Mark RonMARITIME POWERS EXTENSION BILLSecond ReadingDebate resumed from 13 September.Hon RON MARK (NZ First): Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. It gives me pleasure to be able to rise and speak on the Maritime Powers Extension Bill. I want to start by acknowledging that this work commenced under the previous Government. I do acknowledge the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee report that has been tabled in the House which indicates that the select committee recommended that the bill proceed. There are a number of amendments made to it. I think at this point in time it appears that unanimity has broken out all over the House in support of this legislation. I think I can pretty much sum it up by saying that all parties in the House are as gravely concerned about the levels of drug trafficking which we have been witness to the increased level of that and the potential harm that it poses to our communities to our society and particularly to our young people specifically. I don't think that there's an MP in the House that doesn't worry about the well-being of the young people and not-so-young people who wish to indulge in some of these activities. But the fact of the matter is that trafficking drugs into New Zealand across our borders is a problem and there has existed an issue around our ability to effectively interdict. This problem was first looked at by the previous Government and I know that this current Government looked at that work. Meka Whaitiri the Minister of Customs looked at that work and decided that it was appropriate to progress this legislation. The legislation effectively amends the Customs and Excise Act of 2018 and the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 to incorporate New Zealand's rights and obligations under article 108 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea—that's UNCLOS—and article 17 of the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.It is well known and I think the previous speakers including the Minister have highlighted it the issues that we face when we know that there is a vessel moving into our waters or towards our waters or we suspect strongly or we have intelligence to suggest that their intention is not good; that their intention is to by some means or another—we've had examples put before the House of the use of mother ships where ships sit outside your territorial waters and they liaise with or rendezvous with smaller vessels which then come and pick up their illicit cargo and make their way into shore to connect with those elements who would supply our city streets and do the harm they do. Unfortunately our laws do not allow us to deploy the assets and the resources that the Defence Force has to conduct these operations. This legislation corrects that. I just want to remind the House that the Defence Force has a large number of resources that it's able to make available to customs operations of this sort. Whether it's the P3 soon to be the P8 aircraft; whether it's naval vessels; whether it's offshore patrol vessels; whether it's the use of policing elements or special force elements to actually assist the navy or assist customs with those boarding operations what is fundamental and key to the success of those operations is that we as a nation act legally. This legislation enables us to stop board and search vessels suspected to be involved in drug smuggling in international waters beyond New Zealand's 24 - nautical mile contiguous zone. All I will say is that from New Zealand First's perspective we have long been very firm and clear about our view of this sort of activity. We have seen many examples. I'm holding one such newspaper report here going back to November 2017—$20m cocaine bust in Tauranga …".Interestingly we have assisted Fijian authorities most recently in Wasawasa too with interdicting a supply of cocaine that was destined for Fijian streets and assisting Fijian authorities. It's good to be able to do that. We've also deployed through the maritime operations as part of the coalition element counter-terrorist operations aimed at stopping drug trafficking which actually finances terrorist operations and stopping and interdicting gun-running which equips terrorist operations. Our navy in conjunction with our coalition partners has been extraordinarily successful in the past during the last term of Government in these operations. It is timely and appropriate that we as a nation give ourselves the powers to interdict these operations off our own shores. On that note I'd simply say that New Zealand First wholeheartedly supports the passage of this bill."