edithatogo/nz-hansard-corpus huggingface dataset:
11. Police Resourcing—Burglaries and NumbersSTUART NASH (Labour—Napier) to the Minister of PolicePolice Resourcing—Burglaries and Numbers11. STUART NASH (Labour—Napier) to the Minister of Police: Does she think there is any correlation between the closure of over 20 community policing centres and the 13000 increase in victimisations in the last 12 months; if not why not?Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Police): The member is wrong. Community policing centres are not closing. Police announced a front-counter safety review last year in response to concerns raised by their own staff. I am sorry that that member does not take that seriously. This work was instigated following a very serious assault on a staff member in Counties Manukau. I am advised that 90 percent of the sites have been safety-assessed and that the remaining assessments will be completed by Christmas.Stuart Nash: What is her response to the official police statistics that show burglaries are up by 18 percent in the last year or almost 11000 more victims and the Police Association is describing the front line as being at crisis point"?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: The member has referred to the Police Association. I do not agree with some of the views of some of the former leaders of the association that burglaries are not important. I think they are very important. I think that the Police Commissioner in making burglaries a priority offence as they should always have been has made exactly the right decision and I utterly support him in it which is why the police have committed to attend as many as they can as in up to 100 percent of all domestic burglaries.Stuart Nash: What is her message to the people of Canterbury who have seen a 41 percent increase in burglaries and where some dairy owners are now saying they are closing up early just to avoid being robbed?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: I am here to say that help is on its way. Thank goodness it is a National-led Government not a Labour one.Stuart Nash: Does she believe that the Minister of Finance has given her all the funding she needs for the police to address the issues around increasing crime rates falling resolution rates and the state of the community policing centres?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: We will soon see will we not?Stuart Nash: Does she agree with Anne Tolley when she said in question time last week that "I … judge a person by their actions not their words."; if so after 6 months of promises when is she going to deliver more police?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: There will be an announcement in due course and the member should just wait.Stuart Nash: When she said recently that any announcement about increased police numbers would be made by the Prime Minister was she referring to herself?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: I believe that any announcement will be made by whoever is the Prime Minister but I know this it will not be anyone from that side of the House."
10. Schools Internet Access—N4L Managed NetworkCHRIS BISHOP (National) to the Minister of EducationSchools Internet Access—N4L Managed Network10. CHRIS BISHOP (National) to the Minister of Education: How is the Government helping students use the internet for learning?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education): By making it available to them. Yesterday I was pleased to announce that we have completed connections to the $211 million N4L Managed Network project. This network provides schools with ultra-fast uncapped high-quality data at no cost to schools through the Government-funded internet. An event marking this milestone was held at Naenae College yesterday. Although I was unable to attend the energetic fresh and future-focused Mr Bishop was representing us there giving practical support to the Hutt's self-described technology valley". By using the managed networks schools and students across New Zealand can access the vast world of learning available online to better prepare them to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving digital world. The roll-out of this core infrastructure provides a foundation for our ongoing work such as incorporating digital technology into the curriculum from 2018 and reflects our Government's absolute commitment to enabling 21st century learning to flourish—unlike the 19th century person over there.Chris Bishop: What other information can the Minister provide on the completion of the N4L Managed Network project? Tracey Martin: What does it stand for?Hon HEKIA PARATA: To answer the member's thirst for knowledge N4L stands for Network for Learning. With the roll-out completed all 2446 eligible schools and kura are now able to connect and 97 percent or 2431 schools and kura are already connected to the N4L network. More than 789000 students and teachers are now using it. This has been a successful project which involved a large-scale roll-out and was completed ahead of schedule and within budget. The network's creation and roll-out has been part of this Government's $700 million investment in digital infrastructure and connectivity. N4L's focus will now turn to enhancing services and developing new platforms to help schools make the most of their digital connections—and the House erupted with applause! No sorry Mr Speaker."
