edithatogo/nz-hansard-corpus huggingface dataset:
Brownlee Gerry; Mallard TrevorQuestion No. 1 to MinisterHon GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam): I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. In question No. 1 today you ruled that the Hon Paula Bennett could not table a document on the basis that it had previously been published. But I would just ask you to consider what you've ruled today in relation to Speaker's rulings 149/1 which talk about documents of a historic nature and not readily available and Speaker's ruling 149/2 that says that documents that are published by the media can be tabled if there has been a passage of time effectively and they come from a credible organisation. Now the Parliamentary Library I'm sure you would agree as far as this House is concerned is a credible organisation.Further Speaker's ruling 150/2 says that a document published by media is much the same as 149/2 in exceptional circumstances. In this case the statement that was tabled by the Hon Paula Bennett was 18 years old. Now that creates the sorts of exceptional circumstances that I'm sure are anticipated in that. While that moment has passed I would ask you just to reflect on whether your ruling today supersedes those other rulings.SPEAKER: Well I haven't looked carefully at 149/1 but I have looked at 149/2 and I'm not sure that the member's argument actually works for that one. I will look carefully at it. I'm not at the point yet of where I'm going to take the current Speakers' rulings out of the book by superseding them but I will sit down and have a wee look at the question and at the context. I thank the member.
Hayes JoQuestion No. 8 to MinisterJO HAYES (National): I seek leave to make a personal explanation to correct a statement I made in the House. Mr Speaker when you asked for my assurance—SPEAKER: Order! Order! Is the member going to seek leave to make a correction presumably relating to something she said relatively recently?JO HAYES: Yes.SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that. There appears to be none.JO HAYES: When you asked for my assurance that the statement made by the Rt Hon Winston Peters was in his capacity as Minister I said it was as it was an article dated 22 December this year. I was mistaken; the statement was in fact made in February 2012. I apologise to the House.
Bakshi Kanwaljit SinghMOTIONSMahatma Gandhi—150th Birth AnniversaryKANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI (National): I seek leave to move a motion without notice or debate on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.SPEAKER: Leave is sought for that course of action. Is there any objection? There appears to be none.KANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI: I move That this House joins the Indian diaspora in celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi the father of a nation and note that Mahatma Gandhi used the notion of civil disobedience to organise peasants farmers and urban labourers to protest against excessive land tax and discrimination and inspired many others to the path of non-violence.Motion agreed to.
Woods Megan; Mallard TrevorTABLING OF DOCUMENTSDocuments Relating to the Chief Technology Officer PositionHon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Acting Minister of State Services): I seek leave to table a set of documents relating to the Chief Technology Officer position.SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that process? There appears to be none. They will be tabled.Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House.
Lees-Galloway Iain; Brownlee GerryBUSINESS STATEMENTHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Acting Leader of the House): The House next sits on Tuesday 16 October. The business for that week will include the committee stage of the Telecommunications (New Regulatory Framework) Amendment Bill the Courts Matters Bill and the Tribunals Powers and Procedures Legislation Bill and the first reading of the Equal Pay Amendment Bill. The Government will move to extend the sitting of Tuesday 16 October until 1 p.m. on Wednesday 17 October. Wednesday 17 October will be a members' day.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam): Does the Leader of the House realise that the bills he's circulated for consideration in extended hours in the hope that the Opposition might agree to select committees sitting are all bills that have been returned to the House by select committees due to sit that morning?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Acting Leader of the House): Actually no I wasn't aware that that list had been circulated. I will certainly check that list. It is the Government's intention to ensure that bills considered under the extended period do not clash with select committees.
Mallard TrevorTHURSDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 2018The Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.Prayers.VISITORSFrance Republic of—Senate DelegationSPEAKER: I'm sure that members would wish to welcome Mrs Annick Billon Mr Éric Jeansannetas and Mr Jérôme Bascher Senators from the Republic of France who are present in the gallery.
Wednesday 26 September 2018 - Volume 733
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the Crown Minerals (Petroleum) Amendment Bill be now read a first time.Ayes 63New Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; Green Party 8.Noes 57New Zealand National 56; ACT New Zealand 1.Bill read a first time.The question was put that the Crown Minerals (Petroleum) Amendment Bill be referred to the Environment Committee.A party vote was called for on the question That the question be agreed to.Ayes 63New Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; Green Party 8.Noes 57New Zealand National 56; ACT New Zealand 1.Question agreed to.Bill referred to the Environment Committee.
