Hodgson Pete: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Hodgson Pete: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:640;Page:10427] 
Hon PETE HODGSON (Minister of Health) 
: 
 I will make a few remarks on behalf of the Minister of State Services Annette King. I begin by thanking the Green Party members for their involvement in the therapeutic products legislation. I thank them not for their support because we did not have it and certainly not for their opposition but for their consistency. We knew where we stood with the Green Party. We did not agree with the Green Party at all but the Green Party members always gave their views clearly and consistently and I want to acknowledge that. 
I want to thank and acknowledge the Maori Party for much the same reason. We always knew where we were going with the Maori Party members. They were easy to deal with in that respect as Annette King reported. 
Christopher Finlayson 
: Spare us the sanctimonious piffle and get on with it. 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: I will be coming to the member in a moment. He will not enjoy it when I have a bit of a towelling dished up for him. But if he cares to hang around he will hear what I have to say about him. 
In respect of United Future and particularly New Zealand First we got really good engagement. United Future unfortunately became a little disunited during the process. That is hardly the fault of the two who remain. The New Zealand First Party on the other hand was quite keen to get a resolution and came up with some quite interesting ideas including the two-tier approach for complementary medicines. Indeed the ACT party engaged proactively and I would like to publicly acknowledge its engagement as its members sought to find a resolution but indeed in the event they were not able to support the approach that was coming from New Zealand First. 
Within the National Party things are very different. Within the National Party we have Dr the Hon Lockwood Smith who started the process. He began the process of the treaty signing and all of that. We had the National Party leader John Key saying that he was OK with it. The leader of the National Party was OK with it and Tim Groser the man who has just interjected on me was actively in favour of it. 
 He was actively in favour of it because he understands the foreign affairs implications the single economic market and all of that sort of thing but Tony Ryall was going to cross the floor over it. [ 
Interruption 
] Who is that? 
Hon Member 
: Chris Finlayson. 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: Oh well I have got the wrong guy. I do apologise. Tim Groser who is not able to be with us actively supported it because he understood what it meant—that it would be of some consequence to our relationship with Australia; we hope not too much. But Tony Ryall was going to cross the floor. I am sorry I got the Opposition MPs mixed up but I know who Tony Ryall is. Tony Ryall is the guy who said that we were arrogant and did not consult yet for months he has been chipping across the House and saying that National members did not support the legislation. It is like saying: “Come and consult if you like but we are not supporting it.” 
Tony Ryall is the guy who is sort of “one man one party; we’re not going to consult”. Why? Did he think it was dangerous legislation? No he did not. He like every other member of this House understands that the status quo is not an option. So he does not think it is dangerous legislation. He did think it would be costly for the New Zealand industry and I think he had a point there which is why Annette King invited me to pay for half the costs for complementary medicine folk for the first several years to get them through the regulatory process without too much financial impost. Actually the reason he did what he did was politics—pure politics. He wanted to put his party’s domestic politics ahead of the interests of New Zealand and the New Zealand - Australia relationship and ahead of the health of New Zealanders. 
Of course not many people die from taking complementary medicines but some do. Some have already and some might and that is something we should be concerned about. So I just say to Tony Ryall who got up and gave a speech about how Annette King behaved arrogantly that I have never seen more arrogant behaviour than what I have seen from that gentleman on this legislation and that is where I think the matter might rest. 
Vote agreed to.