Parata Hekia: Judicial Matters Bill — Second Reading 
Parata Hekia: Judicial Matters Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:660;Page:8859] 
HEKIA PARATA (National) 
: 
 Tena koe e Te Mana Whakawa. Na te mea koi nei te wa tuatahi ka whai wahi ahau ki te mihi ki te Whare ka tu ki te mihi ki nga kaitorangapu o tena ropu o tena ropu o tena ropu kua hoki pai mai nei ki te mahi i tenei tau me te tumanako kia haere pai katoa nga mahi kia oti pai nga mahi o tenei Whare. Na reira huri noa i to tatou Whare tena koutou tena koutou kia ora tatou katoa. 
[ 
Greetings to you Mr Deputy Speaker. As this is the first opportunity for me to acknowledge the House I rise and extend greetings to political colleagues from each party who have returned to work this year refreshed. The hope is that everything goes well in the job and that the work of this House is completed well. So greetings to each of you and to us all throughout our House 
.] 
I will take just a couple of minutes for a call on the Judicial Matters Bill. I have become a new member of the Justice and Electoral Committee. I am looking forward to learning about all the work of this committee and to participating in the development and the processing of further legislation. 
I am not a lawyer. I start by establishing what I am not in order to then introduce my support for this bill. I am not a lawyer; I am not a member of that august body of professionals who support the institution of this country. My colleague across the way Steve Chadwick knows intimately that there are far too many of that profession. I share an interest with one of the previous speakers from the other side of the House in maintaining public confidence not only in that profession but also in ours here in the House. It is important that we pass bills such as these that maintain transparency public confidence trust and integrity. 
It is important in a democracy that we have constitutional elements and institutions that we can rely on so that we order our society in a trustful way and people who participate in these processes and these institutions can repose their confidence in them. As my colleague Rahui Katene also mentioned sometimes on the surface something looks insignificant but it can develop somewhat more serious aspects to it. Therefore it is important that we have systems procedures and institutions that allow us to dig deeper into what may at first glance not require very much attention at all. 
As my colleagues have previously remarked this bill provides for such institutional integrity and processes as ensuring that where members of the public and members of the profession do not feel they have been accorded the appropriate fairness and integrity that they are entitled to expect they have the opportunity to take their complaints to an institution or to go through a process that will allow them to be heard. 
The role of Parliament is to ensure not only that its own processes are well regarded and transparent and enjoy public confidence and trust but also that other institutions that similarly contribute to the constitutional well-being and health of our society enjoy those kinds of systems and protections. This bill contributes to that. 
I do not propose to rehearse the particular detail that is set out in this bill. That has been well covered by speakers on all sides of the House. It remains only for me to say that I too commend this bill to the House. Kia ora tatou. 
Bill read a second time.