Dyson Ruth: Subantarctic Islands Marine Reserves Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDyson Ruth: Subantarctic Islands Marine Reserves Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 11 February 2014. Volume:696;Page:15813. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills): It gives me great pleasure to speak in support of the Subantarctic Islands Marine Reserves Bill at its third reading. We have supported this bill all the way through. I guess part of the reason it gives me great pleasure to do so is that this bill—and better protection of our marine areas—is a real reflection of some of the strongest values that New Zealanders have. These values are pride in our environment a passion for the great outdoors and recognising the responsibility that the current generation has to ensure that protections are enhanced so that future generations can benefit from the beautiful surrounds that we have. This bill really is a bit of a step towards a recognition of that passion and I want to acknowledge and thank the Minister of Conservation the Hon Dr Nick Smith for his work in this. I believe that he is a person who has a personal commitment and passion for the conservation portfolio and also for the great outdoors more generally. I am sure that it has given him great pleasure to be able to progress this bill to this stage.What this bill does is better protect three of the Subantarctic Islands marine areas around the Antipodes Islands the Bounty Islands and Campbell Island. I have had the pleasure of visiting Campbell Island and I can say that it—and the whole of the Subantarctic Islands area—is a part of the world that more members of Parliament should visit. Some perhaps need not hasten on their return from such a visit but it is certainly very worthwhile to see such an amazing area. We should consider ourselves very fortunate that we live in New Zealand and are able to access such beauty.The bill also provides for an independent review of the Campbell Island Marine Reserve in 5 years because there is part of the surrounding area of Campbell Island that is not included in the marine reserve area. The review would look at whether or not the reserve should be extended to include that part in the marine reserve.The third part of the bill is making the commanding officers of the New Zealand Defence Force rangers so that they are able to enforce the protections that this legislation gives to those three islands. I think that it is a very good piece of legislation and I am very pleased to be part of the Labour team which totally supports this. As Isaid one of the reasons it is so important is that it is a reflection of the values that so many New Zealanders have: our passion for the great outdoors our love for the natural environment and our understanding of the responsibility that we have for future generations. The record of the National Government has not been great in all those areas though. There have been what I would regard as broken promises and I think that is deeply disappointing in an area that is so important to the average New Zealander.One of the two areas that I just want to touch on in comparison with what I think is a great bill that gives us this enhanced marine protection is the total lack of a sense of urgency of a sense of responsibility and of any strong action to protect the Māui’s dolphins. In the world there are 55 adult Māui’s dolphins left. That is fewer than the members of this Parliament. But yet when the opportunity arose for the Minister of Conservation and the Minister for Primary Industries to say that we have the responsibility to ensure the future survival of this species the Ministers said: “No that is a little bit hard for us. It is a big call. We are not going to do it. We are going to back away and take the easy option.” They tinkered with the protections and it was a total lose-lose. The biggest loss of course is the future of the Māui’s dolphins. It will be an unforgivable act if those Ministers end up being responsible for the demise of the species. It will be an unforgivable act when they have had such an opportunity to adopt the precautionary principle which would be to take all possible action to protect those dolphins. They are critically endangered. I do not know what part of “critically endangered” Ministers Nick Smith and Nathan Guy do not understand but they clearly do not.It is also an opportunity for a win-win in regard to the fishing industry. Internationally now scientists and lovers of the marine environment are calling for a boycott on New Zealand fish because it is the bycatch of our fishing industry that is endangering the Māui’s dolphins. So our fishing industry is also under threat as well as the Māui’s dolphins. How can that be of benefit to anyone? The Ministers had a chance to say that they want to move our fishing industry forward in a sustainable manner by putting some money in to back that transition. It does not need to be much. The people in the fishing industry are up to it. They are bright people. They can see the benefits for them and for the country. They know the benefits for Māui’s dolphins. They do not want the bycatch. They do not want to be tarred with the brush of the extinction of a species. So we could have had with a bit of vision from the Ministers the sort of reflection again of the values of New Zealanders that would make us all proud. Instead we got a wishy-washy half-hearted approach. Nobody was happy. We now have a critically endangered species when the potential for saving it was much higher.The other area in which I want to express extreme disappointment is the involvement of the Minister of Conservation in the process and the submissions from the Department of Conservation in the proposal on the Tukituki River—The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Order! That is not part of this bill.Hon RUTH DYSON: The Minister of Conservation unlike his actions in regard to this legislation establishing three marine reserves did exactly the opposite in the case of theRuataniwha Dam where he meddled to the point of the department being silenced.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Order! We are on the third reading and the third reading relates to the contents of the bill as reported back from the Local Government and Environment Committee. If you look at Speakers’ rulings 122/4-7 and 123/1 it is very clear that third readings relate to the report back from the committee.Hon RUTH DYSON: I am absolutely confident that the Minister of Conservation exercised the correct approach in regard to the Subantarctic Islands Marine Reserve and did not exercise the correct approach in regard to either theRuataniwha Dam or the Māui’s dolphins. It actually shows a bit of arrogance from the Minister that suchimportant issues with such strong community and in fact international concern could be so disregarded. That is not the sort of leadership that I want to see from our Minister of Conservation.Just going back in my final comments to the Subantarctic Islands Marine Reserves Bill as I said at the beginning of my contribution this has been legislation that Labour has supported since it was introduced. We supported it at the select committee and I am certainly very pleased to support it in the third reading. It is the sort of opportunity that this Parliament does not have very often. Well I cannot speak for the Hon John Banks. Heaven only knows what he might do in regard to his party vote on this bill. But I am pretty sure that all other parties are going to say: “This is a responsibility that we have. This is an opportunity that we have as legislators and we are very pleased that the Minister of Conservation has taken this opportunity and enhanced our marine reserves.”I have seen a poll that the Government is undertaking at the moment to see whether New Zealanders support the establishment of a further marine reserve in the Kermadec Islands. I guess the Government is waiting for the poll results to come back to see which way the wind blows. It is not an approach that I would consider principled or visionary; it is a poll driven by fruitcakes actually. That is what a former Prime Minister said. It is definitely not evidence-based or driven by any ambition for New Zealand. I hope that a Kermadec Islands reserves bill is introduced. I actually hope that it is introduced by Gareth Hughes because he has got a member’s bill in his name. He is well ahead of the Government in that regard. I know that if the polling comes out right Steven Joyce will say: “That looks like a winner for us. Let’s get on to it. It won’t cause any controversy.” That is not the sort of approach that I like to see running our country. But leaving that concern aside if that bill came to Parliament I would certainly support it in the same way that I support the Subantarctic Islands Marine Reserves Bill.