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That urgency be accorded.Ayes 63New Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; Green Party 8.Noes 56New Zealand National 56.Motion agreed to.
Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill — In Committee—New Clause 7 (Gazette notices of a vacancy)
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the question be now put.Ayes 63New Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; Green Party 8.Noes 56New Zealand National 56.Motion agreed to.The question was put that the amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 72 in the name of Simeon Brown be agreed to.A party vote was called for on the question That the amendment be agreed to.Ayes 56New Zealand National 56.Noes 63New Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; Green Party 8.Amendment not agreed to.The question was put that the following amendment in the name of the Hon Dr Nick Smith be agreed to:after clause 6 insert:7New section 134(1A) inserted (Supply of vacancy of seat of member elected from party list)After section 134(1) insert:(1A)If the vacancy in (1) has occurred as the result of a notice presented by a parliamentary leader of a political party under section 55A(3)(b) any notice in the Gazette must include the name of the party leader who presented the notice and the statement provided under section 55C(c).A party vote was called for on the question That the amendment be agreed to.Ayes 56New Zealand National 56.Noes 63New Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; Green Party 8.Amendment not agreed to.House resumed.Bill reported without amendment.Report adopted.
11. Question No. 11—Workplace Relations and SafetyHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel) to the Minister for Workplace Relations and SafetyQuestion No. 11—Workplace Relations and Safety11. Hon SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel) to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: Does he stand by his answer in the House last week where he stated he was confident the Employment Relations Amendment Bill as reported back by select committee had a parliamentary majority?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety): Yes.Hon Scott Simpson: How then does he reconcile that with the Prime Minister's statement on The Nation over the weekend that We are working through some issues around employment legislation and continue to do so."?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: Well because what I also said last week was that should the Government see the opportunity to improve the bill in any way we will take that opportunity at the committee of the whole House. We are a collaborative coalition Government. We're constantly talking with each other about how we can form the very best legislation and that's exactly what we're doing.Hon Scott Simpson: So just exactly what aspects of the bill that were reported back after the select committee are still being negotiated with New Zealand First?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: As the Prime Minister said when it's finalised we'll make it public.Hon Scott Simpson: Why after almost a year since the bill first went through Cabinet and after it's been through an entire select committee process with a Government majority on that select committee can he not give any certainty to businesses in New Zealand or workers as to what the final version of his bill will look like?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: Similar to when the previous Government passed the employment standards legislation and made significant changes at the committee of the whole House there's always an opportunity to make legislation better and it would be a foolish Government not to take that opportunity.Hon Scott Simpson: So in the Minister's view what are the specific improvements that can be made to the bill?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: There are always opportunities to make improvements and when the details have been finalised and the Cabinet decision has been made they will be made public."
10. Question No. 10—PoliceGREG O'CONNOR (Labour—Ōhāriu) to the Minister of PoliceQuestion No. 10—Police10. GREG O'CONNOR (Labour—Ōhāriu) to the Minister of Police: What recent announcements if any has the Government made to support crime prevention in our communities?Hon STUART NASH (Minister of Police): One of the main priorities of this Government's plan is improving the well-being of New Zealanders by supporting safer communities. Off the back of the single biggest investment in our police service through Budget 2018 we have announced that last Thursday the 11th recruit wing graduated since this coalition Government took office with 98 new constables appointed all around the country one of the largest wings in well over a decade. This brings the total number of new officers to 786 who are now out on the front line. The Dame Annette King wing which started this week has taken the total number of new recruits to start Police College to 940 which is the largest annual figure for new recruits in well over 20 years.Greg O'Connor: How is the Government supporting the fight against organised crime?Hon STUART NASH: Yesterday we endorsed the Commissioner of Police's decision on how to allocate the extra resources for organised crime funded as part of the coalition agreement with New Zealand First. Areas of focus of these 500 specialist officers include disrupting transnational criminal groups national and local gangs cybercrime money laundering and child exploitation. This is the new front line of criminal offending. Increasing the specialist capacities of police is crucial in order to adapt to the challenges of 21st century policing.Greg O'Connor: How is the roll-out of additional police officers and resources supporting vulnerable small businesses?Hon STUART NASH: One hundred and twenty-one extra officers have been allocated to precision targeting teams. These teams target prolific offenders to strengthen community resilience. In addition since I've made it a lot easier and cheaper for small-business owners to access the crime prevention fund there has been enthusiastic uptake. In contrast to the one small business in the previous Government latest figures show that 303 premises have installed fog cannons. These are an important deterrent and safety mechanism for our small retailers in the event of an aggravated robbery.Chris Bishop: Why does his commitment to crime prevention and organised crime not extend to supporting initiatives like firearms prohibition orders that are backed by the police the Police Association and Parliament's Law and Order Committee?Hon STUART NASH: Ah that member should wait. There's a lot of work being done in this area at this point in time.