9. Corrections Facilities—New Prison SpendingDAVID CLENDON (Green) to the Minister of FinanceCorrections Facilities—New Prison Spending9. DAVID CLENDON (Green) to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement to this House that having surpluses does not mean that the Government can go spending more money on ineffective public services or infrastructure that may not be needed"?Hon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance): Yes and I think that is what any reasonable person would say. The idea that because there are surpluses we should somehow go on a spend-up on social services is the wrong idea. The Government is focused very much on the effectiveness of existing spending as well as closely targeting any new spending. We can make gains in our support for the most vulnerable in our community by being a great deal more thoughtful and focusing on results not just on shovelling more money out as the Greens seem to advocate.David Clendon: How then does the Minister justify support for the Government's commitment to spending $1 billion on a new prison something he previously called a "moral and fiscal failure"?Hon BILL ENGLISH: It is unfortunate but there is no choice in this case. The people who are going to be occupying those billion dollars' worth of new prison beds are coming through the courts. They have been convicted and sentenced according to the law of the land and if we do not get on and build the prisons there will be simply nowhere to put them. At the same time we are developing an in-depth understanding of the drivers of the longer sentences the kinds of crimes that are being committed and the likelihood that people we could help better may end up on the path to crime. I would have to say if it were simple then we would have fixed it all already but it is a bit complicated.David Clendon: How can spending a billion dollars on a new prison be an effective use of public money and in line with his own goal of evidence-based practice given the existing overwhelming evidence that sending more people to prison increases reoffending rather than reducing it?Hon BILL ENGLISH: If there was just a simple choice like that then you would choose not to spend a billion dollars on prisons. But the fact is that the people who are going into those beds are people who have committed serious violent sexual or drug-related crimes and they are being sentenced according to the laws passed by this Parliament. We simply have to build the beds or there will be nowhere to put people who are potentially quite dangerous to our community. At the same time the Government is focusing on improving rehabilitation and continuing to reduce the flow particularly of younger people into our court system.David Clendon: How does the Minister plan to fund the inevitable future growth in prison population which his Government's current policies are creating?Hon BILL ENGLISH: In the first place we want to use the social investment tools that have now been developed to reduce the future growth but the fact is that if according to the law of the land the court has sentenced dangerous people to be locked up then we will be locking them up."
8. Finance Minister—StatementsRON MARK (Deputy Leader—NZ First) to the Minister of FinanceFinance Minister—Statements8. RON MARK (Deputy Leader—NZ First) to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by all his statements?Hon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance): Yes in the context in which they were made.Ron Mark: Does he stand by his statement in 2010 that his Government welcome beneficial foreign investment and recognise the positive contribution it makes to New Zealand"; if so how does that foreign investment in the housing market now look after the last 2 months' correction in the market trend?Hon BILL ENGLISH: I certainly stand by the statement. I am not quite sure what the member means about the question in relation to the housing market. The housing market in Auckland rose rapidly. It was always likely that at some point it would have to slow down just because people could not afford to pay the kind of price multiples that they had been paying. I doubt that the relatively small flows of foreign investment make much difference to that.Ron Mark: From his statement "… you've got very high levels of debt … and if interest rates rise sooner than expected you're going to be under pressure." can he enlighten the House as to the implications of an Auckland housing market that peaked in September and is now falling?Hon BILL ENGLISH: No I would not give advice on that particular matter. We do not quite know what is going to happen with the Auckland housing market. This time last year it slowed in a way that was a bit similar and then it picked up the following March and April. We do not quite know how it will work out but I do stand by the statement that those who have borrowed very large amounts of money relative to their income do need to keep in mind that interest rates can rise.Ron Mark: What is his view of falling essential pre-sales commitments in apartment complexes taking up to 2 years to build with increasing interest rates and the prospect of projects like this foundering and being abandoned?Hon BILL ENGLISH: From a Government's point of view that is the operation of the market. People who are building apartments have taken risks. They have to get the support of their banks to be able to execute the building of those apartments. If they cannot then someone else will get them a bit cheaper and probably finish them. That is the kind of adjustment you would expect to be happening in a market that has been running pretty hot.Ron Mark: Does he stand by his statement on 28 May 2009 that "The Government is committed to maintaining National Superannuation entitlements at [26] per cent of the average wage to be paid from [the] age [of] 65."?Hon BILL ENGLISH: I would just have to check exactly on the 26 percent but that is what the Government has done.Ron Mark: Does he stand by his statement on 4 October 2005 when he said "An implication of Treatyology is that citizenship can and should be divided to express a special status for Maori. This notion runs sharply counter to broad public support for the idea of 'one law for all'."; does he believe he has been true to that statement or has he reneged?Hon BILL ENGLISH: Yes."
