Paraone Pita: Customs and Excise (Alcoholic Beverages) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
Paraone Pita: Customs and Excise (Alcoholic Beverages) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:608;Page:5379] 
PITA PARAONE (NZ First) 
: 
 Madam Speaker I welcome the opportunity to participate in the second reading of this bill. Listening to the comments that have been made thus far I have heard it mentioned that the bill is all about minimisation of harm. Yet I have to wait till I get to page 2 of the explanatory note of bill before I see any mention made of minimisation of harm. Really this bill is all about increasing the tax take from New Zealanders. It is not about reduction of the consumption of alcohol by young people or anyone for that matter; rather it is to increase spending on social services to which the Government wants to apply the increased revenue. 
Brent Catchpole 
: Why would you want to? You have $4 billion in surplus. 
PITA PARAONE 
: That is right. We should be looking at addressing the issue of responsible drinking if that is what minimisation of harm is all about. I must say that the last Parliament had the opportunity to do that and it did not do it. 
I do not think for one minute that this bill will address anything near like what has been talked about. Price has only a limited effect as a deterrent. I use the example of tobacco. Why has the consumption of tobacco given its many price increases not diminished? I say to this House that this bill will not go anywhere near producing a reduction in the consumption of alcohol—least of all by our young people. 
It has been suggested by a member of the Government that income will not rise but fall. My response to that is that it will not fall. Why? Because the intended reduction in consumption will be offset by the increased price. What the Government is saying is it is in a no-win situation. 
I also say that the aged in our community are being given the boot by this Government. The bill is certainly putting the boot into that sector of our community. With the country facing an energy crisis many of our elderly folk who rely on the wine and sherry toddies they are accustomed to drink to keep themselves warm will now have to find extra money to be able to avail themselves of the one comfort they are at present able to enjoy. 
We heard reference to ready-to-drinks not being covered. We tend to underestimate the ingenuity of our young people. If it will cost them more to buy the drinks subject to this bill they will go out and make their own. So rather than this measure bringing about the minimisation of harm that members are talking about I believe that the concoctions that young people are likely to make as a result of what this bill is imposing on them might cause even greater harm to their health. It does not take too much imagination for one to realise that for instance if young people got a bottle of methylated spirits and a bottle of Fanta and combined them that action in itself would help to stem the difference that we are proposing to impose on our young people through this bill. 
It is claimed that this bill is about an issue of health. I cannot for one minute believe that it is about health; rather it is about increasing the coffers of this Government in order that it might be able to extend its so-called social policy programme—whatever that might be. Again I remind this House that it was not this side of the House that promised the electorate it would not increase the tax on tobacco and alcohol. We did not promise that; this Government did. I should not be surprised that that is another promise that is being broken because it is not the first one. 
Madam Chair I beg your indulgence of my addressing the old people of our Maori community to let them know the effects of this bill. Na reira koutou nga kaumatua nga kuikuia e noho tonu ki te wa kainga anei te kaupapa o tenei Kawanatanga i whakatakoto mai i mua i a tatau i roto i tenei Whare. Kite koe i nga inu i inuhia i a koutou ki te whakamahana ta koutou tinana? E hiahia ana tenei Kawanatanga kia whakanui te utunga mo era o nga inu. Na reira koutou ma aroha mai ki tenei ta koutou tamaiti mokopuna e korerohia i tenei wa na te mea kei hea nga mema Maori nga mema na koutou i whakatohungia he kaikorero ma koutou? Ka nui taku aroha i a koutou. Moumou ta koutou taima ki te tautoko i a ratou. Na reira tena pea ma te wa ka kite mai i a koutou ko wai nga Ropu e tika ana hei kaikorero ma koutou. Whakaarongia koutou ki a koutou rangatahi ki te ahuatanga o tenei pire e hiahia ana te Kawana kia whakamana kia whakatau hoki. Mehemea e horekau i watea nga inu ki nga rangatahi i aianei na kei te haere tonu i a ratou ki te mau ki te kai hoki i nga tarutaru o tenei ao. Na reira e tatou ma koina noa nga korero mo tenei wa engari ka hoki mai i a au i roto i wa tatou reo e rua. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
So to you the elderly men and womenfolk who are still living at home here is this Government's policy that it placed before us in this House. This Government wants to put up the cost of those drinks that you drink to warm your bodies. Therefore to those of you out there take pity on this young one this grandchild of yours who is addressing you right now because where are the Maori members the ones you elected to speak on your behalf? I really pity you. You wasted your time supporting them. Perhaps you will see in time which parties are the right ones to speak for you. Think about your young people and the impact that this bill that the Government wants to pass into law will have on them. If the drinks are no longer available to young people now perhaps they will continue to take and consume the drugs of this world. So that is all the talk for now but I will be back in our second language. 
] 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: This is one of Winston’s best members! 
