Paraone Pita: Building Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Paraone Pita: Building Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:643;Page:13010] 
PITA PARAONE (NZ First) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Deputy Speaker. Engari i mua i te haere tonu o waku korero e hiahia ana au kia mihi atu ki wa tatou Minita a Shane na te mea ko tenei tana pire tuatahi i hakauru mai ki roto i te Whare nei. Tua atu i tena ka mihi ahau ki a ia tana taenga atu hei Minita a te Karauna. Na reira i hoki mahara tetahi o nga korero mai a aku matua o te hau kainga. Nana te wikitoria engari kei ngai tatou te iwi Maori te kororia. 
[ 
Greetings to you Mr Deputy Speaker. Before I continue with my address I want to acknowledge our Minister— particularly Shane as this is his first bill to come into this House. Further to that I acknowledge his becoming a Minister of the Crown. A saying of my elders back home comes back to me: “The victory is his but the glory is ours the Maori people.” 
] 
I have just taken the opportunity to congratulate the new Minister for Building and Construction on his appointment as a Minister of the Crown and his elevation to a member of Cabinet. In extending those greetings and best wishes I make the comment that is often said by my old people from home when someone achieves: while his is the victory ours is the glory. Na reira e kara e Shane nga mihi hoki ki a koe. 
[ 
And so to you Shane elder figure greetings indeed. 
] 
The importance of this bill is really for the future quality of building in New Zealand and whatever opponents or people who speak against the bill say I think we all must agree that it is intended to improve the quality of construction here in New Zealand. The bill gives recognition to the need to ensure that any work is undertaken by qualified people. I am sure that it is like driving a car—if people do not have the qualifications to drive a car there is the possibility that an accident or some catastrophe will befall us. I am sure the previous speaker Bob Clarkson would agree that we need to ensure there is some quality from those who undertake such work. 
As the Minister Shane Jones has already mentioned this bill clarifies points made in the earlier bill. Although we might be critical of the fact that we have to revisit the concerns that were expressed during the passing of the earlier bill I think it is important that we do actually address the concerns that have been raised. We in New Zealand First feel that this bill does that. It may not do it to the satisfaction of a number of members in this house but the important part is that it does do it. 
The bill regulates safety and quality in our building construction. Although we would like to have safety and quality for little expense I want to say that I as a ratepayer am prepared to pay extra to ensure that quality and safety. I am mindful of a song that was put out in the late 1960s or early 1970s by a group called Hogsnort Rupert. The song was “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven But Nobody Wants to Die”. I allude to the title of that song because everybody wants safety and quality but nobody wants to pay for it. Unfortunately for those who do not want to pay for it this bill will ensure that there is quality and a high level of safety ensured in the building and construction area. 
I do not have to go on and say too much more about this bill other than to say that if we do have further concerns I hope that they will be raised during the select committee stage and if those concerns are such that people will introduce a Supplementary Order Paper to ensure further discussion. 
So in concluding this short and brief contribution to this debate I say that New Zealand First will be supporting this bill.