Barry MaggieHon MAGGIE BARRY (National—North Shore): Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. It is with great pleasure that I rise to speak at the first reading of the Conservation (Infringement System) Bill. Naturally National supports this; it was our bill. The Department of Conservation (DOC) has wanted it for a number of years and I would have to say with my predecessor the Hon Dr Nick Smith and myself when I was the conservation Minister that DOC were very persuasive and eloquent in outlining the advantages to its rangers to have an infringement system that didn't take up so much of their time.In a nutshell over the years DOC rangers who want to be out there protecting nature safeguarding nature and our environment particularly across the public conservation lands have had an inordinate amount of time spent chasing up people and the infringement system as outlined in this bill very comprehensively and the regulatory impact statement as well outlines how thoroughly DOC have thought this one through and how much time and effort it will remove for DOC rangers spending time on non-essentials and concentrating on their core business. So it's an excellent piece of work—long overdue as I said.I think that this is a bill that will by making the fines smaller—because of course we have changed in the last Government the range of fines that have been available to use for DOC and for the Crown for really bad offences. The Wildlife (Powers) Amendment Act in 2017 was a case in point and people in this House may recall the publicity around the jewelled geckos and people smuggling them out in their underpants and so forth. The international market for some of our unique national taonga is such that they have been targeted. It was essential to up the ante and make New Zealand less of a soft target for these international poachers and that's what we did and the fines were dramatically increased. We upgraded the language as well of the 1953 Wildlife Act to give the DOC rangers extra powers which again they felt they needed.With due consideration to Fish & Game and other NGOs and other entities the DOC rangers are public servants that have a duty to the public that is well understood and well enshrined and it has been a very interesting exploration with any of the infringement systems that we have changed and updated to see how broadly we can allow those powers to be used by other individuals rather than just for example the DOC rangers. But there are some compelling cases perhaps that we can discuss and flesh out in select committee when it comes to this particular legislation.The proposed infringement system as has been outlined by the previous speaker Julie Anne Genter will involve things like the minor breaches around fisheries regulations camping in the wrong place dogs being let off the lead in prohibited areas and taking plants from our national parks. I'm not minimising these offences but on the scale of things it is appropriate to use an infringement system rather than the more heavy-duty tools which was really all that was available to DOC rangers until this piece of legislation was put forward.It is an omnibus. It does change eight pieces of legislation were it to pass and I believe it will pass. I think that the NGOs that have consistently assessed DOC's work assessed the need to protect our nature. The Environmental Defence Society and others have been carefully examining what powers DOC rangers should have and I think it's fair to say there is widespread agreement for an infringement system that addresses the minor—were time-consuming but should be less so—offences but in a way that makes people aware that if they transgress they will be held to account.So I think that across the parties I'd be surprised if there's anyone who's against this. I would be surprised if there was any real opposition from anyone really to this because it is sensible and a long-overdue measure. I think that in the same way that we have been updating across successive Governments the powers of DOC and its ability to do its job well and as efficiently as possible and concentrate on its core business this is the kind of measure that fits very neatly into those updates and reforms.It's also very similar to what's already happening across fisheries for example with the Resource Management and Biosecurity Acts transport legislation and animal welfare legislation as well as health and safety. So to be able to apply this as well to the conservation estate is eminently sensible. DOC deals with a wide range of offences and have trained rangers and grades of trained rangers that really will rise to the occasion with this and it will make the big machine of DOC work that much more efficiently.Implementing a fine system will create a very sensible middle ground to deal with making people aware that they've had an offence but not making them criminals and I think that's another distinction that is important because people were fighting the fines and the other mechanisms that DOC had at its disposal as a tool. They were fighting them because they didn't want a criminal record. The stakes were high but for an infringement system the tendency I think will be to admit the wrongdoing to get on with putting it right if you're caught as an individual—not of course Madam Deputy Speaker. But if people are caught then they can just get on with it and not risk having a criminal conviction which is a problem for a lot of people—it has been in the past.The rangers will be freed up to work in the parks to do what they do so terrifically well. So I don't believe there's much need really to take up more of the House's time on this. It has been explained what the bill will do. The impact statements have been very carefully thought through. I think that this is a comprehensive omnibus bill that is long overdue that is very much needed and I think we should just get on with and send it through to the Environment Committee where we will look forward to examining it in some detail. I'm a member of that committee and the chair and the rest of us will pay close attention to the submissions.As the person acting for the Minister from the Greens said a moment ago the submissions are deliberately asking for people to talk about Fish & Game and the broadening out of these powers and whether others should be allowed to do it. That presents some gnarly questions which are best teased out in the engine room of a select committee.So I look forward to it coming before the Environment Committee in due course and I commend this bill to the House.