McKelvie IanIAN McKELVIE (National—Rangitīkei): I was stunned by the last statement from the previous speaker the Rt Hon Winston Peters. I didn't think it ever left the track! I'm pleased to take a call on the third reading of the Racing Reform Bill. On behalf of the National Party I would add that we're pleased to continue to support the bill.The make-up of this bill has been preceded by great expectation in the racing industry. Ironically it started some time ago when the Minister at the time David Bennett introduced the Racing Amendment Bill which then went through a first reading and through a full select committee process. The reason I raise this of course is because part of this bill relates to that bill and the consultation that took place at the time was significant.It—this bill—has been very publicly debated in the industry for a number of years now but certainly since the report of Australian administrator and stud master John Messara was produced late last year. His report was thorough. Interestingly it replicated at least two or three other reports I've seen in my time in the racing industry pretty much and made the same recommendations. It's nice to see those recommendations finally being worked on.There were many many submissions made as a result of the Messara report to the ministerial advisory committee appointed by the Minister for Racing which convened earlier in the year. They have done a lot of work and reported the bill back to the House in the form it's in. It was then briefly scrutinised again in a select committee prior to the committee of the whole House stage where the Minister introduced the final adjustments with Supplementary Order Paper 249.I want to thank all those who have worked so hard to get this bill to the post because I think it's significant for not only the racing industry but also the sector as a whole. I want to thank the Minister the officials the select committee and on this side of the House—the blue side of the House as I'd call it—the Hon David Bennett Nikki Kaye Tim van de Molen and Alastair Scott—Hon Ruth Dyson: Name-dropper.IAN McKELVIE: —who took a fair bit of their week out of—don't be rude! They're interjecting Madam Speaker. They took a fair bit of time out of their recess to deal with this.I'd also like to thank the many hundreds of people in the racing and sports sector who have given me and I'm sure my colleague a fair bit of advice on this over the last year or two. It's worth emphasising how important a place racing plays in the lives of provincial New Zealanders and I'll do so by pointing out that the two biggest steeplechases in New Zealand last season were won by horses from Hunterville and Woodville—interestingly both owned in the Rangitīkei. Then you get to the three big cups in New Zealand owned by horses from Bulls right where I live Waverley—and of course that's the home of Kiwi the most famous horse of all time—and Matamata. All of those big races in New Zealand are owned by and raced by people who live in provincial New Zealand. That's why this industry is so important to those of us who live in rural and provincial New Zealand.Just to prove that this is not all about racing anyone who took my tip on Kane Williamson last night and on the Black Caps would've actually been a whole lot better off today and that's a pretty harmless way to have a bit of fun in my view. Who would've guessed we'd have been watching that at 6 o'clock this morning?This bill will have significant benefits for both the racing and sports sector. The changes when implemented will benefit the sectors by a conservatively estimated $27 million. That is a significant amount of money and I think that if they can manage that properly they will have considerable success as a result of it.We in New Zealand have a climate and soil type that produces great grasses and great horses. It doesn't matter whether they're eventers race horses polo ponies endurance horses—to name a few—they have great value to the New Zealand community. They have great export value to us. They all derive from the thoroughbred. So not only is it important from a racing perspective that we have a very strong thoroughbred industry in New Zealand but it's very important from our horse perspective as well and I don't think we should forget that in the course of I guess giving an industry a little bit of a leg up—and a much overdue leg up. The many thousands of volunteers who manage our sports organisations would also benefit greatly from this bill making their roles just that little bit easier.I want to turn now briefly to the future of the TAB which is a vital cog in the Racing Industry Transition Agency's (RITA's) wheel. The TAB commenced business in 1952 funded by the thoroughbred and harness racing sectors. Sure it was put through Parliament with a piece of legislation by the Government of the day but it's important to remember it was funded by those industries.In 1997—again with the help of legislation—sports betting was introduced to New Zealand. They were allowed to gamble or to game or to bet only on sports that had a parent body based in New Zealand and that return to those sporting entities was set in that legislation. Both of those things have been overturned in this legislation and I think rightly so because I think it enables the industry or businesses or bodies or whatever to negotiate with each other. That's going to be very important. The other issue is that it enables the TAB in this case and the other betting agencies from overseas—or in fact it won't concern the overseas ones unless they're gambling in New Zealand—to take bets on events that are not part of a New Zealand sporting body. That money will be returned to Sport New Zealand. In my view that's very positive for the sporting sector as well.In 2002 the TAB was again subject of legislation under the Racing Act. It was then governed by the newly created Racing Industry Board—disbanded under this Act and replaced with the RITA. In about the year 2000 an opinion was sought by the racing industry from a QC who in a brief report suggested that the beneficial owners of the TAB were the racing industry. I would suggest that that probably suggests to me that at some time in the near future we should establish very definitely who does in fact own the TAB—put it into a structure that gives it independence from Government. It can't be independent from legislation because clearly I think gambling will always be legislated in this country. But I think it's an opportunity for us in the future to look at who does own it and give it some certainty and independence from Government.This is a great day for racing in my view. It's a great day for the sporting sectors in New Zealand and I look forward to the successful implementation of this bill and the benefit it will provide for those sectors and particularly as I said earlier for provincial and rural New Zealand. Thank you Mr Speaker.