Barry Maggie: Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection) Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBarry Maggie: Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection) Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 04 September 2013. Volume:693;Page:13289. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MAGGIE BARRY (National—North Shore): I rise to speak to the second reading of the Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection) Bill. I echo the sentiments expressed by Nicky Wagner initially and others who have spoken on this bill tonight that this is indeed a bill that has real harmony around it. The changes have been made unanimously as others have pointed out. I think that when we look at the substance of what the bill is trying to do where Jacqui Dean as the local member has succeeded so well is that she has kept it simple. It is a bill whose time has come really to sum it up that way. Some of the penalties that have been in place have been far too low and there are other inconsistencies that need to be addressed. Her bill has done that very neatly.The Local Government and Environment Committee received eight submissions in support and no opposing submissions. Submitters raised many of the points that other speakers have alluded to tonight on the value of higher-penalty levels and the need for consistency not only in the way that the fines are administered across land but also against the environmentally related Acts. This piece of legislation neatly encompasses five of those Acts and there is more to come. We will leave that for another time. I guess when I heard the submitters and read through the submissions of those who did not want to appear before the select committee one of them summed it up in one sentence really. Stephanie Reynolds said: “I support the Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection) Bill and ask that it be passed only with penalties strengthened enough to be an effective deterrent.” As other speakers have indicated—for example with baby seals being clubbed to death—there is the shock of people watching on the television news reading in their newspapers and listening on the radio about the fact that poachers have come in and done inhumane and cruel acts for no apparent commercial gain.Then there are the smugglers. Then there are those individuals who have come here from other parts of the world and who see New Zealand as a soft touch because our legislation has been too soft. One example we were given at the select committee that resonated with me was the example of gecko poaching—jewelled geckos in particular. Jewelled geckos are fascinating and unique creatures and they deserve to be protected. That is what our legislation sets out to do. But when the poachers come in—and we had a look at some of the websites in places like Germany for example. These little creatures are getting ridiculous amounts of money overseas. A 6-month-old jewelled gecko for example can be sold for over $100000 and smugglers can get $5000 for an egg. I guess these are the kinds of inducements to people with a bad state of mind who will come out here. As we have seen in the news they pack them on to all parts of their body and the poor creatures are not likely to even survive the journey.These people are well-organised and they are greedy. It is a bad combination. The penalties we have put in place are going to make these sorts of people think twice. They might go to countries other than New Zealand if they want to poach in this way. But there is a very real market for it internationally and I think Jacqui Dean has recognised that from the feedback she has had from her own community and from people whom she spoke to when she drafted this bill.When I have spoken to others about this and talked about the work that goes on in Parliament there has been a universality of approval around this. Everybody is sick of hearing about acts of cruelty and one of the points that was made to me recently—in Timaru actually—was that if people are going to club baby seals to death and commit acts of cruelty on animals not only is that a very bad thing for the animals concernedclearly but also where does it stop if it is not checked? What kind of a society are we if we allow people to think that they can do this sort of thing and not have the full force of the law land upon them? This bill really does make sure that people will be absolutely aware of the penalties that will come their way. When we look at the recommendation for the penalties—for individuals a term of imprisonment not exceeding 5 years or a fine not exceeding $300000 or both—I think these are substantial deterrents. The higher penalties have been put in place again as others have indicated for the commercially motivated offences. So this is a bill that I think sends a strong message to international smugglers and to people in New Zealand who might whether they are being unthinking uncaring or quite what think twice. It is a very important piece of legislation to have across a number of different Acts.I do note that although there has been an unusual amount of I suppose harmonious attitude among the parties in this House to this there have been in the debate tonight a few cracks about what is happening to the Department of Conservation. I would point out that the budget for Vote Conservation is now $444 million which is almost double the $226 million it was back in 2001-02. It is not quite as bad as the Opposition paints it to be—in fact it is not correct at all but that is not unusual.Scott Simpson: It’s par for the course.MAGGIE BARRY: It is par for the course. We are investing in recovery programmes as well across National’s conservation programmes and we want 35 percent more threatened species. Those species are the ones that we need to protect and we are moving to do that. We are also as a Government intending to review New Zealand’s threatened species management framework because we know and we understand only too well as Jacqui Dean does with this excellent member’s bill that our natural environment is a very valuable resource. We need to protect it and preserve it and this Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection) Bill does that very well.So I join others in commending Nicky Wagner our very good and fair and balanced chair—loves them to death. Nicky Wagner has done a very good job of shepherding this through. I commend Jacqui Dean for putting it together in a very sensible way which really denotes the fact that she is a very experienced politician and knows how to make these things work. I would also like to mention the advisers because I think that the individuals who did the work on this bill really took it to heart. I know that all advisers work very hard and they are very committed and passionate about what they do but the advisers that we had on this bill were particularly involved and I think they fired us all up with the passion that we all shared. So without further ado I commend this bill to the House.