Mahuta NanaiaMARITIME TRANSPORT (MARPOL ANNEX VI) AMENDMENT BILLFirst ReadingHon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister of Foreign Affairs) on behalf of the Minister of Transport: I present a legislative statement on the Maritime Transport (MARPOL Annex VI) Amendment Bill.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa): That legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on the Parliament website.Hon NANAIA MAHUTA: Fa'afetai tele lava. I move That the Maritime Transport (MARPOL Annex VI) Amendment Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Transport and Infrastructure Committee to consider the bill. At the appropriate time I intend to move that the bill be reported to the House by 16 September 2021 and that the committee have authority to meet at any time while the House is sitting (except during oral questions) during any evening on a day on which there has been a sitting of the House and on a Friday in a week in which there has been a sitting of the House and outside the Wellington area despite Standing Orders 193 195 and 196(1)(b) and (c).One of our Government's priorities is to tackle climate change. Shipping is a major contributor of emissions to the atmosphere particularly sulphur oxides nitrogen oxides and particulate matter which affect both human health and the environment. This bill will enable us to align domestic legislation under the Maritime Transport Act 1994 with the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Annex VI which the Cabinet agreed to accede to in 2019.In June 2020 the Environment Committee considered the treaty including calling for and hearing from a range of public submissions. In its report the committee stated that given the environmental and public health benefits identified it believed that the Government should implement legislation as soon as practicable.In summary New Zealand's accession to MARPOL Annex VI would reduce adverse public health effects of marine air pollution on communities close to ports and harbours strengthen New Zealand's ability to play a credible role in international maritime organisation negotiations on climate change and improve New Zealand's ability to work with like-minded parties to push for global ambition in future negotiations. It will also enable New Zealand to enforce requirements for both domestic and international ships and improve New Zealand's ability to protect its trade and economic interests in negotiations on new greenhouse gas emissions reduction measures for ships.Multilateral measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships are expected to be introduced through MARPOL Annex VI at the International Maritime Organization in the next few years. Acceding to Annex VI and putting our domestic legislation in place now means that we'll be able to implement future greenhouse gas reduction measures and contribute to the global effort to reduce emissions from shipping.We need to make changes to the Maritime Transport Act 1994 to ensure that the rule-making and enforcement provisions in the Act provide the authority required to fully implement the legal obligations of MARPOL Annex VI. Part 1 of the bill contains a number of amendments to the Maritime Transport Act 1994 to achieve this objective. Part 2 of the bill amends the Maritime Transport (Marine Protection Conventions) Order 1999 to insert MARPOL Annex VI into the list of international conventions declared to be marine.Key components of the changes proposed by this bill include providing a power for the Minister of Transport to make marine protection rules in relation to Annex VI substances. The Maritime Transport Act 1994 sets out the purpose for which the Minister may make marine protection rules. The bill inserts an additional purpose of prescribing requirements relating to the prevention of air pollution for ships for the purpose of implementing Annex VI providing a power for the Director of Maritime New Zealand to conduct inspections and audits in relation to Annex VI requirements". This is in addition to the existing power of the Maritime Transport Act 1994 giving the director the power to conduct inspections and audits "for matters other than in relation to Annex VI" providing a power for the director of Maritime New Zealand "to detain ships and seize marine protection products that are in contravention of Annex VI requirements" and exercise related powers such as imposing conditions and prohibitions. These powers expand the existing powers of detention and seizure in the Maritime Transport Act so as to prevent air pollution from ships and to facilitate implementation of Annex VI.The bill is about addressing the impact of shipping emissions on our health as well as the environment. By introducing this bill we will have greater powers to implement future greenhouse gas reduction measures and contribute to the global effort to reduce emissions from shipping. I'm committed to ensuring that we reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport and reducing shipping emissions that will contribute towards New Zealand meeting its emissions goals. At the appropriate time I intend to move that the bill be reported to the House within four months after it's had its first reading. I commend the Maritime Transport (MARPOL Annex VI) Amendment Bill to the House.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa): The question is that the motion be agreed to."