Bennett GlenGLEN BENNETT (Labour—New Plymouth) (remote): Kia ora Mr Speaker and thank you to my colleague and neighbour in Taranaki - King Country Barbara Kuriger and you did a really good job of winging it. I am part-winging it tonight. My computer system actually went down another whole story I won't tell you about but I did get locked out of my house for 20 minutes this evening. But that's another story. I'm glad to hear that Barbara Kuriger that people across the floor are supporting this piece of legislation because it is as I said around protecting Aotearoa New Zealand; it's protecting our biodiversity it's protecting our plant life and so it's very much worth protecting. Now I often think that people from overseas don't quite understand the uniqueness of New Zealand and as the world has shrunk in the last 70 or 80 years with the means of being able to fly and not just being on a ship for six to eight weeks I often think that people don't understand the uniqueness of New Zealand the uniqueness of our position in the world the uniqueness also of our indigenous biodiversity our indigenous pieces of plant life that are here in our beautiful nation. We need to protect that and I think for too long we haven't and so this is another piece of work another piece of legislation that will ensure that. I've had many friends come to New Zealand who of course as many of us are are blown away by the beauty by the scenery of our natural environment here and we must do all we can to protect it. As was mentioned we've had things come through such as Mycoplasma—and as he's winging it his notes have just gone off his screen. We've had things come through around our kiwifruit industry. We've had issues come through in many spaces and we need to ensure that we protect everything here and that's why a piece of legislation like this as simple as it is is required to ensure that we look after and keep our space safe. Now when I talk about friends from overseas they arrive in New Zealand and they just don't realise quite how far away we are and how for many of my friends in parts of Europe and Asia of course to go to another country is a day trip or to go to another country is where you go shopping or you go to the mall. But of course in New Zealand that's not really something we do and haven't done for a long time. So I support my colleague and another neighbour Steph Lewis on this piece of legislation. Obviously as she spoke about this bill amends the Biosecurity Act of 1993 to require large commercial aircraft that are en route to New Zealand to before the craft arrives in New Zealand provide information to the craft's passengers about the biosecurity law relevant to arrival in New Zealand. This is required by regulation made under this Act. And like I said how many times have you been with an international traveller who has had a banana or an apple or things in their bag which to them seem very insignificant but to us as a nation are very very significant? Like I say I'm just trying to get my device working which is just wonderful how technology works so well and it doesn't like me at all. People who come into New Zealand they come here for the experience but also people come here to New Zealand for the natural beauty and of course also people from within New Zealand have lives to live and businesses to run whether it be in our agriculture sector our farming sector and in many other parts where like for example with our kiwifruit industry and the Psa it was a massive challenge for us here in New Zealand. As Barbara Kuriger alluded to and I said before around the Mycoplasma and the challenges that we faced—but the fact that we're now working really hard to eradicate that. But we don't want to have to eradicate; we want to make sure that we stop it at the border. And because we are a nation that has a border of water we are really really well set up.Now when my friends and visitors come here they often think of things like The Lord of the Rings Middle Earth and they think of the experiences of Boy or Whale Rider and the beauty of our nature and our scenery and we need to ensure that we do all we can to protect that and this piece of legislation is a part of doing that a part of ensuring that we keep and protect what is here. And again as I said earlier it is very much around the indigenous biodiversity that is unique only to New Zealand is unique only to us and we must do all we can. We must do everything we can to ensure that we protect that. I'm grateful again that Steph Lewis has brought this. I was unable to be part of the select committee to listen to and hear submissions. I'm glad and thank Steph Lewis for your explanation in first speech letting us know some of the changes that were made to this legislation to make it more robust and more fit for purpose for going forward. Steph Lewis is someone who I respect who I know comes out of Whanganui which is right next to me and as she said this is for the sake of her own constituents as Barbara Kuriger then also spoke about—for the sake of the work she does and her constituents and for myself here in Taranaki and as the MP for New Plymouth which stretches around part of Taranaki here it is around ensuring the safety of our people here. Now we in Taranaki don't have an international airport just yet—you know it's always on the cards why not let's think big right—but again it's that transition. When the world is so small when there's so much connection going on around the world we know that a flight from Asia or South America or North America or Eastern or Western Europe or wherever it is around the world can so quickly come into Auckland or Wellington or Christchurch and then divert straight away to a flight to the beautiful Taranaki. Can I also add just a little wee plug that New Plymouth I think for the second year running has the most sunshine hours in all of the country. Yes. No Nelson sorry you're not in the mix there but anyway this is just a side note. So we need to ensure that (1) we protect our sunniness but (2) we protect our biodiversity. I'm grateful to speak on this bill. I'm thankful to Steph Lewis for bringing it to the House and for being so thoughtful around it for the work that the select committee has done and to the submitters. This is the Biosecurity (Information for Incoming Passengers) Amendment Bill and I commend this bill to the House. Debate interrupted.