Carter David: Meat Board Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Carter David: Meat Board Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:630;Page:2362] 
Hon DAVID CARTER (National) 
: 
 National will support the Meat Board Amendment Bill going to the Primary Production Committee. New Zealand’s access to the quota markets has been hard-earned by this country over decades and it is of huge economic value to our economy. So we look forward to the submissions we will receive on this bill and I as chair of the select committee look forward to bringing the bill back to the House in a position where it can then be passed into law. 
The original Act to which we are moving the amendment is the Meat Board Act of 2004. I was told at a meeting last Monday of the need to make the amendment. I was contacted by the Minister’s office and I was briefed in confidence about the issue. On this occasion I thank the Minister very much for arranging the briefing. It gave us a chance to understand exactly what the bill was about. I also take this opportunity to say that there will be times when a Minister needs to brief members of Parliament who are not part of the Government in strict confidence and I implore members of Parliament to always treat that confidence carefully. It would be a very difficult situation if members were to treat that confidence lightly—it would make it very difficult for a Minister to be in a position then of being able to brief a member of the Opposition on a matter. So I appreciate the Minister’s involving National in that briefing. 
As I understand matters the reason for this legislation relates to the possible ambiguity of the 2004 Act. At this stage I make no judgment at all about whether the Act as passed in 2004 is in fact ambiguous. Suffice it to say that I accept the advice given by the officials through the Minister that there is indeed an issue around that. The process now allows any party interested in the matter to make a submission to the select committee and we will then consider the points of view raised. 
 I recall the issues quite well at the time of the 2004 consideration when the select committee grappled with the issues of access to meat quota. If I recall the issues correctly there were two significant issues that we needed to get our heads around as a select committee. One was a mechanism that did allow any new entrants to ultimately have some access to the quota markets. From my point of view on that select committee I was keen to ensure that there was a process by which a new innovative company establishing itself in the market here in New Zealand as a processor of meat suitable for any of the quota markets at least had an opportunity to ultimately get access to those markets. I cannot see any legitimate argument for the quota markets to be closed off on some historical basis and restricted to those people who had previously been there. If that was to happen the only thing we would successfully do from a “New Zealand Incorporated” point of view is stifle the necessary innovation still required in the meat industry. 
The second issue that I recall we grappled with at the select committee was an issue whereby if any particular participant had access to the quota market and it looked as though towards the end of any particular season the participant had not used that market to the fullest extent possible then there had to be a mechanism by which quota could be traded between the players. I fully accept that argument again on the basis that at the end of the day this Parliament should be concerned about the way that “New Zealand Incorporated” can maximise the benefits of those quotas. So in my mind there clearly needed to be a mechanism to allow an end-of-season adjustment between the players involved in the quota markets. 
I have no doubt that when this bill is before the select committee all the parties who have an interest in access to quota markets will be given a chance to come and air those issues again. As the chair of that select committee I am sure that I speak for the other members of the select committee many of whom were not sitting on it at the time of the 2004 election when I say that all members of the select committee who do work well together will have the opportunity to revisit this matter via the submission process. I am sure that all the arguments presented by submissioners to the select committee will be discussed and well and truly examined in the select committee process. 
I note that the Minister has given us a 27 July deadline and then asked that we hopefully progress this matter quicker than that. I can almost guarantee that we will be able to do that. The select committee workload at this stage is not very busy. In fact at the select committee today I took the opportunity to try to bring more work before the committee. I was taken by the comments of the Associate Minister for Economic Development the Hon Dover Samuels when he publicly raised the issue of the lack of progress in aquaculture. He said he was quite happy to work with members of the select committee to see whether we could assist the Government out of a bind that it has obviously got into whereby past legislation has absolutely gazumped further development in aquaculture. 
I put it to the select committee today that maybe the Hon Dover Samuels was indeed a man of his word and would be prepared to work with us to see whether there was a way to fill in some of the spare time we have on the select committee initiate an inquiry and assist the Government. I was absolutely staggered I must say when the Hon Dover Samuels then voted against us initiating that select committee inquiry. I guess from the point of view of the Hon Jim Anderton that does just clear the desk and give us plenty of time to look at these issues and call for submissions. Hopefully I can get this bill back into the House as quickly as possible—and substantially before the 27 July deadline. 
I look forward to working through the issues on the select committee which now includes as a member Colin King member of Parliament for Kaikoura. On looking through the notes we have I realise that it had previously slipped my mind that he was a director of Meat and Wool New Zealand and therefore a director of the New Zealand Meat Board which examined these quota issues right up until his recent resignation. So among the many experts we have around our select committee we will have Colin King member of Parliament with an absolutely intimate knowledge of the discussions that have occurred within Meat and Wool New Zealand and within the New Zealand Meat Board about the way the legislation has been working. In fact from the point of view of a former director of Meat and Wool New Zealand we will know whether the board itself had any concerns or whether the officials and thereby the Minister are the ones with the concerns. 
R Doug Woolerton 
: I need someone to reflect my intimate knowledge. 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: Indeed Doug Woolerton interrupts and says we need someone to replace his intimate knowledge of the industry. That is true. 
It still defies belief that Doug Woolerton was taken off the Primary Production Committee. After years and years of valuable service the New Zealand First leader the Rt Hon Winston Peters told Doug Woolerton the party no longer wanted him to make a contribution to New Zealand agriculture and therefore he was taken off the select committee. As a reporter said to me not 2 hours ago that particular committee must be one of the select committees in Parliament that truly does not reflect MMP. It has four National members of Parliament and four Labour members of Parliament. None of the smaller parties are represented on that select committee at all and I say that is a shame for the select committee. 
I will finish by taking the opportunity after talking about the valuable contribution we expect from Colin King to acknowledge in the House today his replacement on the board of Meat and Wool New Zealand: Andrew Fox a well-known North Canterbury farmer. He is also a director of PPCS Ltd so I am not sure which particular camp he will be in when he appears before us at the select committee. But I take this opportunity to congratulate Andrew Fox on his election to Meat and Wool New Zealand; I sure he will make a valuable contribution to it. We look forward to the bill coming to the select committee and I assure members of our complete cooperation in order to get it back here as quickly as possible and in good shape.