Whaitiri Meka: Victims’ Orders Against Violent Offenders Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeWhaitiri Meka: Victims’ Orders Against Violent Offenders Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 18 March 2014. Volume:697;Page:16755. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MEKA WHAITIRI (Labour—Ikaroa-Rāwhiti):Tēnā koe Mr Deputy Speaker. Tēnā tātou katoa ngā mema o te Whare nei. It gives me a great privilege to stand with my Labour colleagues to support the second reading of the Victims’ Orders Against Violent Offenders Bill and to join with them and it sounds like all members of this House in supporting what I consider is one of those bills that is of a type that makes sense where we are putting victims’ rights at the centre of legislation. On that basis I do support the bill in its passage through Parliament.I am not a member of the Law and Order Committee but in my own little research on this bill I note that its purpose is to recognise the ongoing effects of serious violent offending on victims by giving them the power to apply for a non-contact order against the offender which prohibits the offender from having any form of contact with the victim. The orders can be temporary or final and aim to limit the chances of a victim coming into contact with a person who offended against them. There are other types of orders currently existing to protect victims but those orders have limitations.Having looked through the recommendations of the select committee I now acknowledge the work that the members on the select committee have done in providing their comments back to the House. I understand that there are a range of measures already in place—like the Domestic Violence Act 1995 and the Harassment Act 1997—but on researching them I found that there are some time-limit restrictions in terms of those particular Acts. So I understand that this bill is looking at ensuring that victims’ rights in terms of not having contact with the offender are protected and upheld.There are two parts of the bill that I want to highlight in my short call. The first one is clause 7 “Application for a non-contact order”. My colleague Jacinda Ardern mentioned it as I am sure other speakers on this bill did. That clause is about the tool that puts a non-contact order on associates. As we all know when offences have occurred and the offenders have been apprehended often in a lot of criminal cases they have friends mates or partners in crime who are not subject to charges. So our victims also need to know that they are protected from the associates. The amendments suggested by the select committee to clause 7 are actually doing that and I want to commend that work too in terms of amendments.The other two parts of this bill that particularly drew my attention were the two types of order: one is the temporary order and the other is the final order. Again this provision looks at imposing a temporary order to ensure that the victim’s rights are addressed and gives the offender the opportunity to be heard on those orders before moving into something final. In reading the recommendations from the select committee it is really clear that the intention of this bill is to be a protective bill versus a punitive bill. So like other members on this side of the House—and indeed the House—I acknowledge the work of the members of the select committee and support it in what I think is a very important and simple bill and one that makes sense. But for me it puts our victims at the centre. So without further ado I would like to commend and support this bill through the House. Thank you.