Key John: Wine Makers Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Key John: Wine Makers Amendment Bill — In Committee 
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JOHN KEY (NZ National—Helensville) 
: 
 I rise to support this bill. Those people who have had an opportunity to study the Wine Bill will know that that this bill separates out Part 5 from that bill. The bill is supported by the entire industry and makes some very important recommendations in order to meet the requirements of the European Union’s labelling standards so that our wine can continue to be exported to the European Union. 
Those of us who have studied the wine industry either from a pleasure or an economic point of view will know that the industry has grown enormously over the last decade or so—somewhere in the order of about $35 million of wine produced in this country in 1992 has increased to $250 million and I suggest that there will be a very strong upward trend in the industry. There is a massive international demand for our wine and with very good reason. We have led the way in producing such wonderful wines as Sauvignon Blanc and New Zealand’s reputation is growing. 
The European market is very important for our wine industry and this bill simply contains our requirement to comply with market regulations. As I have said failure to do so would prevent our wine from being exported in particular to countries like the UK. As someone who has lived in the United Kingdom for the past 5 or 6 years I would have had to be blind not to see the amount of New Zealand wine that is sold there not only in the fine restaurants in High Street but also in retail outlets right across the country. 
I commend the Government for separating out clause 5 from the Wine Bill and including it this bill. That is the whole purpose of the bill and I commend the Government for doing that. It is very necessary to do so because a failure to comply with the European Union’s regulations would mean that we would not reach our export potential. I make the point that in a way it is sad that this bill is required. It really is an example of a non-financial tariff being imposed by the European Union. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Clem Simich) 
: Which bill are we talking about? 
JOHN KEY 
: The Wine Makers Amendment Bill. Am I confusing you Mr Chairperson? 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Clem Simich) 
: No but the member needs to talk about the title and the title only. 
JOHN KEY 
: My great apologies. Maybe we should change the title to state “Part 5 of the Wine Bill”. Clearly the title reflects the fact that the bill is very much related to the wine that is made in this country requiring good labelling. It is very important that those who consume and purchase wine understand what they are buying. One of the reasons that that is so critically important is that failure by one winery to understand and clearly label what is in its wine as this bill demands would really impinge on all winemakers and their reputation. 
The title “Wine Makers Amendment Bill” reflects the guts of what this bill tries to do. Clearly it is related to winemakers and is an amendment of the 1981 Act. I could maybe propose new titles now that would be slightly better than that title such as the “Wine Makers Producers Growers and Manufacturers Amendment Bill”. The wine industry has developed into a very large industry in New Zealand. One could argue that the word “Winemakers” is narrow in the sense that the industry does not involve just the makers of wine. Clearly it also involves growers and those who produce wine. “Makers” is quite a narrow term in a lot of respects. Maybe a broader term would befit a bill such as this. However I do not think we want to slow the passage of this bill in the House simply by arguing the semantics of a four-word title. I could be frivolous and waste the Committee’s time but I feel that that would be totally inappropriate. I would never do that. This Parliament is far too important an institution for me to waste its time simply by arguing that the title of a bill could have five words instead of four. That would be totally inappropriate. 
This is a winemakers’ bill. It is an amendment to an existing bill. It is important legislation and I think at that point I may simply rest my submission on behalf of the National Party as I see Mr Chairperson reaching for the bell.