Brown Peter: Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading) Amendment Bill Electricity (Renewable Preference) Amendment Bill — Third Readings 
Brown Peter: Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading) Amendment Bill Electricity (Renewable Preference) Amendment Bill — Third Readings 
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PETER BROWN (Deputy Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 Let me assure members that New Zealand First supports this legislation and let me assure the Minister that we are supporting it in the right spirit. But having said that I have to say that New Zealand First does have some concerns. I will explain. 
Our concerns first started when we learnt that New Zealand produces 0.2 percent of the greenhouse gases in the world—0.2 percent. We have 0.065 percent of the world’s population but we produce 0.2 percent of its greenhouse gases. Then we learnt that half of that 0.2 percent comes from animals—from agriculture if you will. So we had to ask what effect that would have on the weather what effect that would have on global warming and what effect that would have on climate change. I think that many of us if not all of us thought that it would be fairly negligible. But these were some tough questions we had to ask ourselves. Then we learnt that the European Union’s emissions trading scheme embraces only carbon dioxide. It does not include methane nitrous oxide or any other greenhouse gas; it simply revolves around carbon dioxide. So the question became: well why do we need an emissions trading scheme or at least why should we—we being New Zealand—be first off the block? Why should we be a world leader in this? Why should we be ahead of Australia in introducing such a scheme? To get those answers all seven of us genuinely listened to the debate. We opened our minds and our ears and listened intently to the debate. 
One thing became clear: there was going to be an emissions trading scheme whether it was with Labour the Government or whether it was with National currently the Opposition—which thinks it will be the Government in a relatively few weeks’ time. So we knew there was going to be a scheme. The question New Zealand First itself had to address was: would we be best to stand outside that scheme and let Labour do what it wanted to do or in a few weeks’ time if National had the Government benches to let National do what it wanted to do and have us stay outside that. But we thought that the issue was bigger than that. We knew that the scheme would have an adverse impact on the people we represent—the elderly in particular and the vulnerable who are the people we have genuine concerns for—so we started a dialogue with Labour people to see what we could achieve with a scheme that addressed the concerns of those people we represented. It was obvious to us that a scheme was coming and we wanted to soften the blow on the people we have real concerns about—the low-paid the elderly and the people who really need some help in this society. As I say at that point we opened discussions with the Government. 
We are in support of the deals that have been struck between New Zealand First and the Government and indeed of those between the Greens and the Government. That is not to say that we are entirely happy. We looked at the option as I said of holding off and waiting for the National Party’s scheme at a later date but National itself ruled that out. As much as we detest somebody coming along with a tape-recorder to secretly record messages we learnt a valuable lesson then—that is that the National Party says one thing but is prepared to do another. I will not go into the details of those tape recordings but when we hear senior members saying that sometimes they have to swallow dead fish to get what they want we know there is a secret agenda. We do not agree with the way in which those discussions were tape-recorded; I want to make that quite clear. But I tell members that they were caught on tape. And as if that were not enough we know what they did to the Hon Maurice Williamson and we learnt a lot from the way in which those people treated him. I am the transport spokesperson for New Zealand First as members well know and I do not agree with the Hon Maurice Williamson in some of the things he advocates for transport. I know his views on tolls and on public-private partnerships. He echoed those views on TV and he got his hand slapped—or more than that—by his leader publicly for saying what he believed and as far as we understand it from the National Party what the National Party was supportive of. He was treated— 
Sue Moroney 
: Dare to say it out loud. 
PETER BROWN 
: Yes he was treated—I cannot think of a polite word— 
Hon Mita Ririnui 
: Shamelessly. 
PETER BROWN 
: Yes that is it—thank you. I thank the member. That is a polite word; I could not think of one. 
We learnt a lot and the question we asked ourselves in New Zealand First was whether we could wait and trust that crowd. Could we wait if that crowd got the Government benches and trust them? The answer was a firm “No”. We wanted the best deal we could get for households for elderly folk for families for whomever. We achieved that deal by dealing with the Minister and the Labour Party. We do not think it is the best deal but at least we have established one thing—the precedent that must be considered in the future. I challenge the National Party—I have listened to its speakers—to say whether they will rescind it should they get the Government benches. Will they rescind the— 
Eric Roy 
: Which part? 
PETER BROWN 
: The financial assistance to households and families—will the member tell us now? He is saying no but they would not have put it in. I guarantee they would not have put it in. I have listened to National speakers tonight and I say that National would not have made any concessions at all to the elderly and whomever. [ 
Interruption 
] It is a considerable amount of money. That was a very important factor in New Zealand coming together as a team to support this legislation. The Minister is well aware of this. I am not telling the Minister anything that he is not aware of it. 
New Zealand First will support this legislation tonight. We will support the third readings. We say to the Minister with due respect that we think this is a move in the right direction. It is not completely right. There will need to be some amendments. I will not go as far as David Carter did when he said that this is not enduring legislation and give the impression that it will fall over in a matter of months. I do not believe that. But I believe it will have to be addressed on a number of occasions to get it right and I know that before agriculture comes in before transport comes in there will be quite some discussion. It will have to go through Parliament and get the seal of approval. In essence New Zealand First is supporting this legislation because it has the framework there. It will be modified. It will need to be modified in our view but it is a move in the right direction and it has the support of New Zealand First. Thank you Madam Assistant Speaker.