Brown Peter: Employment Relations (Breaks and Infant Feeding) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Brown Peter: Employment Relations (Breaks and Infant Feeding) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 02 September 2008. Volume:649;Page:18191. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
PETER BROWN (Deputy Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 If the member over there is convinced that Supplementary Order Paper 229 put up by the Minister of Labour is sneaky why the dickens did he agree to it going before the House? The Minister sought leave yesterday evening to extend the scope of the bill to embrace his Supplementary Order Paper. Why the dickens did the National Party agree to it if it feels so strongly— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Moved a motion. 
PETER BROWN 
: He moved a motion. The whole thing was done correctly as per the Standing Orders and National members sit over there and say “Oh it’s sneaky.” It is not sneaky if it is up front. 
New Zealand First supports this bill. Something else the member might think is sneaky—but I know that Kate Wilkinson does not—is the amendment in my name which adjusts the main part of the bill. It amends the part that deals with rest breaks in particular. It simply proposes adding subsection (2) to section 69ZH inserted by clause 5 and states: “(2) Despite subsection (1) where an employee is a person who is required to take a rest break by or under another enactment the requirement for a rest break defined by or under the other enactment applies instead of the provisions or entitlements for rest breaks or meal breaks provided under this Part.” The amendment comes about because basically the legislation that the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee—of which I was a member—handed back to the House did not correctly cover the rest breaks scenario in respect of the transport industry. We thought it did but it did not—hence the amendment in my name which I tabled this very morning. 
Supplementary Order Paper 229 in the name of the Hon Trevor Mallard deals with KiwiSaver. Let me make it quite clear: as far as New Zealand First is concerned we believe in compulsory savings. We always have; we have long been on record as saying that loud and clear. This measure is not compulsory but it is a step towards it. The Supplementary Order Paper is needed to ensure that there is the maximum incentive for individuals to join KiwiSaver. That is how I see it. It encourages people to join KiwiSaver. We understand that some employers are caught in a trap. Understandably they will be given time to rectify the situation but in essence KiwiSaver is an essential vehicle in this country to encourage people to save. We hope that in the fullness of time—and I clarify for members that I am talking about years rather than days and certainly not hours—legislation will come into being that makes it compulsory for people in this country to save. It is likely there would have to be exceptions for people on low pay who cannot afford to save but by and large we should do everything we can to encourage people in this country to save and we should eventually make it compulsory for them to do so. Australia introduced such legislation years and years ago and it has over a trillion dollars in its superannuation account that it invests here there and everywhere. It is about time New Zealand stepped up to the plate. New Zealand First has advocated that for a long long time. 
Supplementary Order Paper 229 improves the legislation by giving more incentive for people to save for their retirement and whatever else. So New Zealand First will support this provision. We would have preferred the process to be a little different—a little more transparent should I say—but we need this measure here and now. That is how New Zealand First sees it. So we will support it. 
In essence this bill is not contentious. It does the right thing for New Zealanders in terms of breastfeeding and breaks—I hesitated just then because I was going to say “smoko breaks” but they are not allowed now are they—and it addresses the KiwiSaver concerns. New Zealand First supports this bill.