speaker. As a new member of Parliament I'm not always aware of the history of some of these bills as the previous speaker Chris Bishop has been able to very informatively regale us with this afternoon but it has nevertheless been a privilege to be part of the current parliamentary Health Committee which has sought to build on the previous work of the members of the last two Parliaments. And yes this bill was first introduced in 2016 so it has been a long time in the making but I think it's now a robust piece of legislation that seeks to significantly reduce tooth decay in New Zealand. As we've heard tooth decay is painful it is costly prohibitively so for a lot of our vulnerable communities and it's largely preventable. And as they say prevention is the best medicine.So currently as several other people have commented we have this piecemeal sort of regimen and fluoridation network at the moment. So this bill goes a long way to improving that and to increasing the sort of protection that can be afforded to all New Zealanders. I do want to take the opportunity to thank the Associate Minister of Health the Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall for her work as has been discussed in actually prioritising and therefore shepherding this bill through. In particular at this third reading stage for the Supplementary Order Paper that's in her name which confers the decision-making responsibility to the director-general rather than the individual DHBs—which obviously has practical implications but is also a means by which to confer much more consistency. It is worth I think re-emphasising that the director-general consults and is obliged to consult extensively when making those decisions particularly on public health.So it has been a long process but it's satisfying for myself and for my colleagues on the Health Committee and for a great many health advocates to see this bill progress through to its third and final reading. So I have no hesitation to commend this bill to the House.
Craig LizDr LIZ CRAIG (Labour): Thank you Mr Speaker. Every year we've got thousands of children going into hospital with dental caries and many of them are actually having quite painful multiple extractions for decayed teeth. When I used to monitor child health in my previous role what we used to see was huge inequality so Māori and Pasifika children and those from the poorer areas had much higher rates of decayed filled and missing teeth. The issue is that if you look at and say Well can it just be individual responsibility?" the problem we've got is if you look at the 2018-19 health survey what they found is that less than 60 percent of children are brushing their teeth at least twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste. So if you're relying on behaviour change alone to address these inequalities you're not going to get very far.What this bill originally when it was introduced aimed to do was transfer that decision making to the DHBs for them to assess and then direct to councils around fluoridation but with the upcoming health reforms in the middle of next year it looks like what will be happening is that the functions of DHBs will then come under Health New Zealand and be merged into Health New Zealand. What the Supplementary Order Paper that Dr Ayesha Verrall introduced at the committee stage would mean is that that decision-making power transfer to the Director-General of Health. I think what that's going to do is make sure we have a nationally consistent approach and a streamlined approach because at the moment what we've got is only 54 percent of the population have access to fluoridated water and that hasn't changed much in the last 15 years. So what we're going to do by having the director-general make those decisions is have a much more public health - focused evidence-based decision-making process.So this is a really important bill and it has the potential to significantly improve the oral health status of New Zealand children. I commend this bill to the House."
Moriori Claims Settlement Bill — Second Reading
SpeechWILLOW-JEAN PRIME (Labour—Northland): Tēnā koe e te Māngai o te Whare. He Hōnore tēnei mōku te tū i tēnei ahiahi ki te whakakī i te wā o Te Paati Māori kāhore i konei i tēnei ahiahi.Engari e tū ana ahau ki te tautoko i tēnei kaupapa. E tautoko ana te Rōpū Reipa i tēnei pire. Kua noho au ki te whakarongo ki ngā kōrero o ngā kaikōrero katoa i roto i tēnei Whare i tēnei ahiahi. E mihi ki a koutou katoa ngā kaikōrero. Tino pai te rongo i ngā kōrero e pā ana ki tēnei pire nā te mea ehara ahau i te mema i runga i te Komiti Māori ahakoa ētahi tāima he kairīwhi ahau mō ētahi o ngā mema o te Komiti Māori. Kāhore ahau i noho i roto i te komiti i te wā e kōrero ana e pā ki tēnei pire i te wā hoki i haere rātou ki Rēkohu nō reira e mihi ana ki a koutou. Engari ko te mihi nui ki te imi o Rēkohu nā rātou i whakapau kaha kia tae mai ki tēnei wā arā ki te pānuitanga tuarua o tēnei pire i roto i te Whare.E mihi ana ki te Minita arā ko Anaru Iti ki te Heamana o te Komiti Māori arā ko Tāmati Coffey ki ngā mema o te takiwā o Rēkohu arā ko taku whanaunga a Rino Tirikatene te mema Māori mō tērā motu me te hoa a Paul Eagle anō hoki. Nō reira e mihi ana ki ngā mema o te komiti o tēnei taha o tērā taha hoki. I mau mai te kaupapa ki roto i te Whare i tēnei ahiahi. E mihi ana mō tō ripoata.Tino harikoa ana ahau kua tae mai ki tēnei wā o te pānuitanga tuarua o tēnei pire. Engari ko te mea nui ko te mea tuatoru. Nō reira i runga i tēnā ka waiho aku kōrero i konei. Tēnā koe e te Māngai o te Whare.