AMY ADAMS MP for Selwyn - Speeches

Speech to WasteMINZ workshop

nospam@example.com (admin) — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:35:05 +1200

Thank you Paul. Good morning everyone, and thank you for inviting me here today.

Sadly, I missed seeing you all at last year’s WasteMINZ conference due to other commitments. However, my colleague, Nicky Wagner, who kindly attended on my behalf, had some great things to say about her experience, and about the important role WasteMINZ plays in supporting the waste sector in New Zealand.

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Freshwater reform 2013 and beyond

nospam@example.com (admin) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 06:57:00 +1300

Good morning.

Firstly can I add my welcome to you all to the Forum. I'm delighted to have the opportunity to kick-off the substantial part of the day with a discussion of the Government’s plans to reform the resource management system, including the way in which we manage our freshwater.

This morning I want to talk about three key areas – the Government’s rationale behind our Resource Management Act work programme, the importance of freshwater management in New Zealand, and announce the next stage of our freshwater reform programme.

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Improving our resource management system

nospam@example.com (admin) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 08:10:19 +1300

Good morning.

Firstly, let me thank you all for joining us this morning and in particular thank John Hassan and Chapman Tripp for hosting us here today.

This morning, I want to give you an overview of the Government’s rationale behind our Resource Management Act work programme, canvas some of our reforms to date, and announce the next phase of reform.

Can I say at the outset that today’s announcements do not include our water reform proposals. These proposals will be separately released in the next few weeks.

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First Reading: Resource Management Reform Bill 2012

nospam@example.com (admin) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 15:55:09 +1300

Mr Speaker, I move that the Resource Management Reform Bill 2012 be now read a first time.

I nominate the Local Government and Environment Select Committee to consider the Bill.

Resource management reform is a key part of the Government’s Business Growth Agenda. New Zealand needs a resource management system that enables growth, provides good environmental outcomes and is capable of adapting to changing values, pressures and technology.

In 2008, the National-led Government initiated a two-phase programme of reform of the resource management system.

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Opening address to the Rio+20 Summit

nospam@example.com (admin) — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 09:10:43 +1200

I am honoured to represent New Zealand, and to amplify the voices of the Pacific, as New Zealand is current Pacific Islands Forum chair.

New Zealand has come to Rio with a hope – that in reaffirming and renewing the world’s commitment to sustainable development we will address the future of the planet and aspirations of future generations.

A healthy environment is essential for maintaining human life and livelihoods and for healthy economies that are sustainable into the future.

New Zealand is very conscious that resource use must be based on sustainability.

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General Debate

nospam@example.com (admin) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 12:01:00 +1200

I am getting heartily sick of sitting in this House and listening to Opposition parties that claim to care about jobs, claim to care about incomes, and claim to care about raising the living standards of New Zealanders yet continually oppose every single policy that will actually create jobs, raise living standards, and create prosperity for New Zealanders. They claim to care about those things, but let us judge them on their actions. Every time this Government brings to this House a proposal to do things that will create jobs and that are creating jobs, things that will get a handle on debt, and things that are creating prosperity and a future for New Zealanders Labour, New Zealand First, and the Greens oppose it—every single time. Their policies are contradictory, inconsistent, misguided, and misleading. In fact, they are intellectually duplicitous. They promise New Zealanders that they care about those things, but they oppose every single opportunity to actually make a difference to the wealth, the prosperity, and the future of this country.

While this afternoon we have sat here and listened to petty political point-scoring from Labour, this Government is watching the fact that the international situation is increasingly more serious. Anyone who is following the situation in Europe understands that there has hardly ever been in our memory a time more serious in terms of the international and local financial management. This is a time for sensible, prudent fiscal management, and that is what this National-led Government is delivering to this country. We are focusing on getting our debt under control, so that we are not reliant on international lenders and having to pay more and more money to offshore lenders as the Labour, Green, and New Zealand First parties would want. We are focused on keeping our debt under control, getting Government debt down, and getting back to surplus in 3 years, so that we have choices, and so that this Government can deliver policies that will create more jobs, as we are.

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Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill - Second Reading

nospam@example.com (admin) — Wed, 30 May 2012 15:59:00 +1200

I move, That the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Bill be now read a second time. This bill responds to a regulatory gap that has meant New Zealand does not currently have a comprehensive regime in place to manage and mitigate the environmental effects of development activities in our oceans. New Zealand’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf hold significant economic potential. The Government wants to unlock this economic potential in an environmentally responsible way. Environmental organisations and industries are agreed on the need for legislation to do this and most submitters supported the bill with amendments.

The bill as reported back reflects the Local Government and Environment Committee’s agreement on the majority of amendments proposed and its response to issues raised by a wide range of submitters. I wish to stress from the outset that this bill will not duplicate or extend existing legislation. The bill is not about oil spill response, mineral allocation, marine reserves, fishing, or shipping. These are all addressed under other existing legislation. Activities covered by the bill include seabed mining, the building of construction platforms for oil and gas exploration and drilling, marine farming, energy generation, carbon capture and storage, seismic surveying, and cable laying. The Environmental Protection Authority will make independent decisions on marine consent applications, balancing the environment and economy with input from the public and from iwi.

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Address to the Commerce Commission conference

nospam@example.com (admin) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:29:07 +1300

Good morning. It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to speak at this important event highlighting the benefits of bringing faster broadband to New Zealand.

First, can I thank the Commerce Commission for organising this conference, and for the work that has gone into the three demand side issues papers.

I particularly want to acknowledge and thank Dr Ross Patterson for his commitment to the telecommunications industry since 2007, the work that he has done in times of significant change and the even hand he is renowned for.

