Mapp Wayne: Building Bill — In Committee Procedure 
Mapp Wayne: Building Bill — In Committee Procedure 
[Volume:619;Page:14863] 
Dr WAYNE MAPP (National—North Shore) 
: 
 Part 5 has two important provisions that I will focus on and they are the abolition of the Building Industry Authority and the second topic I will deal with is clause 386 which states that the chief executive of the Ministry of Economic Development—although there will be a new ministry—must review the building code. 
My first point is that the problem with the abolition of the Building Industry Authority is that a degree of control has been taken away from the industry itself. The Government has decided to impose the centralised statist approach that it has become so infamous for and which is its ready recourse. The solution to any problem it has is to get the State involved. If I look at areas in which each of my colleagues is involved the Government has increased statism. That is exactly what has happened. For example in Brian Connell’s area of forestry there are more powers for State intervention by the Ministry of Economic Development. It is just extraordinary. So right across the board there is a statist approach and in this bill the Government has abolished the Building Industry Authority and given the power completely to the State. 
The problem is that there is no industry involvement. It is always a top-down solution where directions are simply given to the industry. At least one of the advantages of the Building Industry Authority—had it been properly reformed because that is what it needed—was that the industry itself had a genuine and real input. It had membership effectively through that input but in this instance that will not happen. At best the new authority will become an advisory committee to the chief executive. So that is wrong it is a bad solution it is just old-fashioned statist solutions. 
The second issue I want to deal with is this revision of the building code which has to take place within 3 years. The requirements are to review the building code prepare for a ministerial report etc. The problem with this is that because the Government has abolished the Building Industry Authority which did have the expertise around the building code notwithstanding its deficiencies it could have done this job much more rapidly. Although the Government trumpets this legislation as a great protection for consumers the statist solution actually delays the reform of the building code particularly around fixing up the leaky homes problems—the approved solutions around claddings ventilation spaces and so forth. It slowed it up and delayed all those sorts of things. In other words the consumers will still have to put up with deficient solutions. 
Our criticism of this bill is that the statist solution has delayed the correction of the problems whereas in contrast a reform of the Building Industry Authority would have meant a speedier fixing up of the building code. We in the National Party will vote against this bill. We realise we cannot stop the Government in its madness and there are other parties that are contributing to the madness that we are seeing tonight. The United Future party—we are not allowed to refer to them as lapdogs but that is what they are—and the New Zealand First Party— 
Murray Smith 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I know exactly what the member is going to say. It is a personal reflection and can be considered unparliamentary as well so the member will stand withdraw and apologise. 
Dr WAYNE MAPP 
: I withdraw and apologise. I was told by the New Zealand First whip Mr Dail Jones that New Zealand First is proud to be part of the Government. That is what he actually said in a select committee today. I asked him whether he wanted me to repeat that in the Chamber and he said yes that he wanted me to repeat the comment in the Chamber. So I will put it on the record for the nation at large that this— 
Brent Catchpole 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Points of order will be short and to the point. They will be heard in silence. 
Brent Catchpole 
: The member well knows that New Zealand First is not aligned with anybody. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: That is not a point of order. That is a debatable point. 
Dr WAYNE MAPP 
: I obviously need to remind Mr Catchpole that Dail Jones said to me today—and he said that I could repeat it in the Chamber—that for this and other purposes New Zealand First regards itself as part of the Government. I was amazed at that but that is what he said. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: The member should stick to the bill. 
Dr WAYNE MAPP 
: New Zealand First is helping to pass this deficient legislation. New Zealanders will suffer consumers will suffer and the industry will suffer. The Minister in the chair John Tamihere has failed small business consumers the building industry and economic growth generally. This bill is deficient. [ 
Interruption 
] In reply to the interjection from the member for New Zealand First I add that New Zealand First has made a mistake.