Smith Nick: Foreshore and Seabed Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee 
Smith Nick: Foreshore and Seabed Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:621;Page:16978] 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (National—Nelson) 
: 
 This bill is racist. This bill is flawed. The tragedy is that for all those in this Chamber who claim to care about our 18000 kilometres of coastline and beaches this is a bill about politics not a bill about doing the very best for the management of our coast. I want to start by quoting from a former Labour Prime Minister whose words Margaret Wilson likes to regularly trot out. He said this: “The Labour Party opposes the approach that laws are introduced one day and passed the next.” That is what Geoffrey Palmer said. But this is even worse. The Government is introducing and passing a law on exactly the same day. These 135 pages of law were tabled only last night. It is a disgrace that the New Zealand media are not exposing the Government for that sort of abuse of this Parliament. It is an abuse because of what we see in this bill.  
Dover Samuels said earlier that it is OK for the Government to pass 135 pages of law without it ever being debated without it being tabled in the House and without it being distributed to local government and any of the groups that have a substantive interest. He says that that is somehow OK because people have opposed it. He says: “Oh National members on the select committee expressed the opposite view.” So somehow he thinks that makes it OK to abuse Parliament. The member is wrong.  
This part introduces a concept of foreshore and seabed reserves. We have never heard of them before. The concept was introduced only yesterday. I have some questions for the Minister in the chair Margaret Wilson. Can there be marine reserves over the top of areas that are foreshore and seabed reserves? Does the Minister know? I will ask Dover Samuels. I ask any member of the Labour Party to answer this question: can there be a marine reserve and a foreshore and seabed reserve in the same area? It is an important question. Can Winston Peters tell me? Nobody knows! Here we are being asked to pass legislation to create a new form of reserve— 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Of course not you fool. 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: Sorry? 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Of course not. You’re an idiot. 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: Where does it say that there cannot be a foreshore and seabed reserve where one of our 14 reserves has been created? Can the member answer this question: can there be a mataitai reserve in the same area that there is a foreshore and seabed reserve? What does Dover Samuels say? 
Hon Dover Samuels 
: We can reserve a plot just for that member. 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: I asked a serious question. The Minister in the chair has given lectures about unbridled power and about Parliament introducing and passing bills on the same day. That is what she said at the election. What does she do in Parliament? She has not taken a single call to explain any of the 135 pages of law that is being rammed through this Parliament under urgency. Can somebody answer me as to whether there can be an aquaculture management area in the same area in which a foreshore and seabed reserve has been created? Dail Jones says that he has been involved in this bill’s drafting. Can he answer that question? No he cannot. Can Mr Fairbrother?  
Russell Fairbrother 
: Clause 28 is your answer. 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: He says it is explained in clause 28. Clause 28 does not exclude any area from being a foreshore and seabed reserve. My point is that this bill will make a diabolical mess of the management of the most precious areas of New Zealand. This is not a sensible way of managing these areas. This bill is solely political. I ask members opposite how they can sign up to this. When they were in Opposition I often heard their bleating about bills being passed under urgency—bills that had been around for weeks or months. Now we have 135 pages of law that was tabled only last night being rammed through Parliament. The Minister in the chair has the cheek to say to the deputy leader of the National Party that he might not understand it all. That is not surprising.