Ogilvy Bernie: Third Readings 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Ogilvy Bernie: Third Readings 
[Sitting date: 14 December 2004. Volume:622;Page:17786. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
BERNIE OGILVY (United Future) 
: 
 I rise to speak on behalf of United Future on the third reading of this legislation. When I look back on the day when I first walked into the Primary Production Committee to look at this legislation and then to where I am today I see a tremendous transformation in a piece of work that originally gave no possibility to an industry. It has been transformed. I wish to put on record today that we are very pleased with the progress that has taken place. As I see it this legislation is enabling legislation and it has brought certainty for now and the future. The legislation has brought clarity to a whole range of issues and for that we can be extremely thankful that it is going through the House today. 
The legislation is based on reform and it reforms the administrative parts as we have heard and seen in the debate on it. It does not so much reform the industry but rather the mechanisms needed when the moratorium is lifted in a few days’ time. If I recall correctly it was United Future with the Government that extended the moratorium to 31 December to ensure that time was made for this legislatio to be written. 
As a test of how satisfactory legislation is one has to ask whether all the players who are mentioned and for whom the legislation is set up are contented happy and looking forward to its passage through Parliament. As I see it virtually everybody is contented and of a mind that this is good legislation. 
When we look at the farmers they see this as far better than anything else they could have imagined. In fact when the expert witnesses were before us they said: “Look we will accept this as it is.” and since that day until this day there have been many modifications of greater gain for them. The industry is bringing forth hundreds of millions of dollars to the economy and I can see as can a lot of people that it will raise itself to be a flourishing industry. We salute the industry now that it has the legislation on its side and encourage it to go for it to make heavy investments and to show not only to us as New Zealanders but also to the world what it can do. 
I do not believe that the present farmers will be damaged in any way. Their space as they have it will be deemed to be aquaculture management areas so they will immediately continue in business for the next 20 years. If they remain good farmers then they will continue and will remain good farmers. They will automatically be asked to carry on in their applications. 
The new farmers from when the legislation is passed will have plenty of room to manoeuvre. They can apply privately to do whatever they wish as well as wait for the regional councils to lead them into aquaculture management areas. 
Regional councils are another group that we cannot take out of the equation. We have to ask whether they are satisfied by this legislation and the answer to that is a resounding yes. It gives them the wherewithal and the mechanisms to ensure that they satisfy both the people around them in terms of their constituents and the places in which they live as well as the farmers. They now have a set of rules that they can work out and apply. I believe that the regional councils will be able to say—and have already said publicly—that this bill is good for them. It allows them to get on with developing their regions which is a vital issue. 
For instance when we were visiting down in Havelock I heard the comment that Havelock now has the lowest rate of unemployment in New Zealand. I am not sure whether that is fact but at least someone down there told us that. It was based entirely around this industry flourishing in that town. I am sure others in the House would want to compete with that but that is what we were told. 
We have to ask ourselves whether this is good legislation for the fishers and for the public. The answer to that is also yes. Commercial fishers are not losing out anything here. Their views are totally at the centre of this legislation. Customary fishers have their rights to be looked after and they will be listened to. Likewise for recreational fishers and those who are into recreation of various types—all of those people are being satisfied. Are Maori and iwi satisfied by this legislation? United Future believes that the answer is yes. Their settlement will help to support a healthy aquaculture industry in this land. I believe that by settling with them we then advance the entire business into the many billions of dollars that it will develop. 
I want to end on a note of thanking the chair of the Primary Production Committee. I was a stranger to that committee when I arrived. I got to know some very good people on the committee and it was a pleasure to work with each and every one of them. I met the officials for the first time either on a boat at sea or in the select committee room. It was great to work with them. They worked tirelessly and I wish them in particular a very good Christmas because they need a break after all of this. United Future is really pleased that this legislation will pass into law today.