6. Earthquake Kaikōura—Transport InfrastructureMATT DOOCEY (National—Waimakariri) to the Minister of TransportEarthquake Kaikōura—Transport Infrastructure6. MATT DOOCEY (National—Waimakariri) to the Minister of Transport: What progress has the Government made on repairing damage to transport infrastructure following the Kaikōura earthquake?Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Minister of Transport): The Government is making very strong progress. Work is continuing at pace to clear slips on State Highway 1 south of Kaikōura with crews working hard to clear several large slips and rockfalls. We are making much better progress than expected with the Transport Agency hoping to restore controlled single-lane access for residents and essential services by mid-December but this will be dependent on weather and any further earthquakes. Restoring full access on State Highway 1 north of Kaikōura will take considerably more time to complete because the scale and complexity of the slips are unprecedented in New Zealand and the task ahead of us is huge.Matt Doocey: What progress has been made on repairing and reinstating the inland road link to Kaikōura?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Again the Government is making strong progress here. Crews have been working since the day of the earthquake from both ends of the inland route to clear the 50 large slips inspect bridges and get the road to a state where it can be used safely. Although the inland road is still fragile good progress is being made and controlled access in and out of Kaikōura has now been established. The Transport Agency is working hard to have the inland road opened on a restricted basis to all vehicles in time for Christmas but again this will be dependent on weather or any further earthquakes that could affect progress. My heartfelt thanks to all those men and women involved in their work on this piece of road.
4. Employment and Skills Training—Progress and Government InitiativesSARAH DOWIE (National—Invercargill) to the Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and EmploymentEmployment and Skills Training—Progress and Government Initiatives4. SARAH DOWIE (National—Invercargill) to the Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment: How is the Government ensuring New Zealanders gain the skills needed in a growing economy?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment): Today I released a report from the Ministry of Education which shows that the number of people starting industry training and apprenticeships grew by 11 percent last year. The credit completion rate rose from 69 to 74 percent and the qualification completion rate is higher than it has ever been at 53 percent. Industry training helps workers to keep their skills up to date and provides employers with the skilled staff they need to grow their businesses. The report which is New Zealand's Workplace-based Learners also shows that trainees are making progress through their training much more quickly than in previous years. This is a big change for example from 2009 when 59 percent of trainees gained no credits at all.Sarah Dowie: What other steps is the Government taking to increase the number of people in apprenticeships?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Last month I announced a new target of 50000 people in training and apprenticeships by 2020 up from 42000 people now. The report released today highlights that the number of people in apprenticeships grew by 12 percent over the last 2 years. In a strong economy more employers have the confidence to hire and train apprentices to meet their future skill needs. This target signals that we will back employers and industry training organisations as they grow their apprenticeship numbers further. We are backing that with a further investment of $10 million and we have the capacity to add further places during the next year if demand requires. Sarah Dowie: How is the Government linking skills training to employment?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Last month the Hon Anne Tolley and I announced two further jobs and skills hubs in Auckland based on the successful Ara skills exchange at Auckland Airport. This is being run as a partnership between central and local government businesses tertiary providers Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development and industry training organisations. The hubs set up training facilities and services at the centre of big areas of work and construction where there are sizable projects with jobs and opportunities. These two will be based at the Wynyard Quarter and at Tāmaki and they will give young people a pathway to employment in the construction sector as well as onsite numeracy literacy and practical skills training. With the economy growing strongly and unemployment down we have the opportunity to bring more young people who have been long-term unemployed into work and that is what these hubs will do.
