Key John: Wine Makers Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Key John: Wine Makers Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:607;Page:4365] 
JOHN KEY (NZ National—Helensville) 
: 
 I want to take a quick call on this clause. This bill as members will know and as those members of the public who have had an opportunity to study the bill will know came about rather interestingly on the back of the labelling requirements of the European Union. I am the member of Parliament for Helensville and within that electorate we have a growing wine industry. I have a real sense of pride when I drive around my electorate in seeing the vines of those wineries growing at the side of the road and knowing they produce really international world-class wine. I could name them for members but they could probably name them back to me as the makers of the wines that they enjoy on an evening at any time of the year—Kumeu River Nobilo Wines Matua Valley Wines Soljans Estate Winery and I could name many more. 
Interestingly enough one of the wineries in my electorate is Coopers Creek which is the very winery that led to this bill. Members will remember that in 1997 Coopers Creek was involved in a wine-labelling scandal that resulted in the demand that companies made sure they produced accurate labels. It is very very important that the industry produces wine that is labelled accurately. Clause 148 certainly speaks to that objective quite clearly and addresses at some length the need for that. Simply put that is very very important for the entire industry because it relies very heavily I guess on a collective responsibility. If some consumers particularly in the international market were to try a bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc for the first time whether chilled from their refrigerator or at a local restaurant have it opened at their table and poured into their wine glasses as they were about to consume their food for the evening and if they were to sip something that had a Sauvignon Blanc reputation—tasting maybe of gooseberry with a light raspberry flavour to it— 
Jill Pettis 
: It sounds as though you are speaking from experience. 
JOHN KEY 
: I admit to the junior whip for the Labour Party that it is an experience I have partaken of from time to time. I can assure her that it would not be my first time; I cannot describe myself as a virgin drinker of New Zealand wines. I simply cannot put that label on myself although labelling is the very nature of this whole bill. In some ways it is quite ironic that I am talking about labels for myself because I am not here to talk about myself. Goodness knows I do that often enough. I am here to talk about this bill. 
The interesting thing is that if that wine I was referring to was not for instance a Sauvignon Blanc but a blend of some sort that had been mislabelled then that could give the entire industry a bad name. The good name of the industry is really what we are trying to protect in this legislation as well as our access rights to overseas markets for New Zealand wine. So clause 148 is an important part of this bill and it drives this part of the legislation through—legislation that is supported by all winemakers in New Zealand. It is my great privilege along with the National Party to support the passage of this bill through the House and to support the very capable Minister.