Upston Louise: Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Upston Louise: Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 14 March 2013. Volume:688;Page:8576. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupo) 
: 
 I am pleased to stand as the final speaker on this side of the House for the Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers Amendment Bill. One of the things that has disturbed me in this debate was the opening contribution by the Labour member of Parliament Raymond Huo who was so disrespectful to this industry that I was quite shocked. I was quite shocked and I was very disturbed at the tone in which the first Labour speaker spoke about this group of people who are hard-working New Zealanders who contribute to the economy who are local employers who have trained hard to do the work they do and who have a really important job in terms of the health and safety of New Zealanders and the sanitation that is available to each and every one of us and to suggest that this was not important work for the Government I find quite horrendous. 
One of the things that I do not know whether I do or do not enjoy about being the final speaker on this side of the House is that I follow some very able colleagues who have spoken at length about the bill particularly my colleagues whom I want to commend for being on the Regulations Review Committee. It is a committee that is not often given high profile in this House— 
Mike Sabin 
: We’re the unsung heroes. 
LOUISE UPSTON 
: —but it does do very important work. Unsung heroes—that is correct Mr Sabin. Those on the Regulations Review Committee are the unsung heroes of the parliamentary select committee process and have the very important job of looking at regulations that are put in place. These ones with the plumbers gasfitters and drainlayers are particularly interesting and the fact that there has been an issue in terms of the levies that they have been charging and the work that they are using as a result of the levies charged. It is an interesting group because I have had very very lengthy conversations with a Taupo constituent about this exact organisation about the work they do about how they are registered and how their fees and levies are applied. It is one of the things that as a member of Parliament you have the opportunity to get involved with and learn about organisations trades and employers in areas that you have not really had the opportunity to learn about before coming to this House. 
This bill will tidy up a piece of legislation that has been challenging those important people who work in the plumbers gasfitters and drainlayers field. It will be very important for them that the board is able to do the work that it is put in place to do and this piece of legislation that is brought to the House by the Hon Maurice Williamson enables it to do that. Unlike the other side of the House I think the work that the plumbers gasfitters and drainlayers do for this country is important. It is important for our Parliament to support the work they do to support their board and to make sure that they are able to undertake the work that they need do. I am pleased to support this bill at its first reading.