[Thank you Madam Speaker. It is a great honour for me to stand and fill in for Te Paati Māori who couldn't be here today.I stand in support of this initiative. The Labour Party supports this bill. I have sat and listened to the words of all the speakers in the House this afternoon and wish to thank all of them.It was good to hear the speeches about this bill because I am not a member of the Māori Affairs Committee although at times I have deputised for various members. I wasn't sitting on the committee when this bill was discussed or at the time that they went to Rēkohu but I wish to thank you all. However the biggest acknowledgment must go to the people of the Chatham Islands who have worked tirelessly to get to this point that is the second reading of this bill in the House.I want to acknowledge the Minister Andrew Little; the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee Tāmati Coffey; and the members of Parliament for the Chatham Islands—over there my relation Rino Tirikatene the Māori member for that island and here my friend Paul Eagle. So I acknowledge the members of the committee from both sides of the House. This initiative has been brought to the House this afternoon. I thank you for your report. I'm very pleased that we have got to this point of the second reading of this bill but the main thing is the third reading. Therefore on the basis of that I will leave my speech there. Thank you Madam Speaker.]
Hipkins Chris; Mallard TrevorSITTINGS OF THE HOUSEHon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the House): I move That the sitting of the House today be extended into tomorrow morning for the second reading of the Moriori Claims Settlement Bill; the third reading of the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Bill; the second reading of the Drug and Substance Checking Legislation Bill (No 2); the committee stages of the Education and Training (Teaching Council Fees Levies and Costs) Amendment Bill and the Education and Training Amendment Bill; the third reading of the Maritime Transport (MARPOL Annex VI) Amendment Bill; the first reading and referral to select committee of the Data and Statistics Bill; the second readings of the Commerce Amendment Bill the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill the Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Bill the Incorporated Societies Bill the Organic Products Bill and the Financial Markets (Conduct of Institutions) Amendment Bill. SPEAKER: The question is that the motion be agreed to.
Urgent Debates Declined — COVID-19—Public Relations in relation to COVID-19 Vaccine
Mallard TrevorURGENT DEBATES DECLINEDCOVID-19—Public Relations in Relation to COVID-19 VaccineSPEAKER: I have received a letter from the Hon Judith Collins seeking to debate under Standing Order 399 the Government's handling of public relations in relation to the purchase of the COVID-19 vaccine. This is not a particular case of recent occurrence. The application is therefore declined. I declare members' attentions to Speakers' rulings 204/3 and 199/5.
Speaker's Rulings — Face Masks—Political Logos
Mallard TrevorSPEAKER'S RULINGSFace Masks—Political LogosSPEAKER: Now I've got a ruling to make but before I make the ruling I was going to make I want to indicate to members that it's long been the rulings of Speakers in this House that political logos are not used as part of this House. I just want to indicate to people that the masks that they wear—and there have been some that have been on and off at different times—should not have political logos on it and I've lost the member who was wearing one previously that I only noticed later. So can people take care that their masks do not include political logos.
Seymour DavidDAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT): Thank you Mr Speaker. I would like to join with other leaders on behalf of ACT in paying tribute to Dame Cath Tizard and her great life and in offering condolences to her family who must be feeling a terrible sense of loss.Dame Cath Tizard became mayor of our largest city in 1983. That was the year that I was born and yet even as a small child I was keenly aware of the influence of this giant in New Zealand politics and in public life. The name Dame Cath Tizard was one that was so often heard and you kind of knew even as a kid it was something important. The Aotea Centre the 1990 Commonwealth Games being held in Auckland—these were all things that even as somebody starting primary school you knew were important. I think that is just one insight into the size of her influence over New Zealand public affairs.She was also someone as others have noted who was part of a vanguard of women who were first to make it to the top of their professions in New Zealand. To be the first woman to be a mayor of New Zealand's largest city and as Governor-General the first woman to be head of State of the whole country she was right at the front of that vanguard.She was also a woman of science having studied and graduated in zoology; something that I suspect she found quite useful for her role in the chat show Beauty and the Beast. She went on to say that Beauty and the Beast had helped her get prepared for her career in politics; it may well be that her degree in zoology was equally useful for this vocation.We leave her as a country all the better and stronger for having had her in our midst for all of the contributions that she made. On behalf of ACT I'd like to pay tribute to her great life and to offer our condolence to her family. Thank you Mr Speaker.Motion agreed to.
