Tabuteau Fletcher: New Zealand Business Number Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTabuteau Fletcher: New Zealand Business Number Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 05 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3197. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]FLETCHER TABUTEAU (NZ First): Thank you for the opportunity this evening. I would like to suggest to some of the members who spoke on behalf of the Government this evening that the prospective benefits of this bill should not be overplayed and that we should take this in full consideration and give it the due benefit of time and the input from business itself. Let us not oversell it but on the other hand after years as a sole trader myself and as a business mentor in my local community I do have to say that one of the common problems that is raised again and again is this compliance issue—this conversation with Government agencies and the repetitive nature of it.There is a lot of common sense behind this piece of legislation. On the other hand New Zealand First is worried about several points that do need to be raised this evening. This bill is necessary for the furthering of the business numbering scheme started in December 2013. In that short time there has been a huge and broad comprehensive uptake from New Zealand companies as has been mentioned several times tonight—approximately 1.1 million companies which reflects about half a million actually operating active companies at this moment.This bill would move this number beyond these registered companies and take it into the realm of small business—sole traders partnerships and trusts were mentioned. New Zealand First believes they should be active participants in this scheme. We would suggest to the business community itself that it is a commendable and necessary system. Why? Because its ultimate goal is to ensure that there is an improvement in efficiency in business. This bill and its numbering system are about improving the interface between the Government and said business. So when the goal is to make conversation between the Government and companies—and now small businesses like sole traders—that little bit easier then New Zealand First will lend its support especially if that conversation which most small businesses dread anyway does not have to happen again and again almost ad infinitum with Government department after Government department.This bill has arisen primarily from the Government’s laudable goals about meeting Better Public Services targets particularly result No. 9. This specifically means that the Government should aim to reduce the cost for businesses of having to deal directly with the Government. This Business Number initiative was one of the first initiatives arising from the Better Public Services targets which is great to see.But I tell you this: New Zealand First nearly did not support this bill even through to this stage in the House. Here we have on the one hand the Government telling businesses that the only way that this initiative will work is with rapid and broad uptake and that providing a better Public Service requires businesses to commit and then on the other hand I have here before me this document. I hope it was not the New Zealand First copy issued by the Government but this is the regulatory impact statement that I was provided with and this is an example of several of the pages provided in the regulatory impact statement. I have shown this evidence before the House and the particular page I have shown is a device used to measure the efficacy of such pieces of legislation and what is the first thing that I notice? These blacked-out pieces of paper that run all throughout the documentation with no explanation.Again I hope that this is not just the one that was given to New Zealand First but on the other hand I hope that this is not indicative of the information provided to the Opposition and to the New Zealand public. This page which is one of many is supposed to show us the building of this New Zealand Business Number system and Government agency uptake.What this actually shows us is a Government that is not transparent a Government that is not willing to engage and a Government that does not understand the meaning of arrogance. What this page shows us is a Government that is not prepared for us to see the Government agency uptake or perhaps the lack thereof. What is it exactly that we are not seeing? How can the Opposition and how can the public understand just what this legislation will achieve or hopes to achieve if this kind of information is the case? We know that business will want to have this legislation tidied up. It still needs some work and perhaps as we move forward the information provided—or not as the case may be—will become available to the Opposition and to members of the public.Despite redacted info and despite issues around its current form in terms of the bill itself New Zealand First can see that the intent of this bill is sensible and reasonable and so supporting it through its first reading is a practical step. We hope that then everyone will understand just what it is that the Government hopes to achieve but that will mean that this Government actually needs to engage and work and talk with the New Zealand public.The problem that this bill seeks to address is that Government agencies currently take a siloed approach to dealing with business. This results in duplication and inefficiencies. So legislation that seeks to remove duplication and inefficiency is to be commended. However New Zealand First would add its voice to the concerns raised around privacy and in particular the privacy of individuals whether they are sole traders or partners in a business. This Government’s recent track record around the implementation of good and sound legislation has in my opinion not been that solid. Here is another bill where getting it right from the outset is absolutely critical in order for the stated outcomes to be achieved but there also needs to be consideration and finely crafted legislation that allows the work to be done but with the privacy of the individual being paramount. So the data collected must be for business purposes only. Some of the members on this side of the House spoke in quite a lot of detail about privacy and I would support that further consideration.Businesses want joined-up Government services and certainty and less confusion when interacting with the Government. They want an economic infrastructure that better enables and supports their business. This must be foremost in the minds of the select committee members and the Minister as the bill proceeds through the House. Let this number not be just yet another number that businesses have to record and use to interface with Government department after Government department.New Zealand First also sees this piece of legislation as an opportunity—an opportunity to crack down on the abuse of the bankruptcy system in this country. There are too many examples where individuals are getting away with too much and they are not being held to account. We hope that this legislation will ensure that individuals will become accountable and we would suggest that this could be done at least initially by linking the business number to the insolvency register for example.New Zealand First will support this bill through its first reading and we ask that this Government please keep in mind its promise of open transparency and that it is also mindful of the individual and their right to privacy. Thank you.