Carter David: New Zealand Horticulture Export Authority Amendment Bill (No 2) — Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
Carter David: New Zealand Horticulture Export Authority Amendment Bill (No 2) — Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:612;Page:9603] 
Hon DAVID CARTER (National) 
: 
 The National Party will support the passing of this bill with pleasure. I start by thanking the Minister for his speech and also commenting on the interesting situation that the Primary Production Committee found itself in when initially the bill was presented to the select committee under the name of the Hon Damien O’Connor and immediately to my right on the select committee to hear the evidence and consider how we should handle the bill was the very same Hon Damien O’Connor. 
R Doug Woolerton 
: A constitutional outrage! 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: I would not have gone so far as to say that. 
Hon Damien O'Connor 
: Good advice right to the end. 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: The Minister did give good advice but I think the select committee process is there to give the public a chance to have confidence in the fact that the executive and its work is being examined by the select committee process. It is a very odd situation that the Government managed to get itself into whereby we had the Minister sponsoring the bill sitting on the select committee as we embarked on the process to examine the bill. The good news is that common sense prevailed. I think also the workload of the Minister probably prevailed and we welcomed to the select committee Harry Duynhoven who towards the end of our consideration made a very good contribution. 
 I would like to comment on the three administrative changes which were supported—I think I am correct in saying—by all submissioners who made mention of their inclusion in the bill. I think I am correct in saying that. It seems wise to me that we have a system whereby the register of growers can be kept absolutely up to date and the change whereby export licences are recognised and removed seems common sense to me. 
The issue of the ability for the arbitrator to award costs equally is something that I think is correct. It puts some pressure on any particular party wanting to seek arbitration on less than genuine and sound reasons. 
Secondly I mention the timing of the legislation. The industry appeared before us asking that the legislation be passed as quickly as possible. It presented information to the select committee that problems existed with the way Australia had been considered at the time a domestic market. More important there was some evidence before the select committee of exports occurring from New Zealand to Australia and then the re-exporting of New Zealand kiwifruit from Australia to other markets certainly to the detriment of the international marketing efforts of Zespri. So there was an issue of timing. I note that the select committee managed to report this back on 19 August and there it has languished on the Order Paper for in excess of 2 months and now we are in a position of moving it through with urgency. I imagine that the industry on the whole will be very pleased that the Government has finally seen the necessity to move this legislation through. 
In talking about the Australian situation whereby this legislation will now amend the current Act and allow kiwifruit exports to Australia to be brought under the New Zealand Horticulture Export Authority framework I support that. I support it on the basis of the strong evidence given to us that the current mechanisms whereby Australia is treated as a domestic market had resulted in an uncoordinated approach to the market to the detriment of growers in New Zealand. I take this opportunity of congratulating Zespri on the excellent job it has done in securing other international markets to the benefit of kiwifruit growers in New Zealand. 
Ian Ewen-Street 
: And staying duty-free. 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: Mr Ewen-Street never misses an opportunity. I will not say any more. I congratulate Zespri. I think the remarkable turn-round in the fortunes of New Zealand kiwifruit growers is in no mean way due to their superb marketing efforts and that is to be for the benefit of the guys themselves quite obviously but to the benefit of the New Zealand economy on the whole. 
The final point I make refers to the third leg of the legislation and the changes it then makes to our export requirements so that New Zealand cannot use quantitative restrictions as a means of trying to manipulate the market. It is a technical area I accept but with New Zealand being a country so dependent on exports it is vital that we portray to the world an ability to export on a fair basis without any so-called possible trade barriers and restrictive quantities. 
The select committee processed the bill as Damien O’Connor referred to in a very non-partisan way. I think we have made substantial changes which I will talk to through the Committee stage that have improved the legislation. I applaud the Government for finally moving it along on the Order Paper and the National Party supports such legislation and its changes with pleasure.