PARLIAMENTARY REPORT
NEW ZEALAND
be, and how much would the rest of us get to save, if we invested money in their early years instead?”
Opposing the Bill, the Minister
of Women’s Affairs, Hon. Jo Goodhew, MP, said: “The phased policy in this Bill would cost $450 million extra over its first four years. We do not have that money. New Zealanders know we do not have that money. The dangers of running up high deficits through unaffordable government are simply not worth it.” Ms Denise Roche, MP,
(Green) supported the Bill, saying “today we are hearing the same arguments against 20 weeks’ paid parental leave that we heard back in the 1990s—that we cannot afford it. That was the same argument that we heard in the 1970s about equal pay. We got those measures introduced, and guess what? The economy did not grind to a halt. The country did not go broke, and the sky did not
fall in. We have become so used to thinking in the short term that we no longer think of the long- term benefits. These long-term benefits will outweigh the costs”. The Bill passed by 61 votes
to 60, and is currently being considered by a select committee. Another Member’s Bill to pass
its first reading was the Gambling (Gambling Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill, which was
MP, (Māori Party) on 9 May 2012. Mr Flavell said that his Bill would “provide local communities with more power to determine where pokie [slot] machines may be sited and how the proceeds can be distributed. Umpteen pieces of research tell us that problem gambling can have devastating consequences on individuals and whānau [families]. Those consequences can be demonstrated in relationship breakdowns, financial ruin, psychological distress, criminal offending, imprisonment, and suicide. People do, however, recognize that something needs to be done about pokies to address the harm caused by those machines”. Mr Michael Woodhouse,
Ms Denise Roche, MP introduced by Te Ururoa Flavell,
MP, (National) said National would support the Bill at its first reading “for two reasons. Firstly, the support for the referral of this Bill to the select committee is part of the National Party’s confidence
Rt Hon. Winston Peters, MP THIRD READING: NEW ZEALAND
Geneva Conventions (Third Protocol and Red Crystal Emblem) Amendment Bill The Geneva Conventions (Third Protocol and Red Crystal Emblem) Amendment Bill passed its third reading without debate and with unanimous support on 4 December 2012. The Bill implements New Zealand’s obligations under the third protocol to the Geneva Conventions of 1949. In the second reading debate, which was held immediately before the third reading, Hon. Chris Tremain, MP, speaking on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said: “The third protocol establishes a new distinctive emblem, known as the Red Crystal, giving it the same legal recognition and protection from misuse that the Red Cross, the Red Crescent, and the Red Lion and Sun currently enjoy under the Geneva Conventions framework. The Red Crystal emblem provides an alternative to the Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems, and is intended to be free from any national, religious, cultural, or political connotations.” Dr Cam Calder, MP, (National) referred to the Bill as “very necessary”. The Red Crystal emblem would
78 | The Parliamentarian | 2013: Issue One
“strengthen the protection of victims in conflicts where neither of those existing emblems has the respect of both sides in an armed conflict. “The risk to humanitarian neutrality is something that
has become a part of an urgent debate over the last 20 years or so,” Mr Phil Twyford, MP, (Labour) said. He linked this “to the proliferation of civil conflicts that we have seen around the world after the end of the Cold War in places like Somalia, Kosovo, the Congo, Sudan, Azerbaijan, and, most recently, Syria, to name just a few.” He said there had been a corrosion of “the perception of the neutrality of humanitarian workers, and that really goes to the heart of one of the key principles of the Geneva Conventions and much of the development of international humanitarian law over five or six decades”. The passage of the Bill “will now allow the government to ratify the third protocol to the Geneva Conventions, and New Zealand will join a long list of countries that have officially incorporated this protocol. It will allow the Red Crystal to take its place alongside the Red Cross and the Red Crescent”.
that purpose. There are many alternative forms of gambling available, all of which can have a negative impact on the problem gambler.” A personal (or conscience)
vote was held at the end of the debate. The Bill was passed 83 votes to seven and is currently under consideration by a select committee. Ten of the 12 Members’ Bills
to have passed their first reading in 2012 await consideration by a select committee. Select committees have
reported to the House on two such Bills: Labour Member Dr David Clark’s Holidays (Full Recognition of Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day) Amendment Bill, and National Member Chris Auchinvole’s Habeus Corpus Amendment Bill). Both Bills now await second reading.
and supply agreement with the Māori Party, and I think this reflects very well the sorts of cooperative relationships that can not only be agreed on but also honoured in good coalition governments. The second reason…is that we share the very grave concerns…about the effects that problem gambling has on society. The goal that this Bill has is harm minimization, and I applaud those efforts”. However, Rt Hon. Winston
Peters, MP, Leader of New Zealand First, stated: “The Bill is completely ineffective to achieve
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