Smith StuartSTUART SMITH (National—Kaikōura): Thank you very much Mr Speaker and I welcome the opportunity to get—albeit at short notice—this short call on this bill. I had the pleasure of sitting on the select committee during the hearing of the evidence on this bill and to attend a meeting and a field trip as it were down in Central Otago where we particularly went to the Branches Station which I think was phenomenal. The owners of that station were very moving in their discussions with us. I thought that was a day that actually when we all travelled together with the whole select committee we travelled back on the boat back to Wanaka after being at—what was the name?Hon Member: Minaret.STUART SMITH: Sorry. We travelled back into Wānaka and it was from Minaret Station. It was a phenomenal time for us all and I think it moved us all. Unfortunately the select committee members from the other side were only doing what they were told and of course they had to ram it through even though they knew in their heart of hearts it was the wrong thing to do.Having said that we did all that it was a great day. We learnt a lot but I had the pleasure and the honour of actually taking a couple of my colleagues with me through my part of the electorate Joseph Mooney being one of them where we drove up the Awatere Valley up to Muller Station which is right next door to the historic Molesworth Station. And we saw firsthand—actually how good the Ford Ranger was when I drove it round through some rivers and around the farm tracks. But we saw firsthand how those farmers are managing the noxious weeds. And so in South Marlborough there is a significant issue with wilding pines and Pinus contorta. And it is really making inroads into and across that Awatere Valley and the upper area there. However what we saw on the Muller Station is the Satterthwaites Steve and Mary Satterthwaite are doing a fantastic job. Because merino wethers are being run on their property and they eat the little seedling pines as they come through. They don't get them all but there's only a few they don't get and they can spot spray them from a helicopter the ones that get too big for them to eat.However when we went on to Molesworth Station right next door they run cattle they don't run sheep. Cattle won't eat the wilding pines. It is going to get away and it's going to become a significant environmental issue not just for the fact that we've got this noxious weed going to actually choke the land out—in parts of South Marlborough it is impenetrable. You cannot walk through those trees. But when it gets to Molesworth it will become almost impossible to control and it will be a significant fire risk.Joseph Mooney: It already is.STUART SMITH: It already is as Joseph Mooney just said. It is already a significant issue.But we went through from there up to the Lakes Station in North Canterbury to see that property. And it's right on Lake Sumner virtually and it's a beautiful high country place. Similar issues. What we're seeing is quite different stations that are run differently. As we saw down in Otago different farms and different land requires different management. What the takeaway was: these people know the land. These people know how to manage it. Unfortunately best intentions and all Department of Conservation (DOC) don't. DOC don't know how to deal with it DOC are stretched anyway—not to say they are not genuine in their concern for the land. They simply aren't capable.So what we're seeing here with this bill is adding layers of bureaucracy on top of people that are already dealing with bureaucracy and being snowed under—and sometimes literally snowed under—with all of these compliance issues that will make no difference no difference to the outcome for the land. It will make it worse if anything. These people are doing what's best for them and what's best for the land because those things are the same. They know that the land is what they live off and they therefore are not going to make decisions that will impact on the long-term viability of their farm and their rights. And I think this is a travesty this bill. I think it's a shame and it's a shame the other members had their hands tied and had to support it.