Bishop Chris: Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Extended licensing hours during Rugby World Cup) Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBishop Chris: Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Extended licensing hours during Rugby World Cup) Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 12 August 2015. Volume:707;Page:5740. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]CHRIS BISHOP (National): It is a pleasure to rise to take a call on the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Extended licensing hours during Rugby World Cup) Bill. I want to pay tribute at the start of my speech to my friend and colleague David Seymour for his foresight and wisdom in introducing this sensible and prudent measure. I also want to pay tribute to the Greens as well who over the last 24 to 36 hours have played quite a constructive role in working with David Seymour and members of the Government in allowing this bill to be introduced and allowing it to be read a first time and to be sent to a select committee. The Greens have legitimate concerns about the operation of some of the bill—which will hopefully become an Act—and they have legitimate concerns I think about some of the scope of what we are trying to do here. Some of those issues are going to be thrashed out at the select committee and it may well be that the bill that emerges from the select committee will be in quite a different shape from what it is now. That is perfectly appropriate. That is the parliamentary process at play. That is why we have the select committee system but I think that the Green Party has played quite a constructive role in facilitating this bill to take place.The aim of this bill is quite a simple one and I regard it as a noble one. It is to make it easier for New Zealanders to watch the Rugby World Cup. As the Minister of Justice rightly pointed out and as I think the member in charge of the bill pointed out as well we do have this unique situation where a lot of the games in the Rugby World Cup are being played outside the standard licensing hours. Some of the evidence that we as Government members have received—and I am sure that the member in charge of the bill has received it as well—is that the process of applying for a special licence to open is quite a cumbersome process and the process may be deterring some people from opening their licensed premises at those times. So the aim of the bill is to make it easier for New Zealanders to watch the Rugby World Cup.The act of watching a sporting match with friends and family or even with complete strangers at licensed premises is something of a New Zealand tradition and it is not so much even about the actual game. In my experience it is certainly not about the drinking and there have over the last 24 to 36 hours been some quite odd claims made about how this is facilitating public boozing and drunkenness and things like that. With some of these events that you go to that we are talking about with regard to this bill it is not really so much about the game and it is not really about the drinking at all but it is about the collective endeavour of people coming together as a unit and as a body to express pride and to show passion and to enjoy the game of rugby. [Interruption] You know Andrew Little may well be singing along to the Australian anthem in his licensed premises over a couple of beers at 5 in the morning. There was a slightly strange comment from him this week. My personal view is that I hope that at some point in the future we have a new New Zealand flag so that when we all go down to the pub to watch the All Blacks play we can raise a new New Zealand flag and not one that is not representative in my view of New Zealand today. But that is slightly off the main point of this bill.That is what the bill is about. I think it is a simple objective and it is one that is a noble one and the bill deserves to be sent to a select committee. As I think other members have noted there are some issues around the margins of the bill that will rightly be considered in the select committee process. One issue that has been mentioned already in the House is whether or not the bill should apply just to the All Blacks games or whether or not it should also apply to say South African or Australian games.Hon Trevor Mallard: Manu Samoa.CHRIS BISHOP: You know I think there are legitimate arguments on both sides. “Manu Samoa.” says my friend and colleague Trevor Mallard over on that side. There are legitimate arguments about that and I think that the select committee process is the right way to thrash them out. I am conscious that I have used up most of my time and I am also very conscious that I have got a member’s bill later on tonight which I am very keen to get to so with those quick remarks I want to endorse this bill to the House. I look forward to examining it in further detail on the Justice and Electoral Committee.