Smith Nick: Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Smith Nick: Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:671;Page:18117] 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for the Environment) 
: 
 There are a couple of points that I would like to respond to in the debate and the first of those is the accusation or the assertion from Clare Curran that Government members—and particularly me—have been talking just hot air. Well let us go through the dialogue that has occurred in the debate. In that member’s earlier contribution she made a great deal of and objected to the fact that the Minister of Broadcasting has decided not to provide additional funding to Television New Zealand for the funding of TVNZ 7. I pointed out that the previous Government in agreeing to fund that channel had said that the funding was for a limited period and that Television New Zealand would then be able to run it from its commercial revenues. 
I had a very simple challenge for the member Clare Curran: if she objected to the Government not funding the channel would she say whether Labour would have funded it? The members were absolutely silent. They could give the Committee absolutely no assurance at all. My simple point to her was that it was the case of the pot calling the kettle black. If there is hot air it is a party standing up in this Parliament saying that something is outrageous is awful and that the Government is not going to fund something but then not being sure whether their party would fund it. I have to say to the member that that is hot air. 
I can tell the member something else that was hot air and that was the charter that the previous Government had within Television New Zealand. Everybody in the broadcasting sector has come to the conclusion that Labour’s charter was nothing more than hot air. I say to that member before she asserts such claims in the House to consider that point further and to give us some idea despite all the rhetoric about supporting the creative industries where her party was when the call was between the creative industries and the filming of  
The Hobbit 
 in New Zealand. Well I think Damien O’Connor had the answer—that is that self-interested trade unionists went ahead of the national interest and the interest of New Zealand’s creative industries. 
I will also respond to the question from Jacinda Ardern about where in this bill the definition of file sharing is. It is quite simply set out in clause 7 of Part 1. That clause sets out quite clearly the definition of file sharing and I further say that yes that definition does include an attachment that involves the sharing of files. 
I was also very concerned that members opposite took offence at my enthusiasm for Dave Dobbyn Bic Runga Hayley Westenra and other great New Zealand artists. I have to confess to being an enthusiast for all of those great New Zealand artists and I am surprised that members opposite would be anything other than enthusiasts for those wonderful New Zealand musicians whose creative rights and copyright interests this House should seriously consider protecting through copyright provisions because those creative industries are so important to New Zealand.