Goodhew JoCHARITIES AMENDMENT BILLThird ReadingHon JO GOODHEW (Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector): I move That the Charities Amendment Bill be now read a third time. The Charities Amendment Bill makes three small but important technical amendments to the Charities Act 2005. It was divided from the current Statutes Amendment Bill to give the public a further opportunity to make submissions.I would like to commend and thank members of the Government Administration Committee for their work on the bill. It ended up not being as simple as we started out thinking it would be. The committee received 32 written submissions and heard six oral submissions. The committee recommended one amendment not proceed and the insertion of one additional amendment. Although the bill makes only a small number of changes to the Charities Act they are important for reinforcing the public's trust and confidence in the system and I would like to highlight those changes to the bill.Briefly the introduction of a 20-working-day time frame to respond to a notice to provide further information as a part of a registration application process that is and will remain an iterative process will provide greater certainty for all concerned. It will reduce the time and cost to process registration applications and remove the reputational risk to an entity that can arise if its application is formally declined. It is better as this bill provides for the application to be deemed withdrawn if the entity does not respond within that request time frame.Likewise it makes sense to include tax evasion and similar offences under section 143B of the Tax Administration Act 1994 in the list of offences that disqualify someone from being an officer of a registered charity. I am sure every member of this House would agree that financial prudence is an important aspect in promoting the public's trust and confidence in charities.The remaining amendment which was inserted with the unanimous support of the Government Administration Committee corrects a two-word drafting error that arose in 2012. This amendment does not have any impact on a charity's ability to seek justice merely providing clarity for the High Court when making interim orders. As I have outlined this bill makes three small but important technical changes that will improve the coherence of the Charities Act 2005. It will provide greater clarity around the registration application process and contribute to public trust and confidence in charities by strengthening protections against the risk of financial mismanagement. I would like to again thank the committee for its careful consideration of the bill and thus far the unanimous support of this House. I commend the bill to the House.
Simpson ScottSCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel): It is a really great privilege and a pleasure to be the last speaker on the third reading of this bill. The select committee chair tells me that it is worth billions of dollars to the New Zealand horticultural sector and as the MP for Coromandel which includes the horticultural heartland hub of Katikati in the Western Bay of Plenty I know that the horticultural sector orchardists in my part of the world will be greatly welcoming this bill. I did not have an opportunity to sit on the select committee but I understand from listening to other speakers that this is a bill whose time has come. It is a good bill for New Zealand Inc." and the horticultural sector. I have enormous pleasure in commending it to the House.Bill read a third time."
New Zealand Horticulture Export Authority Amendment Bill — Third Reading
Kuriger BarbaraBARBARA KURIGER (National—Taranaki - King Country): I am not quite sure whether the last speaker Clare Curran really understood the concept of what we are talking about with the New Zealand Horticulture Export Authority Amendment Bill. This is about collaboration and cooperation between exporting industries in the horticulture area. I also have to take to task the previous speaker before her Barry Coates because he was telling a great story about food provenance and he talked about partnering with the Government to sell its story. Well actually food producers are very good at telling their own stories. I think New Zealand needs to start getting prouder at telling the story and we need to be very careful about the stories that we tell.We talk about food provenance and we talk about pride in our food and we talk about all of those things and then we have the likes of the Green Party members who spend their time actually knocking down some of our producers who are making every effort to get in line with their environmental concerns. So we cannot tell one story on one hand to the world and say yes we have got these fabulous food producers and on the other hand actually go around pulling it to bits. So we have got a bit of a conundrum there on the Opposition side of the fence.To me this is a really good story. It is about nine horticulture-based export industries operating together. It is about the New Zealand Inc." brand and I think it is really important that we are able to do that out in the market. We are very proud of our horticultural industry. It is a top-performing primary industry and the exports are now worth over $4 billion. They have grown 17 percent over the last 3 years and I think that is very commendable. I think that working together can only corroborate that effort and provide us a lot more growth in the future so it is a pleasure to support this bill. Thank you."
Barclay ToddTODD BARCLAY (National—Clutha-Southland): I always find myself speaking after the honourable member Mr Prosser and I do agree with two things that he said in his speech. The first was that the bill ticks all the boxes for what it set out to achieve. That is right because it was shepherded through under the able and pragmatic leadership of our chairperson Mr Ian McKelvie and I would like to acknowledge Ian and the other members of the committee.The second thing that Mr Prosser said that I agree with is that the last thing we would want to see would be agriculture being introduced into the emissions trading scheme which leads me on to a point that I agree with from the Green Party member Eugenie Sage the previous member who spoke when she said that one thing that would achieve would be decreased land prices. That is absolutely right. I think you would see land prices go through the floor if that were to be introduced.This is a bill that we have had the privilege of working on in the Primary Production Committee and one of the things that is really interesting about it is that it is a cornerstone piece of legislation that can actually see the pathway forward for a number of industries on a global stage. We have got such an opportunity to be able to put forward our premium brand as an exporting nation. One of things that this bill actually does is it puts a lot of safeguards around that and solidifies a lot of the processes that are in place to enable more of these industries to do that.We know the value of this industry to our country. When the New Zealand Horticulture Export Authority Act was introduced there was about $50 million worth of produce that was exported through that. Last year we know that under the facilitation of this Act—the legislation governing this—there was about $300 million that was shepherded through. So we know the importance of this to our economy and that is why it is a great privilege to speak in support of it. Thank you very much.