6. Question No. 6—FinanceHon AMY ADAMS (National—Selwyn) to the Minister of FinanceQuestion No. 6—Finance6. Hon AMY ADAMS (National—Selwyn) to the Minister of Finance: Has he seen reports that the cost of living is rising before our eyes"; if so does he accept that this Government's policies are increasing the cost of living for New Zealanders?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): Yes and no.Hon Amy Adams: Does he agree with the article from Stuff yesterday that states "Fuel rent insurance rates electricity cigarettes and food; they're all increasing in price and some as a direct result of Government policy."?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: There are many assertions in that article and I certainly do not agree with all of them. I just caution the member if she starts to talk about the issue of the increases in fuel taxes and rent increases that I do have the Advertising Standards Authority complaints ruling about National's previous attempt on that at hand.Hon Amy Adams: Well with petrol prices and rental prices now at record levels does he think he should have paid more attention to officials' advice that told the Government that their policies were always likely to have exactly this impact?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I reject the premises in that question. The median rent in New Zealand has been flat since February according to the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment.Hon Amy Adams: What advice did he seek on the cost of living impacts of the Government's oil and gas decisions after reading the regulatory impact statement for those decisions which said that energy prices can also be expected to increase as a result of those decisions?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: It may surprise the member but my focus is on New Zealanders today not the possible cost of living increases in 2027 based on information about unknown unknowns.Hon Amy Adams: With petrol prices at record highs rent prices at record highs according to TradeMe a number of other cost of living indicators clearly moving upwards and firms' pricing intentions also rising does he now understand why consumer confidence is at a six-year low and business confidence remains at a 10-year low?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: No I don't think the member can draw all of those matters together. What we do know on this side of the House is that we are in the process at the moment of wanting to build a sustainable transport network and part of that is the fuel excise duty going up as it went up under the previous Government by 40 percent—40 percent."
Sage EugenieHon EUGENIE SAGE (Green): Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. I hope that when the Rt Hon David Carter goes to Geneva he extends his memory back to 2010. He's calling this an abuse of democracy. There was an abuse of democracy back in 2010 with the Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Bill. That went through this House and removed elected councillors at Environment Canterbury without even going to a select committee. The National Party doth protest too much. That bill removed democratic representation. It put the kibosh on Cantabrians electing their councillors for years. It was done under urgency—no opportunity for submissions. This bill is going to a select committee for four weeks. The National Party is also being hypocritical because over and over again it talks about providing investment certainty—DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Order! First of all you can't make that—it's not a use of parliamentary language. Hon EUGENIE SAGE: I apologise.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Secondly I did start this debate by pointing members to Standing Order 290(3). It is a very focused debate on the process; not the bill itself not the principles of the bill and certainly not the history of voting in this House. As long as it's related to the actual process around this bill I will allow it.Hon EUGENIE SAGE: Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. I withdraw the hypocritical" remark. The four weeks that are being allowed for submissions on this bill given the short small size of the bill will be adequate. They will enable submitters in the industry to make submissions and when others say that investment certainty is needed for industry that is what the bill is doing and signalling and ensuring that the 2018 block offer can be conducted. If it's going to be conducted this bill needs to pass the Parliament. If it's going to pass the Parliament it needs to have a shortened select committee submission period. There is still—in four weeks—time to make submissions so I think the National Party doth protest too much."
Lees-Galloway IainHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety): Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. It's proper during this debate that the House hear the reasoning from the Government for the early report back that is proposed in this motion. The reason why the Government is seeking this early report back is to ensure that the changes in the Act can be made to allow for the 2018 block offer consultation process to be completed before the end of this year. The shorter-than-usual select committee process will allow the public and the industry to have their say on the proposed changes to the Act and will ensure that tender documents for the block offer can be made available in early 2019.As the Minister of Energy and Resources said during her speech this bill will give effect to the new offshore petroleum exploration permitting policy while preserving the rights of existing permit holders. It will also ensure the block offer for onshore blocks will take place in Taranaki. The bill will also prohibit access to conservation land as part of this block offer process except for minimum-impact activities.
