Goudie Sandra: Courts and Criminal Matters Bill — First Reading 
Goudie Sandra: Courts and Criminal Matters Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:663;Page:10992] 
SANDRA GOUDIE (National—Coromandel) 
: 
 I applaud the Hon Georgina te Heuheu for bringing the Courts and Criminal Matters Bill to the House. It will be my absolute pleasure as chair of the Law and Order Committee to progress this bill through its process in the select committee. 
I invite David Parker from the Opposition to swap with Clayton Cosgrove because that would be really good. We would love his expertise and it would create a whole new dynamic at the select committee. That would be really great; it would be tremendous. We would love the expertise that David Parker would present especially as he has spoken so well of this bill and has applauded the Minister in the words he expressed in the House. 
I am sure the other members of the Law and Order Committee would also appreciate the expertise of Mr David Parker and his presence on the committee. I am sure that Mr Cosgrove would absolutely relish a stint on the Justice and Electoral Committee. Would that not be marvellous? [ 
Interruption 
] Just a moment; I hear the members of the Justice and Electoral Committee objecting to that suggestion and I cannot understand why that would be. 
As other speakers have said the Courts and Criminal Matters Bill is an omnibus bill. It amends a number of statutes to enhance the court’s powers and processes for the collection of fines and other monetary penalties and civil debt. It will enhance the court’s powers to collect fines reparation payments and civil debt and it will strengthen the enforcement measures available when people do not arrange to pay or continue to pay outstanding moneys as ordered by the courts. That happens all too often—people do not arrange to pay outstanding moneys or continue to pay outstanding moneys. 
I pointed out to the previous speaker when I interjected that if a person has a job his or her vehicle should not be seized. If a person has a job he or she should be able to pay the fine or arrange to pay outstanding moneys. People can arrange to pay over a period of time so that they are not putting themselves or their families in a difficult position. If they have a job they should be able to make those arrangements so that their vehicle is not seized. 
I understand that about 2400 vehicles are seized by the courts each year. However that may continue because National is committed to working towards accountability. People must be accountable for their behaviour and if they transgress and break the law they must be made to take accountability for their actions and pay the fine. This bill will ensure that court-ordered payments or reparations to victims are paid sooner thus continuing National’s focus on a more victim-based justice system. As at 30 April 2010 there was $778 million of reparation— 
Dr Cam Calder 
: How much? 
SANDRA GOUDIE 
: $778 million—that is KiwiRail is it not? Of reparations fines other monetary penalties and court costs $778 million remained unpaid. 
Simon Bridges 
: Outrageous. 
SANDRA GOUDIE 
: That is pretty outrageous. Some people just keep building on one fine after another. The tragedy of that is that those fines get wiped so they are never held to account for those fines. I know it absolutely incenses the good honest hard-working individual Kiwis—who may have one or two transgressions but they will pay. 
Simon Bridges 
: Salt-of-the-earth Kiwi battlers. 
SANDRA GOUDIE 
: Yes that is it—good solid Kiwi battlers. But we get the odd one who just racks up one fine after another and gets them wiped and it is just a blight on justice. Despite increases in the amounts recovered by the collections unit of the Ministry of Justice acting for the courts the total debt continues to grow. Those unpaid fines and monetary penalties just continue to grow. That is why this bill is such an important bill. 
The Minister for Courts is definitely to be commended because this bill will help turn round that situation. Then that $778 million will be put to a good use. The total number of fines and other monetary penalties especially infringement notices filed with the court for enforcement has increased 47 percent between 2001-02 and 2008-09. That is a huge amount. Unpaid traffic fines are a significant concern. We want that $778 million and that is what this bill will help to deliver.