Ogilvy Bernie: Wine Bill — Second Reading Procedure In Committee Third Reading 
Ogilvy Bernie: Wine Bill — Second Reading Procedure In Committee Third Reading 
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BERNIE OGILVY (United Future) 
: 
 Let me begin by stating what I think most people would surely agree with and that is that the growth of the New Zealand wine industry is one of this country’s success stories. The figures I am aware of reinforce this—over $300 million worth of wine is exported today compared with just $30 million worth 10 years ago. That is a phenomenal increase and it must surely set a benchmark for other industries. Few if any industries I am aware of can so ably compete in such a saturated competitive international market as the New Zealand wine industry has done. 
Dail Jones 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. There is a buzz around the Chamber and I am having difficulty hearing the speaker. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: This has happened several times and it is very disconcerting for the speaker if anybody is standing up and talking while the member is on his or her feet. I ask members to keep their conversations quiet and that they not stand up. I am sorry to have interrupted the member on his feet. 
BERNIE OGILVY 
: Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. Winning over patrons around the world and bringing home more than its fair share of awards and citations means that New Zealand wine is a symbol of excellence. From its very beginnings this country’s wine industry has grown very swiftly to become a world-class export sector that we can all be very proud of. Yet we must be mindful that a rolling stone gathers no moss. In order to remain robust to remain very competitive to continue to preserve its good name internationally and to grow further the wine industry must evolve. It must move forward to meet the ongoing requirements of its export markets. This wine bill with its new enabling legislative framework will allow export winemakers to better adapt to changing export conditions and safeguard the very good reputation that our wine commands both here and overseas. 
Allow me to reiterate the point that this legislation is enabling legislation. It should not be considered prescriptive or indeed repressive. It enables any change of compliance in export markets to be met and dealt with by regulatory mechanisms that can be tailored to particular situations. It provides an efficient and flexible process by which winemakers can adjust to regulatory changes within their respective export markets. Rather than having to return to this House every time the regulatory regime changes this country’s wine export community now has a process in place to meet those challenges bypassing the potentially drawn-out legislative process it had to go through up until this point. The flexibility of this approach ensures that the new wine legislation will endure in the commercial environment in which the industry continues to operate. Current legislation is not designed to cope with the new situation in the wine industry—in particular the need to pass special legislation to meet new Eurozone labelling requirements which other people have spoken on. 
Whether or not a minority in the industry disputes the need for the scope of this bill or even the bill itself the industry needs a new legislative environment. As production continues to surge and the international environment becomes ever more competitive the existing regulatory regime for grape wine is becoming increasingly outdated. For other types of wines as well changes in the operating commercial environment make such an updated regulatory approach highly desirable. I note that the flexibility of the management plan is illustrated by its ability to be developed on a template basis—as other speakers have mentioned—across a particular wine industry incorporating existing systems and codes of practice with that industry. An improved system of wine export controls is provided for in this bill together with an improved mechanism for funding industry or industry-good activities. The bill also introduces important cost recovery for services provided to industry by the Government. 
The protection of the wine industry’s good name in export markets should be of paramount interest to us as legislators. One means of harming the industry’s reputation is the falsification of export documents as is alleged to have occurred in Hawke’s Bay recently. This legislation will go a long way to regulate against such an embarrassing and commercially damaging injury to a vital export sector. We simply must act to protect the industry. 
After soliciting the views of the wine industry I am satisfied that this bill provides the right disciplines for that industry. I accept that some winemakers are wary of increased compliance costs. United Future often advocates stemming the tide of regulatory creep and compliance burdens but with regard to this bill those costs are absolutely necessary. It should be noted that they do not blanket the entire industry but apply only to winemakers who export their products. As I understand it the key concerns of the industry have been met by the amendments proposed in the select committee and the regulatory framework laid out in the bill has almost unanimous buy-in from winemaking practitioners. 
Let me sum up by asserting that the Wine Bill is not strangulation legislation as some have indicated. Rather it will bring life to the export wine industry by equipping it with the capability to better adapt to change by protecting its good name and it will help ensure that the wine industry remains an icon of this country’s commercial success. United Future supports the Wine Bill and hopes that it will proceed expeditiously through the House.