Hide Rodney: Sale of Liquor Amendment Bill (No 2) — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Third Reading 
Hide Rodney: Sale of Liquor Amendment Bill (No 2) — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:616;Page:12351] 
RODNEY HIDE (ACT) 
: 
 I say good on Pansy Wong for moving those changes especially the changes relating to the transition to the training programmes. But why have the training programmes? That question has not been asked. Let me go through if I may the changes that I will be recommending through my amendments. There are three major ones. I have proposed a change to clause 13 because there is an anomaly whereby if one is giving a corporate gift basket and one puts a wee bottle of sherry or something in it that is actually against the law. I have tabled an amendment to allow that to occur. How sensible is that? It is a good amendment and I look forward to Mr Barker and his colleagues reading it and supporting it. 
I am pleased to see that the Minister in the chair Rick Barker has decided to allow Chinese cooking wine to be bought and sold in minimarts. I have an amendment here to do the same but he has obviously foreshadowed my move. I hope the Minister’s drafting is as good as mine because the officials advised the Commerce Committee it was not possible to draft such an amendment. That is what they told the committee. But suddenly after Pansy Wong and Rodney Hide both did it the honourable Minister Rick Barker said it would not be very hard to do so and has done it himself. I just worry that his amendment is not as good as Ms Wong’s and mine. 
I come to another amendment that must concern the Minister. Heaven knows how he keeps a straight face when he is paid each fortnight because what has he done? He has come along with a bureaucratic nightmare for the training programme for managers. It is loopy. Most liquor licensees and outlets are small businesses. The Minister is putting a requirement on them to get a different form of training which will cost $250 or $300 or so for the qualification. The Minister has not established a case that it is needed. There are thousands of managers of liquor outlets in New Zealand. They have all been trained; they all have certificates. What is the problem? Those required to hand their licences in are 0.1 percent. But oh no the Minister has come along with a high-cost bureaucratic process for giving out those certificates that I have to say favours some trainers over all the rest. I can only look at that Minister and wonder why that should be the case. He says he has consulted with the industry. Quite frankly he has not. He might have talked to his mates who like this bill but he has not spoken to the industry. 
I say to the Minister that he should imagine how dumb it is that someone who is out there successfully managing a liquor outlet and who has his or her manager’s certificate has to retrain because of this legislation. That person has to get another certificate at an estimated cost of $150. It is a money grab by the private trainers. That is the problem. Those are the people who have been talking to the Minister and helping him rather than the Minister talking to the industry. 
Hon Rick Barker 
: Ha ha! 
RODNEY HIDE 
: Rick Barker likes to laugh but he has not got off his chuff and gone and talked to the industry as the ACT party the National Party and New Zealand First have. They know what is going on. They know that there is no problem that needs to be fixed by making that change. 
I beg the National Party New Zealand First the Greens United Future—and I look across to Labour Party members—to support my amendments and vote against excessive bureaucracy. I ask them to vote against a grab by private trainers for money with the help of that lazy Minister and to vote against legislation that is before the Committee for no good purpose. I would love the Minister to get up and explain the problem. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I call the honourable member Brent Catchpole. 
Hon Paul Swain 
: Don’t shout! 
Rodney Hide 
: The useless Minister of Corrections too while we’re at it. 
Hon Paul Swain 
: Stop shouting. 
Rodney Hide 
: Hopeless Minister! $1.3 million down the tubes. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Order! 
Hon Paul Swain 
: Where’s that electorate office money? 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Order!