Lees-Galloway Iain; Mallard TrevorSecond ReadingHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Minister of Immigration): I move That the Immigration (International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy) Amendment Bill be now read a second time.This bill amends the Immigration Act 2009 to provide for the collection of the international visitor conservation and tourism levy (IVL) and to enable the automatic decision-making process with the electronic travel authority. Tourism is one of our biggest industries. It generates around $39 billion in GDP every year and it employs around 200000 people. It is a growing industry. In the last few years we've seen tremendous growth and that has brought economic prosperity to New Zealand but it also has placed a large amount of pressure on our infrastructure and on our natural resources. The benefits of tourism growth have not been evenly felt across the country with some regions actively seeking to grow their sector. These types of issues highlight why the Government is committing to a more active and deliberate approach to tourism. The Government has already made some progress: recently the Minister of Tourism and the Minister of Conservation launched the New Zealand-Aotearoa Government Tourism Strategy. This strategy sets out initiatives the Government will take to ensure that our tourism sector is sustainable is productive and is inclusive. The levy this bill enables is an important part of the Government's strategy. It will create a sustainable revenue system with the scale to invest in a way that substantially changes the way the tourism system operates. The IVL will generate a revenue stream which we will invest in tourism and conservation. The environment is our most precious taonga. It is a huge drawcard for both domestic and international visitors as well as local residents. The levy is one way in which we'll ensure that tourism protects and enhances our iconic places. We'll also invest the levy in infrastructure that visitors use and in supporting initiatives that improve coordination and planning in the tourism sector. More detail will follow as Ministers finalise the investment plan. This Government acknowledges the existing contributions to tourism and conservation made by taxpayers and by ratepayers and therefore the levy will only be paid by international visitors. The international visitor conservation and tourism levy has been extensively consulted on throughout its development. Through the design process we received input from conservation stakeholders from industry bodies and from local government on what the levy should look like. Once the design was agreed upon we consulted extensively with the public. We received well over 100 submissions on the levy. Overall feedback on the levy was hugely supportive including from the tourism industry. I thank everyone who made a submission. Their feedback was invaluable to finalising the scope and design of the levy. Tourism is a key part of our economy. It's an opportunity for future development. It adds vibrancy to our communities and strengthens international connections. The levy is an important part of realising those benefits by ensuring the sector is underpinned with sustainable solutions to manage growth. I commend this bill to the House.SPEAKER: The Hon Roger McClay.Hon Members: Todd.SPEAKER: Todd McClay—I'm sorry. I do live in the past don't I.