Simmonds PennySecond ReadingHon PENNY SIMMONDS (Minister for the Environment): Thank you Mr Speaker. Wishful thinking from you! I want to thank members whose contributions have shown such a passion for waster minimisation and this bill will help fund a more comprehensive set of Government—SPEAKER: Just a minute. There's a line here that I think you might have skipped.Hon PENNY SIMMONDS: I move—Tangi Utikere: Point of order. Thank you Mr Speaker. Just seeking your guidance: there was a very strict interpretation in terms of process that members of the executive specifically Ministers—[Interruption]SPEAKER: Sorry can we just have no conversations going on while we've got a point of order.Tangi Utikere: Thank you. Just seeking your guidance: there is a very strict interpretation and expectation for members of the executive particularly Ministers when they are progressing a piece of legislation through the House. Those words were not used. So I seek your guidance about what the next steps would be in light of that.SPEAKER: Well if you had noticed I had actually stopped the Minister's speech and suggested that there was a line that needed to be stated at the start of that contribution. So you were following up on something that I'd already seen to as it were. Thank you.Hon PENNY SIMMONDS: My apologies Mr Speaker. I move That the Waste Minimisation (Waste Disposal Levy) Amendment Bill be now read a second time. This bill will help fund a more comprehensive set of Government waste and environmental priorities. These changes mean that as well as waste minimisation activities the levy revenue can also support projects to improve freshwater quality remediate contaminated sites and restore the health of important New Zealand ecosystems. Just a couple of examples of the types of projects that would benefit under the changes include the Kaipara Moana Remediation Programme which supports landowners and communities to improve and restore the catchment; the Freshwater Improvement Fund which will result in improvements to the health of waterways and catchments. Increases to the waste disposal levy will better reflect the true costs of using resources and disposing of waste incentivise more reuse of materials reduce greenhouse gas emissions from organic waste to landfill and improve the onshore processing of materials.We're mindful of the cost of living and the implications for households and businesses across New Zealand. However we expect this to be relatively minor on them. The levy rate change from $60 per tonne—the levy rate that will be in effect from 1 July this year; up to $75 per tonne from 1 July 2027 for class 1 municipal landfills—will equate to an average increase in levy costs of around $5.07 per annum per household.Central government will be able to provide more funding for the remediation of contaminated sites vulnerable to the effects of severe weather events including closed landfills before they come become an issue. This will improve the resilience of communities. It will also help with the recovery and clean up where it is needed. It is estimated there are hundreds of such historic landfill sites and other contaminated sites that are vulnerable around the country. The changes will significantly increase the amount of money available to support the remediation of vulnerable landfills each year. Councils will be able to request a levy waiver for any waste from the remediation of the contaminated site ensuring this cost does not become a barrier to the cleaning up of such sites.Government funding will also assist councils with the costs of cleaning up waste and repairing or replacing damaged waste infrastructure after an emergency event. This will ease the financial burden on councils and communities at a time they most need it. The Canterbury and Kaikōura earthquakes our recent cyclones and the Auckland Anniversary floods and many other large-scale events have underscored the importance of resilient waste management and minimisation facilities and services across the region. To date costs arising from managing waste caused by emergency events have been dealt with on an ad hoc basis.Waste management is a critical service to get up and running quickly to reduce public health risks and support communities to get back on their feet. With these outcomes in mind I therefore commend the Waste Minimisation (Waste Disposal Levy) Amendment Bill to the House.SPEAKER: The question is that the motion be agreed to.