PARLIAMENTARY REPORT
clean, green image. The Green belief is that economic growth has a limit, and that that limit is natural, immutable, and non- negotiable, requiring humanity to live harmoniously within its parameters, and at a certain material point to develop along cultural and spiritual lines rather than through simply further economic growth. There is a natural end point to economic growth”. Hon. Christopher
Finlayson, MP, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations,
NEW ZEALAND
Hon. Christopher Finlayson, MP
described Treaty settlements as “a very good-news story for
all of us. About half of them have now been concluded. This government is committed to concluding just and durable Treaty settlements as quickly as possible. The passage of these Bills is very important because settlements cannot be finalized until the legislation is passed, and delays in legislation mean delays for iwi in sharing the benefits with their people and in putting the grievances behind them.” On 28 February the final
speaker in the Address in Reply
debate, Hon. Steven Joyce, MP, Minister for Economic Development, accused the opposition of inconsistency: “the other side of the House…demands, on the one hand, jobs, jobs, jobs, which is right, but then it says: ‘You cannot do that, you cannot build that there, you cannot explore for that, you cannot invest in property here, you cannot invest in this country’.” A motion of no confidence in
the government was defeated by 64 votes to 57.
THIRD READING: NEW ZEALAND
National Animal Identification and Tracing Bill Speaking in the third reading of the National Animal Identification and Tracing Bill on 14 February, Hon. David Carter, MP, Minister for Primary Industries, explained that it “sets out the legal framework for the collection of information on livestock, and their location and movement history throughout their lifetime. It also outlines the governance arrangements and powers for the NAIT organization that will manage the…scheme, scheduled for July 2012 for cattle and March 2013 for deer”. With the scheme, explained Mr Carter, “we can give assurances to domestic consumers and our trade partners that the product is healthy and disease-free. We can manage a disease more effectively and rapidly reopen markets if they are closed. Furthermore, the NAIT scheme…can further support improved productivity and on-farm management.” There was widespread support in the House for
the National Animal Identification and Tracing scheme, which is being funded jointly by the government and a levy on farmers. Grant Robertson (Deputy Leader—Labour) said “this is about the strength of the New Zealand economy. It is about applying technological solutions…developed in New Zealand…to establish our sustainability overseas”, because “technology available now…can tell us about the soil content [and] the way that grass is grown” and “markets across the
136 | The Parliamentarian | 2012: Issue Two
world… are demanding more and more that they understand the origins of the produce that is being purchased”. He also advocated “the government extending the process out further beyond deer and cattle to sheep”. Mr Shane Ardern (National) thought that in time “the problem with retention rates of tagging devices in sheep will be overcome and the cost then will be reduced substantially”. Although Mr Kevin Hague (Green) agreed that
“traceability…is important as one of those value- add components to our agricultural economy”, he saw “the lack of consultation with the organics sector” as “a significant gap”. He also expressed concern “that in this entity that is not really an arm of the State we have…chosen to vest quite considerable search, seizure, and related powers”, and “an abiding concern that the extent of those powers outweighs the nature of the problem that those powers are created for”. Mr Richard Prosser (NZ First) viewed “the
mandatory adoption of the…system as being precipitate”, arguing that “too great a reliance may come to be placed on this new technology at the expense of existing systems…which are proven and…serve New Zealand well”, and that “we do not wish to see our farmers and consumers unfairly disadvantaged by any financial or compliance burdens…in the absence of a similar required standard being applied to comparable imported foodstuffs.” The Bill passed unopposed on 15 February.
Treaty settlement Bills With the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 regarded as the founding document for European settlement in New Zealand, a process was established for Maori to sell land to the Crown. Increasing pressure for land
from settlers led eventually to land purchases without sufficient validation. Disagreements between Maori and the Crown then led to unrest, land confiscations, and the New Zealand Wars. In 1975 the Treaty of
Waitangi Act established the Waitangi Tribunal, to examine claims of Crown violations of the Treaty of Waitangi. In 1985 the fourth Labour
government extended the Tribunal’s powers to enable it to hear claims going back to 1840, and in the 1990s the government began the process of hearing historical claims—a process that still continues. On 29 March five Bills giving
effect to historical Treaty of Waitangi settlements were passed. This represented the most
Treaty Bills passed in any calendar year since the settlement process began. Parliament’s Business Committee agreed to the House sitting extended hours on that day, between 9 am and
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