Bridges Simon: Wanganui District Council (Prohibition of Gang Insignia) Bill — Third Reading 
Bridges Simon: Wanganui District Council (Prohibition of Gang Insignia) Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:654;Page:2962] 
SIMON BRIDGES (National—Tauranga) 
: 
 It is very good to take a call on the Wanganui District Council (Prohibition of Gang Insignia) Bill. I have had the pleasure of speaking to it at every stage since I have been in Parliament. But how rich it is of Labour members to come along today and accuse the ACT Party and the Hon Rodney Hide of a flip-flop when Labour voted for this bill at its first reading. What has changed in the intervening period between the time they voted for it and now when they are voting against it? I will tell members what has changed—it has become more New Zealand Bill of Rights Act - friendly and that is about it. The bill became more New Zealand Bill of Rights Act - friendly; the substance did not change very much at all. But have Labour members explained their flip-flop and why they changed—not at all. I do not think Lynne Pillay the previous speaker knows the answer. 
I tell the Hon Rodney Hide that he gave a very thoughtful speech which I was appreciative to hear. He explained very well his change of position and if I have the time I will come back to mention some of the very thoughtful points he made in his speech. 
One of the criticisms that Labour members have made—certainly in other readings and I think today—is that if this bill is such a good idea why is it a local bill; why is it not a general bill? In the Law and Order Committee this morning we had some very interesting submissions from Greg O’Connor and others in the Police Association in relation to different legislation—the Gangs and Organised Crime Bill. The general point that Mr O’Connor made was absolutely right; gangs have got more sophisticated. They are no longer always the gangs we think of—in their patches with prominent gang pads and with barbed wire fences. But he also made it very clear that in some provinces in this country that is still the modus operandi of the gangs. It is still the way organised crime works; it is still about patched-up thugs with gang pads and barbed wire. So it is quite clear. He said—to paraphrase and I agree with him—that yes gangs are changing. Organised crime in this country is changing. Some gangs have become more sophisticated but others in places like—can I say—Wanganui have not changed. It is quite clear that in Wanganui which this local bill is about and from where this local bill draws its strength we are still dealing with old-style gangs and thugs. 
On a related point it is right that this bill is a local bill. The bill is also a victory for local democracy; it is a victory for the people of Wanganui. I am aware of some of the concerns expressed in this House in relation to this bill but I say that we should respect the will of the local people of Wanganui. Overwhelmingly as the Hon Rodney Hide and David Garrett said in their speeches in the House the process followed with this bill was perfect. The mayor held a referendum and the Wanganui community gave its full support for the introduction of this local bill to ban gang insignia. No one is saying that this bill will be some sort of silver bullet that will solve the scourge of gangs in this nation or even in the city of Wanganui but it is a tool in the tool box that will make a difference. I say that even if this bill were imperfect I would still support it because it is the will of the people in the area that is affected by this problem. 
Hon Members 
: Oh come on! 
SIMON BRIDGES 
: I say that this bill will work. Let us go through the list of people who support it—that is the mayor; the district council; the local MP who has done an outstanding job in marshalling this bill through its stages in the House; and the police area commander and the police who have signed documents making it clear they think the bill will work and will be a tool in their tool box. I remind Labour members that having a referendum is called democracy. The people of Wanganui supported this bill. Even if the bill were imperfect I would support it but I say again that although it is not a silver bullet the banning of gang insignia in this area of Wanganui is a tool in the police’s tool box and will help them deal with the problem. 
As I say since Labour voted for and supported the introduction of the bill it has actually become more New Zealand Bill of Rights Act - friendly. It has been amended in many respects. At the Law and Order Committee Labour members wanted to keep the tattoos provision in the bill. That is how New Zealand Bill of Rights Act - friendly they are! They wanted to keep tattoos in and it took a National Government to get rid of that clearly quite ridiculous provision whereby people with permanent marks would have been injuriously affected by the bill. We have changed that provision because the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act does matter. 
We have also changed the bill so that people will not be affected if they are simply wearing a patch. It is the “displaying” of the patch that matters; it is flaunting the patch in public. That is what this bill is attached to and concerned about. So this is a good bill; it meets the localised conditions. 
Hon Annette King 
: Well give it to the people of Tauranga then. 
SIMON BRIDGES 
: To answer Annette King and to ask whether it would work in Tauranga I say we should be very clear that this is a local bill for a reason. This bill is not about central Auckland. They do not have the issues of gang-patched people walking around. In Mount Maunganui we do not have patched gang members walking around every day of the week. So I am saying that this bill is a step in the right direction to deal with the local conditions of Wanganui and it is a tool in the tool box. 
I come back to something that the Hon Rodney Hide said which I thought was a very perceptive comment in relation to this bill. He made it quite clear that at the start of this debate he was concerned about what gangs did not what they wore. But he is absolutely right today when he says in this House that the wearing of a gang patch is an act—it is an intimidation. Gang members change when they put on a gang patch. They are no longer cuddly members of whanau with children. They are no longer lovers workers; they become patched gang members. They take on the intimidation they take on the hatred and they take on the thuggery of the gang they belong to; the patch signifies they are a part of that gang. This bill goes towards dealing with that significant problem in Wanganui. Without wanting to get emotive I tell members that people have died because they were wearing the wrong colours and the wrong gang insignia. This bill is no silver bullet but I am confident that it will make a good difference in the city of Wanganui.