Simpson ScottHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel): Thank you Madam Speaker. What a delight and a pleasure it is at this late hour to be addressing the second reading of the Maritime Transport (MARPOL Annex VI) Amendment Bill. I'm not going to use the time of the House to pick up where my very good and capable colleague Barbara Kuriger left off in terms of explaining the name and the categorisation of the actual annex or indeed the term MARPOL" because she's done that in a very thorough diligent and appropriate and parliamentary way. I didn't sit on the Transport and Infrastructure Committee but I'm pleased to have read the report of the select committee. It's not a long report but it's quite detailed and it's a report that indicates to me that the select committee did their job diligently that they paid careful attention to the legislation and that they were dutiful in terms of listening to the submitters that took the time and trouble to make submissions. There were only eight submissions made on the bill and there were just two that were heard but the general consensus from those handful of submitters that were heard and that presented was that there was broad support for this legislation. So I'm delighted and pleased that tonight it appears that there is unanimity across the House for a small but very significant piece of environmental legislation that is actually a good piece of legislation in terms of providing credibility to the brand of "New Zealand Incorporated" in terms of the role we play in international transport affairs. One of the great challenges over the history of these islands has been our position on the globe. We are literally surrounded by the largest moat in the world and for much of our nation's history that has been an impediment. It's been something that has been a hindrance to the growth and prosperity and ability of New Zealand producers and exporters to get product to market. Similarly for those that want to import product there are only two ways of getting things and people to and from these islands and that is either by air or by sea. So our shipping networks are incredibly important. They always have been right from the very early days of European settlement here in New Zealand. But of course our tradition comes from the first people here. The tangata whenua arrived by sea navigating—as they did—vast ocean tracts. These days of course we don't rely on waka we don't rely on sailing vessels and we don't rely on steam; we rely very heavily in terms of shipping on usually dirty diesel freight ships—large dirty diesel freight ships—and much of the fuel that they are burning is full of toxins. It's bad for the environment. It has all kinds of nasty levels of sulphur nitrous oxide and a whole range of other substances that would be neither good for our marine environment our atmospheric environment nor indeed for human living conditions. So it's appropriate that after what probably is too long a period New Zealand is going to finally get around to ratifying and taking our responsibilities seriously under the MARPOL Annex VI agreements and conventions that will prevent pollution from international shipping. So I think this is a good move and I'm delighted on behalf of the National Party and my colleagues to support this legislation. Others have gone to some lengths to explain what it means in practical terms for their regions. I particularly want to acknowledge the very good contribution of my colleague Penny Simmonds and the appropriate way in which she acknowledged the good work done by people in her part of Southland—particularly around the port of Southland. But that is reflected and replicated in other ports around New Zealand and as much as I acknowledge the very good work that happens in your area Ms Simmonds the situation in other ports in other parts of the country is exactly the same. Anyone that has had an opportunity to spend any time on a maritime vessel—and I haven't had much time on one but I do remember a visit not so many years ago in Auckland to the Ports of Auckland and having a look at a container vessel. What surprised me was not only the remarkable efficiency of containerised shipping which has largely transformed international shipping in my lifetime but that the efficiency that comes with containerised shipping frankly wasn't being matched by the propulsion methods of the vessels that are carrying these containers around the world. In many respects much of what has occurred for far too many years in terms of the propulsion fuel used to fuel shipping all around the globe has been less than adequate. It's not been a best practice by any manner or means and it's something that I think collectively as not only New Zealanders but citizens of the world we can probably hang our heads in shame about and say that these are matters that should have been addressed many years ago. So now at second reading it's not an opportunity to critique and go into any detail particularly about why it's taken so long. Let's just be grateful and thankful tonight that finally steps are being taken and that at this second reading this piece of legislation will progress through the House. It won't be too long I hope on the Government's agenda before they bring it back for a committee stage where there will be further analysis of the relatively short number of clauses in the bill but also then to have a third reading and then finally to get it passed so that the Minister can then use the powers that the legislation will provide the Minister with to ensure that the fuels that are used in New Zealand and on New Zealand ships coming to and from our ports is actually going to be better for our atmosphere better for the marine environment and better for human health. I'm reminded of the former chief executive or it may have been executive director of the Shipping Federation—a former member of this House—Annabel Young who for many years has been in her role. She's no longer in that role but I can remember her making representations passionately and vigorously and repeatedly to me and my colleagues about MARPOL. I have to say that we found initially some concern because there was an initial sort of almost disbelief that we could be going on in this way and that actually things could be as bad as they were. But actually they were bad and they are bad still today and we've got a lot of potential for improving the fuel sources being used. There were a couple of other provisions in this piece of legislation that will give the Minister some extra powers that are worthy. They're credible and on this side of the House we do support them. But I do want to again just acknowledge Annabel Young for the work that she did in terms of advocacy on behalf of her then employer on behalf of the organisation that she represented to ensure that actually we were doing the right thing for our environment. I know that this matter to many people and there will be people who will be sitting at home watching on television or as the former member—Hon Andrew Little: They've turned off now. Hon SCOTT SIMPSON: —of this House—Hon Andrew Little: You just about had them—just about had them. They've gone. Hon SCOTT SIMPSON: I can remember there was a—Andrew Little will remember a former member in this House. His name was John Banks and he used to give speeches at this time of the night and talk about people at home listening on their crystal sets and I'm sure that around the country there are probably—it could be John Banks himself listening on his crystal set. Who knows—who knows? But here we are in the Parliament getting on towards half past 9 at night in a COVID world discussing and passing hopefully at its second reading a piece of legislation that I think will provide some real tangible benefit to New Zealand's shipping operations and that will stand us in good stead for years to come. I'm very pleased on behalf of my colleagues in the National Party to support this piece of legislation at second reading. I hope that it traverses well through the committee stage of the House into third reading and is passed forthwith."