Henare Tau: Road User Charges Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Henare Tau: Road User Charges Amendment Bill — In Committee 
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Hon TAU HENARE (National) 
: 
 Considering that the Road User Charges Amendment Bill is only three pages long I was going to keep my speech pretty short until I heard that speech. But now I will say to Darren Hughes the member who just resumed his seat that this bill is in no way timid. 
Paul Quinn 
: What a disappointing contribution. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: It was disappointing. This bill is in no way timid. First of all this Government has recognised the issue of electric motive power. It is not since the days of Tesla that somebody has got out there on the front foot. It may not be the best thing since sliced bread but we have to start somewhere. 
I will read from the explanatory note. It states: “This Bill amends the Road User Charges Act 1977 to enable regulations to be made exempting light electric motor vehicles from road user charges (RUC). An exemption from RUC will encourage the uptake of light electric motor vehicles which are expected to improve the efficiency of the motor vehicle fleet decrease reliance on imported fossil fuels improve energy security and reduce vehicular emissions affecting air quality and greenhouse gas levels.” I ask what better way there is to make a statement that light electric motor vehicles will be exempt from paying R-U-Cs. And I call them R-U-Cs because the only people who are looking for a subsidy on a “RUC” would most probably be the All Blacks. 
Michael Woodhouse 
: Wouldn’t know what a ruck was. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: The All Blacks would not know what a ruck was. 
The great thing about this bill is that it is a statement to the community not only the punter out there but also those who make the cars. Basically the statement is that people will not be penalised in any way for new technology. The technology is out there. I recently finished watching a documentary called  
Who Killed the Electric Car? 
 and— 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: That’s good. I’ve seen that. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Yeah it was an absolutely fantastic documentary. The thing is that if we do not get out there and front-foot this issue then it will pass us by and nobody in New Zealand will drive around in electric vehicles. 
I have to disagree with the member Darren Hughes as to whether this measure is a subsidy. This is not a subsidy. It is an incentive to the producers and also to the punter who may wish to purchase an electric vehicle. In the long run over the life of an electric vehicle people will have their money back. At the same time we are making sure that we do not harm the environment as much as we have done over the last 100 years. This may be a very very small step in the right direction but I think it is a very very important step forward for our vehicle fleet in New Zealand. 
The word must go out to the producers—General Motors Ford Motor Co. Mazda Toyota or whoever—that the go today is to preserve the fossil fuels. The go today is that more and more people around the world are looking for that next step that next technology. Maybe one day they will come up with a V8 electric car who knows? It could be for the West Aucklanders. It is extremely important— 
Michael Woodhouse 
: One with tape-recorded noise. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: One with tape-recorded noise. They can just plug a hole in the old lake pipe they will be right. 
It is a very very important step that we get buy in from the whole Committee and I think that we have 100 percent buy in from the whole Committee. As I say this measure is not a subsidy and it is in no way timid which is what Darren Hughes said. This is all about incentivising the industry and the punter.