McCully Murray: Immigration Amendment Bill — Instructions to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
McCully Murray: Immigration Amendment Bill — Instructions to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
[Volume:611;Page:8297] 
Hon MURRAY McCULLY (NZ National—East Coast Bays) 
: 
 I have taken some interest in the parts of the schedule because like those who have spoken before me I was scratching my head and wondering why it was that Part 1 of the schedule consists entirely of a series of name changes from “Residence Appeal Authority” to the new “Residence Review Board”. Part 2 makes a similar change in relation to the Electronic Transactions Act. If members go back to new section 18B in clause 12 they will be interested to see the wording: “For the purposes of this Act there is a board called the Residence Review Board. The board is the same body as the Residence Appeal Authority”. Again in clause 12(4): “The Residence Review Board is the same body as the Residence Appeal Authority that existed immediately before the commencement of this Act”. 
On the face of it we have a schedule the sole purpose of which—and I listened to the Minister’s explanation—is to change the name of the existing Residence Appeal Authority to Residence Review Board. I imagine this will lead to a bold and exciting new era for those involved in this august body. No doubt the new Residence Review Board can call in the design consultants to provide a brand new logo and letterhead. No doubt it will be able to refurbish the offices get a nice new logo and invite the Minister along to cut a ribbon. It will have some material for the next version of the Immigration Service newsletter. 
Dail Jones 
: In Maori! 
Hon MURRAY McCULLY 
: Yes of course a new Maori name for the new Residence Review Board. I am sure the Minister of Maori Affairs has already advised his colleague the Minister of Immigration on a suitable name. The board will have to appoint a cultural officer—a kaihautu a spiritual leader—to guide this new Residence Review Board waka into the future. The whole thing could get somewhat out of hand. 
Looking at the schedule in the first instance one has to ask whether we will see another one of these wonderful exercises that we have seen under this Government where we have the same thing with the same people doing the same job with a different name with a new logo and with a whole new bunch of photographs of the Minister in the Immigration Service magazine—no doubt touched up by the same people who do the touching up for the Prime Minister’s photographs. 
I listened to the Minister’s explanation. She said this was being done to move away from the old entitlement-based system. That is one way of putting it but another way of putting it is to say that it is moving away from a system where the rules were clear and where the actions of everyone involved were subject to review to a system of scrutiny whereby for the most part no such review is possible which means that the actions of those who are currently subject to scrutiny currently subject to review will no longer be subject to such scrutiny and review. That seems to be enormously convenient. It is enormously convenient for the Minister and even more convenient for her officials because I am sure that once they have got past the distraction of the review by the Secretary of Labour over the next day or two and once they have got past the review by the Ombudsman—for misleading the Ombudsman under the Official Information Act—I am sure they will be exhausted. The last thing they will want to have is some examination and independent scrutiny of their actions by a Residence Appeal Authority. Having something called a Residence Review Board which will not actually subject their actions to review will be very welcome indeed.