Tirikatene Rino: Third Readings —Text is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTirikatene Rino: Third Readings —[Sitting date: 04 November 2015. Volume:709;Page:7725. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]RINO TIRIKATENE (Labour—Te Tai Tonga): Kia ora Mr Assistant Speaker. I am pleased to add my contribution at the third readings of this suite of 15 bills that are strengthening our legislation against organised crime and corruption. The bills that we are debating this afternoon are wide-reaching. They cover topics as diverse as money-laundering credit card skimming human trafficking and match fixing all the way through to organised crime and bribery and corruption. We do support these measures. They are long overdue. It has taken a while to get this far and to progress these bills through the House but they bring our country into line with overseas conventions and treaties and protocols that we have signed up to. By and large they are measures we do support.I want to add my comments with regard to the facilitation payment issue. Where does a facilitation payment end and a bribe begin? That is a moot point but I do take on board the fact that New Zealand is a trading nation. We are reliant on trading with the outside world and I myself have experienced at first hand the business culture that exists in other markets in other countries from far-flung places like North Africa through to countries closer to ourselves in our neighbourhood like Papua New Guinea. Pretty much every country around the world has its own culture and there is an element of baksheesh in certain nations or greasing the wheels or tipping or charitable giving you might want to call it—or you might call it bribery. That is the commercial reality that New Zealand exporters deal with day in and day out right around the world.I do regret that this Government was not bold enough to raise the bar and say yes we should live up to our ranking of fourth-most transparent in the Transparency International rankings. Let us try to lift that ranking a bit higher. Let us try to get back to the top and take that extra measure to outlaw facilitation payments and set the bar high. We know that the commercial reality is such that it is very difficult but I think that if it is good enough for the Canadians if it is good enough for the UK and if it is good enough for APEC and various other major international clubs that we are part of to frown upon the practice of legalising facilitation payments then we certainly should be rising to that challenge and doing the same.Just to conclude my contribution can I acknowledge the New Zealand Customs Service which is included in one of these bills the Customs and Excise Amendment Bill (No 3). It was great to celebrate the 175th anniversary or birthday of the New Zealand Customs Service the very first Government department of Aotearoa New Zealand. On the shores of Kororāreka in Russell under a tent before we even had a Treasury there was a New Zealand Customs Service. So I am very pleased that I was able to share with the Customs Service and the Minister the Hon Nicky Wagner last night the great work that it does and the passage of this legislation is strengthening that good work and policing our borders. I commend these bills to the House. Kia ora tātou.