Smith StuartSTUART SMITH (National—Kaikōura): The New Zealand Horticulture Export Authority Amendment Bill is updating legislation as has already been said and is quite timely and necessary. What this bill and the Horticulture Export Authority are about in essence is marketing but it is not necessarily about marketing in the sense that people think. Although consumer preferences are very important you cannot get to the consumer if you do not get through the gatekeeper and having scale is one way we can get through the gatekeeper.We can look at the Australian market for example which is very similar to our own market here. There are two supermarkets that control most of the market really in Australia and it is pretty similar here in New Zealand although it is changing in Australia. I suspect the market is not large enough for it to change here with Costco etc. and ALDI in Australia. We do not have those two entities operating in New Zealand. But it is what it is and to get past those gatekeepers you require scale. Although a farmers' market works really well and it is great to be able to talk to the person who grew the products that you are purchasing that is not possible in a supermarket in any way at all. To get through those gatekeepers you need to have security of supply a uniform product and all of the things that this bill allows a group of exporters to get together and provide. The only way to get to those consumers is to get through those gatekeepers in that way.I think it is too often forgotten that we can grow fantastic produce in New Zealand and we do but the big missing part of the puzzle is how we get it and market it into the market into the consumer. That is where all the profit is made and it is also the hardest nut to crack. You can invest probably almost as much money in that section of the industry as you do in things like land equipment and machinery to process and grade all of the fruit or vegetables or whatever it is that you are exporting. So that is a really important point that I think is why this bill is so valuable.I think the tiers of licences also make a lot of sense. They allow people to enter the market in different grades and at times that suit their particular industry. I like as the Minister said the term orchard to the plate". It is absolutely a good term and it is the way we should think about things in our industries in New Zealand anyway because we cannot extract the maximum return without that.This is a valuable piece of legislation. It is timely. It will be welcomed by the industry and I believe it will be welcomed by consumers all around the world who will get to sample New Zealand's best horticultural products marketed in a uniform and sensible way. I commend it to the House. Thank you."
Parmar ParmjeetDr PARMJEET PARMAR (National): I am taking a short call to support the Children Young Persons and Their Families (Advocacy Workforce and Age Settings) Amendment Bill in its third reading. It is a great bill and I want to start by acknowledging the Minister for Social Development the Hon Anne Tolley for bringing this bill to the House. We know that there will be more bills—to supplement what we are proposing in this legislation—coming to the House later on which is part of the big reform of childcare in our country.Although I also want to acknowledge the Social Services Committee. I especially want to acknowledge all the submitters for taking the time to make their submissions. Some of those submissions were from individuals and some were from organisations having direct indirect or general interest in this legislation. Overall there has been a lot of support from organisations involved in the sector which is really good to see.This bill is a great bill. It is designed to increase the age of care and protection for young people from under 17 to under 18. The other important component in this bill is that it also provides the opportunity for children to have their say to be heard and this is at the individual and also at the system level so that we can deliver better services for these children.I also want to acknowledge the Youth Advisory Panel because what I heard about the Youth Advisory Panel was really impressive. These children those who were on the Youth Advisory Panel have gone through the experience of being in State care. It was really good to see what they have experienced and how they would like us to transform the Child Youth and Family system. The signal that we got from them was to stop experimenting on young people. I believe that is a very very strong message from the Youth Advisory Panel and that message that we got from the Youth Advisory Panel is actually supported by the report that we got from the expert panel. I want to acknowledge that panel as well because the report clearly said that the system is not centred around children. It is fragmented. There is not enough accountability and what we are doing is actually not meeting the needs of young people those who come into State care.There are several groups that I want to acknowledge for their contribution on this legislation. As the previous speaker Louisa Wall spoke about increasing the age to 21—yes that legislation will be coming to the House and the most important part of that is the transition support and the fact that those young people can come back for advice up until the age of 25. In this whole process the important thing is that there has been a lot of engagement with stakeholders which includes Government agencies NGOs iwi young people and caregivers. So is a great bill that has support from sectors involved in this field so I support this bill and commend this bill to the House. Thank you.
