Woolerton R Doug: Wine Bill — Second Reading Procedure In Committee Third Reading 
Woolerton R Doug: Wine Bill — Second Reading Procedure In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:612;Page:9505] 
R DOUG WOOLERTON (NZ First) 
: 
 In spite of what the Hon Jim Sutton said I would like to congratulate the wine industry or more particularly the farmers the viticulturalists and the people who make up that industry because it is they who all those years ago started to make an industry that now contributes substantial funds to New Zealand. I particularly remember when growing up in my district the Milicich family—a family whose business has now turned into Vilagrad Wines. It has become all upmarket. I want formally to thank that family for helping out a very hard-working young man who worked for very low wages and for very long hours and who unfortunately was not allowed into the establishments that sold liquor. I want to thank the Milicich family for extending its service to this young man in days of extreme hardship. 
Dail Jones 
: Who was this bloke? 
R DOUG WOOLERTON 
: This guy was a young fellow called Doug Woolerton. The family extended the hand of friendship as I remember from out of the back bedroom window of Mrs Milicich’s house. It helped us out of trouble in the middle of summer when things were very desperate indeed. That family introduced me to wine. I have never been able to drink modern boutique wine because it is far too sour. The wine I grew up on was 90 percent sugar 9.5 percent water and 0.5 percent grapes. I am extremely thankful to the Milicich family for introducing me to that nectar when I was 17 years old. I remember the family with fondness. I want to extend my thanks to Ivan who is probably flogging his guts out ample as they are in his restaurant on the highway between Hamilton and Rukuhia—even though he was the recipient the same as I was. His parents when providing their little illegal help did not know that Ivan was in the car with me. Although they would deny him his share of the grape they were happy to sell it to me out of the back bedroom window and I being the good-hearted person I am shared it with him. That was my introduction to the sweet wines of the early days. That family establishment has gone on to be a very very good operation called Vilagrad Wines situated just out of Hamilton. 
So the industry worked very very hard. It did what it had to do and in a fairly short time it has established a remarkable record amongst the sophisticated winegrowers of the world. This industry gives New Zealand agriculture a level of sophistication—not to mention the selling of one heck of a lot of pine trees in the form of tanalised posts; so it does more than the consumers of the grape would realise. 
I was somewhat disappointed at the ramblings of the National Party in the debate earlier. I was disappointed because to me National members took on all the aspects of ill-bred and ill-trained dogs barking at everything within their purview including the Government. That was not the right way to carry on especially when what they were going on about was the sherry tax that was put in place by this Government wrongly so in my view and especially when at 5 o’clock in the morning I believe it was—although I was not actually looking at the time—New Zealand First was still voting at full strength with 13 votes and the National Party which I know has reduced numbers these days was voting 10. 
Martin Gallagher 
: How many? 
R DOUG WOOLERTON 
: Ten. I do not know and I have no way of knowing whether its members had gone to bed or had fallen over but I do know that they were not in the Chamber. It is those who are here to vote who count. The rest do not matter. Although National members make a big fuss about the issue on that night they were not here so they do not matter. I am not surprised that they are in a spot of bother at this time with leadership problems and heaven knows what else. 
Martin Gallagher 
: What sort of bother? 
R DOUG WOOLERTON 
: Great bother. They have leadership problems. It does not surprise me because once they start doing that sort of thing and start taking this House lightly they will end up in trouble. 
The wine industry is providing for New Zealand something I think we will see much more of in the future. It is a niche industry supplying a niche market in competition with the best in the world. That is why I congratulate the founders of this industry and the present players within it. They have taken on the best in the world and have not been satisfied with what I jokingly called the sweet wines of the past. They started there but they quickly matured and they understood one thing that we in this country should all understand and take notice of—we have to aim for the top level. We have to aim for the highest barrier and we have to compete and win in the toughest markets in the world. It is those markets from whence we will get the highest return. Commodities even though they play a huge part in the export industries that we are so successful in are the lowest end of the market and the wine industry has shown the rest of us that we must aim for the top end. In striving to do that we will take not only the growers and the industry personnel but also the living standards of this country to a higher point.