Goldsmith PaulGEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS (WINE AND SPIRITS) REGISTRATION AMENDMENT BILLSecond ReadingHon PAUL GOLDSMITH (Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs): I move That the Geographical Indications (Wine and Spirits) Registration Amendment Bill be now read a second time. This bill amends the Geographical Indications (Wine and Spirits) Registration Act 2006 which provides for a registration system for geographical indicators but the Act is not yet in force. Before the Act can come into force some amendments are necessary to clarify some provisions of the Act and to ensure that the registration process runs smoothly and sustainably. This bill achieves that. It is useful because it helps to strengthen and protect the story that lies behind the success of the New Zealand wine industry. The New Zealand wine industry as we know and enjoy commands one of the highest premiums internationally and that comes back to the story behind it. This industry has achieved phenomenal growth over the last couple of decades. I remember around 1998 I think when the country achieved about $100 million worth of exports for New Zealand wines. This year it is about $1.6 billion worth of exports. So the wine industry has been very successful in contributing to export growth for the New Zealand economy and in providing many jobs and many livelihoods as well as great enjoyment and pleasure for the customers. I would like to thank the Primary Production Committee for its consideration of the bill. I want to note particularly the work of its chair Ian McKelvie and the many members of our committee who have a keen interest in wine. I am looking forward immensely to the speech by my colleague Stuart Smith that leader in the wine industry who will be talking later. The committee's report did contain a number of sensible recommendations for the amendment of the bill. I want to acknowledge the submissions from the public and in particular from the New Zealand wine industry. Most of the amendments recommended by the committee were of a relatively minor nature but two significant amendments recommended by the committee involved procedures for opposing registration and for the renewal periods for registered geographical indications. The Geographical Indications (Wine and Spirits) Registration Act 2006 leaves opposition procedures almost entirely to regulations. Other similar legislation relating to registered intellectual property rights such as the Patents Act 2013 and the Trade Marks Amendment Act 2012 makes explicit provision for opposition procedures. The amendment recommended by the committee inserts a new clause 21A into the bill which inserts new provisions into the principal Act to require the registrar of geographical indications to advertise the intention to accept an application to register a geographical indication. This allows interested persons to oppose registration if they considered that the indication should not be registered. The other significant amendment relates to the renewable period provisions in the bill. The bill as introduced provided that geographical indications must be renewed by paying a renewal fee every 10 years. The renewal fees will contribute to the ongoing maintenance of the register of geographical indications and help keep the initial application fees down. However as most of the applications to register geographical indications will be made in the first few years after the principal Act enters into force there is a risk that the revenue raised from application fees could be insufficient to cover the cost of establishing and administering the register of geographical indications. This could be a particular problem if application numbers are lower than estimated. So in response to this the committee has recommended that the bill be amended to provide that the first renewal fee is payable 5 years from the date of registration of a geographical indication and at 10-year intervals thereafter. Those recommendations I think are sensible. I agree with the select committee's report and I commend this bill to the House.