Tabuteau FletcherFLETCHER TABUTEAU (Deputy Leader—NZ First): Malo e lelei Madam Deputy Speaker.Simeon Brown: What's on page 58? What's on page 58?FLETCHER TABUTEAU: Thank you very much for the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I'd like to start by acknowledging—Simeon Brown: Page 58.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: —the Hon Todd McClay and ask that the incessant buzz from the opposite side of the House stop. I was with the Hon Todd McClay when this was signed by those in attendance at the time and I acknowledge his efforts. I have no doubt that the other side of the House has brought up New Zealand First's position at the time. We did write a minority view on PACER-Plus and I'd just very briefly like to touch on the thinking of that.I acknowledge the Minister for Trade and Export Growth for his fantastic effort but our position at the time was around essentially the timing of where PACER-Plus had got to in the conversations with our Pacific neighbours. So when you look at the current state of the signatories and at the time it was signed we still have the critical issue of not having signed in or brought into the conversation to any great degree some of the biggest players in the Pacific.Fiji is still not a signatory Papua New Guinea is still not a signatory and they represent in terms of Pacific trade population economic activity and actual export/import figures a large and significant proportion of trade in the Pacific. At the time New Zealand First said Well what is the rush? Why are we trying to push this now?" and we wrote our minority view. Now some have made the point in the House of why have we changed our position. Well I'll tell you why. As many have acknowledged this isn't a traditional trade agreement. This is an agreement where New Zealand has sought to empower that blue continent and to say to our cousins our neighbours "Actually what we're trying to achieve is to grow your economies through trade to make a sustainable economy through good export—and yes to help you with imported goods where we think New Zealand has those efficiencies." What's changed what is fundamentally different—and it's very important to note it in the House tonight—is that the Rt Hon Winston Peters as the Minister of Foreign Affairs with this Government set out to reinvigorate to make significant again our relationship with the Pacific to say that together and only together can we move this blue continent forward. So what we have created what this Government has done through the Rt Hon Winston Peters is the Pacific reset. I acknowledge the contribution—I think it was the contribution from the Hon Tim Macindoe. He acknowledged that this Government has absolutely raised the stakes in terms of monetary contribution.Actually I now am very proud to talk to the House about my efforts in the Pacific because I personally see PACER-Plus now in connection with the Pacific reset and actually I'd like to acknowledge our trade Minister in regards to our focus on trade and our Trade for All Agenda because that has resonated in the Pacific. They understand what it is we're trying to achieve. So if you put all of that together and in this House talk about the potential synergies we're trying to create with the Pacific reset—and I would argue tonight that New Zealand First is absolutely focused on using PACER-Plus as an enabling tool to engage with our Pacific neighbours.The previous contribution from Harete Hipango spoke about phytosanitary measures—biosecurity. Well actually what we're trying to do here—and once again I say it for the House's benefit: this isn't a traditional trade deal. This is an attempt to empower our Pacific neighbours our cousins and to build capacity for sustainable exports and sustainable economic growth so that long term this blue continent grows together and New Zealand is absolutely a part of that.So already on the ground for those Pacific Island countries who have signed up to PACER-Plus we have deployed resource in terms of empowering and enabling the issues that they've had with the compliance issues in terms of our quite high standards for accepting imports in New Zealand. We're adamant that we must maintain those standards but we're absolutely adamant that we cannot block our neighbours from exporting into New Zealand because that's potentially a great income generator for them. So the question is: what do we do? Well we don't tell them "You haven't met the requirements." We go to them and say "How can we help?" and that is what we've been doing. Those are the conversations I have had the privilege to have on behalf of this Government in the Pacific about empowering the Pacific itself to take advantage of that.We see today—and we saw at the time—that there are nations there who have said "Yes this is a way forward for us." but if you take the Marshall Islands and Palau for example they had a regime change and in my conversations with them they hadn't been briefed by their own bureaucracy their own administration on what PACER-Plus was and what potential it represented for them. So New Zealand needs to be part of the solution there because I believe that if they knew what it was that this agreement had to offer for them in conjunction with the Pacific reset in conjunction with New Zealand's philosophy on Trade for All I think that is a conversation that they want to have. Actually I think that New Caledonia and French Polynesia have been mentioned. They are excited about the possibility of PACER-Plus; we just need to have those conversations with them.So look it's something that's important. I'm proud to be part of the efforts in the Pacific in this space. I do believe that PACER-Plus is a tool that we can use for empowerment for our Pacific neighbours and for New Zealand. Let's not kid ourselves this Government thinks it will be good for New Zealand exporters as well. So on that note Madam Deputy Speaker thank you for the opportunity. It is a pleasure to rise on behalf New Zealand First to support this enabling legislation. Thank you."