Macindoe TimHon TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West): Kia ora Mr Speaker. Let me begin with a positive and that is to acknowledge the fact that in the House this morning we have heard some very intelligent contributions on this important issue from all who have spoken and I want to thank them for that. But there is no getting around the fact that as the Hon Michael Woodhouse mentioned earlier this is certainly not only about time but frankly and shamefully well past time. I do want to acknowledge as a couple of my colleagues have done the Hon Nicky Wagner who has done an outstanding job in providing not only leadership in this issue but in also doing all the work. Because we are essentially here belatedly acknowledging—and I hope ultimately enacting—the fine work that the Hon Nicky Wagner National Party MP former Minister under Sir John Key and Sir Bill English did and which was available more than a year ago and should have been enacted at that time.Members of the Government ought to be shaking their heads or rather hanging their heads in shame as they acknowledge—and their heads are all down at the moment—the fact that this could have been dealt with by now. The important measures of this bill could already be in place had they taken action and the Minister in charge of the bill has to take responsibility for that. She's a very pleasant person and I acknowledge that. I have no pleasure in attacking her but we have to lay the blame at her door and also at the door of the Leader of the House for failing to organise their legislative programme in such a way that an important measure of this type has just not been dealt with.So as I say this is a National Party bill and for that reason we are naturally going to support it. The reason I've laboured that point at the outset is because what we will not be supporting—in fact what we on the Opposition side of the House will be opposing as strenuously as possible—is the proposal that has been indicated by the Government to move for a shortened select committee process in order to deal with this bill. Well they need to be reminded that they are a Government who have spent more than two years enacting very little of their own work. A huge amount of what has gone through the Parliament the last two years has been bills that they inherited from the previous National Government.Even more importantly even though the work that we've been dealing with has largely been unopposed for that reason their members—including at times senior Ministers—have come down to the House night after night to filibuster on those bills and some of them are in the House this morning.Hon Mark Mitchell: Did Faaf do that? Faaf wouldn't have done that.Hon TIM MACINDOE: He did among others. They have filibustered on bills that had no opposition in order to drag things out because they didn't have any work of their own to introduce to the House and now here they are just six months out from a general election thinking Yikes. We're running out of time. We do actually need to get on and do something and in order to do that now we will have to inflict upon the nation a constitutional outrage of a shortened select committee process which denies members of the public the opportunity to have their say to make detailed considered submissions and to be able to appear before the select committee to talk to those submissions and to raise questions and hear answers." and all because the current Government has been a chaotic shambles that has been completely out of control of the legislative agenda during its time in office to date.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): And now we can come to the bill OK? Hon TIM MACINDOE: I feel I have been speaking on the bill Mr Speaker. Now I'm not on the select committee—Jenny Marcroft: Good.Hon TIM MACINDOE: —but I have occasionally been subbed on to it. It's nice of Mrs Marcroft to say that she's pleased about that. I actually thought that we've worked quite constructively together when I have been on that committee. I am on National's health caucus committee and so I will follow the issue very closely. I do wish them well in their deliberations and as I say I have respect for all the members of the Health Committee. When I've sat on it I've been impressed by the work that they do. Jenny Marcroft: And the morning tea.Hon TIM MACINDOE: I haven't often had the opportunity to enjoy the morning tea Mrs Marcroft but please let me know when you're providing it and I'll do my level best to make sure that I return to the committee and get subbed on if only for the 20 minutes when it's made available.Now this is an important issue because we know that many people are still dying in New Zealand of smoking-related illnesses every year. Fortunately it's trending downwards. I'm delighted that there are far fewer people smoking than used to be the case and this vaping legislation is an important part of trying to continue to achieve our drive towards a smoke-free Aotearoa policy of 2025 which I think most people are strongly committed to; certainly most members of this House.I recognise that giving up smoking is a difficult thing. I haven't been a smoker myself other than as Mr Woodhouse acknowledges when I too as a young fellow occasionally did silly things at inappropriate times that would have caused my parents consternation but I haven't actually been—Hon Member: Cannabis!Hon TIM MACINDOE: Ha ha! Well I've already been pulled up by the Speaker once for speaking irrelevantly and I really don't want to tell him what I might have got up to in my school days but—David Seymour: We're interested.Hon TIM MACINDOE: I'm delighted you're interested—I've lost my train of thought.Hon Willie Jackson: Well sit down then.Hon TIM MACINDOE: The important thing is—no no. I'm pleased to say that even when I lose my train of thought Mr Jackson I'm far more coherent than you ever have been in any of your speeches. I'm back on track now because of course what we are talking about is the important drive to reduce smoking in this country—ideally to stop everybody smoking. I think we all acknowledge the fact that vaping has an important role to play in that. The health officials and advisers all tell us that—as long as we get the balance right. This bill is about trying to get the balance right so that we provide vaping options for those who are trying to quit smoking without doing anything that encourages vaping as a cool activity particularly for young people who might not otherwise have taken up smoking. And I'm sure all MPs certainly electorate MPs have heard regularly from school principals and health workers and others about their concern that we mustn't create a regime whereby vaping becomes the next cool option. There's already some evidence that it is. We want to try to ensure that that doesn't become any more so.So let me just focus on a few of the key provisions of the bill.Dr Duncan Webb: Well that would be nice!Hon TIM MACINDOE: I've already alluded to some Mr Webb but actually given your particular interest I want to draw attention to some aspects of the Government's bill that—Hon Willie Jackson: Ooh we can't wait!Hon TIM MACINDOE: Goodness me. Aren't they excitable—aren't they excitable! Clearly I'm hitting the spot. They didn't like being reminded of how incompetent they've been—did they?—but fortunately because they've picked up the Hon Nicky Wagner's fine work this bill would prohibit sales to under 18-year-olds. I think that's important. We don't want young people walking into the shops and being able to access vaping materials. We hope that their parents and caregivers would be able to influence sensible choices and be able to control the decisions they make. You can't always control what a 14- or 15-year-old might do but I think this is the right position for the bill to strike. It would allow health professionals to recommend that people take up vaping in place of smoking. Obviously we want that to be the better alternative if they are going to do one or the other. It would ensure that there are appropriate rules around advertising. That's vitally important. As a child—and I think Mrs Marcroft was talking before about Marlboro adverts; I remember them and they were actually very appealing—I remember we used to have posters of them. You'd rip them out of the paper or the magazine and you'd stick them on your bedroom wall. I do remember having pictures on my bedroom wall of the Marlboro Man or whatever it was on his horse with his cigarettes. My parents didn't object to that as long as I wasn't smoking under the bed covers. Fortunately we've moved light years away from that. I guess I'm showing my age in even admitting to that. But coming back to the bill and I shouldn't say that because I'm going to get another silly interjection from the other side it is important obviously that we try to discourage that sort of inappropriate advertising and that we set quality standards and it of course does require the Ministry of Health to approve products and prohibit vaping in smoke-free areas.In the short time available as the shadow Attorney-General can I just note that the Attorney-General has put forward a report suggesting that this is in contravention of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act because of the constraints on advertising as he is required to do. I respect the report that he has given but I also believe that it is appropriate and there's ample precedent for this not to allow that particular report to dissuade the Government from proceeding with this. It's his important role to focus on that aspect but there's a more important overarching objective here and there is ample precedent as I say for the Government to override that particular report. But I just wanted to acknowledge it because that is one of the portfolio responsibilities that I have. Well I've thoroughly enjoyed this contribution. I'm delighted that members of the Government have as well and I do commend the select committee in the work that they will do. Let's get on and pass this bill."