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Address In Reply

nospam@example.com (admin) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:22:00 +1300

Can I just begin my contribution by congratulating you, Mr Assistant Speaker Tisch, and your fellow presiding officers on your re-election to your roles, and can I welcome all new members to the House.

That last contribution, from Mr Parker, tells us very clearly that Labour is still labouring under the illusion that somehow New Zealand got it wrong: they did not really mean to vote National; it kind of somehow slipped by them when they were not looking. The reality is that New Zealand has once more comprehensively rejected the Labour programme of debt and disarray. What New Zealand actually told us on 26 November was that they wanted a National-led Government with John Key at the helm, and that they understood that in challenging times you need the sort of economically responsible, strong, stable Government that we have proven ourselves to be over the last 3 years, and that we will continue to be over this next term.

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Electronic Identity Verification Bill - First Reading

nospam@example.com (admin) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:20:00 +1300

I move, That the Electronic Identity Verification Bill be now read a first time. At the appropriate time I intend to move that the bill be referred to the Government Administration Committee for consideration and that that committee report finally to this House on or before 29 June 2012. This is an important bill. It is part of the Government’s framework to put tools in place that make it easier for individuals to interact with government, and at a lower cost for those individuals and for the agencies concerned.

Specifically, the purpose of the Electronic Identity Verification Bill is to regulate and enhance the operation of the igovt identity verification service. Once it is fully operational, individuals will be able to use that service to verify their identity via the internet for interactions where it is necessary for an agency to know who it is dealing with. Those might, for example, be transactions involving the paying out of money or the exchange of personal information. Currently for those types of transactions, agencies usually require individuals to provide multiple documents as evidence of their identity, such as passports and drivers’ licences. Individuals have to bear the cost and the time burden of applying for and supplying those documents, and individuals whose identities have been wrongly used can face significant inconvenience, distress, and cost to rectify matters.

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Victims of Crime Reform Bill - First Reading

nospam@example.com (admin) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:45:00 +1300

I am rising tonight to take a call on the first reading of the Victims of Crime Reform Bill, which, as we have heard, will amend the Victims’ Rights Act.

It is interesting that earlier this evening I was lucky enough to take a call on the Criminal Procedure (Reform and Modernisation) Bill. In that contribution I spoke about some of the steps that this Government has taken to improve the lot of victims in our justice system. This bill really is another step along that path. I think it is worth just going through that, because they really are part of a comprehensive package that National set out, initially in Opposition, when we said that if we had the privilege of becoming the Government, one of our key priorities was to ensure that the victims of crime—the people who are in the system through no fault of their own—are treated considerably better than they had been treated to that point.

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Criminal Procedure (Reform and Modernisation) Bill - Third Reading

nospam@example.com (admin) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:15:00 +1300

I am very happy to take a brief call this afternoon on the legislation arising from the Criminal Procedure (Reform and Modernisation) Bill. It has been interesting to listen to the debate this afternoon in the House, as it was interesting to come in at the tail end of the select committee process when I joined the Justice and Electoral Committee.

Across the House this afternoon there has been a little bit of a battle about who is responsible for what. Everyone is now trying to claim ownership, but I think the thing that matters to the people who use the justice system is that we are now taking steps to make it easier for people who find themselves in the justice system through no fault of their own. The Minister of Police made it quite clear this afternoon that her priority with legislation, as it is for the Minister of Justice and for all of this Government, is, first and foremost, to look after the victims of crime.

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Taxation (Annual Rates, Returns Filing, And Remedial Matters) Bill - First Reading

nospam@example.com (admin) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:55:00 +1300

I will take just a brief call on the first reading of the Taxation (Annual Rates, Returns Filing, and Remedial Matters) Bill. I commend to anyone who did not have the opportunity to hear the Minister of Revenue’s introductory speech that they refer back to it as an excellent summary of the operation of the bill and the matters it contains.

In essence, a world-class tax system is a fundamental component of this Government’s growth agenda, and a part of that is making sure that the tax administration system represents both value for money and ease of use for the taxpayer. This bill, in the main, contains steps to continue that reform, making electronic filing in particular far less burdensome for taxpayers and far easier to do. I note, certainly, that the bill removes the requirement to retain paper copies for those who have filed electronically, and on that basis alone I am sure we can look forward to having Green Party support for it.

The bill puts in place Budget changes to KiwiSaver and a number of other matters that previous speakers have referred to, including the thin capitalisation rates, software deductibility, and the like. I look forward to a full discussion of the impact of the bill at the select committee. I commend the bill to the House.

Student Loan Scheme Amendment Bill - First Reading

nospam@example.com (admin) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:33:00 +1200

I am delighted to take a call in the first reading debate of the Student Loan Scheme Amendment Bill. I think it is worth putting on the record that our interest-free student loan scheme is one of the most generous in the world.

But, as previous speakers have said, we all have a very firm expectation that those who are lucky enough to avail themselves of it should meet their obligations to repay that loan. As members have heard the Minister of Revenue say, the loan book sits now at over $12 billion, and it should be a concern to every New Zealander that the impairment of that loan book is currently well over 40 percent.

This bill has a raft of measures, which the Minister has outlined, to support and enhance repayment obligations. I think they are very worthy steps that we must look at, and I look forward to a full debate on them at the select committee. I am very pleased to commend the bill to the House.

Spending Cap (People's Veto) Bill - First Reading

nospam@example.com (admin) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:25:00 +1200

When reading through the general policy statement at the beginning of the Spending Cap (People’s Vote) Bill, we see that the bill is designed, as we heard in the first two speeches in this debate, to put in place a cap whereby annual increases on core Crown expenditure are linked to the rate of inflation and the rate of population change, and then to put in place a mechanism by which the public of New Zealand, through a binding referendum, can express a view on that spending cap and seek to increase it. As the Minister said in his opening words, they could do that either for that year or for out-years.

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