Parata Hekia: Electoral (Finance Reform and Advance Voting) Amendment Bill Parliamentary Service Amendment Bill — Second Readings 
Parata Hekia: Electoral (Finance Reform and Advance Voting) Amendment Bill Parliamentary Service Amendment Bill — Second Readings 
[Volume:669;Page:15845] 
HEKIA PARATA (National) 
: 
 Tena koe. Otira tena tatou huri noa i to tatou Whare. I am pleased to stand and take a short call on this legislation. I have been a somewhat peripatetic member of the Electoral Legislation Committee having had other calls on my time that were particularly pertinent to this legislation. All of us in this House who are involved in electoral activity get to know about the very sharp end of how any legislation applies on the ground. 
The National-led Government’s electoral finance proposals have now been subject to four rounds of consultation which began in April last year and it has been a commitment of this Government to have a consensual approach. So it is somewhat of a pity that Chris Hipkins the member who just spoke and who has just left the House chose to introduce an unnecessary element of rancour I thought into the otherwise multiparty consensual approach that has characterised the consideration of these bills in the select committee. As someone who has recently had the experience of participating in a by-election I am absolutely delighted at the progress that this legislation represents because many little details can slip up even the most committed campaigner inadvertently. I think that this legislation has gone a considerable way towards ensuring that there is both clarity and common sense in the way that we consider and apply electoral legislation. 
In that regard I join in commending the Minister of Justice for taking the approach which he has taken from the outset of being committed to ensuring that we get consensus on this electoral legislation because it needs to be durable it needs to have integrity and it needs to have commitment from all the members of this House. I think the Minister’s conviction in this regard has been important in the approach to and carriage of this legislation. I also commend all the members of the select committee who participated in the consideration of this legislation. I too enjoyed the contribution of experienced members such as the deputy chair Lianne Dalziel and also of the very long-term member of Parliament Pete Hodgson who provided his particular rapier-like insights during a number of the discussions. I commend the members of the select committee for their approach to this legislation. 
In closing I particularly commend the chair of the select committee. My colleague Amy Adams approached this legislation with the same rigorous and analytical approach that she brings to all her tasks. She was very even-handed in the way that she assigned time to the consideration of the legislation by members of the select committee and also in terms of the hearings that we held around the country and of the submitters who had the opportunity to put their views in writing on it. She maintained a very even temper as well which was sometimes required in the consideration of these issues. I applaud her navigation of this complex area. In that regard I compliment Amy Adams the select committee and the Minister. I commend this bill to the House. Kia ora tatou.