Mark Ron: Major Events Management Bill — Second Reading 
Mark Ron: Major Events Management Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:641;Page:11104] 
RON MARK (NZ First) 
: 
 It is interesting that when I was last speaking on the Major Events Management Bill which I think was about a week or so ago I raised what I thought to be a rather curious irony. We were debating the Major Events Management Bill 2006 and National Party people stood applauded and expressed their solid support for the prospect the idea—indeed not a prospect nor an idea now—of a law that will ban entrepreneurialism and will actually seek to intervene in the free market’s ability to exploit a commercial advantage or an opportunity. I say to the National Party: “Well done! Well done!”. Some of us have been arguing for probably 11 years that the free-market model is not a panacea to the woes of our economy. 
 For decades the National Party—in fact I go back to Ruth Richardson after she had eliminated one of the greatest politicians of this country Robert Muldoon—imposed upon this nation a more vigorous version of Roger Douglas’ free-marketeering. So in this bill we have history in the making. National Party members stand up and say they wish to curb entrepreneurial ventures put a clamp on commercial opportunity and interdict and intervene in the free market—to stop the ability of New Zealand men and women from taking a commercial opportunity when they see it. 
How strange too is the Labour example. It seeks to promote the concept that pitch invasion should be illegal. I say that is an irony because many of the Labour MPs in this House proudly wear on their chest a badge of honour that says “Springbok Tour 1981”. I think of the number of maiden speeches I have heard from Labour MPs who said: “I was there in ’81 standing up against apartheid invading pitches and participating in riots demonstrations and violent discord.” and I see that many of those Labour Party people now support this bill and proudly say it is important to pass this bill to stop pitch invasion. How can they have forgotten their past? It is a delicious irony. 
New Zealand First supports the bill because frankly we want to see a world event. We want New Zealand to have this opportunity to showcase itself. If it means accepting some commercial reality to make sure that happens then we say that is fine and let us get on with it. 
I was reminded by my leader the Rt Hon Winston Peters about Justice Thurgood Marshall. I wonder whether members have heard of him. Justice Thurgood Marshall was a judge and I think the first black American to achieve the distinction of becoming the most senior justice in the United States. He was well known for his stand on human rights and civil liberties and he was against apartheid and racism. It is of great interest that Judge Thurgood Marshall sat as presiding judge at the hearing of a complaint brought by protesters against the Springboks tour of the United States of America. The Springboks having left New Zealand shores went to the United States to play a four-match test series against the American Eagles. Judge Thurgood Marshall astounded the world by ruling that the test series should go ahead. He cited as a fundamental principle— indeed a principle enforced in the American Constitution—that people have a right to choose whom they wish to associate with. He also countered that neatly by reinforcing people’s right to protest and people’s right to demonstrate against laws and policies that they did not agree with. 
How ironic that contrary to the New Zealand example—where we saw violence gang members upfront leading demonstrations Labour Party activists wearing helmets and carrying shields in direct violent confrontation with the police—the Americans whom many people in this House have criticised so often had a dignified situation where the Springboks played the American Eagles and where the protest against one test match and numbering about 1000 people was allowed to go ahead but not in such a way that it could interdict the rights of the players to associate with whomever they chose. The match went ahead. Of course the Springboks hammered the American Eagles and I think they lost that test 44-0 or something like that. The Springboks won the entire series 4-0. 
Tonight we are debating the Major Events Management Bill. Two fundamental principles that the two old parties—National and Labour—have vigorously and righteously stood for they are now voting against. How sweet the irony! I welcome all those MPs to the world of reality and pragmatism and to recognition of the people’s right to do things in a lawful way without sacrificing their own rights. I am one of those people who believe in freedom of association—that is freedom of association that does not harm or hurt other people—and believe that people have the democratic right to demonstrate and protest. Indeed one of the reasons that I am proud of having worn the New Zealand Army uniform and served in Her Majesty’s defence forces is that fundamentally that is what we are doing. We are guaranteeing the rights of New Zealanders to live in a free and democratic State where they have the right to protest to express their points of view. No matter how violently I or anyone else might disagree with it they have that absolute right. Certain people like Willie Apiata from the New Zealand Special Air Service fought to guarantee that people should have that right for ever and a day in this nation. 
So here we are debating the Major Events Management Bill. We see National Party members stand up and say that free-marketeering should not be rampant it does have boundaries and we should curb it. I welcome the National Party’s view. I am exhilarated by this new-look National Party. I can see the Hon David Carter who was once a free-marketeer right to the back of his ears and to the very last root of every hair on his head now standing and saying that the free market needs curbing and ambush marketing should be stopped. We welcome the Hon David Carter to this world where some of us do not believe that the free market should be able to reign unbridled. I also welcome on behalf of New Zealand First the Labour members who now realise that their actions during the Springbok Tour of 1981 may not necessarily have been right or proper although their right to demonstrate and protest most certainly was. 
This Major Events Management Bill in 2007 is—how strange—a delicious irony. The speeches that have been made will be recorded in  
Hansard 
 and I guess some interesting moments of reflection will occur as National and Labour collectively vote for this bill and curb two fundamental principles that they have long championed at the expense of other people’s rights.