Little Andrew: Subordinate Legislation (Confirmation and Validation) Bill (No 2) — Second Reading Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLittle Andrew: Subordinate Legislation (Confirmation and Validation) Bill (No 2) — Second Reading Third Reading[Sitting date: 10 December 2013. Volume:695;Page:15366. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ANDREW LITTLE (Labour): Like the previous member Ian McKelvie I too take great pleasure in taking a call hopefully slightly longer than the previous member’s on this very important piece of legislation the Subordinate Legislation (Confirmation and Validation) Bill (No 2). We can laugh and chortle and giggle away at these administrative and somewhat technical procedures but amongst other things I think they invite us to reflect on the regulatory process and the process of validation and confirmation.When we look through the list of regulations that call for validation there are some very important ones there not the least of which I think is the Commodity Levies (Paeonies) Order of 2012. Of course the Commodity Levies (Paeonies) Order relates to the need for those who are trading in the vast volume of flowers known as peonies to be levied for that—those at least selling more than $2500 worth in a year. I do not know how many peonies that is. It sounds like a lot of peonies. Those who sell more than that are required therefore to be levied and that levy is collected by none other than the very august institution known as the New ZealandPaeony Society Inc.—incorporated I see only in October last year.Hon Trevor Mallard: It’s called flower power.ANDREW LITTLE: It is a new form of flower power and I am most intrigued that the New ZealandPaeony Society should be established. I do not recall seeing it notified in theGazette anywhere or advertised. If only I had known I might happily have joined because I think this body offers not only the opportunity to collect a levy on behalf of the very many peony growers but indeed the opportunity to establish a fighting force a genuine flower power of a society which can advocate on behalf of all peony growers and indeed all peonies as needed. Most important it allows the New ZealandPaeony Society to conduct the relevant research that it is empowered to do under the commodity order. There is no other by-product associated with peonies. They are not like poppies for example where the dry seed can be broken down and used for other purposes. Peonies are a unique breed of flower. They are I think a perennial—or they could be annual. I have never quite understood the difference between the two but there is a yearly cycle to them which makes them fall under one category or the other.Hon Trevor Mallard: Where’s Maggie when you need her? The only time she could have been useful.ANDREW LITTLE: Perhaps the honourable member Maggie Barry will take a call and she will be able to enlighten us on just the importance of the continuation of the Commodity Levies (Paeonies) Order 2012.I just wanted to make the point that these commodity levies are very important. As we develop our commodity production base and develop our export capability and capacity in these new horticultural products then obviously the commodity levies play a very important role because they not only allow the relevant industry group—in thiscase the New ZealandPaeony Society—to collect levies but also give it the means to undertake very important research hopefully in collaboration with State organisations like Callaghan Innovation. I am sure that my learned colleague Dr Megan Woods will be interested to know that the New ZealandPaeony Society exists not only for the collection of levies but also for the conduct of research into the development of the peony industry peony strands and peony forms.Hon Trevor Mallard: Annuals die every year. All that is left is a seed whereas perennials are a bit like us—we go on forever.ANDREW LITTLE: Who would have thought after that interpolation that Trevor Mallard was an accounting teacher not a science teacher? But there we are. He has many strings to his bow.Hon Trevor Mallard: And I can use Google.ANDREW LITTLE: And he can use Google.So where was I? In this most important contribution at this most important time of the year—I do not take this lightly as we undertake this important task that has been blessed not only by the Deputy Leader of the House Anne Tolley but also by no less a powerful force than the Regulations Review Committee which Ms Tolley herself acknowledged has a very important role. It did so under the tutelage of Lianne Dalziel. It is presently under Maryan Street’s leadership and I think it is doing very important work—work that Ian McKelvie noted Katrina Shanks is going to miss extraordinarily. I know having seen her earlier today and congratulated her on her new and very important role in the funeral industry—not a dying industry but like the peony industry one with a great future—that she in fact enjoyed the time she spent on the Regulations Review Committee making the very important contributions she did including ensuring that this legislation the Subordinate Legislation (Confirmation and Validation) Bill (No 2) including confirming the place of commodity levies on the peony industry continues uninterrupted and remains continuous. That is important too.I note also that other commodity levies that are to be continued include the commodity levies on avocadoes. So the Avocado Growers Association will be able to continue to play its very important role in developing strands of avocados. I think the avocado is described as one of the other love fruits of the world. They also are now to be levied. Anybody growing avocados for sale not just domestically but for export as well is levied so that the Avocado Growers Association can continue its very important research work possibly also in conjunction with Callaghan Innovation maybe with theMinistry for Primary Industries maybe with other—Dr Megan Woods: Plant and Food Research.ANDREW LITTLE: —Crown research institutes such as Plant and Food Research and maybe withHortResearch. I do not know where it stands in the greater scheme of things. But we begin to see that if we take a piece of legislation like this we look at the detail of it and we unpick it we find an entire network of horticultural research innovation levy collection export development and growth. I think it means that in our nation with its commodity growers and their commodity levies on their produce we are in good hands. So on that basis I am quite happy again like Maryan Street to confirm Labour’s blessing on this bill.One other point I just want to make is that I note one of the other pieces of regulation that has been confirmed as well the Gambling (Problem Gambling Levy) Regulations. In a year in which we have had the debate on a very unfortunate piece of legislation a very retrograde piece of legislation indicative of a Government that is throwing caution to the wind when it comes to gambling and promoting a more destructive approach to gambling here we are being called upon now to validate or at least to confirm and to continue the Gambling (Problem Gambling Levy) Regulations 2013. Who would havethought that so early in the life of those regulations we would be called upon to confirm them? And who would have thought in light of the very fierce and very unfortunate debate and the circumstances of that debate we would be called upon today to confirm the continuation of a levy on casino operators to deal with problem gambling.But at least we have it. It really underscores the very point that I think Opposition parties were making. If we are going to have activities like gambling not only do we need to retain our right to regulate them but also we need to make sure that those who are in that industry are contributing responsibly and constructively to ensure that those activities do not cause any unnecessary or unforeseen community destruction and disarray. So it is good that those regulations are continuing like many others under this piece of legislation and we are quite happy to support it.