Belich CamillaMARITIME POWERS BILLSecond ReadingDebate resumed from 10 February.CAMILLA BELICH (Labour): Thank you Madam Speaker. It's a pleasure to take a call on this the Maritime Powers Bill at its second reading. I join alongside my colleagues on both sides of the House in supporting the passage of this bill. It's been a while since we had the earlier part of this second reading; so I'll just go over a bit about what this bill will achieve.Quite simply this bill will allow New Zealand's existing laws against serious criminal offending to be enforced in international waters where New Zealand has extra-territorial jurisdiction. This includes offences that take place on a New Zealand - flagged vessel in international waters offences that take place on board a foreign-flagged or a stateless vessel in international waters but where New Zealand has extra-territorial jurisdiction and in situations where a person is suspected of committing an offence against New Zealand law and is located on a foreign New Zealand or stateless vessel.In summary—and because we've had the plain English bill through the House this week—it would cover crimes on our vessels crimes on our waters and crimes against our laws. This bill does so by extending the powers of law enforcement. In doing so it supports our law enforcement officials in their work when they have to undertake them on vessels. This change would be consistent with New Zealand's rights under international law—particularly the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea. It is also consistent with our rights and obligations under international law generally.When I was at law school when it came to picking our electives I didn't take a paper on the law of the sea; I instead took labour law. However my good friend and contemporary and fellow student at the time Dr Bevan Martin did take this elective. He is now a specialist lawyer and academic in maritime law and I am here as a Labour MP. Isn't it interesting how sometimes our paths can diverge and lead us to different places? But in having a friend who is a specialist maritime lawyer I did take the opportunity to ask Dr Martin about this bill and his view on this bill as someone who can look at it somewhat independently. He responded as follows: The world's oceans are places of complex and overlapping claims to jurisdiction to legal authority over persons and vessels. Within these vast spaces a wide range of illegal activity can take place in relative anonymity often by vessels that fly flags of convenience with no real oversight from the State under whose flag they operate. Drug smuggling human trafficking illegal fishing and even piracy can thrive if responsible countries do not maintain a careful watch over their zones of responsibility."The United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea recognises the need for States to exercise criminal enforcement jurisdiction over domestic and foreign vessels across the full range of maritime zones—from the high seas to the territorial sea. While our powers are more extensive closer to home than in international waters the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea shows that some actions are universally acknowledged by the international community as criminal and as acts that should therefore be suppressed anywhere they are identified. Notably this can be piracy slavery and also drug offences including some other trafficking as well. New Zealand's obligation to suppress unlawful activity in the sea is further bound up in a series of international obligations that go back decades—notably the Convention on Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety in Maritime Navigation in 1988. This convention recognised—and I quote—"unlawful acts against the safety of maritime navigation that jeopardise the safety of persons and property and seriously affect the operation of maritime services and undermine the confidence of peoples in the world of the safety of maritime navigation." This particular convention following 9/11 was further significantly updated and New Zealand at that time joined with many others in the international community in recommitting to the goal of safer seas.So when I did ask my friend about this bill it was very clear that he supported this bill and I thank him for his insights and comments and work in this area. It is clear by prioritising this bill that the Government is demonstrating both New Zealand's obligations under international law and also just as importantly to the people who we ask to patrol our seas often in fast developing situations—that they are also supported and able to continue to do their work. It is essential that we extend and clarify the powers of those who we charge with keeping our oceans safe for both New Zealanders and also for those who visit New Zealand—and hopefully there will be more of those shortly when the borders reopen—and therefore fall under our protection.We also have to consider the alternative of passing this legislation: a New Zealand naval vessel for example that was boarded and then detained a vessel suspected of say human trafficking or worse and then compelled it to return to a New Zealand port only to have the offenders escape justice on a technicality based on the New Zealand Parliament not giving officials powers that they needed to undertake enforcement action. Now while this might sound like a plot of some movie based on the high seas or some fictional drama these are not fictional concerns but real possibilities that we want to avoid with the passage of this bill. So that is why it is so important that this House passes this bill.This bill is also consistent with Labour's commitments. Labour has a longstanding commitment to an independent foreign policy including upholding the rule of law and this bill is consistent with that. Labour also has a proud tradition of multilateralism human rights and commitment to international law. As a trading nation New Zealand has a growing marine economy and a domestic market that is increasingly relying on the connectivity that the sea provides to the global supply chain. Sea transport is the most common mode of transport to import and export goods. So again in plain English we sell a lot of stuff and we use ships to transport it. That is why this bill is so important.Now I wasn't part of the select committee that considered this bill but I understand they received a small amount of submissions: seven in total. Four I think expressly supported this bill and the others didn't take a position. So I think we can assume there isn't any widespread public opposition to this bill. The select committee also provided some useful feedback and I know that the Minister when reading the initial speech on the second reading noted some technical amendments that improved the bill as a result of the deliberation by the select committee. So I thank the select committee very much for the work that they did on that.In conclusion New Zealand's maritime security environment is becoming more complex and more dynamic. Keeping our maritime environment safe and secure and holding those who commit offences against New Zealand law to account is critical. This is particularly important in New Zealand as an island nation while upholding the rule of international law. I wish to share the Minister's sentiment that this bill is a positive step and one that will enable us to uphold maritime national security in a fair and proportionate way in line with international law and in line with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act. I thank the Minister and the select committee and the submitters very much for their work and I commend this bill to the House."