Cameron MarkFORESTS (LEGAL HARVEST ASSURANCE) AMENDMENT BILLThird ReadingDebate resumed from 11 May.MARK CAMERON (ACT): Thank you Mr Speaker. Thank you for the opportunity to speak on the third and final reading of the Forests (Legal Harvest Assurance) Amendment Bill.It has been a pleasure to be part of the Primary Production Committee that had helped in part progress this bill through all stages in the House now to be debated in its third and final reading. The bill as introduced would amend the Forests Act 1949 addressing the growing concerns around the international trade and the illegal harvest of timber and associated processed wood products both here and from around the world.For New Zealand this bill means giving surety to those in New Zealand of both domestic and export products of timber and an assurance scheme that New Zealand timber products are from legally harvested practices here in New Zealand; equally of the wood products as we are a country that imports.The bill would create a new regulatory system that enables the forestry and wood processing sector to provide domestic consumers and export markets with greater assurance that those timber products are sourced by legal means. The bill provides for the role of registered advisers and assessors which frames their legal responsibility and obligations when working alongside industry to certify and equally give certainty to harvesters and consumers over information requirements when selling processed products.The select committee listened to over 30 submissions—some written and many were oral. The issues raised were canvassed and addressed in further second stage reading in the House and at the committee of the whole House stage. The premise of the bill was well articulated that New Zealand needed to respond to the calls for further consumer confidence in this trade. We know we would be impacted should such a legal framework not be put in place damaging our reputational brand. It was well acknowledged that illegal logging is a massive problem. By Interpol estimates illegal harvesting and processing amounted to $150 billion globally as was surmised.As previously mentioned in my first speech I attended several times in travel across the likes of South America and Latin America and this is a profound problem found in cities like São Paulo Rio Belo Horizonte Santiago and others. The profound knock-on effects to traders is well canvassed and articulated in those countries displacing indigenous people and destroying the country's natural flora and fauna in the process.Countries around the world are embracing the need to address this significant and ongoing issue with multiple jurisdictions seeking to legislate against the illegal timber trade. The World Bank estimates the global market loss of value from illegal cut forest products is over $10 billion per year amounting to a sum total of nearly 30 percent of the global timber trade.New Zealand has a substantial timber export market but equally has a substantial import market—an import market of nearly $2.4 billion in processed timber products was imported in the years 2021 through to 2022. Suffice it to say bringing New Zealand in line with our major trading partners and other trading nations for the protections and assurances needed over timber products is imperative to give surety to New Zealand's forestry industry which contributes some total of $6.7 billion annually to our economy and employs near on 35000 people. Recently the new Minister presiding over this bill ushered in Supplementary Order Paper 349 that addressed many of the concerns laid out by previous speakers and submitters in the submission process at select committee. I was gratified to hear when I pressed the Minister on the potential of access issues culminated with ownership structures and existing agreements between harvesters and landowners it was addressed ameliorating my concerns and I am sure many of those raised by submitters.Whilst the ACT Party acknowledges some individuals in the submission process raised concerns that were partially addressed—the likes of the credibility of weights and measures definitions of legal harvest and previously mentioned access issues—on balance we feel that these issues have largely been addressed through the latter stages of the bill as it progressed through the House.In such it's imperative that New Zealand continues to play a role—a very important role—as an international player at addressing this very salient issue giving clarity to timber production exports and imports. ACT will support this bill at its third and final stage through this Parliament and we look forward to seeing the certainty it brings to our wood and processing industries both here domestically and abroad. Thank you Mr Speaker.