Bridges SimonHon SIMON BRIDGES (Minister for Economic Development): It is a privilege to speak on this fundamentally important bill the New Zealand Intelligence and Security Bill in its second reading. Can I join with the Hon David Parker in noting the very detailed diligent approach of the Minister the Hon Chris Finlayson and I also note on this particular occasion the collegiality across the House that he has had on it. That is very important indeed.With the international environment in a state of flux a state of uncertainty it is important to have legislation that empowers our intelligence and security agencies to protect New Zealand's national security international relations and economic well-being while also ensuring of course that these powers are clear and are subject to appropriate oversight. New Zealand's cyber-security for which I have some responsibility as Minister for Communications with other Ministers has become an increasingly critical element of our national security and our economic well-being. Our national security depends on securing and protecting our most significant national assets. Strong cyber-security practices will also help build a fundamentally more competitive and productive economy. Using information technologies to their full potential will help drive innovation and improve productivity. In short there are opportunities in this area if we do things very well.New Zealanders and New Zealand businesses are affected by a range of cyber-enabled threats every day. The number of people affected by cyber-incidents increases every year and increasingly the attacks are becoming evermore sophisticated. The National Cyber Security Centre within the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) logged 338 cyber-incidents in the 2015-16 year—an average of 28 each month. In this period 38 Government agencies and 44 private sector firms sought advice or assistance from the National Cyber Security Centre in handling cyber-incidents.Cyber-security incidents are increasingly making it into the headlines all over the world and the nature of the threat is also very much changing. More devices including everyday items like even refrigerators and household appliances are connected to the internet creating evermore opportunity as I say for malicious actors.Ransomware—that is malicious software that blocks access to a computer system or files until the victim makes a payment—has become more common. The number of ransomware attacks worldwide increased threefold over 2016. New Zealand is ranked fourth as a target for ransomware in the Asia-Pacific region with an average of 108 ransomware attacks a day. This is an issue that extends across my portfolios from economic development to communications policy. This bill is one of a range of actions that the Government is taking to improve our cyber-security outcomes and to achieve a secure prosperous and resilient online New Zealand.A wide range of work as I say in addition to this bill—this very important bill—is under way to address the cyber-security threat. New Zealand's Computer Emergency Response Team situated in the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment will open its doors in the first half of this year. I am also expecting a report back from the Cyber Security Skills Taskforce with a road map to improve cyber-security skills to help with as I say both the very clear threats involved in this area but also the opportunities from doing this very well. I will also soon release the first annual report on New Zealand's Cyber Security Strategy for 2015. The report marks really good progress in addressing the cyber-security challenges facing New Zealand but we need to remain focused across a range of actions to improve New Zealand's resilience to cyber-threats to build the capability of New Zealanders businesses and Government agencies to protect themselves online to address cyber-crime and to ensure that international engagement helps us in all these areas of cyber-security.This bill is intended to preserve the GCSB's information assurance and cyber-security role while maintaining strong oversight of its activities. I consider it achieves this balance and that it will allow the GCSB to work closely with the other agencies and organisations striving to improve New Zealand's cyber-security.I think really as I have said now—but in summary—we are in uncertain times internationally. We are in a flux. It is important that we have the best possible law in place in this area. Cyber-security is within this important law an incredibly important part of the story and the context. The number of incidents is ever-increasing. The ransomware—that is the malicious software and so on—is ever-increasing and that is rightly making its way into our headlines and into popular consciousness if you like given the threats and the incidence of ransomware. This bill—but also as I have emphasised a range of other actions—ensures that our response as a country is I think fit for purpose and strikes the right balance. I commend the bill to the House.