Obituaries — Dame Catherine Tizard
Davidson MaramaHon MARAMA DAVIDSON (Co-Leader—Green): Tēnā koe e te Māngai o te Whare. Tēnā koutou ōku hoa kaimahi. I rise with honour today to speak on behalf of the Green Party to acknowledge the passing of an incredible woman: Dame Catherine Tizard. I also greet everyone. It is a privilege to stand here—my first time back in the House after a few months—to be able to talk to this important occasion of acknowledgment as well. He maimai aroha tēnei.[This is our expression of affection.]Dame Tizard devoted herself to public service both at the community and national level. During her career she broke many glass ceilings as my colleagues have pointed out and was a shining light across the motu that our dreams dare not be limited to the status quo. With her campaign for Auckland mayor Dame Tizard also demonstrated that with determination and patience one can achieve their goals. While her first tilt at the Auckland City mayoralty in 1980 failed three years later she successfully became the city's first female mayor.But today along with the many countless achievements successes and attributes that we should be acknowledging I recollected that she was also an honoured patron and honoured to be the patron of the Glenn Inquiry into domestic violence and child abuse—that was The People's Blueprint that was announced in 2014. I was the chief panellist on that inquiry and we launched that here in Wellington in 2014. I had had the privilege of listening firsthand to accounts around the country and I remember speaking with Dame Cath that night at the dinner the day before we were due to announce the launch. She said to me that as she was reading through the report and understanding a lot more about the situation of violence in our country and how unacceptable that was to her that she could not always read through the accounts because it was of course upsetting to her what people still continue to have to face but that it made her even more determined to want to lend her contribution in any small or big way to the work of ending family violence and sexual violence in our country. So I thought that was an important attribute to acknowledge her for on this day.Nō reira he mihi aroha ki a ia ki a Dame Cath Tizard. He mihi aroha hoki ki tōna whānau whānui—tōku mihi aroha ki a koutou. Kia ora.[Therefore this is a loving tribute to her to Dame Cath Tizard. It is also an expression of sympathy to her wider family—I send my loving greetings to you. Thank you.]
Collins JudithHon JUDITH COLLINS (Leader of the Opposition): Thank you Mr Speaker. I'd like to acknowledge both the contribution and the passing of Dame Cath Tizard. I had the pleasure of meeting Dame Cath many times often at civic events or events supporting the arts and she was often in the presence of her daughter former member of Parliament Judith Tizard. Dame Cath was a very loyal and firm Labour supporter. She came from a part of the Waikato known as Whataroa and she went to Matamata College as did I but obviously in different years. She and I would often discuss matters such as politics in Matamata. We were both young—well obviously not at the same time—girls who went to college and we were probably the only ones from Labour homes in our classes so I think she always found that quite amusing that I ended up being as she often called it a Tory. It's not a term I normally use but I'll give her that one just once. She was a very great friend of former Prime Minister Helen Clark. Helen Clark has been very fulsome in her praise of the mentorship and support that she got from Dame Cath when Helen was at university and I think it's a great indication of her true friendship to people that she remained a close friend for many years. My sincere condolences and those of the New Zealand National Party go to Dame Cath's family and friends. I was thinking just before that she was not only a trailblazer as we like to say both as Mayor of Auckland and as Governor-General but she was also someone who liked to see other women achieve no matter what their political stripes and I think that that's one of those great assets that she had—that she could talk with anybody about anything and she was always interested in other people. May she rest in peace.
Rurawhe AdrianTUESDAY 9 NOVEMBER 2021The Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.KARAKIA/PRAYERS ADRIAN RURAWHE (Deputy Speaker): Kia tau anō te rangimārie ki a tātou. E te Atua kaha rawa ka tuku whakamoemiti atu mātou mō ngā karakia kua waihotia mai ki runga i a mātou. Ka waiho i ō mātou pānga whaiaro katoa ki te taha. Ka mihi mātou ki te Kuīni me te inoi atu mō te ārahitanga i roto i ō mātou whakaaroarohanga kia mōhio ai kia whakaiti ai tā mātou whakahaere i ngā take o te Whare nei mō te oranga te maungārongo me te aroha o Aotearoa. Amene.[Allow peace to prevail over us once again. Almighty God we give thanks for the blessings which have been bestowed on us. Laying aside all personal interests we acknowledge the Queen and pray for guidance in our deliberations that we may conduct the affairs of this House with wisdom and humility for the welfare peace and compassion of New Zealand. Amen.]