Pugh Maureen; Tisch LindsayMAUREEN PUGH (National): It is indeed a great pleasure for me to stand and speak tonight on this Children Young Persons and their Families (Advocacy Workforce and Age Settings) Amendment Bill in its third reading. This bill is a clear demonstration of this Government's commitment to the most vulnerable members of our society: our young people and their families. It is abundantly clear that more of the same is not sustainable and is not fair on our young people. As the member who has just resumed his seat Darroch Ball said the status quo is not acceptable. Thanks to the work of the Hon Anne Tolley this Government is embarking on an overhaul of the current system.There are three main objectives in this bill. The first of those is to make the new system child-centred. This objective was reinforced to the Minister through the Youth Advisory Panel and that Youth Advisory Panel was made up of young people who had direct experience with the system. They made it very clear that they want to stop the State experimenting with their lives. They want their first care placement to be the best place for them within a long-term loving and stable home wherever and whomever that may be with. They also want their views to be taken into account when decisions are being made about their lives which is not an unreasonable request.The second outcome that is aimed for with this bill is to extend the statutory age of care and protection to the age of 18. Many of our young people at the age of 17 are still involved in study. They need the age extension so that they can resume their studies and graduate as they deserve to without being removed from State care.Thirdly this bill enables services to be purchased so that children and young people get the support they need when they need it from a range of service providers.There will be further law changes that will supplement this bill and they will form part of this wide programme of transformation. For that reason I have great pleasure in commending this bill to the House. Thank you.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): The next call is a split call. Metiria Turei—5 minutes.
Customs and Excise Bill — First Reading
Young JonathanJONATHAN YOUNG (National—New Plymouth): This bill is a very good bill sponsored by the Hon Nicky Wagner—thank you very much for the work that you have done on this Minister. This bill brings forward this piece of legislation—the activity that surrounds it—by 20 years; it replaces the Customs and Excise Act 1996. If we think about the last 20 years changes have taken place around not only technology but the incredible movement of goods and people across borders and the incredible open world—but also the world in which we live where security has become so much more important. So what this bill does is that it brings everything up to date. That is so critically important if we want to continue to live in that open world. We take that openness for granted but we must have legislation we must have regulations and we must have provisions that protect our freedom. This work on this bill does precisely that. I want to just commend the Minister for that and the good work that she along with her officials has done. It is very very important for New Zealand.The area of electronic devices: we live in the world of data—the big world of data the world of information the world of communication—where so much happens. We no longer live in the age of snail mail; we live in the age of instant communication globally. All of that is important because as we know there was the situation that happened in the United States of America where there was information on a device and there was great difficulty for the federal officials to be able to access that information in order to protect the security of their nation. We have to find the balance between personal privacy and public good. I guess this is the work of Parliament all the time: finding the balance to protect the public good but also protect the privacy of individuals.As technology advances and as the capabilities of enforcement agencies also progress we have to—from time to time in this House—update legislation. Here we are putting a number of aspects of primary legislation into regulations so that the updating of that can be concurrent with the increase in technology—so we are more nimble and more able to address these issues.I am very happy to stand and support this bill and the work that the Minister is doing. We are a trading nation. We have an incredibly large border for our population. We have a great coastal area but we are increasingly connected by more and more air travel. And of course freight is a major major component of our economy: 85 percent of that which we manufacture in New Zealand is exported and of course we bring in at least the corresponding value in imports as well. Protecting our borders from all sorts of issues but also understanding the financial transactions that need to take place with imports and exports is very very important. This bill very very proficiently addresses this. I am very pleased to stand in support of this bill. Thank you.
