Tabuteau FletcherFLETCHER TABUTEAU (NZ First): Thank you for the opportunity to speak on this Energy Innovation (Electric Vehicles and Other Matters) Amendment Bill. Can I just say—and I know it is being a bit trite—but I can just imagine Mr Bridges in consultation with his ministry staff as they came into the office and told him: Sir we are going to call it 'Energy Innovation'." You can just imagine his excitement. You know "Oh that's excellent! That's fantastic!"—he would say—"It sends a message to New Zealanders about how innovative the Government really is. It does doesn't it? It sends a message right? We're more innovative than all the rest combined. Is there any way"—he would say—"that we can take an innovative photo to go with that?". Here we are. It is not that innovative and I think unfortunately the Minister of Transport has let the people of New Zealand down with this legislation. Although to be fair unlike much of the legislation that New Zealand First has opposed in the past—where the intent sounds wonderful but actually the opposite effect would take hold—at least with this legislation I can with some pleasure stand up on behalf of New Zealand First and say that actually the intent is there. Once we have read the legislation and got feedback from industry it might make a tiny little bit of difference and it will not actually do the damage that other pieces of legislation that this National Government has put through the House have. Here I am with great pleasure—Jono Naylor: How gracious of you!FLETCHER TABUTEAU: —great pleasure Mr Naylor—saying that New Zealand First will support this piece of legislation through its first reading.Jono Naylor: Finally.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: That is another debate but anyway—that is another debate. To be fair this is taking some tiny baby steps in the right direction. We think we will support it all the way through. It is important to note that there was previously an engagement with industry and there was not much that was negative but I will highlight what the feedback was because I think that the Minister needs to take that on board in terms of how to move forward with the support of business and industry and not just the support of the energy sector. I will bring that up in a moment.I think we have a bill designed to encourage the take-up of electric vehicles if we listen to the Minister and those on the other side of the House. Can I say to the Minister that this bill will be as significant and as helpful as the 2 percent threshold placed on the heavy vehicle fleet. For example when I first started reading the legislation I was actually quite excited by the prospect of the road user charges exemption being moved up to the heavy vehicle fleet. I thought as inefficient as it is—as noted by a previous speaker—it is something meaningful and tangible that industry could get its teeth into and move forward. Then you read further on and—credit to the Minister he said it himself—"Actually we'll only give it to 2 percent of the fleet." When you do the numbers given last year's figures there are several hundred thousand in that heavy vehicle fleet already and so this would then apply to fewer than 3000 heavy vehicle units on the road. From an everyday New Zealander's perspective I do not think that that—in their mind—would be a tangible take-up or make any kind of significant difference. I would like to add to that that it is not the most efficient use of funding. I think that what you want to do is put some money down to actually encourage the uptake of commercial vehicles by private users. So it was disappointing to say the least.What I wanted to touch on were the broader issues. The Minister said—and I will find a quote here; here it is: "The transport and industrial sectors are areas where the most impact can be made on improving New Zealand's energy productivity and reducing emissions." What I would like to point out to the Minister is that he has kind of completely overlooked the area of transport where most gains could be made. I speak specifically about light rail the electrification of the New Zealand rail network—and this is a Minister who has overseen the rail network being de-electrified. He said how important it is—he is quoted publicly as saying how important it is—to our commitments to Paris and yet this is a Minister who has overseen the de-electrification of the rail network. Not only that he has seen the closing down of sections of rail and then—what do you know—a year or two later the Government has decided that despite its predisposed opposition to rail for some unknown reason it would have to open up that link again because it was the most efficient way of moving goods on our national infrastructure.The bill is quite narrow in focus but as I have said I acknowledge today that National is taking baby steps in the right direction—although the business sector has already moved out in front of it quite significantly so it is already behind the eight ball there and it needs to step up to the mark. It is probably the opportune time to point out that perhaps the Minister himself could at least make his limo an electric vehicle. That might send some signals and it might be the start of a practical solution to the problem that the National Government has acknowledged that this country has.We need the legislation but as I intimated earlier what we had in engagement with industry slightly before this legislation came to the House was feedback from a significant number of those who were spoken to who came back and said: "What you're doing right now is expanding the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority's (EECA's) mandate. You're giving them more money and you're taking it from different pools but you haven't told us how they are going to use those funds." For example this legislation broadens EECA's mandate quite significantly and in so doing there will now be a combined energy levy. It is going to consult and report annually and I think when you consider the background of the National Government over there consulting and reporting annually is a huge huge step forward in terms of transparency and accountability for the National Government—so we are halfway there.What the industry wanted was a logical link to show how that money was being taken from it and how it was being used for it. That is fair enough. They are not saying they need a plan—that we need a definitive plan. I think several members in the House have acknowledged the industry is innovative and they want to move forward themselves. But they want some reassurance. They want what they coined as "rationality". I think they have every reason to be concerned and the Minister needs to take that into account. The legislation bearing in mind this was a consultation document has not done so in this first draft of the bill. So that is something for the Minister to consider. The Minister has much to consider. There is basically no time to delay. New Zealand does need to act and we need to act quickly which is why these mini steps are important. They will not do the opposite to what the intent says they will so we will be supporting the bill at its first reading. But the Minister described this bill as enabling great initiatives that empower and encourage the take-up of e-vehicles such as non-financial options like allowing e-vehicles to use the bus lanes. This bill does not actually do that. We are going to need another Minister to enable that. Actually by not mandating that centrally they are giving councils the right to make that decision. And there is another whole debating point for the House to consider about whether central government is brave enough to say: "Let's do it or let's not. Let's not fob it off to councils."I would like to point out to the Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment and the Minister of Education that in doing some analysis for this bill we realised when engaging with industry that there are no—or so significantly few—electric vehicle mechanics right now in New Zealand that an uptake of any magnitude would not be taken up well by the industry itself. I put it as a question to the Minister and to those Ministers: "Does the industry need help in terms of training and upskilling young New Zealand workers to cope with this?". To conclude this bill is a start. It could even be described as a good start which is why New Zealand First will support it today. It does not make it any easier to buy an electric vehicle. It does not make access to charging stations any easier across the country. But for the National Party it is something slightly more than nothing. Thank you."