Thursday 28 October 2021 - Volume 755
Films Videos and Publications Classification (Urgent Interim Classification of Publications and Prevention of Online Harm) Amendment Bill — Third Reading
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the Films Videos and Publications Classification (Urgent Interim Classification of Publications and Prevention of Online Harm) Amendment Bill be now read a third time.Ayes 110New Zealand Labour 65; New Zealand National 33; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; Te Paati Māori 2.Noes 10ACT New Zealand 10.Motion agreed to.Bill read a third time.
VoteA party vote was called for was called for on the question That the COVID-19 Response (Management Measures) Legislation Bill be now read a third time.Ayes 75New Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.Noes 43New Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.Motion agreed to.Bill read a third time.
COVID-19 Response (Management Measures) Legislation Bill — Third Reading
10. Question No. 10—Emergency ManagementRACHEL BROOKING (Labour) to the Minister for Emergency ManagementQuestion No. 10—Emergency Management10. RACHEL BROOKING (Labour) to the Minister for Emergency Management: What reports has she seen on the New Zealand ShakeOut national earthquake drill and tsunami hikoi?Hon KIRITAPU ALLAN (Minister for Emergency Management): This morning the annual ShakeOut national earthquake drill and tsunami event took place at 9.30 a.m. I was delighted to join the enthusiastic students of Thorndon primary school for the drill earlier today and it was great to see colleagues here on the parliamentary precinct get involved as well. I've seen a report that over 660000 participants from across the country joined us in practising the ShakeOut drill and the lifesaving actions of drop cover and hold and long or strong get gone.Rachel Brooking: Why is it so important that we practise these actions?Hon KIRITAPU ALLAN: All of New Zealand is at risk of earthquakes and all of our coastline is at risk of tsunamis. We can't predict when one will happen or where we will be but we can protect ourselves and our whānau by practising what to do. In addition to the destructive Christchurch and Kaikōura earthquakes most recently on 5 March this year New Zealand experienced three tsunamis in one morning. ShakeOut aims to make the drop cover hold action seem second nature while giving us a chance to practise our tsunami evacuation routes. It's also not too late to give it a go. You can try the drill with your whānau at a time that suits you in the next two weeks to be included in the numbers participating—or even in the House right now sir.SPEAKER: I'm tempted to put the member under her desk now. Rachel Brooking: What else can Kiwis do to be prepared for emergencies such as earthquakes or tsunamis?Hon KIRITAPU ALLAN: Aside from knowing the potentially lifesaving actions of drop cover hold and long or strong get gone the most important thing that we can do is to have a chat with our whānau our mates our flatmates and make a plan. Think about what you'll do if you're separated if you have no power or water if you're stuck at home or have to evacuate who might need your help and who can help you. Also it's important to factor in COVID-19 to your preparedness plans. So make sure you have masks hand sanitiser in your grab bag and if you have to evacuate make sure you exercise physical distancing as much as possible.
7. Question No. 7—COVID-19 ResponseBROOKE VAN VELDEN (Deputy Leader—ACT) to the Minister for COVID19 ResponseQuestion No. 7—COVID-19 Response7. BROOKE VAN VELDEN (Deputy Leader—ACT) to the Minister for COVID19 Response: Does he stand by his statement that It's going to reach the stage where cases in the community will present a bigger risk to us than cases coming across the border who are effectively in the position of ending up being close contacts rather than actual cases"?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister for COVID-19 Response): Yes and I note that while this is currently the case in Auckland Kiwis returning home from overseas continue to pose a risk to other regions around New Zealand that are COVID-free at this point. It's worth reiterating that the reason the Government has border measures in place at the moment is to protect all New Zealanders. Managed isolation and quarantine has and continues to do that. The Government will continue to take a science- and facts-based approach to reducing barriers for returning Kiwis coming from abroad while maintaining safety here at home. One of the purposes of the announcements that I made today was to signal the work currently under way to find safe pathways for vaccinated travellers to enter New Zealand in greater numbers.Brooke van Velden: Why should a double-vaccinated New Zealander currently overseas carrying a negative pre-departure test result not be allowed to self-isolate when hundreds of positive COVID-19 cases in New Zealand currently are?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Because all of those cases are currently restricted to Auckland. We don't intend to restrict international arrivals into New Zealand to only Auckland.Brooke van Velden: Would it not be safer to allow overseas New Zealanders who are double vaccinated and tested negative to self-isolate in Auckland than it is to allow positive cases of COVID-19 to self-isolate in Auckland as is current Government policy?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: As I indicated the Government does not intend to restrict international arrivals into New Zealand to only the Auckland region.Brooke van Velden: Is the reason the Government won't allow New Zealanders overseas who are vaccinated to come home and self-isolate because the Government does not trust them?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: No—absolutely not. In fact I think all New Zealanders want to see us able to reconnect with the people we care about from around the world. I acknowledge that no one wants to see border restrictions in place any longer than they need to be. My message to all New Zealanders is that they have a role to play here. The sooner we get to those higher rates of vaccination the sooner the risk across the country is lower and the sooner we will be able to see more people coming into the country."