Tolley AnneDEPUTY SPEAKER: Before I accept any speakers on this can I just advise the House—because I think it's the first time we've had this—that the debate is 10-minute speeches and it's quite a narrow debate. I refer anyone to Standing Order 290(3). Hon Dr Megan Woods: Madam Deputy Speaker.DEPUTY SPEAKER: I call—oh you've just—Hon Dr Megan Woods: Yep—I'll take a call as well.DEPUTY SPEAKER: You've actually sat down Minister.Hon Dr Megan Woods: Oh OK.
Woods MeganHon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Energy and Resources): I move That the Crown Minerals (Petroleum) Amendment Bill be reported to the House by 29 October 2018 and that the committee have authority to meet at any time while the House is sitting except during oral questions; during any evening on a day on which there has been a sitting of the House; on a Friday in a week in which there has been a sitting of the House; and outside of the Wellington area despite Standing Orders 191 193 and 194(1)(b) and (c).
Strange Jamie; Tolley AnneJAMIE STRANGE (Labour): Madam Deputy Speaker thank you for the opportunity to take a call on the Crown Minerals (Petroleum) Amendment Bill. If there's ever an example of the difference between the previous Government and this current Government it's this bill here. The previous regime to quote their leader John Key said the Government would be a fast follower on climate change. This Government will be a leader on climate change. We aim to take a lead. Yes we're a small country but we can be an example to other countries around the world. This is about vision. We had a briefing here by Meridian Energy recently at Parliament and they said that if the temperature of the world increases by 3 degrees—3 degrees—then we can only sustain 1 billion people. So if we increase by 3 degrees the population somehow has to go from 7 billion to 8 billion down to 1 billion. Climate change is the number one issue facing our planet. It's bigger than war and famine which are the usual challenges we're facing and it's linked to those as well. So I'm proud to be part of a Government who are taking a lead on climate change. I'm proud of our Minister Megan Woods who stated before in her speech that we've begun the 30- to 40-year journey to a zero-carbon economy. There's a clear plan in place: a managed transition to clean energy. We heard from Paul Goldsmith around heating costs. He said that this will increase heating costs. The reality is that if we don't look after our planet and we're all dead you can't warm a corpse anyway. The economic benefits—there's no economy if there's no planet. So this is an example of a Government taking a lead having vision treating climate change with the respect that it deserves and making a difference. Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I call Lee—Erica Stanford.
Mallard TrevorSPEAKER: Urgency will be accorded and I'm going to use my poor eyesight to say it's now six o'clock and to indicate that the House will resume after the dinner break at 7.30.Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.
Lees-Galloway IainURGENCYHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Acting Leader of the House): I move That urgency be accorded to the first reading and referral to select committee of the Crown Minerals (Petroleum) Amendment Bill.The use of urgency for the Crown Minerals (Petroleum) Amendment Bill is largely technical: to enable it to come before the House today when it would not otherwise be available until tomorrow. The bill is a simple one that gives legislative effect to the policy on petroleum exploration announced in April. It must pass by early November to ensure that Block Offer 2018 can proceed in a timely manner. The use of urgency will make it certain that the bill can be referred to a select committee before the adjournment thus enabling the public and industry to have their say on the bill. The urgency motion includes the debate on the terms of the referral to the select committee.
Maritime Powers Extension Bill — Third Reading
Andersen GinnyVIRGINIA ANDERSEN (Labour): Thank you for the opportunity to speak in the third and final reading of the Maritime Powers Extension Bill. It's great to see agreement from both sides of the House in a particular area where we want to see change and that is the fact that we do not want illicit drugs coming into New Zealand for the harm they cause to people in New Zealand and to our communities that we see in all of our own areas. Methamphetamine in particular is a significant substance that we see coming in through New Zealand waters. And when we have a look at the amounts of methamphetamine that have been intercepted on those open waters the amounts are really quite significant. The one that we've seen most recently is the 500 kilos that came in on the beach in Northland but further out—further in those areas where we're able to now reach once this legislation has been passed—there are significant amounts. Off the coast of Australia we've seen 200 kilos of methamphetamine intercepted; and 1.4 tonnes of methamphetamine in another interception in 2017. So this is where the real opportunity lies for the New Zealand Police and New Zealand Customs Service to work collaboratively with their partners in other countries to make sure we're working together to get those big amounts before they even reach New Zealand's shores. And that's where the real benefit of working collaboratively lies. We can make sure that the harm that lies within those drugs doesn't even reach our shores. We have a real advantage in the fact that we are an island nation. We do not have the same situations as European countries where trafficking drugs across borders is far easier. This legislation plays strongly to our strengths as an island nation to make sure we make our country as safe and as healthy as possible. Noting that I'd like to acknowledge those members that have already acknowledged the good work that needs to be done in terms of therapeutic treatments. So while it's very important to control the supply of illicit substances it's just as important to control the demand—and that's enabling anybody with addiction issues to be treating them as a health issue and enabling them to access services whether they be in prison in the community or any other part and they should access them quickly when they ask for them. That is a priority of this coalition Government as well.Without further ado I would like to commend this bill to the House and thank all those for the work they've put into it.
