Donnelly Brian: Dog Control (Cancellation of Microchipping Requirements) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Donnelly Brian: Dog Control (Cancellation of Microchipping Requirements) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:631;Page:3174] 
Hon BRIAN DONNELLY (NZ First) 
: 
 I will start by demonstrating just how political this debate has become. David Carter made a statement during his speech that dog owners have annual costs that they are getting nothing for. I actually agreed with him. Then I got a barrage of abuse from that side of the House when I had actually agreed with the statement David Carter had made. That demonstrates that National members are not even listening; they are just playing politics. I will make another statement to demonstrate how political this issue has become. David Carter said Brian Donnelly and New Zealand First members have stitched up a deal with Labour. He made that statement at 7.55. I tell members that at 6.55 I was in conversation with his leader Don Brash and Mr Carter was nowhere in the room. Mr Carter said: “an hour … ago” and 1 hour before 7.55 is 6.55. I was talking to Don Brash. 
I think we need to get back to what this issue is about. In 2002 the father of Carolina Anderson came to Parliament. Any politician who had any drop of care and concern in their blood met with him. We were shown photographs. They were horrific and horrendous and they galvanised this House to a resolve that it would do something about dog attacks on humans but in particular dog attacks on children. Never before have I seen this House so galvanised to a unified resolve as I saw at that particular time. The resolve was to prevent or reduce those dog attacks. We have a horrendous level of dog attacks and they are still continuing. 
A select committee worked together on a whole package of things. It was not just microchipping; it was a whole package of amendments to the Dog Control Act that this House saw fit to bring in to reduce dog attacks. The legislation went through and the resolve was cross-party. The legislation went through and this House put it in place. It was a package. We have here today an attempt to send the package back to the sender before it has even been opened up and looked at. New Zealand First does have some questions around microchipping but it seems absolutely stupid to take that package to bits before it has even been delivered. The legislation does not come into force until July; it is not until July this year that we start making any steps in this direction. 
Microchipping is part of the package. I think Mark Burton made a very very good point: National voted for that package. It voted against the amendment but it voted for that package at the third reading and Mr Carter has to tell the world he voted for that package. New Zealand First is saying we have to give the opportunity for the package to go forward. A mate who represents New Zealand in dog trials rang me the other day. He went to Ireland and the dogs all had to be microchipped. When they got to Ireland there were dogs whose microchips could not be read because they had been damaged. There are some problems—we are not denying that—but the point is that this House agreed to this package and it needs to be put into practice. The package then needs to be assessed as to whether it is achieving its objective. 
We should not forget that that objective is to minimise dog attacks on humans but especially—[ 
Interruption 
] It is a package; we are not just talking about one thing. It is especially about our children. I think at the moment we are more concerned about sheepdogs and chihuahuas than we are about the children of our nation. Anybody who can remember those photographs of Carolina Anderson should not be here voting for this legislation at this time. New Zealand First will insist on a review of the legislation. That is what I said because if it is not working we will need to re-look at it. We will insist on that but at this particular point in time we have to put in place the package that this House decided cross-party would meet its objectives as it determined it would do back in 2002.