6. Question No. 6—HealthJO LUXTON (Labour—Rangitata) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 6—Health6. JO LUXTON (Labour—Rangitata) to the Minister of Health: What announcements has he made about improvements at Timaru Hospital?Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health): On Friday last week I visited Timaru Hospital where I announced the next stage of improvements to child and maternity facilities. The improvements are part of the South Canterbury hospital's four-year refurbishment project and will create a new hub for children's and women's care on a single floor within the hospital. This next stage will include a new transitional care unit. This project has been enabled by $2 million in funding from the Government provided in the New Zealand Upgrade Programme's health infrastructure package from January 2020.Jo Luxton: What outcomes is the Minister expecting from the improvements at Timaru Hospital?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: The refurbishment of maternity paediatrics and a new transitional care unit will improve access to healthcare bringing services closer to home for many families and provide a better working environment for the staff to deliver greater care for mums and babies. The new purpose-built transitional care unit will mean pre-term babies that are born at 34 weeks will not have to be transferred to Canterbury District Health Board and that the women of South Canterbury can remain in their homes and community.Jo Luxton: When can we expect these improvements to Timaru Hospital?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: This portion of the project is part of a full hospital refurbishment and maintenance programme over the next three to five years. Construction began on the child and maternity improvements in May 2021 and will see an additional birthing room and assessment unit built and will allow the ward to provide facilities for a range of birthing experiences including those requiring extra medical assistance. These improvements are on track to be completed by August 2022.
3. Question No. 3—AgricultureTEANAU TUIONO (Green) to the Minister of AgricultureQuestion No. 3—Agriculture3. TEANAU TUIONO (Green) to the Minister of Agriculture: Mālō ni Mr Speaker. What actions if any is he taking to address the possible environmental impact of imported PKE used as supplementary feed in Aotearoa? Hon STUART NASH (Minister for Economic and Regional Development) on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture: I am advised that the Government is concerned about deforestation and is actively engaged in a range of multilateral bodies that promote and share experiences on sustainable forest management. I'm also advised that the Ministry for Primary Industries through the Sustainable Farming Fund contributed $415000 towards a joint project of almost $1 million with Northland Dairy Development Trust to show farmers how they can farm without palm kernel expeller (PKE) and they're investing in a portfolio of research into establishing evidence for regenerative farming practices. Teanau Tuiono: Is the Minister aware of the recent report from Greenpeace Indonesia Deceased Estate: Illegal palm oil wiping out Indonesia's national forest and if so does he see continued use of PKE sourced from Indonesia as a risk to the international reputation of New Zealand agriculture? Hon STUART NASH: On behalf of the Minister: I'm aware of the report. I haven't read it but the New Zealand Government would not support importation that has led to illegal activity in foreign nations. Teanau Tuiono: Does the Minister agree that New Zealand as the largest importer of PKE in the world has a responsibility to ensure PKE used on our farms is not contributing to environmental disruption overseas through habitat loss for endangered species like orang-utan Sumatran tigers and elephants and if not why not? Hon STUART NASH: My understanding is that our use of PKE has dropped significantly on New Zealand farms and also—as mentioned in my answer to the primary question—that we have actually spent close to half a million dollars to work with farmers to reduce their use of PKE. Teanau Tuiono: Does the Minister consider that intensive farming reliant on PKE as supplementary feed and involving large feedlots such as the one recently reported on in Ashburton is consistent with this Government's aspiration for the agricultural sector in Aotearoa? Hon STUART NASH: On behalf of the Minister: again I understand that PKE accounts for approximately 6 to 7 percent of total feed consumed by New Zealand dairy cows and so I wouldn't say it's a substantial feed source at all. Teanau Tuiono: Will the Minister seek further advice on restricting import for use of supplementary feeds like PKE to address the environmental impact of both intensive farming in New Zealand and deforestation overseas and if not why not? Hon STUART NASH: On behalf of the Minister: it's not on the Government programme. However markets tend to adjust to consumer expectations. That's why I prefer Whittaker's over Cadbury.