Tinetti Jan; Rurawhe AdrianJAN TINETTI (Labour): Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. Interestingly enough even though I'm not on the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee that looked at this bill and investigated it—although I have filled in a couple of times—I got to speak on this bill in the first reading as well. Strangely enough at the weekend I was meeting some colleagues that I hadn't seen for quite some time and they said that the one speech they had seen me do in this House was on the first reading of this bill. So hopefully they're watching again tonight. Ha ha!Hon Member: Made such an impression.JAN TINETTI: Made such an impression.I tautoko everybody else and what has been said by everyone else in the House here this afternoon about the importance of this piece of legislation. I want to speak about it particularly from a personal point of view and despite what was said in the general debate being accused by the Hon Scott Simpson of coming from the South Island—I actually do come from Tauranga—this is a big issue for us in Tauranga around the smuggling of illicit drugs. That was brought to a head to us in November last year when we had a $20 million load of drugs that was seized at the port. Now we do some wonderful work and our customs staff do some wonderful work at that port—absolutely exceptional. But this bill adds another tool for those particular wonderful people that we have to ensure that we can work even harder on that war on drugs. So I'm pretty excited for the people who are really working at that coalface every day to see this particular bill going through. I'm excited that it has the support of both sides of the House and I commend this bill to the House.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): I call Chris Penk—five minutes.
Radhakrishnan PriyancaPRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Labour): Tēnā koe e Te Māngai. I rise to take a short call—Simon O'Connor: No take a long one!PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN: Well Mr Simon O'Connor you have made such a valiant effort and have gone into such depth and detail that a short call is what is needed at this point on the Maritime Powers Extension Bill which gives us basically a clear legislative framework so that we can intercept and respond to drug-smuggling activity in international waters.There are two simple reasons why we need this bill. The first is that the one thing we can all agree on from different sides of this House is that we want to stop drug smuggling or drugs from entering New Zealand and so we need to address the supply side of the issue. The second is that we want the Customs Service to have the powers to intervene when ships are in international waters because at the moment they don't. The tools that they have allow them to intervene when these ships are in New Zealand territorial waters but not international. So it's not good enough for us to wait till ships and individuals reach New Zealand and intercept them; we want to get in there early. This bill does two things. It amends the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 to make drug smuggling in international waters an offence. Secondly it amends the Customs and Excise Act 2018 to allow customs to intervene as I just mentioned. This bill is not controversial. There is support from both sides of the House and it sits well within this Government's strategy to address drug harm completely contrary to what the member who just resumed his seat Simon O'Connor has said. Although this Government has an evidence-based focus on reducing drug harm by treating it as a health issue it does not mean that we don't want to interrupt the supply side of the issue. That's what this bill does.I acknowledge the current Minister the former Minister and all those who have worked on this bill to get it to where it's at now and the select committee as well for their work. With that I commend this bill to the House.
Strange JamieJAMIE STRANGE (Labour): Mr Assistant Speaker thank you for the opportunity to take a call on the Maritime Powers Extension Bill. I would like to echo the comments of the previous member Mark Mitchell around the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee of which I am a member. I would like to acknowledge the chair Simon O'Connor who does an excellent job leading a very bipartisan and positive committee. Thank you sir.Look this is a very important piece of legislation and we have agreement across the House which is fantastic. The Maritime Powers Extension Bill would amend the Customs and Excise Act 2018 and the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. It seeks to incorporate into domestic law two provisions in international treaties to which New Zealand is a party. The first point there is around article 108 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This obliges signatory States to cooperate in suppressing the maritime transit of illicit substances. Now these illicit substances particularly meth and cocaine are two of the major ones. If we can stop these drugs coming into our country in the first place we go a long way to help make our society a lot better.Another aspect around this is working with our Pacific neighbours because we've got vast expanses of ocean out there and some of our Pacific neighbours don't quite have the resources that we may have—for example Kiribati. The small island of Kiribati has an economic zone the size of the United States of America. They've got one ship to patrol that whole zone. With us working with countries like Kiribati like Tonga Samoa and all of those Pacific nations we can work together around this fight on drugs.This bill does a number of things. Firstly it provides a framework for customs to board search and take enforcement action in international waters. At the moment customs can only operate in our 12-mile radius. However this bill gives them the opportunity when they recognise the drugs are there to search and take enforcement action. Secondly it amends the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 to establish offences relating to drug-smuggling in international waters outside of New Zealand. Some of the key things that it allows customs to do are to stop board and search suspect ships. It gives customs the power to arrest individuals. It allows the detention of a ship including the power to direct and the seizure and forfeiture of prohibited items controlled drugs and precursor substances as well as the ship if detained under clause 7.This is an excellent bill because it's another step in the war on drugs and it's another step around collaboration with our Pacific neighbours. It's about working together to keep our country and their country safe from this plight of drugs. I acknowledge the Minister and all of those who have worked hard to pass this bill through the House. I commend this bill to the House. Thank you.
