Norman Russel William: Animal Welfare (Treatment of Animals) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Norman Russel William: Animal Welfare (Treatment of Animals) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:668;Page:15231] 
Dr RUSSEL NORMAN (Co-Leader—Green) 
: 
 I rise tonight to speak on Sue Kedgley’s Animal Welfare (Treatment of Animals) Amendment Bill. Every person in this House who votes against this bill is voting in favour of animal cruelty. This bill is about 122 people and whether they have a conscience—that is what this bill is about. This is about whether 122 people will vote for animal cruelty or against animal cruelty. 
Shane Ardern 
: You’d starve thousands of animals to death and not think anything about it. 
Dr RUSSEL NORMAN 
: So when Mr Shane Ardern shouts out across the House and decides that he will be voting against this bill he is voting for animal cruelty. When Mr Shane Ardern and his friends in the National Party and the ACT Party vote against this bill they are voting to protect the most savage farmers in New Zealand. When he votes against this bill he is voting to protect the most savage practices that exist in this country. When every single member of the ACT Party and the National Party look in the mirror after tonight those members will know that they have voted to protect the worst farming practices in New Zealand. Every single individual member of the National Party and the ACT Party will have voted to protect the worst and most savage practices and the worst treatment of pigs and hens in our country. 
We have heard some loud noises from National members. We have even heard that apparently the Prime Minister finds sow crates unacceptable. Yet here we are tonight with an opportunity to put in place some basic protections for animals in New Zealand and the National Party and the ACT Party are telling us that they will vote for animal cruelty. Every single member of the National Party and the ACT Party in this House who votes against this bill is voting for animal cruelty and those members will have to look at themselves in the mirror after they vote to protect animal cruelty in New Zealand. Instead of voting to support the best farmers and instead of raising the bar to the position of even the average farmer they are keeping the bar at the very lowest level in order to protect the worst farmers and the worst farming practices. Instead of saying that there are lots of great farmers in our country who have great animal practices and instead of setting the standard to support those farmers those members are undermining the best farmers who invest in the best practices. Those practices might cost a little bit more money— 
Shane Ardern 
: I doubt whether they do. 
Dr RUSSEL NORMAN 
: —because those farmers have to compete against the worst farmers whom Shane Ardern is protecting by voting against this bill and voting in favour of animal cruelty in Aotearoa New Zealand. That is what the member is doing when he votes against this bill. When every member of the National Party and the ACT Party vote against this bill they are voting to protect the cruellest farming practices in our country. 
It does not have to be like this. New Zealand has moved on. Even though the National Party and the ACT Party do not understand this people in New Zealand want to protect animals. There is a fundamental raising of ethical standards in our country. People are moving to protect the rights of animals. We all remember the basic idea that a society will be judged on how it treats its most vulnerable. The animals in our country are amongst the most vulnerable. Whole bunches of chickens are shoved together in cages. Sows are kept in crates. Those animals are confined for long periods in incredibly distressing circumstances. 
I ask all members of the National Party and the ACT Party how they can listen to their conscience and vote to protect the farmers who are carrying out the very worst practices and vote against the farmers who have high practices who are trying to improve the circumstances of animals in our country through their good practices but who are being undercut by the bad farmers. If the National Party and the ACT Party vote against this bill tonight they are setting the regulation at the very lowest level in order to protect the worst farmers from decent regulations instead of rewarding the good farmers who are actually doing the right thing. 
It does not have to be like this. We are 122 people sitting in this place tonight. We can change our votes. At the end of the day this vote is as much about the 122 people in this House as it is about anything else.