1. Question No. 1—Research Science and InnovationGLEN BENNETT (Labour—New Plymouth) to the Minister of Research Science and InnovationORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Research Science and Innovation1. GLEN BENNETT (Labour—New Plymouth) to the Minister of Research Science and Innovation: What action is the Government taking to modernise New Zealand's research science and innovation system?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Research Science and Innovation): This morning Dr Verrall and I launched the Te Ara Paerangi Future Pathways green paper marking the start of a wide-ranging and collaborative conversation about the future of New Zealand's research and science system. Our research science and innovation system has served us well especially in its response to COVID-19. Scientists and researchers have been amongst the heroes of the pandemic but the world is a very different place now to when the system was created in the 1990s. We need to ensure that the great work of our scientists can continue and we need a modern future-focused research and science system that is connected adaptable resilient and diverse.Glen Bennett: How will Te Ara Paerangi incorporate Māori voices?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: The 2021 Te Pūtahitanga report showed that little data exists on the scale of investment in research conducted by Māori or for the benefit of Māori. Recent research has shown Māori make up 3 percent of total research staff at Crown research institutes and 4.8 percent of academic and university staff. We need to do better than this. A modern future-focused research system must strengthen the role of Māori in and consider how the system achieves outcomes for Māori. We need to embed Te Tiriti across our system better enabling mātauranga Māori in the interface between mātauranga and other forms of research and it's vital that we do more to remove barriers to entry in advancement of Māori as part of a thriving research system.Glen Bennett: How can people have their say on Te Ara Paerangi?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: Consultation on Te Ara Paerangi Future Pathways green paper will draw on the collective wisdom experience and inspiration of our researchers and research users. We need to gather a broad base of views on the performance of the current system to better understand the issues it faces and the opportunities for the future. For New Zealand's ongoing success prosperity and wellbeing it's essential that we get this right. Consultation will be open until March 2022 and there is a number of ways New Zealanders can have their say. More information including the full green paper is available on the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment's website.
Dean JacquiASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): Before I adjourn the House I just want to commend members of this House for what has been a wonderful moment in this House a wonderful debate. I commend you all for your contributions. The House stands adjourned until 2 p.m. on Tuesday 9 November.The House adjourned at 4.58 p.m.
Henderson EmilyDr EMILY HENDERSON (Labour—Whangārei): I rise with great satisfaction to take a call on the final reading of the—not to be outdone by any of my colleagues—Films Videos and Publications Classification (Urgent Interim Classification of Publications and Prevention of Online Harm) Amendment Bill a title worthy of the great Margaret Mahy that great Poet Laureate of Christchurch. The reference is apt: not only was she the great wordsmith of Christchurch but also she was a writer and the point of this bill is to update the Act to take into account more than writing.I well remember the moment I heard that the appalling news of the Christchurch massacre; I remember thinking that it must be some domestic murder gone wrong because I could not—no domestic murder goes right of course—but I remember thinking it must be domestic-related because I could not take into account to my head that it could be a terrorist incident in New Zealand. How far we have all had to come since that day. But what I remember driving home after school with my children in the car was hearing that it was being live streamed that the streaming was available freely and wondering whether my teenagers were going to get hold of it or had already got hold of it. Luckily they had not. But the fact remains that with the law as it was at that stage we had no ability to stop the live streaming of that atrocious event. This bill will give us the power to fill that hole in our powers to control the spread of hate and the spread of horror.I remember when I was entering a new job and I'm not a lawyer any more but at the time I was a prosecutor and I remember Mike Smith the Whangārei Crown prosecutor saying to me I'm going to ask you to do the porn cases but my very strong suggestion is you never ever ever look at the images of child pornography because you will never ever get them out of your head." Luckily I never had to take a porn case but the trauma that we saw in the community after the Christchurch massacre as a result of people inadvertently or naively exposed to that appalling site is well known. So again it is an excellent move that we are making today to withdraw that licence from terrorists and those who support and facilitate terrorism.For those who are concerned that this bill might go too far for those who are concerned that it takes too much liberty I would just point out the fact that actually all it does is change the range of mediums that we are able to control; it does not change the message. It does not change the nature of the definition of "objectionable". And on that note soberly and with great satisfaction I commend this bill to the House."
