Menéndez March RicardoRICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH (Green): Thank you Madam Speaker. I want to acknowledge the talent that many people have in filling those 10 minutes with a speech but I do want to commend the previous speaker Dr Emily Henderson who I think has been the one that has managed to fill the whole slot with actually speaking to the values of the bill. Hearing though Mr Seymour I wanted to reflect on some of his comments because it feels to me that one of the ACT Party's arguments for opposing this bill is that we have now got a world where anyone—queer or no matter your gender or your ethnic background—can become a company director and therefore capitalism is working just as intended. Therefore we do not need to make legislation to actually ensure—or actually this bill is not even ensuring—the possibility that directors may consider for the avoidance of doubt other things other than maximising profit. I mean we support this bill but I do not think this is some radical idea and by no means by reforming capitalism we are going to get out of a climate crisis but it just goes to show where each party's priorities lie in that some people just seem to be OK with this status quo and kind of almost pink-washing capitalism by suggesting that because previously people of specific sexualities could not have become company directors and now they can that everything is fine and this is not needed.As the select committee process went through for this bill—and I acknowledge that we don't have a Green member in this select committee but I looked at the submissions—I was none the less disappointed to see that in the select committee report there was a recommendation to take out some of the suggestions actually of the things that should be considered because they were great suggestions and I do think—to echo what the previous Labour member was speaking about in terms of leading the way the encouragement—actually by having a list of items that could have been considered including environmental wellbeing you are actually encouraging it in the right direction.Several submitters actually including The Environmental Law Initiative NZEI Te Riu Roa Lawyers for Climate Action New Zealand the New Zealand Public Service Association Unite Union spoke at length of the need to perhaps not just say that they may" want to consider other things other than maximising profit but that perhaps company directors "must" consider other things beyond maximising profit. I want to sort of echo those because unless we start genuinely forcing companies to look at other things other than maximising profits those other things may just be "good to haves". Looking after our environment looking after workers looking after our communities and honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi are not just "nice to haves". They are things that should be happening and therefore company directors should be doing and so we support the submitters who were calling for a strengthening of this bill rather than a removal of these considerations. While we of course support the intent of the bill which is to add clarity that company directors may be able to consider these other things we could have gone way further in not just encouraging capitalism but to actually twist capitalism's arm into doing things that are good for the planet and the people to I guess expose those tensions that exist—inherent tensions that exist in our economic system—that actually may finally bring to light the fact that—Simon Court: Is this what you meant Dr Webb—twisting capitalism's arm?RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH: —a sustainable planet and the wellbeing of our workers is just simply not compatible with the current economic system that we have. And yes actually twisting capitalism's arm because we've got to. To imagine—Simon Court: Each Minister will be turning up with a little green book waving it in your face. RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH: I kind of love the red-baiting from the right hand side of the House because they always make our political party sound way cooler than sometimes we are. Like you know I kind of love it when they call Labour members "socialists" and I sometimes go "Damn like I really wish they were actually were socialists." But by all means by all means.Simon Court: Turns out they're teenage capitalists Riccardo and we're proud of them.RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH: By all means continue making us look cool— Simon Court: And shareholders in capitalist companies; that's what we've learnt this week. RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH: Yeah and indeed I do think recent events may want to help us all consider where our interests lie and whether it is to simply—thank you for giving me all these talking points too—just encourage company directors to do the right things or to force them to do the right things. I heard the concerns around you know this bill potentially encouraging more court actions and that creating more barriers and problems. But actually if it means that civil society can hold corporates to account for not doing the right thing I don't think that's inherently a bad thing because we should be testing these things out in court. I don't resonate with those concerns because we do need to start forcing the people who hold the power to make the right choices and to expose what is driving them to be in those places in the first place. So the Green Party will be supporting the bill. We don't support the what I would consider watering down of the bill in the select committee stage and would encourage Labour to hear those submissions out to strengthen it to actually not just say "may" but "must" consider other things beyond maximising profits."