Mitchell MarkHon MARK MITCHELL (National—Rodney): Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. It's my pleasure to stand and take a call on this the Maritime Powers Extension Bill. You know the timing of the bill is very good obviously in terms of the challenges that we face as a coastal nation and the fact that we've seen some very high-profile recovery of drugs and illicit contraband that has somehow been smuggled and actually dropped offshore. I know we had a very big recovery of a large quantity of drugs in Northland last year.Can I just go back and acknowledge the Minister that took the first call Peeni Henare and just support his comments around the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee. Although I don't sit on that committee now I was a member of that committee and I want to acknowledge the work that they have done on this. I know that they are a very bipartisan committee and that they would have been working very hard to make sure that a good bill was brought back to the House so could I please acknowledge them.Like I was saying this bill is important because it effectively means we are strengthening the ability to actually protect our borders. Whether we like it or not even though we're a relatively small trading nation down the bottom of the world we are not immune to the global challenges especially around the trafficking of illicit drugs and contraband. So it's very important that we have strong cohesive legislation that allows our Customs Service to have all the tools all the legislation the services the training and the personnel that they need to be able to manage and protect our borders.Like I said recently there have been some very clear examples of actually the people the criminals the organised groups the organised crime groups that dedicate their lives to finding ways of defeating our border patrols and our border security. They have been successful in being able to actually find different and inventive ways of trying to get these illicit drugs and contraband into the country so I think the timing of the bill is very good.I just want to finish by again acknowledging the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee and I'm very happy to recommend this the Maritime Powers Extension Bill to the House. Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker.
Henare PeeniMARITIME POWERS EXTENSION BILLThird ReadingHon PEENI HENARE (Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector) on behalf of the Minister of Customs: I move That the Maritime Powers Extension Bill be now read a third time.This bill amends the Customs and Excise Act 2018 and the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 to provide a clear domestic legislative framework for responding to drug-smuggling activity in international waters beyond New Zealand's territorial sea. There is a simple reason for this bill and it is a reason that has the agreement of both sides of the House: we do not want illicit drugs entering this country of ours. New Zealand has made commitments under international conventions to suppress the smuggling of illicit drugs. The absence of a domestic legal framework and relevant smuggling offences has made it difficult for agencies to fulfil our obligations in situations where there is clear evidence that a smuggling operation is under way.Agencies such as the Customs Service and New Zealand Police do of course have other options available to respond. They can wait until the drugs come into New Zealand's territorial waters or as is happening increasingly they can work closely with offshore partners to stop drugs from leaving other countries. This bill addresses the gap that currently exists between these two points: the vast expanses of ocean that separate New Zealand from the rest of the world. It provides the tools for customs and other agencies to proactively target transnational organised criminal groups that are targeting New Zealand including those that remain in international waters.Firstly the bill amends the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 to make drug smuggling in international waters an offence under New Zealand law. Secondly it amends the Customs and Excise Act 2018 to allow customs to board and search ships and take action against individuals that are suspected of committing these offences. The bill includes safeguards to ensure these powers are used appropriately.New Zealand is taking a health approach to illicit drugs but that does not mean we are neglecting the supply side of the problem. Without the job that customs and police do in controlling the supply and stopping the criminals responsible both in New Zealand and offshore the problem will be much worse. We already have much work under way with police working on organised crime and investing in our ability to target drug smugglers. Budget 2018 invested $54.2 million of operating funding over four years to significantly enhance customs' capabilities to attack these criminal networks from all angles. This includes an additional 127 customs staff both here and overseas.This bill provides agencies with an additional tool to protect our borders and minimise the harm caused by illicit drugs. I welcome the support of both sides of the House for this bill. We also want to thank the members of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee once again for the constructive and expeditious way that they approached the consideration of this piece of legislation. I commend the bill to the House.