Bindra MaheshMAHESH BINDRA (NZ First): I rise on behalf of New Zealand First to speak to this Customs and Excise Bill that is before the House this evening. Unfortunately the New Zealand First caucus has not had the opportunity to discuss what appears to be a reasonably comprehensive bill. Today we stand to support this bill to the select committee so that we can use the democratic process which includes listening to the public. Only after careful examination and analysis will we be in a position to highlight the merits and demerits of this legislation. Only then will we be able to take a clear stand and either oppose or continue to support this bill.On the face of it this bill seeks to modernise and simplify the current legislation. We will support this approach as this would build better controls at our borders—controls that would prevent illegal firearms for instance. We note that this bill will allow more flexible powers to protect New Zealand. We hope that that does not mean opening up the gaps that already exist. We note that the bill will enable greater information-sharing amongst Government departments such as Customs and IRD. If that works for Customs and IRD then we will hope that the same approach also works between Corrections and Police so that our communities can be kept safe.The bill seeks to make it easier for New Zealand traders which is good. We will support economic growth by making it easier for New Zealand businesses to do business. New Zealand First is looking forward to learning more about how this bill will enable the adoption of future technological changes. This is future-thinking and we like that. If only we could be certain that the technology will be used to close some of the gaps. At the moment 90 to 95 percent of the consignments at our borders are not physically examined so we hope that this bill will do something to fix that fault in our system and almost all of those consignments will be examined to prevent the import of illegal firearms also.New Zealand First looks forward to more debate and to the select committee process so that these concerns can be addressed and better legislation can be enacted. Thank you.
Muller ToddTODD MULLER (National—Bay of Plenty): I rise to take a short call this evening on the Customs and Excise Bill. I have noticed that we have a good trend in this Government of looking at legislation that has been in place for a number of years—and in this case I am obviously talking about the Customs and Excise Act—and looking at opportunities for improvement. We have done this in a number of older Acts across a raft of areas of government and now of course we are turning our minds to customs and excise.Clearly when you are looking at a piece of legislation that has been in for in this case over 20 years there is always opportunity for improvement. The bill that we have in front of us to reflect on tonight reflects a determination to make it a modern framework. We have spent quite a bit of time out with the various stakeholders to get their feedback to ensure that what we have put in front of the House this evening for initial reflection reflects their particular perspectives. In particular this bill replaces the 1996 Customs and Excise Act with modern legislation that streamlines and simplifies procedures for more effective border management. We all understand how critical border management is to our economic performance as a country and this bill talks to a wide array of improvements that we certainly look forward to getting feedback on.One of the areas that I have particular interest in is the ability of Customs to be able to examine electronic devices and other goods and unlock some of the coding that perhaps hitherto has prevented Customs from being able to get a sense of the risk that is potentially at our borders. As always you have got to reflect on that balance between personal freedom and the protection of the New Zealand border which is in all of our interests. I think we have landed this in a particularly good spot but I am sure that through the select committee process we are going to get I think quite a lot of feedback in respect of that.I think this is a good advance on the historic Act and reflects a Government that is committed to ensuring that we are always looking for opportunities for improvement. I look forward to the debate that we will have at a select committee to discuss the various options that are in front of us here today. Thank you.
Woods Megan; Tisch LindsayDr MEGAN WOODS (Labour—Wigram): It is my pleasure to take a call on what I think we could describe as a reasonably uncontroversial piece of legislation that Labour will be supporting. I do not think there has been anything as exciting happen in the customs area since SmartGate that we are here to look at. As other speakers have traversed this is a piece of legislation—The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): I am sorry to interrupt the honourable member. The time has come for me to leave the Chair for the dinner break.Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.
Bennett DavidDAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East): It is good to see the Labour Party is supporting this bill and we look forward to other parties in the House doing similarly as well. I think this is a good piece of legislation. All members of Parliament should recognise that we have a role to play in keeping our borders safe and secure and that is one thing that I know many people in this House talk of many times. Now is the time for them to show that they actually follow that in their actions by supporting this bill.The current legislation came into force in 1996. Although this is not a substantive rewrite of it it does go through and add a bit of an update to take into account more modern times. So there are some business-focused initiatives in it; some of those enable Customs to make issuings over the valuation of imports and that will give them greater certainty. These rulings can be binding. The bill makes explicit the process for declaring a provisional value for imports where values cannot be known at that time. There will also be some relaxation of restrictions on businesses and their storing of records.There are also some changes to the sanctions involved with a new infringement scheme—similar to the one used by the Ministry for Primary Industries. That would give an easier mechanism to deal with petty offending. The range of penalties will be increased to ensure consistency with comparable penalties in other legislation.Probably one of the easiest things to talk about and discuss will be around the examination of electronic devices and other goods—namely cellphones—that travellers may be coming through with. That is something that many people will take into account when looking at this legislation. There are also some rules around information disclosure the passenger name record and other changes. So this is a good bill and we look forward to it passing through this House.
