Little Andrew: Land Transport Amendment Bill (No 2) Road User Charges Amendment Bill — Third ReadingsText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLittle Andrew: Land Transport Amendment Bill (No 2) Road User Charges Amendment Bill — Third Readings[Sitting date: 17 April 2014. Volume:698;Page:17469. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ANDREW LITTLE (Labour): After that contribution from that member David Bennett on the eve of the celebration of the Resurrection I am surprised that he should wax so eloquently on this issue. When I look at the loudest members in the House at this very point—Mr Bennett himself Mr Auchinvole Dr Calder and even Mr Simon Bridges—the theme of resurrection is most apposite because these are careers that are about to come to an end and those members are desperate for something to bring them back. Of course they are not the only ones. There is at least one other Minister who is hoping for a miracle this weekend and of course we all know what is going to happen to her.I want to say this. With this legislation arising from the former Land Transport and Road User Charges Legislation Amendment Bill and with a fairer management of road-user charges for heavy vehicles and diesel vehicles and add to that Labour’s policy on effective management of heavy traffic on big roads I think we have the makings of something very special for New Zealand travellers and New Zealand drivers.I look forward to the day—very soon in the next few months—when the next Labour-led Government will be able to complement this legislation with its new transport policies. We will not have the freedom campers in their mobile homes and those towing their registration fee - free caravans being held up by the big heavy lorriesin the fourth lane or in the third lane of the Waikato Expressway which that member David Bennett trumpets about loud and long every opportunity he gets. I look forward to those days when we will complement this legislation with those sensible and—I might add—very popular transport policies because the feedback has been phenomenal. The feedback has been phenomenal. People love it and they look forward to it. They know that they have only a few months to wait. They will get to their Christmas holidays this year and the roads will be clearer. They will be able to move more rapidly—safely but rapidly—and with a lower breath-alcohol rating and life will be a lot better.I could not possibly let further comment on this legislation pass without mentioning what I know this House understands to be a very important piece of roading infrastructure for New Zealand and that is State Highway 3 in North Taranaki. That is a very important piece of roading. It carries a lot of heavy lorries certainly a lot of trucks—in fact maybe a fraction more than one or two—and a few heavy farm vehicles that are not routinely on the roads but move on those roads as they are moving between the very well-managed and efficient farming sector in North Taranaki. It is a very lush and green farming sector in North Taranaki and I suspect it is more lush and more green after this week too.This regime this provision in this legislation will allow a change to the regulation of road-user charges which means a fairer system can be put in place to levy those vehicles so that they are not overburdened and overcharged for the impact they have on our roads. Most important through doing that we allow ourselves to approach the issue of road funding in a way that is a little more sophisticated that is a little fairer and that buys in that consent of the Government which is so important to democratic institutions like this Parliament. It is so important too when we are considering the allocation of the resources gathered through these levies and where they should be applied.That of course is the yawning gap in transport policy at the moment because areas like Taranaki and roads like State Highway 3 are the ones that miss out. A road like State Highway 3 in particular is sadly rapidly deteriorating because of a lack of attention from this Government when it comes to the fair allocation of road funding. This Government is quite happy to plough billions into the Waikato Expressway just because it has got a new velodrome and it wants to make sure that Mr Bennett can leave the place in quick order but provinces and the regions in the country that actually generate the wealth that props up this Government—this shabby nasty grubby little Government—are the ones that miss out. We are the ones that miss out.The good people of Taranaki are looking forward to a change of Government and to a change of MP because they know that it is high time that they had somebody in this House who has a proven track record of advocating for their interests and for their key road their main road which goes in and out of North Taranaki because it is not happening now.So on that note I reluctantly conclude my remarks and my comments. I just say that this is good legislation and that it will do good things. I would like to conclude—Simon O’Connor: Wish us a happy Easter.ANDREW LITTLE: I was about to wish the House a very happy Easter but I will exclude Mr Simon O’Connor for foreshadowing my comments because that is an unkind thing to do in the House at this time. I wish you Mr Assistant Speaker and indeed all members of the House a safe Easter weekend on our roads and for those travelling on State Highway 3 north of Taranaki as I will be doing I wish them an even safer weekend. Thank you.