Doocey MattMATT DOOCEY (National—Waimakariri): Thank you Madam Speaker. Tonight we are debating the Policing (Killing a Police Dog) Amendment Bill. There are really only two positions in this debate. The first is that you believe the current penalty of two years for killing a police dog in the line of duty is sufficient which is the status quo—and that is the Government's position—whereas on this side of the House we wholeheartedly believe the penalty for killing a police dog should be increased to five years. This issue was raised with me by my constituents in Waimakariri after the death of the police dog Gazza in 2016. I listened to my constituents and I brought this bill up to Parliament because I am representing their views. Gazza was the seventh dog to be killed in New Zealand since 1972. Twenty-four police dogs have given up their lives in the line of duty to keep us safe to keep our families safe and to keep our communities safe and why I am proud to be standing here supporting this bill tonight is that I have the support of thousands of Kiwis who have backed this bill and signed my petition. Currently the penalty for killing a police dog in New Zealand is too lenient. When you look at other countries around the world in the United States it's up to 10 years; in Canada up to five years; and in South Australia up to five years. We are too lenient with our penalty for killing a police dog. The New Zealand Police Association supports this bill. They said they support the section 53 which is my bill in its entirety. They said a police dog is a key part of a police team and within police any act of violence towards the police dogs is considered similar to an attack on a police officer. It is a direct attack on law and order and needs to be recognised for the serious offence it is." The Police Association support this bill. The Ministry of Justice wrote and has advised that the proposed legislation remedies a discrepancy in New Zealand law because what we have in New Zealand law is that this bill will propose increasing the penalties to bring it in line with the maximum term of the Animal Welfare Act 1999. We have a discrepancy in our current law. In the Animal Welfare Act if you were to kill a dog you would get up to five years. In the Policing Act it's capped at two years. So the Ministry of Justice is advising Parliament that this bill will remedy a discrepancy in our current laws. To finish I want to finish with the words of Josh Robertson. Not everyone will know who Josh Robertson is. He reached out to me when he heard of this bill on social media. Josh is the police dog handler of the late Gazza the police dog that died in the line of duty that I wrote this bill about. He writes "I am humbled that the public would choose to support increasing penalties for injuring or killing our police dogs. These dogs help victims apprehend dangerous offenders and protect fellow police staff. I received overwhelming support from a wide range of the community when my police dog Gazza was shot and killed in 2016. The offender shot at me through a closed door and Gazza was shot and killed as a result. It left me devastated as well as a lot of the public who support hard police dogs' work. Gazza worked on the front line for only 2½ years and apprehended over 250 offenders—250 offenders that probably would not have been caught if he wasn't there. These dogs are invaluable to police and to the public. There is no excuse to kill or injure a police dog." That's the words of the police dog handler of the late Gazza.We've heard the words of the Ministry of Justice we've heard the words of the Police Association we've heard the words of New Zealanders and what did we have tonight from the Government MPs? Absolutely disgraceful. Shame on them tonight."