Brown Peter: Land Transport Amendment Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Third Reading 
Brown Peter: Land Transport Amendment Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:626;Page:21359] 
PETER BROWN (Deputy Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 There is an old saying that “a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing” and the member who has just resumed his seat has illustrated that absolutely 100 percent. I shall explain the taxi-driving conviction clause for want of a better term. 
Clayton Cosgrove 
: Just take it slowly for him. Use small words. 
PETER BROWN 
: I will speak slowly and use small words because I am only a simple sailor myself. This bill puts anybody convicted of these crimes out. Those who are convicted and who have never been a taxi-driver will never get the chance—they are out totally 100 percent. This bill also puts out those people who are currently driving taxis and who in earlier years have been convicted of these offences—totally out. Those who have been convicted of murder and serious sexual offences are out 100 percent forever. But the other people are granted a right of appeal. They are to some degree granted an element of fairness. 
New Zealand First does not want those people driving taxis at all but we do not believe that we are the people who should be removing justice from those people—neither is Maurice Williamson nor Wayne Mapp. In the first instance we think that the director is in a much better position to do so and in the second instance it should be the High Court. We think that is a reasonable approach. I caution members before they embark on a wordy journey that saying that we are letting murderers rapists and goodness knows who drive our taxis with impunity will send a signal of alarm throughout the country. Those people are definitely excluded and I am glad to see that National members have suddenly recognised that. 
I want to speak briefly about courtesy coaches because this matter is of some concern. I have just spoken to the Minister and the officials on the issue. A number of clubs in this country run courtesy buses and they charge a fee. Some charge it by donation but some have a set fee. Some give guidance about what sort of donation a person should make but others charge a set fee. This bill will make the practice of charging a specific set fee illegal. In many instances clubs have told me that they will remove their courtesy coaches. But thankfully I now know after having spoken with the Minister and the officials that these provisions will not come into force for some time and therefore clubs will have time to make representations to the Government or whoever to have their case listened to. 
A number of clubs have courtesy coaches including Napier RSA Kawerau Cosmopolitan Club Stokes Valley Cosmopolitan Club Levin Cosmopolitan Club Alexandra District Club Whangarei RSA Wanganui RSA Waitomo Club Petone Working Men’s Club Onehunga Workingmen’s Club Matamata Club Wairoa Club Mount Maunganui RSA Tauranga RSA Waihi Beach Memorial RSA the Mt Maunganui Cosmopolitan Club and last but not least the Otaki Memorial RSA. The member for Otaki said that the Otaki Memorial RSA was not concerned about this legislation but it is. I have a letter written by the club to the Minister and copied to me. I am told that 350 of these clubs exist in the country and as they have 220000 voting members they are a voice to be listened to. Having spoken to the Minister and the officials I am encouraged to believe that in the fullness of time their concerns will be identified and amended. 
I emphasise that many of these clubs tell me that there is no competing taxi service at closing time and during the hours of darkness and they want the ability to charge a modest fee to drop people off at their homes. One club I spoke with reminded me very strenuously that if Parliament removes this service then it will be putting more drunks on the road. That sits very uncomfortably with New Zealand First. We want to get drunks off the road but we do not want to destroy their liberty to go to their clubs and if a courtesy service can be arranged managed and administered in a reasonable manner with a modest fee attached then New Zealand First is all for it. But after talking to the Minister and the officials I understand the complications and I respect their view.