Edmonds Barbara; Simmonds PennyHon BARBARA EDMONDS (Labour—Mana): Thank you Mr Chair. I'm really grateful that I've got to receive my first call on the Waste Minimisation (Waste Disposal Levy) Amendment Bill. I apologise to my colleague right here Glen Bennett who is also waiting for a call on this bill because he's actually on the Environment Committee.My question to the Minister for the Environment is actually around some of the transitional and savings provisions which are in Schedule 1 of Part 1. This is a new point because this bill if I step through it looks to expand the purpose of the waste levy. It also looks around some waiver provisions and the transitional savings provisions only refer to the consideration of criteria for approval of projects to remediate contaminated sites and the use of levy collected before the commencement of the amendment Act.Now members of this committee will remember that in early January last year and on Valentine's day we had two major natural disasters in New Zealand. We had the floods in Auckland and then we had the cyclone that went through Hawke's Bay and also parts of Northland. As part of the response to that there were a number of Orders in Council that were put through to deal with that emergency event including one called the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery (Waste Minimisation) Order 2023. That particular order gave an exemption from levy payments on cyclone and flood waste. That exemption keeps the operator exempt from requirements under Part 3 of the Act which this bill is changing to pay for the levy referred to in that part in relation to cyclone and flood waste before the close of 24 July 2025. So that's the date that that particular order closes. That's when that order is no longer in force. But I don't see anything in this particular bill or the regulatory impact statement that provides a savings provision—Glen Bennett: There's none.Hon BARBARA EDMONDS: Oh there is none—that's why I couldn't find it. Is that particular order which was given and put through under the previous Act which this bill is now changing still in force—because it refers to the old Part 3. Once this bill is enacted there is a new Part 3. Will this bill still allow those who because of the cyclone and flood waste to be exempt from the levy?The second part of that question is: if not does that mean that the increase that comes into force by this bill by July 2024 even though that exemption from the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery (Waste Minimisation) Order doesn't actually close till next year in June? Does that mean that there is an increase then and they have to pay that increase? They are exempt from the old charges but when these new charges come in in July this year it means they actually have to pay those new increases.As the Minister is receiving official advice I'll step through that again. Last year floods cyclone—as a part of the emergency response there were a number of Orders in Council that were released including one called the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery (Waste Minimisation) Order 2023. That has a sunset clause for 24 July 2025. So basically people who need to dispose of cyclone- and flood-related waste are exempt from the waste levy up to 24 July 2025. My question is—because I couldn't see a savings provision—actually whether there needed to be one first of all. Second of all if this bill comes into force will that exemption only apply for the old charges not the new charges which are coming under this bill given that the order doesn't actually have a sunset clause until 24 July 2025?Hon PENNY SIMMONDS (Minister for the Environment): I'll have to get further information for the member the Hon Barbara Edmonds on the Orders in Council but can I just bring to the member's attention that the amendments in here enable a waiver of the levy fees for local authorities for remediation work. So there is the ability for that waiver to be granted.