Hayes Joanne: Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) (Transitional Provisions) Amendment Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHayes Joanne: Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) (Transitional Provisions) Amendment Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 16 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4429. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JOANNE HAYES (National): I rise to take a call on this Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) (Transitional Provisions) Amendment Bill in the name of the Hon Nick Smith and thank you Mr Assistant Speaker for allowing me to stand. Yes this is a very narrowly focused bill and it does mean that it will allow our oil and gas operators to be able to continue to operate their businesses while their consents are being processed through the decision-making committee appointed by the Environmental Protection Authority. I am pleased to note that on 4 June this year just not long ago the decision-making committee granted Shell Todd Oil Services a 35-year consent based on some conditions. Those conditions were around just a couple of the Māui gas field platforms out on the Taranaki Basin. I am really pleased that Shell Todd Oil Services was able to get its consent approved for 35 years because it is along with the other three oil companies a major economic deliverer for this country—20 percent of GDP in this economy comes from the oil and gas industry.We cannot as a Government and as people of New Zealand let our marine consent process be upset through this whole process. I am really pleased that we were able to do something about this. My colleague Todd Muller the previous speaker talked about the amendments to sections 162(4) and 162(5) of the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act in clause 4 of this bill. Under the old section 162(4) the organisation applying for the marine consent was not allowed to operate past the expiry date. That is really key because we cannot have that happen. It would actually affect our economy big time. So then the Local Government and Environment Committee looked at amending new section 162(5) and that allowed the organisations to continue to run their operations past their expiry dates until the Environmental Protection Authority confirmed their marine consents.I just want to talk a little bit about the fact that this Government is a Government that tackles the hard things that have gone on in our country like environmental protection. We were the Government that brought in the Environmental Protection Authority. We were the Government that brought in the exclusive economic zone. We are a Government that sets up 44 marine reserves—44 marine reserves because—Matt Doocey: We care.JOANNE HAYES: That is right. Yes we do care. We care a lot about this country and I am really ashamed that we had a Clark Government for 9 long years—shaky scary years—when there was no environmental protection even though it drilled 34 wells that nobody in this country knew about.Hon Member: Rubbish!JOANNE HAYES: When I hear people on the other side say “Rubbish!” that is most probably because they too did not know that was happening within their own Government.So when we start to look at things like that this is a Government that tackles all the hard things. We have tackled environmental protection—44 marine reserves. We have got these oil and gas companies their marine consents and we have worked through all of those. We are very very pleased that we were able to do that transitional tinkering within there to make sure that we protect those four major companies. When I travel up to Taranaki and I look around at Taranaki I look at the effects that these four major players have had on that region. I do not see too many people from Taranaki walking around dragging their lips and thinking: “Our economy really sucks up here.” because it does not. It does not and it is all attributed to our oil and gas companies up there in Taranaki.I also look at some of the things that are happening with iwi up there to do with that area because the iwi have actually bought into that. They are actually part and parcel of consultation under the Environmental Protection Authority.Stuart Nash: What’s this got to do with the bill?JOANNE HAYES: It has got everything to do with it. It has got absolutely everything to do with this particular clause.Stuart Nash: It’s a very narrow piece of legislation.JOANNE HAYES: It is a very narrow bill Mr Nash. Of course it is very narrow but it has wide implications for everybody.Scott Simpson: You’ve hit a nerve Jo.JOANNE HAYES: I know I have hit a nerve. It is just amazing. But when you start to look at it 20 percent of our GDP comes from our oil and gas businesses. That is about $2 billion added to our GDP and we take about $800000 worth of taxes and royalties and where do we put that? We put that within the health industry to support the health industry to support education and to support roading and our infrastructure. That is where we put that funding. What kind of business could we replace that with? We cannot. We have minerals we have various resources in this country and we have to make sure that we are able to utilise those areas with all the protections in place and that we are also doing this in an important environmentally friendly way so that the economy benefits and everybody benefits.When I look at the marine reserves those marine reserves actually protect them from oil and gas and petroleum drilling. Those are the rules around that and that is why I am surprised that I have people from the Opposition benches over in the Greens who do not like this. They will not support it and I find that it is not very good when we have got Opposition benches not supporting the slight tinkering that will enable our economy to carry on and grow in the way that it is growing.I want to extend my thanks to Scott Simpson. Scott is our chair of our Local Government and Environment Committee. I sat with Scott on the previous committee that he chaired and he runs a very fair and open process. He allows everybody to have input with respect and that is I believe what makes him a very good chair of any select committee actually. Even when we gained those five submissions on this bill—they were from groups and individuals. Two of those five submitters came along and spoke to our committee with the deepest respect.I believe that this has been a very open process from the start of it at the start of 2015 through when the submissions closed on 9 April 2015 to here at the second reading. I look forward to going into the Committee of the whole House process and then moving into the third reading of this bill. I look forward to it. I am proud of the work that this Government continues to do for this country because this is a Government that cares for the people and we care for our economy. For any other party that does not think like that then shame—shame—shame on you. I wholeheartedly support and commend this bill to the House. Thank you.