Hide Rodney: Shop Trading Hours (Easter Trading Local Exemption) Bill — First Reading 
Hide Rodney: Shop Trading Hours (Easter Trading Local Exemption) Bill — First Reading 
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RODNEY HIDE (Leader—ACT) 
: 
 That was the Green spokesman Mike Ward. We have a situation here where the Green’s health spokesman Nandor Tanczos expects to be able to buy his cannabis 24/7 on 365 days of the year yet the Greens will not let us open our shops for the tourists who are going past the door. But it is OK for the Greens to be smoking dope—which is against the law—promoting it and doing it every day of the year as a religious experience. 
The ACT party rises to support this bill— 
Hon David Benson-Pope 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Clem Simich) 
: I understand what the point of order will be and I was going to bring it to the member’s notice. You may not suggest any illegality on the part of any member of Parliament. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: I am not suggesting it; I am stating it. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Clem Simich) 
: The act of doing what you were talking about is illegal and that must not be suggested in respect of any member or any group of members. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: It is one of those things. If I was suggesting that Nandor Tanczos smokes cannabis I take it back. I am now misleading the House but at least I am within the rules. 
We rise to support this bill and we commend Mr Peter Brown for bringing it to the House’s attention. I hope that he will take up Mr Peck’s suggestion and that the House will agree to send it to the Commerce Committee because there is no doubt that it will be treated expeditiously by a committee that is well chaired and has some very wise heads that have spent years and years and years considering shop trading hours legislation. I say that we can process the bill expeditiously. 
I will pick up on a couple of points. Why is it that we cannot just trust the people? Why is it that in this House we have to decide which shops can open when? Do we have some divine inspiration here this night that means we can decide that it is not OK for shops in Rotorua Tauranga and Mount Maunganui to open but it is OK for shops in Taupo and Queenstown to open? No one in this House can defend that decision on any rational grounds. This bill comes along and we are asked to make an exception for Easter Sunday. That is interesting. So can a shop now open on an Easter Sunday if it chooses to? Oh no. It still has to have the agreement of the local authority. I ask Mr Brown whether we do that for any other day. 
Peter Brown 
: No. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: No. So suddenly we have councils deciding for 1 day out of 365 whether shops can open in their district. 
Brian Connell 
: Elect the shoppers. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: Yes! Why can we not just leave it up to the business people and save all that hassle? Why could we not just say that shops can open on Easter Sunday? What does it actually have to do with the local authority? 
Peter Brown 
: The member’s got a point. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: I thank Mr Brown. I know he has supported our bill. Whose shop is it? It does not belong to those of us in this House. It does not belong to the local authority. It belongs to the business owner. Mike Ward says that they do not really want to open. They do not have to open. No one is forcing us to go shopping. 
Brian Connell 
: The Green member spoke about choice. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: Yes. The Greens speak about choice for some things but I cannot refer to that because of the Standing Orders. They even decide which rules they will follow. They sit in this House passing laws and then decide which ones they will follow and which ones they will not. That is what Green MPs do. 
I say to members of this House that this bill is a move towards liberalisation. I know that my friend Mr Tim Barnett agrees with that. He will be saying that people should be able to trade on Easter Sunday in all manner of things subject to getting approval from the local council. 
Peter Brown 
: I bet the brothels are open. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: That is a good point. I bet they are too. Tourist trades and all the brothels will be open. So what about the garden centres? How come the people of New Zealand can go out and buy their marijuana and go to the local brothel but law-abiding citizens cannot go to the garden centre and buy some soil a few plants that they can legitimately grow and a spade? 
Brian Connell 
: They can do it in Taupo. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: They can do it in Taupo. Let us send this bill to the Commerce Committee let us pass it and let us get going.