Ardern Shane: Animal Products (Dairy Products and Other Matters) Bill — Second Reading 
Ardern Shane: Animal Products (Dairy Products and Other Matters) Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:624;Page:19016] 
SHANE ARDERN (National—Taranaki-King Country) 
: 
 I was not expecting to take a call on the Animal Products (Dairy Products and Other Matters) Bill tonight but I am pleased that I have the opportunity. It is interesting to note that there is confusion between myself and the whip but I will talk to him about that later. 
This is very important legislation that we are debating here tonight because it is for an industry that contributes 25 percent of this country’s export earnings. It is the largest single industry in New Zealand and I will never let this Parliament forget it. It is the biggest industry in New Zealand and it is made up of 13500 hard-working New Zealanders—the mums and dads that this Government purports to represent but never has. The Prime Minister has never mentioned them once in her opening speeches to Parliament—there has not been one single mention of the dairy industry or of agriculture. 
This legislation will help that industry to get on with what it is good at which is trading internationally. As previous speakers have said this bill updates the 1952 Dairy Industry Act which of course has fallen by the way as it were in a number of ways because it is so old. This industry is a very modern one and trades now in a wide range of different products. Because of that legislation needs to be updated to assist the industry with its trade. The dairy industry not only exports products commonly known as commodities but has also gone into products now like pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. In fact the biggest growth in the industry is in that value-added end and that is why this legislation has been recommended by the industry to tidy up some of the loose ends that have occurred as a result of some of that sophistication. 
This bill was considered by the Primary Production Committee. I know that that is a very very good select committee and that those who are on it would have given due consideration to some of the issues raised by various submitters from the industry. It is my understanding that all of those who submitted to the committee were in favour of this legislation. It is very seldom—and the member for Whanganui touched on this—that we have total support for legislation in this Parliament. But when we have all submitters in favour right across all sectors then we will of course always have a much more supportive House in relation to getting the legislation passed. The legislation upgrades a number of areas within the dairy industry’s trading arms and for that reason the industry came forward and asked for it to be passed. 
I have been a part of this industry all my life. It has been much maligned at times by political commentators and other economic experts—Treasurers and the like—who purport to have some knowledge in this area. But I say to them that they should front up with some facts at times instead of being sideline critics and taking cheap shots at what has been a remarkable growth industry over the last 10 years. In fact the industry has grown faster than any other industry in New Zealand so I say to critics to front up with some facts about how it could have done better. 
There was much debate in the House not that long ago about the structure of the industry and whether Parliament should be involved in the formation of Fonterra. I think history has proved the critics wrong. The industry has gone forward overwhelmingly and it is still growing strongly. I will be interested to hear contributions from others though because I know that they may have a different view. 
This industry is still growing strongly and I wish it well with its current negotiations in Australia because yet again that will be another major frontier from where we can push forward into a market of 19 million people then have leverage off that into the South-east Asian area. I say to the industry: “Good luck with your negotiations in that regard.” I will not add too much detail to that because I know that some of it is still confidential and I know that plenty out there will be taking cheap shots at it as well. 
I say as well that this industry is not only very good in its marketing structures but it is also very good in its manufacturing structures. The dairy company site in my area in the south of Taranaki—in the member for Whanganui’s electorate I hasten to add—is still the largest single manufacturing site for dairy products in the world. Where else can we put our finger on an industry that has singularly been so successful? Not only is that dairy company the largest; it also manufactures over 2000 different product ranges from the very high-end sophisticated pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals to the basic commodities of skim-milk powder and suchlike. 
The industry itself has gone through some growing pains and there have been various times when parochialism and politics have had too much of an influence over it. But I guess the fact that we are now in a position where the dairy industry came to this Parliament to have a bill such as the one before us tonight tidied up demonstrates to us that the industry is on top of the issues that concern it. 
I was not a member of the select committee so I do not know exactly what was discussed or debated with regard to the number of issues that were raised in submissions but I do know that those submissions were overwhelmingly in support of this change. So I recommend the bill to the House tonight and I know that the House will support it. This is a very good day for the dairy industry.