Young JonathanJONATHAN YOUNG (National—New Plymouth): I am very pleased to stand in support of this bill here in its first reading. What this bill does is find the balance of decision making in a local regional and central government space. We always hear of the complaint that central government gives too much to local government but then on the converse we also hear that local people want more decision-making. What this bill does is place the decision making around fluoridation in the regional setting of district health boards. Those boards are made up of appointed and elected people from our communities. What is important to see is that the context of making a decision is the context of public health rather than at a district council level where it becomes a political football. This bill is doing exactly that.We understand that this whole topic of fluoridation is very controversial. I believe that putting the decision-making place at district health boards is a very positive very proactive way to enable the decision making to be done locally and regionally but from a health context. Thank you; I commend the bill to the House.
McKelvie IanIAN McKELVIE (National—Rangitīkei): It is a pleasure to take a brief call on the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Bill. I would choose to speak on this issue I guess with some experience as a former mayor who had to put up with the debate on fluoride numerous times in my time with councils. I would have to say that I did not get elected to a district council to talk about health issues—if I wanted to do that I would have gone to the district health board I think. My electorate is a classic example of one of the real challenges of this issue where the Manawatū district has fluoridated water and the Rangitīkei district and the Ruapehu district do not. In fact the Ruapehu district did have fluoridated water in Taumarunui until it chose to withdraw it.So I think the indecision around this issue is a big one for our communities. After giving it some thought I think that the transferring of this responsibility to the health boards is appropriate. I think one of the challenges of this issue is going to be the funding of this decision to fluoridate water when there is no current technology in place in those councils to do it because it will lead to some increase in ratepayer costs. So there is going to be a requirement for those councils and the health boards to work out how they manage that process.Otherwise I think this is a very positive move. I think it will lead to some much better decisions being made and hopefully it will lead to some continuity as to the decision-making process around fluoridation of our water as health boards will have both the experience and the knowledge to implement this in a manner that I think is appropriate and applicable to our communities.Just very briefly I have already talked I think about the fact that it is essential that health boards make this decision but it is a very difficult topic for councils as they do not have the understanding of the science and stuff that is presented to them. It is difficult for them to pick it up and I think that the fact that it has been given to the health boards will be very positive. So with those few words I commend this bill to the House.
Dean JacquiJACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki): Just with reference to the member speaking on behalf of New Zealand First Ria Bond who has resumed her seat I dispute her contention that by transferring responsibility for decision making around the fluoridation of water delegating it to district health boards (DHBs) that somehow this decreases the democratic ability of New Zealanders to make decisions around their health. I am just noting for the member that district health boards of course are made up of elected members. This is a health issue and rightly belongs with the DHB which has got elected members who care enough to put their names forward to stand for that and therefore have a close interest in the oral health of their particular population.I would also note that local authorities traditionally struggle to make traction on initiating the provision of fluoridation. In fact some councils have gone backwards and have voted fluoridation out—to the cost of their community in my view. So it is a heartbreaking sight when the surgical bus rolls into town into many parts of rural New Zealand and on the list for that day is oral health for children. That is when mums and dads and grandmas bring the little ones in so that they can be sedated and have some pretty heavy-duty dental work performed on them. It is heartbreaking because it is so preventable and one of the many ways of preventing tooth decay is of course fluoridation of the water supply. There is a lot of science that backs up the fact that fluoridation in a drinking water supply has an incredibly beneficial impact on the downward rates of tooth decay.Since we do appear to have some youngsters in our gallery who are very welcome obviously I just note also that every time you go to a dentist—which of course is free to every child under 18 in New Zealand—they ply you with toothbrushes and toothpaste. Back in the day they used to make little characters out of the cotton wool. So it is not an unpleasant experience. This is a great step forward for oral health in New Zealand and I support this bill.