McKee NicoleNICOLE McKEE (ACT): I'd like to draw members' attention to some upcoming events—there are two of them really; they're hot on the calendars of responsible firearm owners. The first one is the roar which is nearly upon us. As the weather starts to cool between March and May we have an estimated 190000 hunters that go into the Ngāhere looking for those elusive stags. And second of all we have coming up: duck-shooting season. On 1 May just that weekend alone we have an estimated 100000 hunters that will go out for opening day. Both are great recreational and outdoor sports. Both are a part of New Zealand's heritage.There are great benefits to hunting—the obvious ones of course are that we can get lean and fresh meat good food and of course we have people out there exercising. The elderly are supported because there is an abundance of meat that's often given to them by other hunters for their freezers. And of course there are the mental health benefits of being outdoors as well as controlling the pests.But we've got a problem this year. New Zealand Police have advised the firearms communities that they have extensive delays in licensing and those delays are bigger than the individuals themselves had realised. There are 9800 firearms licence applications and renewals in backlog. The delays are totally out of control. We were told back in December 2020 that the backlog was there and that there was a promise to fix it but the complaints are still coming in. Police have advised that it is going to take four to six months to process a firearms licence application when once upon a time it took four weeks. What we are being told now by members of the community who are getting in touch with us is that it is taking well over six months for an application to be processed and many more are telling us that it has been over 12 months for their applications to be processed.Police will blame COVID; they've also blamed the changes in legislation. Those of course were foreseeable problems. The reality is many people missed out on the roar last year. They missed out because we went into COVID lockdown. This year many more are going to miss out not because of COVID but because of the incompetency of its administrative agency. Fish & Game will from tomorrow start selling game bird licences. And on 28 March people can start erecting their maimai and start putting out the pegs and their stands. While some game bird areas are open for months there are a few that are actually only open for weeks. People have to now decide whether or not they go about purchasing a permit for a day whether they purchase a permit for a season whether they go out there and peg their maimai or not whether they extend an annual invite to friends and to their family.I mean simply there is an unknown remedy to the delays or the concerns. One really would have to question whether this Government is only concerned with protecting the mallards of this country! [Interruption] But wait there's more—SPEAKER: It's all right—it's all right. It first happened to me in 1983; Mike Minogue did it. I'm used to it.NICOLE McKEE: There are also dealers out there that are trying to bring in components that are needed for these people to be able to go outside and take part in their activities and they are struggling to get the newly required permits to bring this stuff in. So not only have we got the delay in the licences we've got the delay in the components as well. These delays are totally unacceptable. We've got businesses and families being repeatedly affected.What this boils down to is we've got a broken firearms licensing system and it needs to be fixed. So ACT challenges this Government to fulfil their promise. I quote the Hon Stuart Nash's release of 16 June 2020 where he says—and I quote—that [We] agreed to establish an independent entity to take over firearms licensing and administration." It is needed and we are still waiting. Thank you."