Mapp Wayne: Crimes Amendment Bill (No 2) — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee 
Mapp Wayne: Crimes Amendment Bill (No 2) — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:625;Page:20022] 
Dr WAYNE MAPP (National—North Shore) 
: 
 I appreciate that members of the public may be wondering why National is voting against this legislation. I have to say that we cannot possibly support legislation that would allow—and this is the reality of it—a 45 or 50-year-old man to approach a child prostitute then claim he had a defence. That is not possible under the existing law. That is the important point: it is not possible under the existing law. 
That prohibition—that the defence does not apply to those aged over 21—has never caused a problem but now the Government seems to think it should be extended right across the board. Government members then wonder why New Zealanders are deeply worried about the values of this Government and about the direction they are taking this country. 
 We saw that in the John Tamihere article. He merely articulated the concern of mainstream New Zealanders that this Government simply has no idea what people think. It runs its narrow agenda based on I guess the common rooms of the universities—the discussions that occur there and that essentially should stay there. But no this Government wants to make those minority agendas the widespread views. 
One of the features of that frankly is sexual liberation. That has always been one of the fundamental agendas of the politically correct. It undermines family life. That is the reality. The Government will look at each and every part of the law. How does it undermine family life? How does the politically correct agenda undermine family life? Well these are some of the ways: by allowing broader defences by allowing more licentiousness by allowing prostitution by making it easier for predators to escape punishment and by allowing defences. That is what the Government has done in this legislation. 
The Government may say that we are simply exaggerating. But we have seen since the Prostitution Reform Act a huge increase in child prostitution. The Government has only to ask the simple question of who preys upon those child prostitutes. My colleague who lives in south Auckland sees the problem on the streets. She knows the answer. Ironically the Minister of Police living in the same place was not even aware that that police district had 1000 uninvestigated cases including 11 cases involving rape. That indicates the complete disconnection of this Government from the real problems facing our country. When we see these kinds of amendments being put into the law we know that this Government is totally driven by a narrowly focused politically correct agenda that it intends to foist on the entire country. 
I would like to think that the other parties in this Parliament that are supporting this legislation will at least in respect of this particular provision say no. 
Ron Mark 
: What about the amendments? 
Dr WAYNE MAPP 
: I tell Mr Mark that my colleagues have been doing amendments. This is the sort of thing that should be stopped. The law as it exists at present is satisfactory. It takes into account the difficulties that young people may have. That is why the application of the law is limited to those aged under 21 and that is where it should stay. That is why we are voting against the bill.