Coddington Deborah: Mercenary Activities (Prohibition) Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee 
Coddington Deborah: Mercenary Activities (Prohibition) Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:618;Page:14244] 
DEBORAH CODDINGTON (ACT) 
: 
 I ask the Minister what is wrong with fighting. What is wrong with being paid to fight? What is wrong with being paid more to fight than those of equal rank in the armed forces? The mentality of this legislation shows up the Labour Government members for the “peacenik” lefties they are stuck in the time warp of the 1970s. A lot of us also marched against the Vietnam War but we grew up. We got real. We realised that we do not live in a benign environment and that if people want to have peace they should prepare for war. Where will it end? Will we be passing domestic laws that prohibit private security guards—the people we pay to protect our homes and property because this Government has let the police force down so badly that they can no longer do the job that our taxes pay them to do? This legislation will have the effect of downgrading the armed forces. 
Hon Judith Tizard 
: Rubbish! 
DEBORAH CODDINGTON 
: The Minister says “Rubbish!”. If members look at the definition of a mercenary they will see that a mercenary is defined as someone who is paid compensation substantially in excess of that promised or paid to combatants of similar rank and functions in the armed forces of that party. This is eliminating competition. What incentive is there on any State—take New Zealand—to improve the pay of its armed forces if there is not the risk that they will be lured away by a private contractor who can pay them substantially more? What does the Minister think? Does she think that people should just go to someone like Pol Pot and negotiate? Does she think they should just sit down at a little meeting? What is wrong with someone being recruited to overthrow a Government or undermine the constitutional order of a State when we are dealing with evil like Pol Pot? Does the Labour Party think we should just sit down and have a meeting with them hold hands and have a little chat and send in the peacekeeping forces? 
Hon Judith Tizard 
: Yes that is what happened with Pol Pot. 
DEBORAH CODDINGTON 
: I suppose the Minister thinks it is funny that six million people died under that regime—people like that Minister. People were killed just for wearing glasses or being able to read. That is what earned one a death under that regime. 
 We go on and on ratifying conventions because the leaders of that Government love swanning around the world and being photographed as they sign us up to these international conventions—conventions and treaties that our traditional allies will not go near and will not have a bar of. But New Zealand decides to sign up to them. What happens when we sign up to them? Absolutely nothing! We sign up to international laws and pass our own laws to ratify them including laws allowing us to prosecute child sex offenders overseas. Since 1999 have we prosecuted one of those people? No. Have we despite the matter being brought to the Government’s notice even chased any New Zealand sex offenders who have disappeared overseas jumped bail or absconded from charges? No. 
Hon Judith Tizard 
: Yes. 
DEBORAH CODDINGTON 
: The Minister should read the replies to my parliamentary questions to see what the exact situation is. Nothing has been done. It is all window dressing. The Labour Government thinks that signing up makes New Zealand look good and enables us to get a place in the UN—that talkfest that huge bureaucracy. It is a shameful situation here. All patriotic New Zealanders who believe in the protection of the State believe a country has a role to protect its own citizens and believe what is in their own hearts should have the right if they see something bad going on in another country to go there and do something about it even if they do get material gain from doing so. So what if they get material gain from doing so! What is wrong with that? This is just a disgrace.