Faafoi Kris: Copyright (Parallel Importing of Films) Amendment Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFaafoi Kris: Copyright (Parallel Importing of Films) Amendment Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 15 October 2013. Volume:694;Page:13885. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]KRIS FAAFOI (Labour—Mana):Talohani Mr Assistant Speaker. Just to correct you—I am not sure whether I am allowed to do that under the Standing Orders—but it was notThe Smurfs 2 that was my first movie; it was actuallyThe Smurfs and the Magic Flute which was released around the early 1980s. Now that David Clark has finished his speeches during this debate I am glad that that record will be over and that my name will not be associated with that movie any more.I do want to point out that from time to time as MPs as we debate issues in minutiae in the select committees and here in this House we kind of lose track of what this actually means to the average punter. We are talking about the movies here. When a movie is released in the cinema what we have had in the past is a delay period. I do notlike to call it a ban; I like to call it a grace period during which the company that is distributing that movie can have 9 months’ grace where it can sell DVDs—the likes of the very good New Zealand - made movieMt. Zion—and have the period where it can make profits off selling the DVDs at full price. After that 9-month period anyone else can parallel import that movie in if they want to. Obviously that is usually 9 months after the cinematic release. Usually you then see the movies that 9 months ago were selling for $40 in the basement bargain bin selling for about $10. That is what we are talking about here—that process.This bill the Copyright (Parallel Importing of Films) Amendment Bill will change that process. It is in legislation that that grace period is there. This bill will extend that grace period for 3 more years but reduce the grace period for parallel imports to 5 months. As we have said on this side of the House the Labour Party will be supporting that more or less for the specific reason to support the likes of smaller cinema operators in rural and regional areas—Hon Shane Jones: LikeKaitāia.KRIS FAAFOI: The likes ofKaitāia. Although I have not been to the movies inKaitāia we are wanting to support this bill to support the likes of those cinemas.I do actually have to agree with some of what the New Zealand First member Tracey Martin said. We do actually want to protect the jobs of the people who are working in those smaller cinemas. I understand that during the select committee process a figure of around 160 jobs in those smaller cinemas was mentioned or raised. Certainly the benefit of those cinemas to be able to change their technology and to support those businesses in those smaller areas is the reason that the Labour Party continues to support this grace period being extended. We do not however believe it should be extended for 3 years. It is 2016 I believe. I am looking at the chair of the Commerce Committee. He is saying that yes it is extended to the end of 2016. We believe that 2 years is enough for those cinemas to make the transition from the old 35 millimetre technology to the digital technology which of course another member Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi mentioned is in roughly around 60 percent of the cinemas around the country.We also believe that the decreasing of the grace period from 9 months to 5 months should send a pretty clear signal to the cinema industry that this is the last chance saloon. If they do not start transitioning to the digital technology they will not get another chance of extending the legislation that was passed in 2003. Labour will not support any further extension of this legislation beyond 2016 and as I would like to reiterate we actually think it should end at the end of 2015.I do want to make the point to the member from the Greens Gareth Hughes that if he would like to come and have a look around the Light House Cinema inPāuatahanui one of the cinemas that we are concerned about and listen to some of the concerns that those cinema operators have they do very much appreciate the fact that we are able to give those smaller operators some more time to switch to the digital technology.Hon Shane Jones: And Gisborne.KRIS FAAFOI: And the likes of Gisborne because it is those smaller cinemas that will be hurt if this grace period were to end on 31 October this year. The likes of the Light House Cinema—I went to the Light House Cinema inPētone recently to watch a great New Zealand movie—Mr Pip. Certainly I think that cinema had transitioned. So a number of those smallerarthouse cinemas are transitioning but we need to make sure we give them just a little bit more time to be able to make the switch over to the digital technology.A lot has been spoken in this debate about the movie experience and it certainly has changed over time. The Hon Shane Jones may have been to the cinema when thenational anthem was played before the beginning of the movie and the movie theatre was the only place to watch that movie. But having said that times have changed and technology has changed. Mark Mitchell may have watched a movie in the cinema and then later on maybe 3 or 6 months later—Hon Shane Jones: Yeah but he never got caught.KRIS FAAFOI: —that is a very good point—he could have rented that movie from the video shop as Mr Young mentioned before. But now technology has changed so much that when a movie is released internationally you can have it almost instantly. So that is why we believe that this piece of legislation should have a defined time frame. We believe that Kiwis should have access to that content if it is being released let us say in the States and if by some technology you are able to download it here in New Zealand instantly you should be able to do that.I am not sure whether I am about to break the Standing Orders but I would like to acknowledge the Hon Chris Tremain who has just walked into the House. I take my first opportunity to wish him all the best post this Parliament. I share a radio show with him. We call it “Ebony and Ivory”—Hon Shane Jones: Which one is which?KRIS FAAFOI: I will not make judgments on who is who. I just want to take this chance to wish you all the best post your parliamentary career as you are one of the members across the House who has been very pleasant to me and I wish you all the best in your business career which I am sure will be helped by the economic settings of the next Labour Government.As I draw to a conclusion as I begin my very long conclusion I say that this piece of legislation should be passed. There are concerns from the Green Party that it should not but we believe that in the interests of those smaller operators it should be extended but this should be the last time that it is extended. This is certainly the last time that the Labour Party will support this legislation because we believe that with the growing convergence of digital technology we consider that New Zealand should be a modern and connected society and we should be able to access the media or the movies at the same time as the rest of the world. We believe that is why just a 2-year extension should be put on this piece of legislation.We believe that the lack of legal methods to get this content if it is released overseas could lead to increasing the level of piracy out there so that people are actually illegally downloading movies where we should have the technology and the ability in terms of the data caps and ultra-fast broadband to make sure that New Zealanders can have access to this content as soon as we can. I think the Rev. Dr David Clark also mentioned that extending this period may also increase the price of going to the movies for the average Kiwi fan. We think that is a shame and certainly we hope that after that 2-year period when we scrap the 5-year grace period that certainly would make the cinema-going experience much cheaper—Jonathan Young: Three years.KRIS FAAFOI: —3 years sorry—Hon Shane Jones: More enjoyable.KRIS FAAFOI: —and more enjoyable for New Zealanders. It is also a challenge to the cinema industry to make sure that they are more innovative in terms of trying to attract people into their businesses.Our support is qualified. We do note that it is the 5-month grace period on parallel imports and not the 9-month grace period that was introduced in 2003. We believe that that is sending a strong message to the cinema industry that it should get shipshape or ship out. We do support this piece of legislation because of those regional and smaller cinemas in those areas. It will protect around 160 jobs. But we do hope that in 2016 thatwill be the end of it. We certainly will not be supporting any legislation that looks to extend that period.