Tanczos Nandor: Prostitution Reform Bill — In Committee 
Tanczos Nandor: Prostitution Reform Bill — In Committee 
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NANDOR TANCZOS (Green) 
: 
 I am very pleased that this Bill has come before the House and I am very pleased to stand to support it. I again refer to the aims of the Bill which I think are excellent. The Bill has stated aims to safeguard the human rights of sex workers protecting them from exploitation; promoting the welfare and occupational health and safety of sex workers; creating environments that are conducive to public health and protecting children from exploitation in relation to prostitution. 
I agree with the comment by Gordon Copeland that this is a moral issue and we have to make our decisions based on morality. He said that all laws going through Parliament have a moral dimension and that we legislate from our morality every single day. I agree with that. I received the same emails that most members of this House did from Christians telling me that I will burn in hell if I support this Bill. I get really angry with people who use the name of the Messiah—our king my king—to put forward a point of view that is in total contradiction to everything He ever taught or lived by. I think He was referring to people like that when He said: “These people honour me with their lips but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.” He was a man who lived a highly moral life so let us follow that example; let our morality guide our decisions and let our decisions be righteous decisions. But they should not be self-righteous decisions—there is a distinct difference. I am a man of faith; I read the Bible I love my creator and I have an obligation to follow the precepts that Jah has set down for I and I but I do not have an obligation to try and force my morality on other people. When my decisions affect other people my obligation is to minimise harm to those people and to increase individual and collective self-determination as much as possible. 
I agree with some of the things that Bill Gudgeon said—not with his highly romanticised views of Maori history but about looking back to the Bible—and I agree with the words of Paul Adams in that regard. The Bible is very instructive when it comes to prostitution law reform. There is a very good illustration where a group of men want to stone a prostitute to death. The man says: “Let those who are without sin cast the first stone.” He then says: “Who condemns you? Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” He does not lock her up in prison and he does not call the cops. He says: “Go.” 
Peter Brown 
: Don’t selectively quote from the Bible. 
NANDOR TANCZOS 
: Peter Brown needs to read the story again I think. It is very instructive. Another example of His words is when he says: “Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. For with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” So let us look to the Bible and let us go back to Christian principles when examining how we are going to vote on this Bill. 
I would also like to mention the words of Marc Alexander. In his previous speech he said: “The removal of legal consequences of prostitution is only a hop away from the ethical approval of prostitution. That is nothing more than political correctness dressed up in a whore’s skirt and hoisted above the ethical Plimsoll line.” He has an interesting taste in words. Again when we apply those words to the example that the man himself Iesus Kristos gave us I find such comments highly offensive and anyone who calls himself or herself a Christian should also do so. 
I would like to move to some of the practical issues associated with the bill. Some people who spoke previously said that the bill would make the situation worse for sex workers. I return to the comments of my colleague Sue Bradford who pointed out that some of the strongest opposition to the bill has come from massage parlour owners and there is pretty much unanimous support for it from sex workers themselves so I do not see that that argument holds much water. Will this legislation expand the industry? The select committee report states very clearly that there is no evidence that prostitution law reform will do that. It might make the industry more visible but that is part of it being illegal and our not being able to know what goes on now. 
Hon John Tamihere 
: I raise a point of order Madam Chairperson. I am just alerting the Chair to the fact that today Standing Order 178 was suspended for the rest of the session up to December. I was quite interested in the conclusion to the member for the Green Party’s speech. In the event that he wants to seek a second call it is over to you to give him the opportunity to do so. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Ann Hartley) 
: In order to finish we have tried to do that with several members. If the member winds it up at 6 o’clock we will not interrupt. 
NANDOR TANCZOS 
: I thank Mr Tamihere for that contribution. I just wanted to finish with one small point which is that one of the crucial aspects of this bill is that it makes provision for a prostitution law review committee. I think that is crucial. We have heard a lot of wild speculation about the effects of legislation in other jurisdictions and it is crucial that we actually develop some real evidence as to the effect of this legislation. I totally support that. I would like to see more of the legislation going through this House being subject to some kind of review and evaluation. 
Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.