Faafoi KrisHon KRIS FAAFOI (Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs): Can I thank the two members of the Opposition for taking calls to Part 1 which does contain most of the heft of this piece of legislation in and around market or competition studies. Can I thank the member Judith Collins who's just resumed her seat for her support. I also offer my support in her further career endeavours if they may eventuate.Can I just point out that we've had 15 minutes from the Opposition so far in this Part 1 debate and I don't think I've heard the word consumer" once. So if we strip away what this piece of legislation is—you can talk about self-initiated market studies if you like but what this piece of legislation really is about if you took it to people on the street is it is a piece of legislation to make sure that consumers in New Zealand are getting a fair go. That is going to be done by the Commerce Commission by looking at a market—whichever market it might be—if we think that that market isn't operating efficiently or effectively. Now that's the language we use in this House but what that means to the average New Zealander is do we think they're getting a fair deal? Do we think they are paying too much for a particular good or a particular service? The ability for the Commerce Commission to undertake these market studies is an extremely important tool to make sure that we as parliamentarians when New Zealanders ask us whether or not we think that they're getting a fair go are able to investigate that issue itself.Can I point out to Ms Collins her efforts in a previous Government—I think it was 2017—when the previous Government tried to get to the bottom of petrol prices as one example. The stumbling block that the previous Government had there was their inability to compel particular players in that market to give them information so that this Parliament and that Government could answer the simple question as to whether or not we thought that those petrol companies were giving consumers a fair go.I'd like to quote the previous Minister of Energy and Resources the Hon Judith Collins who said at the time of her frustration of not being able to get that information that "There were difficulties in comparing the information received from the companies and some very specific information that was required could not be obtained. As a result the Study doesn't definitively answer whether fuel prices are reasonable or not." It's a pretty simple question that consumers will ask of us as MPs and of us as a Government as to whether or not a market is operating effectively and efficiently. I will also point out that the previous Government was working towards this piece of legislation but didn't get to introduce it.To Mr Hudson's point: yes Mr Foss was approached. Yes the Hon Paul Goldsmith was approached. Yes the Hon Jacqui Dean was approached by Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment officials as to whether or not the Commerce Commission should have the power to self-initiate. On each of those occasions each of those Ministers of Commerce said no. I would put to the committee that on each of those occasions those Ministers were wrong because we need to make sure that the proper questions are being asked to ensure that consumers are getting a fair go. And if the Government of the day hasn't initiated a market study into a market that the rest of New Zealand believes isn't operating effectively—i.e. isn't giving them a fair go—then any Government worth its salt should have initiated a market study.I think the Opposition need to have a little bit more faith in the Commerce Commission and their ability to manage these things and also the faith in any stripe of Government to manage these issues as well. The previous Government allocated $1.5 million to the Commerce Commission in terms of budgeting to make sure that it could follow through with these market studies. I have every faith that they and the Government will be able to manage those market or competition studies within that budget to ensure that that is being done to a responsible level and also ask the questions that consumers want answered.I know that the Opposition doesn't like the idea of the Commerce Commission self-initiating market studies. Again I would reiterate that any Government worth its salt if it thinks New Zealanders are getting ripped off would make sure that a market study is undertaken but also if it doesn't that the Commerce Commission has the ability to do it itself."