Ardern Shane: Biosecurity and Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Legislation Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Ardern Shane: Biosecurity and Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Legislation Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:646;Page:15203] 
SHANE ARDERN (National—Taranaki-King Country) 
: 
 Can I start by saying that I was a little bit fascinated with the earlier debate and exchange going on as well. I was reflecting on our good friend the Hon Jim Anderton’s time in the caucus with characters like Douglas Bassett and Prebble and the old saying “jumping out of the frying pan into the fire” came to mind because if wearing his pink shirt and tie cannot get him back in with the Greens I am not sure where to go from here on that. So we will come back to the Biosecurity and Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Legislation Amendment Bill and talk about that. 
Can I say thank you once again to the Minister because today he has clarified matters for some who had concerns and my colleague Eric Roy touched on some of the emails we have received around that. I think this will allay their fears substantially or it should do. Certainly the independent review panel which is set up under this part of the bill will give those in the future as well as those currently seeking to alter slow down or change the course of import health standards the opportunity to bring to that debate some independence—not only the fact that it is independent but that it is seen to be independent and I think that is probably the important part in regard to that. 
The Court of Appeal case did throw up some interesting issues and as the Minister rightly pointed out with 500-odd import health standards currently in existence—about 400 import health standards that have been worked on or agreed to or other such in the last 4 or 5 years—only two of them have been vigorously opposed and ended up with the Beekeepers Association of New Zealand taking the Court of Appeal case that bought about this bill. When one looks at it the system actually is not as broken as that as far as putting this together. I think the greater concerns—and I guess this is something for another day—is the upholding of some of those import health standards; there have been quite a few breaches. 
So as my colleague the Hon David Carter said one can understand the anxiety of industries such as the bee industry in regard to the independence or the robustness of import health standards when they have been affected to the extent that they have by incursions such as the varroa bee mite. One can also understand the anxiety of the pork industry which itself has had major problems with things like multi-systemic pig wasting disease and other potential devastating diseases that have come through our borders despite the import health standards and despite the best efforts by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry biosecurity. So having the ability for an independent review of any import health standard that could potentially affect our substantial exporters and importers is a sound move and it gives that view of independence. 
The further issue I guess that will always be thrown back at Ministers regardless of what Government persuasion they come from is the issue of free trade. If one looks at some of the work that goes on in regard to establishing import health standards without doubt there has to be robust scientific evidence that can be argued internationally that can be peer-reviewed internationally that is transparent and that will stand up to that scrutiny. As a trading nation we leave ourselves very exposed to criticism of putting in place non-trade barriers if we do not do so. 
So the independence of this independent review panel really will be something that I guess brings some further transparency to that debate as well and in fact could help rather than hinder with that international argument around world trade and the phytosanitary legislation and regulation that we put in place so it is I think a good step forward. 
The fact is that it was necessary and the issue has been well canvassed. I think the Minister said that something like 200 potential new import health standards were in the system after the Crown Law Office handed out its findings that were going to be either held up or potentially held up. No exporting country can continue with that kind of uncertainty so clearly this is a sound move in terms of moving forward with the whole argument around import health standards how they are set up and how robust and how scientific the evidence is that they are based on. So with those comments I support the passing of this legislation.