Wood Michael; Dean JacquiMARITIME TRANSPORT (MARPOL ANNEX VI) AMENDMENT BILLInstruction to Transport and Infrastructure CommitteeHon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport): I move That the Maritime Transport (MARPOL Annex VI) Amendment Bill be reported to the House by 16 September 2021 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 and on a Friday in a week in which there has been a sitting of the House and outside the Wellington area despite Standing Orders 193 195 and 196(1)(b) and (c). If I can just take a couple of moments to speak to the referral motion and why it is that the Government is seeking from the House a shortened report-back date and the other conditions that I have just outlined on this piece of legislation. The driving reason is that we are very keen to ensure that New Zealand can accede to MARPOL Annex VI in early 2022 in line with international commitments that we have made to ensure that New Zealand can benefit from the reduced air pollution that will come from ascension to the treaty and very importantly to ensure that New Zealand can assume a credible role in negotiations at the international maritime organisation that will be beginning to occur from that time onwards. Our ability to be able to stand up and say that we have acceded to MARPOL Annex VI is an important part of New Zealand's ability to engage in a meaningful way in that process.Once a bill has passed through Parliament it will take about three months until the instrument of ascension is deposited for Annex VI for MARPOL to come into force in New Zealand. Therefore to meet that deadline of around about February 2022 we do need to deposit the instrument of ascension before the end of this year. So working back that means that a select committee report-back date by September allows us to have the bill passed at around about that time and for public consultation to carry on.I do note in respect of this piece of legislation that there has been extensive public consultation over a number of years and that the select committee consideration of the bill occurred between February and June 2020. It received a small number of submissions from interested parties but the select committee unanimously reported back to the House and recommended that we do proceed with this piece of legislation. So it's a non-controversial piece of legislation that there is support around the House for. I do note that the proposed report-back date still does allow 3½ months for the Transport and Infrastructure Committee to examine the legislation and take submissions but it is a reduced report-back date for the reasons that I have outlined previously.So in conclusion given the extensive public consultation that has occurred given the unanimous nature of the select committee's examination of the international treaty that this piece of legislation springs from and given the important need for New Zealand to accede to the treaty by the beginning of next year I think that the reasons for a shortened report-back date are sound and I look forward to the House's agreement to that proposal.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): The question is that the motion be agreed to.