Brown Peter: Judicature Amendment Bill (No 3) — First Reading 
Brown Peter: Judicature Amendment Bill (No 3) — First Reading 
[Volume:625;Page:20732] 
PETER BROWN (Deputy Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 I am sure that the honourable member made some reference to this bill in his speech but I blinked and missed it. 
Dr Richard Worth 
: It was a good speech. 
PETER BROWN 
: Was it? He must have praised somebody in the National Party. 
Many of my colleagues in New Zealand First although we do not like to criticise members in this House have grave reservations about the Government Administration Committee. It could not work out what an architect was. It did not have a clue. It took a Minister to put forward a Supplementary Order Paper to tell the committee what an architect was. The committee got that wrong big time so I do not know whether it will know what a judge is. Even the National member who is on the committee says that he has no clue about lawyers and law. Does he know what a judge is? I do not know. 
New Zealand First will support this bill going to a select committee. We do not speak from a position that is qualified to know exactly whether we need more judges. I have to be honest—we do not know whether there is an absolute need for more judges because we are not familiar with the routines of judges. My honourable colleague who is an accomplished lawyer is not available tonight so I cannot seek his guidance. But we are prepared to support this bill because we know that the justice system needs more people. We know that we need more police and we know that we need more prison officers so we have made an assumption at this point in time that we need more judges. 
Opposition Members 
: No! 
PETER BROWN 
: The members say no. A few moments ago I listened to the Hon Maurice Williamson. He was talking about the Oaths Modernisation Bill. It was a good speech. He asked how many times members have been lobbied on the Oaths Modernisation Bill. Specifically they have not been lobbied terribly many times but people have lobbied all my colleagues in New Zealand First from time to time on the commitment that immigrants have to make to this country. 
Stephen Franks 
: So why did you vote for it? 
PETER BROWN 
: Because we wanted to tidy it up. The honourable member has made some very worthwhile remarks but by voting against it he will never get it tidied up. By voting for it we will get it tidied up by public submission. 
I want to get back what the Hon Maurice Williamson said about lobbying. As far as I am aware nobody has lobbied us about having more judges. But they have certainly lobbied us about having more police and they have certainly lobbied us about a better deal for corrections officers as more people are being brought in. 
The Hon Maurice Williamson will be interested in this. The most lobbying that I personally have received in recent times is about roading. When Maurice Williamson was the Minister of Transport he withheld the funds for roading. I have been told that Maurice Williamson did not have a clue when it came to administering the Ministry of Transport office. I was lobbied before I became an MP and ever since I became an MP on tidying up roads and on the funding for them. 
Hon Member 
: It’s a long time. 
PETER BROWN 
: But in that time I have heard Don Brash and Maurice Williamson agree with New Zealand First’s policy. The members may have noticed that I have moved from judges on to roading because I do not want to miss this opportunity. [ 
Interruption 
] Members have noticed. 
Dr Richard Worth 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am a little concerned that the Judicature Amendment Bill (No 3) is really important legislation. Maybe the previous speaker has strayed into the issue of roading which is not directly an issue in the eight clauses in this bill. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Clem Simich) 
: I accept what you say but I think he was trying to weave that theme into it. He has referred to the bill a number of times. 
PETER BROWN 
: The point I was making is that the National Party through the Hon Maurice Williamson—[ 
Interruption 
] If the members sat here a little more quietly they would hear and they could make a worthwhile point of order. National Party members have tried to establish a criteria for whether or not to have a bill by basing that decision on how many people lobby for it. But thousands—if not millions—of people have lobbied for roading and those members did nothing. So one cannot necessarily base legislation on people’s lobbying. 
I do not have the expertise to say whether we need more judges. But the question comes to mind that if we are short of judges why the dickens did we create the Supreme Court which created a need for more judges? It seems a bit ludicrous to create another court to create more jobs for the boys—for judges. But having done that and knowing that we are dreadfully short of police officers and prison officers one can conclude that in all likelihood we need more judges. 
Hon Member 
: And roads. 
PETER BROWN 
: I am glad that the roading issue has made an impression on the member’s mind because we may well receive some positive support from the member. 
This is a short bill. I have doubts whether the Government Administration Committee will do it justice but I guess the committee cannot go far off the track on a bill that is only two pages long. One would hope that its members will apply their talents with some degree of diligence and conscientiousness and report back a bill that positively addresses the concerns of New Zealand in that regard. New Zealand First will support the bill going to a select committee.