Penk ChrisCHRIS PENK (National—Helensville): Thank you Madam Chair for the opportunity to speak on the Overseas Investment Amendment Bill specifically the amendments in my name relating to a new clause 8A in the Schedule 3 inserted by Schedule 3—Kieran McAnulty: Let me guess: raspberries.CHRIS PENK: —of which there are two in fact; one on the subject of strawberries. So Mr McAnulty's guess was not too far wrong; he's used to receiving raspberries no doubt. But in fact it's literal strawberries that I refer to and indeed literal apples as well. Comparing strawberries and apples I know is not good practice any more than comparing apples with oranges. But nevertheless in The Beatles theme of Apple Records and Strawberry Fields Forever I'll push on with my amendments.I should prefix my remarks by noting that the Helensville electorate is so prominent in producing strawberries and apples that it's almost a conflict of interest for me to be speaking to this subject in the Chamber tonight. I'm aiming to ensure that the debate on Part 2 is not fruitless—as many of my colleagues are as well. So if time allows I will speak about the mechanics of how I see this amendment—in fact times two—in my name playing out. But before that I would like to focus on the reason that I have put forward these amendments. There are a number of different reasons that this should be contemplated seriously by the Minister and I encourage him to take a call and explain that he will indeed do so; or in fact if he's not the reason for that.The reasons that I am putting forward these proposed amendments to the legislation include first employment. Employment in my area and indeed throughout New Zealand is a very important aspect of economic growth and the Overseas Investment Amendment Bill should contemplate that very seriously as one of its primary aims.Second. Appropriately secondary business opportunities that will arise from allowing the exemption that my amendments put forward—in particular those who service the production the growing and the distribution and so forth of strawberries and apples—will be encouraged by allowing such industry to flourish in a way that my exemption will allow.Third: taxation. The income tax and GST opportunities that will arise from allowing this kind of activity—again as I say encouraged by the placement of this amendment—are such that the Government should take it seriously particularly in an environment where business confidence is already falling. I don't want to stray too far from this bill particularly Part 2 thereof which we're currently debating but suffice to say there is a broader context for encouraging the Government to take seriously initiatives that will in fact have a healthy effect on their books—no pun intended—and not a detrimental one as we are seeing far too often in respect of other matters before the House.Similarly my fourth point is the encouragement of skills. It's no mean feat to run a successful operation for strawberries apples or producing other produce—if you'll allow the tautology at this time of night.Fifth. A major benefit is the strawberries and apples themselves. I feel as though that's almost so obvious that it barely needs saying. I'm reminded of the benefits of the space programme once said to be the invention of Velcro ballpoint pens and indeed space shuttles. It's such an obvious thing to have arisen from promoting strawberry and apple picking like space shuttles as an aspect of the space programme. But let us not forget that the primary aim of such an amendment is to produce such wonderful products for the benefit of our nation.Sixth and finally in relation to this particular amendment: investment. Investment will be allowed by this. This is exactly the kind of thing that should be encouraged by the Overseas Investment Amendment Bill. The clue's in the name. It should do what it says on the tin and not discourage investment from overseas. So I'll just briefly note that the way that my amendment intends to achieve all these worthy objects is by establishing an exemption whereby an apple activity or a strawberry activity—depending on which of the amendments one is looking at at the time—will be established where the activity will take place on less than 1000 hectares.And it sets out very clearly first that consent will not be required to the extent that that would result in—[Time expired]