Remuneration Authority (Members of Parliament Remuneration) Amendment Bill — Third Reading
Lees-Galloway IainThird ReadingHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety): I move That the Remuneration Authority (Members of Parliament Remuneration) Amendment Bill be now read a third time. Bill read a third time.
Remuneration Authority (Members of Parliament Remuneration) Amendment Bill — Second Reading
Martin TraceyHon TRACEY MARTIN (NZ First): On behalf of New Zealand First I'll just take a very short call on the bill that we're discussing right now. It was with great pleasure that the New Zealand First caucus just unanimously without a moment's hesitation agreed to support this piece of legislation. I think everybody across the House recognises that the nation has some challenges and this is not the time for us to accept a pay increase considering that we are well paid for what we do.I do want to make the point that I often—I'm sure we all do—have conversations with young people about how this place works what parliamentarians do what politicians do because it is a mystery to many people interestingly enough. One of the things they ask about is how much we get paid. So I tell them. And then one young man particularly I remember said I heard you get free travel." I said "Yes that's right. We do." And he sort of rolled his eyes and I said "But the next question is to ask why." And it does go to some of this conversation. I said to him "If somebody from Invercargill had to fund their own travel there would be less people from Invercargill in Parliament—"SPEAKER: Fewer.Hon TRACEY MARTIN: Fewer. I beg your pardon. Thank you Mr Speaker—obviously a very highly regarded previous Minister of Education. There would be fewer people from Invercargill than there would be politicians who are living just down the road from Parliament. There would be fewer people from perhaps those representative communities who are not as wealthy as some other communities. And that is why some of the structures around the salary are probably more important than the salary itself because it makes sure that we remain—well we try and we fight to be—a representative democracy. I often say to young people that if you can't see yourself here or identify with somebody in this House then it's not doing its job. So this is a good thing. New Zealand First 100 percent supports this no hesitation at all. We do look forward to working constructively obviously across the House to come up with a new way to calculate in the future. But right now this is the right thing to do. The whole of the Parliament agrees so New Zealand First supports it. Kia ora.Bill read a second time.SPEAKER: In accordance with the determination of the Business Committee this bill is set down for third reading forthwith."
Remuneration Authority (Members of Parliament Remuneration) Amendment Bill — First Reading
Lees-Galloway IainREMUNERATION AUTHORITY (MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT REMUNERATION) AMENDMENT BILLFirst ReadingHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety): I move That the Remuneration Authority (Members of Parliament Remuneration) Amendment Bill be now read a first time.Bill read a first time.
Mallard TrevorQuestion No. 4—Housing and Urban DevelopmentSPEAKER: Before I get the member to ask the question I will inform the House that this question is substantially shorter and more direct than that which was submitted. I'd like members who are submitting questions to consider making sure that they do not have unnecessary material as part of them and to make sure that they're not attempting advertising banners by way of parliamentary question.4. PAUL EAGLE (Labour—Rongotai) to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development: What steps if any is the Government taking to ensure Housing New Zealand is a landlord focused on tenant well-being?Hon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister of Housing and Urban Development): On Friday the Government announced that it will legislate new social objectives for Housing New Zealand. These objectives will require Housing New Zealand to provide good quality warm dry and healthy rental housing for those who need it most; to be a fair compassionate and reasonable landlord; to treat tenants and their neighbours with respect integrity and honesty; and to help sustain tenancies.Paul Eagle: Why is the Government enshrining these objectives in legislation?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well Housing New Zealand's report into methamphetamine contamination highlights that instructions to focus on its core functions as a landlord led to Housing New Zealand taking a hard-line approach that ignored tenant well-being. This legislation will prevent future Governments from instructing Housing New Zealand to ignore well-being and prioritise dividends over tenant well-being.Paul Eagle: What will this mean to Housing New Zealand's day-to-day operations?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: What it means is that Housing New Zealand will now reinvest its surplus funds into building more houses or improving services for their tenants and will focus on sustaining tenancies. We know that stable housing is one of the most important things for the well-being of children. That's why we're focused on supporting families to stay in their homes.