PITA PARAONE 
: Ahakoa taihoa pai atu tena tangata ki te korero mai i tena tu ahua. Engari na ratau i tata ake nei i whakatau tetahi pire ki te whakanui ki te whakamohio tatou te iwi whanui te reo Maori. Engari i tenei wa whakarongo mai i a ia he kohete mai ki a au i runga ake i taku tunga ki te whakakoretake i wa tatau reo rangatira. Tika atu te ahua i a ratau i tetahi wa na ratau i whakamana ta tatau na reo engari i tenei wa i roto i te korero o tenei kaupapa na ratau i whakakoretake tenei korero. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
It is all very well for that member to address me in that manner but they have just recently passed a bill to celebrate the Maori language and to let us the people at large know about it. But now listen to him going on about the stance that I have taken and making disparaging remarks about our chiefly language. It was all right when it was their turn; they gave the language status. But at this very time during the debate on this policy they are really rubbishing my address 
.] 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I want to make it absolutely clear to the House that 
I was not disparaging the language the member was using but the quality of his speech. 
Dail Jones 
: The assumption one makes from that comment from the Minister of Education Mr Trevor Mallard is that he can speak Maori and that he could understand every word that was being said. He referred to the quality of the speech. If he could not understand the speech then he has misled the House. If he could not understand the speech he cannot comment on its quality. I ask the member to say whether he understood everything the member was saying because if he did not he has just misled the House and he knows what he ought to do in that situation. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I am happy to give the member an assurance that for relatively simple Maori like that we have just been hearing I have a reasonable understanding of it. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The Minister’s point of order was completely out of order. He was making a debating point and breaking up a speech and I believe that you should rule against him. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: It is a debating matter and if the Minister wanted to raise it he should have made a personal explanation. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I raise the matter now only because the member’s speech has been broken up. I realise that he is a new member but a large part of his speech has been out of order. I draw your attention to Speaker’s ruling 39(3): “It is out of order to pass remarks addressed to anyone other than the Chair …”. The member has made an interesting speech but he has told us that it is addressed to people outside the House. He may not realise that that is out of order. If he wanted to make his speech in order he should have addressed his remarks to you then said that the remarks he was making to you would be of interest to Maori. The fact that he is making his speech in Maori does not make that practice legitimate; he must follow the same rules. All speeches must be addressed to the Chair. Members cannot address a speech as that member said he was doing to Maori or New Zealanders or any group of people outside the Chamber. He must address it to the Chair. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I thank the member for his assistance. I would counsel the member on relevance and he should address the Chair. 
PITA PARAONE 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I was quite clear in my mind that I was addressing you. I prefaced my opening comments by addressing you and I feel that the rest of my speech was directed through you. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: All right; please continue. 
Hon Murray McCully 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I was not going to raise the matter but as the member’s speech has been broken up I want to say there were several interjections from the other side that specifically referred to the leader of the member who is speaking—the Rt Hon Mr Peters—in a manner that was offensive. I am surprised that you allowed those comments to be made. They were able to be heard quite clearly by me and therefore should have been heard by you. I think that you should have asked that member to withdraw and apologise. I now suggest that you do so. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Yes I think several comments were made. Which member? 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I am happy to withdraw and apologise. 
Ron Mark 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I would like your consideration and maybe a decision at another time—even tomorrow. My first point I raise is that you quite clearly through your own admission just then admitted that you had heard the disparaging comments and your body language indicated to me that you knew that those comments came from two members on the Government benches. You chose not to act on them despite having heard them. Now that you have taken an apology from the Minister I assume that you will also look to the senior Government whip whom you were also looking at who also made similar comments but has chosen as an honourable member to sit there and not offer an apology. I bring that to your attention. 
I also bring to your attention for consideration that the conduct in this House is determined and set by whips. That is their function; that is their duty. It concerns me greatly that some of the poorest conduct that we have seen displayed in this House and demonstrated to his junior members is indeed coming from the most senior whip here that being the chief Government whip. I ask you what you as the Speaker of this House intend to do. That member has been spoken to once already in the Chamber today and has chosen blatantly to carry on his misconduct and ignore the Chair and the Chair’s ruling. I am asking what you as Speaker wish to do or intend to do about the repeated poor and dishonourable conduct of the chief Government whip in the performance of his duties in this House and the disparaging comments that he continues to make. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I thank the member for his comments. We are dealing with the situation now. 
PITA PARAONE 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I just want to make it known to the House to those members of the House who are present tonight and to those who have been present in this Chamber every time I have spoken that I have tended to use te reo Maori when there has been a barrage of interjection while I have been speaking. As long as Government members continue to interject while I am speaking then I will continue to use te reo Maori. It seems to me that it is the only vehicle I have to be able to express what I want to say without any interjection. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: That was not really a point of order. Does the member want to continue his speech? He has about 40 seconds left. 
Ron Mark 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: We have dealt with the points of order. 
Ron Mark 
: You did tell me and you ruled in response to my point of order that you were dealing with the issue now. Could you explain to the House precisely what you are doing right now to deal with the issue that I raised? I have not seen you give any instruction. That member has not stood up withdrawn and apologised. You have not said anything other than “We are dealing with the issue now.” I would like to know how you are dealing with the issue now. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I thank the member but I want the member on his feet to continue his speech without interruption. 
PITA PARAONE 
: I just reiterate the point I was making earlier: that this bill will not minimise the harm as expected; it will only increase the tax take. It will also impose more hardship on our elderly folk as they face the forthcoming energy crisis. Kia ora.