te Heuheu Georgina: Lawyers and Conveyancers Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
te Heuheu Georgina: Lawyers and Conveyancers Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:624;Page:19501] 
Hon GEORGINA TE HEUHEU (National) 
: 
 I am very pleased to line up with my caucus legal colleagues tonight. They are all honourable members: Richard Worth Wayne Mapp Judith Collins and Simon Power. Phil Heatley is sitting here encouraging us supporting his legal colleagues in the caucus. As I say I am very pleased to line up tonight and to make a contribution—one of many that I will make as this bill proceeds through the Committee stage. 
I want to make a comment about my colleague Simon Power who was so complimentary of the rest of us here tonight. He characterised himself as having come most recently to the law with only 5 years’ practice. I can say about Simon Power however that he has been more recently in the law certainly in the practice of the law than I have. That will count for a lot and we shall all see that as this debate proceeds. 
Of course Mr Chairperson the Hon Clem Simich is also a lawyer and from the National Party as well so I think this is a really fine evening when we are in the Chamber debating a bill that as the Minister quite rightly says the legal profession has wanted and has wanted for a very long time. I do not know that the Minister necessarily had to comment on that as being unique because with the legal profession having sought those changes it shows its members’ professionalism. It is a noble profession that we are part of. As I say the Law Society and the profession itself have by and large been waiting for these changes and it is very good that we are finally here tonight to wend our way through this rather large piece of legislation. 
Those who are listening can take heart from the purposes of the bill. As one of my colleagues rightly said they are largely for the protection of clients and users of legal services. The opening paragraph under the purposes clause clause 3 states: “(1) the purposes of this Act are—(a) to maintain public confidence in the provision of legal services and conveyancing services:”. That is why of course the legal profession would have sought that provision because there is a need to ensure that the profession is viewed as having value of being worthy and of being the protector of rights of New Zealanders when they need to resort to the law. So it is a very worthy purpose and that is why the National Party is pleased to support this bill. 
As the Minister has already recognised we will have various issues which we will raise as the debate goes on. We will have some reservations about those but we also welcome this stage of the bill and look forward to its passing in due course. 
I do implore the Minister to think very seriously about the comments that my colleague Simon Power made about the removal of the independent bar—the removal of Queen’s Counsel—which is to be replaced by Senior Counsel. That action does fly in the face of the second obligation that the bill points out is attributable to lawyers—the obligation to be independent. The public has a right and certainly an expectation when accessing services from the legal profession to expect that those services will be exercised in a fully independent manner. 
Simon Power outlined the purpose behind the institution of the Queen’s Counsel. I hope that this Government is not getting rid of that as another of its actions in line with the move to republicanism—an action to get rid of concepts and things of tradition that have worked well for centuries and that have served the practice of law well not only in this country but in England and other places as well. 
So far I have not heard of any good reason why the Government should move in that manner. I hope that before we leave Part 1 or indeed before we complete the Committee stage of this bill the Minister will tell us why the Government is moving in that way.