Woodhouse Michael: Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Woodhouse Michael: Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 28 July 2009. Volume:656;Page:5198. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National) 
: 
 I am delighted to rise in very strong support of the Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Bill which when signed will add this country’s name to the list of those that have ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Hopefully if the bill has a speedy passage through the House we will be one of the 30 nations that will bring the convention into force. New Zealand was one of the 94 nations that signed up to the convention in early 2008. 
As many others have mentioned the bill when passed will provide for sanctions on those who develop use distribute or possess cluster munitions and also for reporting requirements in record-keeping obligations. I do not want to get into a history spat with my colleague Chris Carter but my information tells me that cluster munitions actually pre-date World War II. They have been around for a long time but the Soviet Union in the 1930s deployed what were then known as “Molotov breadbaskets” which scattered incendiary bomblets around Finland. The cylinder of the main bomb was really large—it was probably over 2 metres long—and it contained more than 100 incendiary bombs. The main bomb itself did not have an incendiary device but it had a very large tailfin which when dropped through the air caused the bomb to spin thus spraying the smaller incendiary devices right around the Finnish continent. 
In 1939 the Soviet Foreign Minister Mr Molotov claimed that the Soviet Union was not dropping bombs but merely airlifting food to starving Finns—hence the nickname “Molotov breadbaskets”. The Finns being a resourceful bunch developed improvised incendiary devices used to counter Soviet tanks that were invading their land and called it after a drink to go with the food—hence the famous term “Molotov cocktail” was born. 
Dr Cam Calder 
: Thank you sir. Thank you—very erudite. 
MICHAEL WOODHOUSE 
: The member is most welcome. The Leader of the Opposition Dr Mapp and others have talked about configurations where munitions devices have been used. Certainly Lebanon in 2006 was a nadir in that respect. But the sad fact is that there have been a large number of conflicts where cluster munitions have been used. The list is a long and sad one going back to Viet Nam and Korea the first and second Chechen wars Yugoslavia Afghanistan Georgia and Sri Lanka—the list goes on. 
Between World War II and the end of the 20th century the technology of cluster munitions has become extremely advanced in terms of the volume of the devices and the width of the field across which the devices can be spread. The capacity to cause death and injury is increasing. Sadly although necessity is widely credited as being the mother of invention so too is war. The world sadly has become pretty damn good at its ability to kill and maim. 
One of the other things that has happened over the last 20 years is the influence of television on war. As a younger man watching the first Gulf War in 1991 I well remember how visible and visual the conflict became. I recall General Colin Powell saying at a press conference in respect of certain intelligence information that CNN had acquired the information as quickly as he did. 
Then in subsequent wars we followed munitions as they flew through the air and landed on buildings and so on. The result of that is that we in peaceful nations that are not normally exposed to the horror that war generally and these munitions particularly can inflict on people were exposed successively to news footage and documentaries following people like Princess Diana other celebrities and also aid workers doing great work bringing the horror of what these munitions can do into our living rooms. 
The passage of this legislation will not in and of itself eliminate the scourge of cluster munitions but when a group of civilised peace-loving nations with one voice says that even when belligerent nations come into conflict there are rules around that conflict and that those rules preclude such indiscriminative weapons then the world might just be a bit safer. Fewer innocent civilians particularly our young innocents will end up disfigured dismembered or dead from these devices. 
I applaud and congratulate those on both sides of the House who have worked on behalf of New Zealanders to achieve the progress we have made so far. But I particularly applaud those groups individuals and non-governmental organisations who have worked so tirelessly for many years to draw the world’s attention to the evil that cluster munitions bring. I also applaud those brave men and women of our military and others around the world who risk their lives to disarm these weapons. The number of these munitions is simply incalculable and they will be around for many many years after the effect of the convention is brought into play if ceasing the use of these munitions is even possible. I congratulate those who are involved in the bill. I thank them for bringing it to the House. I support the bill. 
Bill read a first time.  
Bill referred to the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee.