Hudson Brett: Standards and Accreditation Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHudson Brett: Standards and Accreditation Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 01 July 2015. Volume:706;Page:5022. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]BRETT HUDSON (National): It is with absolute pleasure that I rise to follow Mr Tabuteau after that rather professorial dissertation. I would like to talk right at the moment as we are on Part 1 about this issue around independence. I am drawn back to paraphrasing Daniel Patrick Moynihan who noted—and I will paraphrase so as not to bring the Chair into this debate—that the member is entitled to his own opinion but he is not entitled to his own facts. The facts are very simple around independence. Both the Standards Approval Board and the Standards Executive are granted statutory independence under this proposed amendment.I would draw members’ attention particularly to clause 7(2) for the Standards Executive and I will go to that clause and read for their edification that in the discharge of their duties and in the functions of the New Zealand Standards Executive: “In performing the functions referred to in subsection (1)(a) to (j) the NZ Standards Executive must—(a) act independently; and (b) have regard to–(i) the value of standards: (ii) the legitimate use of standards: (iii) the importance of maintaining expert input into the standards development process:”. Similarly in clause 12(2): “The Board must act independently in undertaking its functions under subsection (1).”So members opposite can talk about independence until the cows come home. The fact of the matter is that both the Standards Approval Board and the Standards Executive are conferred with statutory independence under this bill. Parliament cannot confer any greater independence than that. Having worked in the private sector I can tell you Mr Chair—because it is you and other members present—that actually co-locating in an office is not necessarily conducive to the collaboration that a private organisation might want to see. I have worked for multinationals. If you want to actually foster collaboration it is not achieved simply by putting people in the same building. So we confer independence on the people who need it most. They will work in an organisation for reasons thatsupport—and I will now go back to Part 1 of this bill—why we are actually making these changes.I draw members’ attention back to clause 3 the purpose of this bill: “The purpose of this Act is to—(a) make provision for standards and conformity assessment systems in New Zealand that—(i) are consistent with international practice; and (ii) facilitate trade; and (iii) protect the health safety and well-being of individuals.” Why are we bringing this function or these groups into the agency or environment of the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment? Because that is the agency that is tasked with business development and helping us to understand how we can help businesses position themselves to grow in and outside New Zealand. It actually makes sense. If you are going to have standards that are going to help us to conform and to sell our products both in New Zealand but particularly offshore then actually having businesses working with the ministry that is tasked with helping to build innovation scientific progress and business development outside New Zealand makes extremely good sense. It makes extremely good sense to have these functions in the ministry.I will turn back for one moment because real-world examples are fantastic things. I am just going to return very briefly to the issue of independence. Within the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment where the Standards Executive will reside we see today three extremely good examples. We have the Official Assignee we have the Registrar of Companies and we have the Commissioner of Patents. All three are independent bodies through statutory independence that reside in the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment. Not a single member opposite—and not a single submitter—raised any question as to the real independence of those bodies albeit they reside in the same ministry that this bill would have the Standards Executive go into. Again if you just look at simple evidence—the member is entitled to his own opinion but he is not entitled to his own facts. Thank you.