Peachey Allan: Public Lending Right for New Zealand Authors Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
Peachey Allan: Public Lending Right for New Zealand Authors Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:650;Page:19280] 
ALLAN PEACHEY (National—Tamaki) 
: 
 I appreciate the opportunity to speak once again on the Public Lending Right for New Zealand Authors Bill. Again I declare my interests as a beneficiary of the New Zealand Authors’ Fund and no doubt of the new scheme that is being introduced. 
My two colleagues on this side of the House who spoke before me raised some very important points in relation to Supplementary Order Paper 246. I do not propose to repeat them because I want to talk about something else in Part 1 but I offer the observation that we are a little bit disappointed in the explanations given by the Minister in the chair the Hon Judith Tizard and in the lack of detail in her answers. I would invite her to take a second call and be a little more precise. We on this side of the House were not particularly interested in her interpretation of New Zealand history or New Zealand literature. I would however be interested in her taking a call to explain to the House why in listing all those New Zealand authors she forgot about John A Lee who was probably the greatest author to sit in this House and a Labour member as well. Of course he and the party did come to a parting of the ways because of what he had written. But I leave that to the Minister. 
I want to address Part 1 “Preliminary provisions” and to talk a little bit about the intention to disestablish the Authors’ Fund and to replace it with a public lending right for New Zealand authors. I look to the Minister to take another call and in addition to addressing the issues I have already raised provide this House with some assurances that the issues that led the Government to commit to this scheme in its 1999 manifesto—it is 9 years since then but that is par for the course for this Government—issues that were raised by authors themselves and by Creative New Zealand will not recur as a result of the change. This legislation disestablishes a fund that has been in place for quite some time. It disestablishes the role that Creative New Zealand had in administering that fund and it hands that role over to the chief executive of a Government department with an advisory committee. I want assurances from the Minister that taking that action will address the issues around the old fund. 
Those of us who are authors have observed over time that the return from the fund has been diminishing—relatively slowly but it has been diminishing. The other side of that coin and it is a very good side is that the fund has had to be spread around a much wider range of authors. That is good. I heartily endorse any effort at all to encourage more authors in New Zealand to continue to develop what is still a very young literary tradition. On that subject it is very important that the House notes that we do not need a Minister to spend time on the last morning of the final sitting of this Parliament giving us a particular interpretation of that tradition. Her interpretation had very little substance in fact and very little substance in research. 
So there are three things that I am seeking from Minister. The first is that she take another call and actually address the issues raised by my colleagues Mr Finlayson and Miss Goudie; the second is that she give us a little bit more of her interpretation of the historical and literary traditions of this country and explain Labour’s reluctance to acknowledge one of its own John A Lee probably the finest New Zealand author to sit in this House; and the third is that in relation to Part 1 she give this Committee the assurances that I am seeking— 
Hon Judith Tizard 
: This is the silliest speech that you have made. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: The “Dead Poets Society”! 
ALLAN PEACHEY 
: There they go. I wondered how long it would take them to get motivated and wake up. I make the observation that members on that side of the Chamber have been incredibly quiet. Government members have not been getting to their feet during the debates that have been occurring in urgency. The Ministers in the chair have just sat there. I would welcome a Government member making a contribution instead of sniping at me across the floor. 
Hon Members 
: Aww! 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: It is Friday guys. 
The question was put that the amendments set out on Supplementary Order Paper 246 in the name of the Hon Judith Tizard to Part 1 be agreed to. 
Amendments agreed to. 
Part 1 as amended agreed to.