Leary IngridINGRID LEARY (Labour—Taieri): It is a real privilege to be able to stand and speak to this really important bill particularly for the people of my electorate Taieri and people in Dunedin who were directly impacted by the events of March 15 2019. There were people in my electorate who found out during the court case that the killer in that attack had been watching their children actually go to the mosque school over the road. There were people who knew that other people around New Zealand and in fact around the world had viewed the events in Christchurch on the internet. I have to say that when we are talking about freedom of speech any reasonable person would say that that is a really objectionable thing to have witnessed either in real life or on the media platforms. So terrorists live streaming those actions is one such heinous action that we don't want to see and there are others like that that are available to people who like to peddle evil who have bad intentions now that the technology is available to them.So this is a good day for my community for particularly the former refugees in my community who have been impacted in a way where they want to know they can go out into the community and feel safe. So this legislation doesn't just have the impact of stopping the broadcast; it actually has the further impact of allowing people from groups who have felt insecure to have greater security as they go about their business as residents and citizens of our beautiful country.What this bill has also done is raise a global debate and a long overdue one as my colleague over on the other side of the House—Joseph Mooney—has raised really eloquently about where the balance of freedoms lie now that the technologies have changed. It is one thing to say that we need freedom of speech but what the democratisation of social media has allowed is for the impact of harm to be much greater than it was. So I think it is really important that this bill is now giving Internal Affairs the regulatory tools to combat the spread of material that promotes violent extremism. And of course live streaming wasn't even considered when the current legislation was enacted.Just an acknowledgment to the Minister for having the foresight to send the filtering provision to the select committee to enable further debate. I think that was a really good thing to do; to be able to test if you like the waters of where some of the thinking is overwhelming where the submissions came back to say that the filtering provisions shouldn't be there. However that is not to rule out some kind of voluntary mechanism and I hope that the debate and the thinking around that continues.So it is a good day as I say for the people of Taieri for Dunedin. We will all feel a lot more secure knowing that our communities and our children will not be exposed to the terrible terrible things that members of our community endured in New Zealand both at the time of the terror attack but also with the live streaming that occurred and made the impacts of that event even more devastating around New Zealand and around the world.
Pallett Sarah; Dean JacquiSARAH PALLETT (Labour—Ilam): Thank you Madam Speaker. I rise not to be outdone by my Green Party colleague to speak in favour of the Films Videos and Publications Classification (Urgent Interim Classification of Publications and Prevention of Online Harm) Amendment Bill—did it!Levity aside I can't describe the horror that I felt during the dreadful unfolding of the Christchurch terror attacks on March 15th and to imagine that at the time people were watching that event unfolding in front of them on their devices is almost beyond comprehension. And it's because of that that we stand here today.I'd like to acknowledge that it wasn't simply bystanders those of us that were in lockdown not knowing what was happening with sirens all around. Knowing that something terrible was occurring but not knowing what it was was actually better than knowing what it was because those images were coming through to our smartphones.I don't know whether we're able to ever comprehend what it must have been like for Sara Qasem who actually saw that footage of her father being brutally murdered. It's understandable that this live streaming event wasn't captured by the legislation in place at the time. It's understandable because technology moves so quickly; technology overtook legislation. But it obviously became clear that we needed to do something and we needed to do something swiftly and effectively in order for that material to be taken down quickly and for it to be permanently removed. I don't buy the slippery slope argument I'm afraid; I think that we can be really clear at some points when objectionable material is present. I don't think there's an argument. I think we're not stupid and I don't think that people who are prosecuting these offences are stupid either.This legislation will allow the chief censor to make interim classification assessments and also for inspectors to issue take-down notices. I'd like to just actually acknowledge my colleague across the way here Barbara Kuriger who thanked the censors for their work. It must be appallingly difficult and trying and distressing work at times. But it's them that sometimes have to make these decisions and they have to watch this content and they have to be exposed day after day time after time to the endless tide of offensive and objectionable material that this legislation is being put in place to deal with.And so it's not with pleasure but great contentment that this bill will achieve something that we urgently need to achieve that I commend it to the House. Thank you.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): Joseph Mooney—five-minute call.
Luxton JoJO LUXTON (Labour—Rangitata): Thank you Madam Speaker. I consider it a real privilege to be standing here and taking a call in the third reading of the Films Videos and Publications Classification (Urgent Interim Classification of Publications and Prevention of Online Harm) Amendment Bill. I do so as parent of a then 15-year-old young boy who happened to see the horrific footage that went around the internet after the terrible events of March 15 a couple of years ago.I'd really like to acknowledge the select committee that worked on this piece of legislation and also acknowledge Minister Tinetti who has shepherded this bill through the House and as she did earlier I think it's important to also acknowledge the Hon Tracey Martin who worked on this bill and brought this bill about.I think what we've seen here has been a really good collaboration between parties around the House and the Minister has been extremely good at interacting with the select committee and hearing concerns of all those parties involved and she has worked very collaboratively with them all. I have no hesitation in commending this bill to the House.