1. Question No. 1—FinanceDr DEBORAH RUSSELL (Labour—New Lynn) to the Minister of FinanceWEDNESDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 2018The Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.Prayers.ORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Finance1. Dr DEBORAH RUSSELL (Labour—New Lynn) to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): I've seen a number of recent reports on the New Zealand economy that demonstrate it to be in good health. Last week's GDP numbers showed solid real growth of 1 percent for the quarter the strongest quarterly result since June 2016 and higher than Australia's. Growth was broad-based with 15 of 16 industries growing in the June quarter the strongest being agriculture forestry and fishing and the services industry. I'd also note that business investment is up by 0.7 percent on a year ago largely driven by investment in the productive economy—investment in plant machinery and equipment. Dr Deborah Russell: What reports has he seen on business confidence?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I've seen an interesting report today where the ANZ business confidence survey showed a lift in headline business confidence—up 12 points on the August result. Measures of businesses' own activity rose by 4 percent to a net 8 percent of firms expecting improved conditions. While I welcome this improved business confidence on this side of the House we won't get complacent about that and we will continue to focus on real data showing a solid economy with good growth.Dr Deborah Russell: What reports has he seen on employment confidence?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The latest Westpac McDermott Miller employment confidence survey today said that employment confidence remains fairly buoyant and that households are upbeat about their employment prospects. However I do acknowledge the survey's finding that households are worried about wages and that is why we have a plan to drive a more productive economy that delivers higher wages for hard-working New Zealanders. This is backed up by Treasury which is forecasting wage growth to average around 3 percent per year out to 2022.
Tuesday 25 September 2018 (continued on Wednesday 26 September 2018) - Volume 733
Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill — In Committee—New Clauses 7 (Review of Act)
VoteThe question was put that the following amendment in the name of the Hon Dr Nick Smith to the proposed amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 77 in the name of Chris Bishop to insert new clause 7 be agreed to:after the words into force" add the words "and a report must be presented to the House of Representatives".A party vote was called for on the question That the amendment to the amendment be agreed to.Ayes 57New Zealand National 56; ACT New Zealand 1.Noes 63New Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; Green Party 8.Amendment to the amendment not agreed to."
VoteThe question was put that the amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 76 in the name of Chris Bishop to insert new clause 7 be agreed to.A party vote was called for on the question That the amendment be agreed to.Ayes 57New Zealand National 56; ACT New Zealand 1.Noes 63New Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; Green Party 8.Amendment not agreed to.The question was put that the following amendment in the name of the Hon Dr Nick Smith to the proposed amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 77 in the name of Chris Bishop to insert new clause 7 be agreed to:replace the word must" with the word "may".A party vote was called for on the question That the amendment to the amendment be agreed to.Ayes 57New Zealand National 56; ACT New Zealand 1.Noes 63New Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; Green Party 8.Amendment to the amendment not agreed to."
VoteThe question was put that the following amendment in the name of the Hon Dr Nick Smith to the proposed amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 76 in the name of Chris Bishop to insert new clause 7 be agreed to:after the words into force" add the words "and a report must be presented to the House of Representatives".A party vote was called for on the question That the amendment to the amendment be agreed to.Ayes 57New Zealand National 56; ACT New Zealand 1.Noes 63New Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; Green Party 8.Amendment to the amendment not agreed to."
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the question be now put.Ayes 63New Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; Green Party 8.Noes 57New Zealand National 56; ACT New Zealand 1.Motion agreed to.The question was put that the following amendment in the name of the Hon Dr Nick Smith to the proposed amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 76 in the name of Chris Bishop to insert new clause 7 be agreed to:replace the word must" with the word "may".A party vote was called for on the question That the amendment to the amendment be agreed to.Ayes 57New Zealand National 56; ACT New Zealand 1.Noes 63New Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; Green Party 8.Amendment to the amendment not agreed to.The question was put that the following amendment in the name of the Hon Dr Nick Smith to the proposed amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 76 in the name of Chris Bishop to insert new clause 7 be agreed to:delete the words "following this Act entering into force".A party vote was called for on the question That the amendment to the amendment be agreed to.Ayes 57New Zealand National 56; ACT New Zealand 1.Noes 63New Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; Green Party 8.Amendment to the amendment not agreed to.The question was put that the following amendment in the name of the Hon Dr Nick Smith to the proposed amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 76 in the name of Chris Bishop to insert new clause 7 be agreed to:replace the word "six" with the word "twelve".A party vote was called for on the question That the amendment to the amendment be agreed to.Ayes 57New Zealand National 56; ACT New Zealand 1.Noes 63New Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; Green Party 8.Amendment to the amendment not agreed to."