Macindoe Tim: Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection) Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMacindoe Tim: Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection) Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 23 October 2013. Volume:694;Page:14226. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West): It is a great honour for me to take the final call in this final stage of what I think is a very commendable bill the Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection) Bill. I am delighted to be able to add my support to it and to commend my hard-working colleague Jacqui Dean the member for Waitaki who has put considerable effort into bringing this bill to the House and seeing it through all its stages. It is a great credit to her that it is on the verge of being passed this afternoon. Those of us who have members’ bills in the ballot who have been unlucky enough to this point not to have had them drawn are always a little bit envious of those who have enjoyed that success. But it would be churlish to be jealous. I think it is just a fantastic achievement for her and in particular because she is focusing on something that is such an important issue.I want to thank all members who have spoken in this debate and who have supported the bill right through its passage through the House. We have all acknowledged something that we share and that is that as New Zealanders we do hugely value our environment and we appreciate the importance of conservation. There will always be political debate between the parties as to priorities and whether the correct focus is being given to this issue or the other but we are pretty universally concerned when we hear some of the dreadful things that happen. Catherine Delahunty who has just resumed her seat referred to some of those things and other members who have spoken before me have done likewise.We are outraged when people try to smuggle our treasured and endangered species out of the country when dreadful acts of cruelty are inflicted upon precious birds or animals or when our native flora is in some way abused. The vast majority of New Zealanders love the outdoors. We love being able get out into our superb environment to take advantage of living in God’s own country. I choose that phrase deliberately because I do not think that I have ever visited another country that is as naturally appealing as New Zealand. There are many other countries with wonderful places to visit and beautiful environmental attractions but it seems that wherever you go in New Zealand we are blessed with an abundance of greenery and of relatively clean air and we all want to protect that.As I say I want to thank Jacqui Dean for the fact that she has focused on an issue and brought a solution to a problem that many identified as being long overdue for a remedy. The fact that—and I think some speakers have mentioned it—there has been no significant change in the penalties for several decades indicates that there probably is a real need for this bill to come into force as soon as possible. I note that a number of the submitters particularly supported that aspect.So as this is the final stage I want to thank all who contributed to this debate. I want to acknowledge the many parties across the House that have indicated their support for the bill. I want to thank Jacqui Dean again and congratulate her. This is a very significant day for her in what has already been a very successful political career and I am sure all members of the House would want to congratulate her on her achievement and more important thank her for what she has done. Well done.