McKee NicoleNICOLE McKEE (ACT): I'd just like to acknowledge and welcome back to the Whare Kiritapu Allan. It's really great to hear your voice although I would say even though you referred to the Hon Chris Hipkins as working like a mule" I might say rather working like an arse. But there you go. SPEAKER: I think the member means "an ass". NICOLE McKEE: Sorry. I'd like to do my general debate today on firearms administration issues. Look I do need to speak about this; I've spoken about it before. I need to bring it up again because the last time I spoke of this was a few months ago at the beginning of the year. Quite frankly nothing has changed since we brought some issues to the House and at this rate my inbox is filling quite dramatically and very quickly with incident reports from firearm owners. They're talking about concerns with excessive delays in processing applications calls to police being ignored and messages not even being returned no responses to emails inconsistencies with application of the new firearm laws dealers being unable to work museums closing their doors aggressive interviewing styles by police vetters demands for private information—including home layout where alarms and cameras are located—being detailed on files that many within the community do not trust police to securely hold. These incidents all relate back to the new laws the laws that Government rushed through without thinking of the consequences. Well I think the consequences are coming home to roost. I'm really glad ACT is in the House and able to expose the realities of what this Government has done to the people of this nation those who were once respected as police-approved fit and proper licensed people. The royal commission inquiry showed that the police failed New Zealand—it's not this country's legitimate firearm owners but it is the firearms owners that bear the consequences of that agency's inability to implement old law let alone fast-tracked new law. ACT suggests that the Government needs to leave police to do their core business which is policing because administrating via the firearms group is continuing to fail. They know this. They can see it themselves. They actually changed their name from Arms Act Service Delivery group to—removing the words "service delivery"—just calling themselves Arms Safety and Control. New Zealand Police also refer to themselves as regulators now; they're not even administrators any more. So it's well overdue to implement the new independent firearms authority promised to New Zealand in the last term of this Government. Why is this urgent? Well here's some examples. Let's talk about the licensing. An application that a person pays a Government agency to be considered for: in April this year those that had been waiting for weeks or more totalled 8179. In July it's 7913. That's only a difference of 266. In April those that had been waiting eight months totalled 3601. In July it's 3654. Oh dear it's going up—it's not going down. In April this year those that had been waiting for 12 months were 1382; it's now risen to 1611 that are waiting for 12 months and 523 people have been waiting 18 months and they'll soon be joining I expect the 271 people who have been waiting more than two years. The Minister advised us in this House earlier this year that the delays were being addressed but a written parliamentary question (WPQ) answer that I received yesterday actually indicated that police are just getting recruitment under way now. I have to ask: why is it just now that this is happening? Perhaps it's all the WPQs I've been asking. Dealers are complaining that the processing time is taking so long that they're unable to go through with their business. Museum curators have been told that they need a dealer's licence to operate but haven't been told this expensive annual licence is only required if they operate a business and then there are the police themselves advertising images in local papers showing firearms in unsafe conditions for securing. It's really important that ACT continues to stand up for the rights of not only licence holders but those New Zealanders who have been affected by rushed law such as the farmers the small-business owners the landlords and the nurses. We are there for them to help make good policy for New Zealand. Thank you Mr Speaker."