Bennett GlenFILMS VIDEOS AND PUBLICATIONS CLASSIFICATION (URGENT INTERIM CLASSIFICATION OF PUBLICATIONS AND PREVENTION OF ONLINE HARM) AMENDMENT BILLThird ReadingDebate resumed from 27 October.GLEN BENNETT (Labour—New Plymouth): Thank you Madam Speaker. In the second reading of this bill I talked about Facebook and the internal research that they produce which I want to remind us of again. It's said that it's easier to inspire people to anger than to other emotions and our social media platforms understand this and know that using anger using rage using offensive material is a way to get clicks and engage our communities. That's why this piece of legislation is really really important—and it's amending legislation from 1993. Now back in 1993 I'm sure few of us here had internet in our homes let alone the internet in our pockets where publishing videos or film was a far harder process than just clicking the live button on your phone. So that's hence why we need this legislation and we need it quickly. The tragic events of March 15 and what was able to be done and achieved there is why we have to talk about this and pass this legislation today.I want to thank the Hon Jan Tinetti for making sure this comes into law; also we're remembering the Hon Tracey Martin in terms of bringing this to the House originally. I have nothing more to say really other than to actually read out the title which I haven't done yet because it takes a little while. So I want to commend this to the House: the Films Videos and Publications Classification (Urgent Interim Classification of Publications and Prevention of Online Harm) Amendment Bill.
Henderson EmilyDr EMILY HENDERSON (Labour—Whangārei): Kia ora e te Māngai o te Whare. I rise to take a brief call on this bill which is designed to respond to the emergency circumstances in which we now live. There are two sorts of people in an emergency and it kind of sorts the two out into two piles. There's the ones who catastrophise run in circles can't come up with a coherent plan and generally blame everyone else while demanding certainty in inherently uncertain circumstances and then there are those who look at the situation and make the pragmatic decisions necessary—the ordinary boring pragmatic decisions—that mean society can keep functioning in difficult times. It's pretty clear that the people on this side of the House are the latter sort of people. We are making sensible decisions here that will enable ordinary Kiwis to continue with their lives. We are making ordinary decisions to enable commercial tenants to continue to operate and have short-term emergency measures to enable them to deal with the very few landlords who are unreasonable. We are enabling residential tenants to deal with the very few of their landlords who might want to terminate tenancies in the middle of lockdown in level 4. We are enabling courts to continue to operate. We are enabling the police force to continue to operate fines and simple simple straightforward ordinary things that may not be glamorous. It may not enable one to shout loudly and claim Disaster!" and that the sky is falling but by my God it does enable New Zealand to keep working in an emergency pandemic situation and I firmly commend it to the House."
O'Connor GregGREG O'CONNOR (Labour—Ōhāriu): Thank you Mr Speaker. One thing I think everyone in this House and probably everyone in New Zealand will agree is that this COVID-19 pandemic will change the way the world and New Zealand works. I think it'll be something that historians in the future will look back on in the same way we look on the plague in Europe perhaps the wars—events that had a considerable impact on the way the world works. When students in New Zealand in perhaps 50 or 100 years' time are looking for somewhere as evidence—almost a time capsule of this time—they will look at a bill this bill because right in the middle of this pandemic it really looks at all those factors that influence lives of ordinary New Zealanders. What this piece of legislation does is it ensures that life can go on and life will go on better for the provisions that go through even if it's something as small as being able to do mail raffles or electronic raffles so that our charities can keep going. Also historically I think there will be those who have businesses that will survive because they will be enabled through rent relief to continue to exist. I think Mr Bayly probably gave us the best example of why this is good legislation particularly that which relates to rents because he talked about the hairdresser who because she was able to negotiate a 50 percent reduction in her rent will survive. Now Mr Bayly was at the select committee where we heard from a gentleman who runs an Airbnb in Auckland. Not only did his landlord not discuss or reduce his rent but they actually increased it. Not only is that gentleman looking at losing his business; he's also looking at losing his home because he has personal guarantees. That's the personal face of this. So look at this legislation. See it as an enabler to enable large numbers in New Zealand to continue to exist at a time during a pandemic that history will show will vastly and significantly change the way in which New Zealanders and many around the world live their lives. For that reason I commend this to the House.