NIKKI KAYE (National—Auckland Central) : I am delighted to speak in the first reading debate on the Borders (Customs, Excise, and Tariff) Processing Bill. I am particularly delighted that it will be going to the Government Administration Committee, and I look forward to deliberating with other members on that committee.
The purpose of the bill, as has been mentioned by many other speakers, is to improve security at our borders. I want to touch on a point that was incorrectly stated by a number of Labour members.
Hon Darren Hughes: Name them!
NIKKI KAYE: Mr Hughes has asked me to name one of them—Clayton Cosgrove mentioned the reduction of 55 staff. I make the point that those staff were involved in biosecurity operations at the border, but the whole point of that particular system was that it concerned the investigation of containers. It was a user-pays system. The issue is that in the recession the number of containers dropped, so there was not the need for those particular officers—that was in the area of biosecurity. I think it is really important to make the point that we are talking about two separate issues. I can see how Labour members have tried to draw the longbow in terms of border operations, but the point is that a key focus of this bill is technology. It is about bringing the New Zealand Customs Service into the future. I raised the point regarding those particular staff—that it was a user-pays system. The number of containers dropped, therefore the need for those particular staff dropped. This bill is specifically dealing with some issues, in terms of taking the New Zealand Customs Service into the future.
One of the key amendments in this bill concerns the SmartGate system, and I must admit that in my electorate I have had some great feedback about it. People are all for making it easier to travel between New Zealand and Australia. I think there has been a lot of good feedback regarding the announcements from Prime Minister John Key and Kevin Rudd in this area.
The other point is that there are a number of other amendments in this bill that I look forward to looking at more closely during the select committee process. One of them focuses on technology, as well, and around the use of future technology. The amendments will have the effect of allowing for future technology to be used, instead of the traditional seal that was envisaged at the time those definitions were drafted. This is quite important because it might include “smart” packages that are able to detect interference with their contents. That is crucial because we need to be able to know that the packages that are coming in have not been interfered with. We need to use technology to help us to do that.
The previous speaker, Grant Robertson, criticised our Government in terms of its investment in people. But one of the key points in this bill is that we are taking the New Zealand Customs Service into the future and using technology. I want to give members an example of that. If we had been asked 10 or 20 years ago about the use of electronic boarding passes, would people have really ever questioned now how beneficial they are? I think there is an issue of the Labour Party being a bit in the dark ages. Labour members need to understand that technology can be very beneficial. The National Government is bringing the New Zealand Customs Service into the future.
The other key amendment I want to bring to people’s attention concerns false allegations or reports to a customs officer. This is a very serious issue, but I can see in the draft bill that a new offence is seen as necessary for people with false intentions who allege to customs that an offence has been committed or that the safety of people or goods is jeopardised. This offence is based on section 24 of the Summary Offences Act, which relates to the police. This is quite crucial. We are giving customs officers the power to penalise those people who are wasting the time of the New Zealand Customs Service.
There are a number of amendments here. I have mentioned the particular ones relating to technology, which are about bringing the New Zealand Customs Service into the future. We have heard a whole lot of stuff from the Labour Opposition, which I do not think is particularly relevant to this bill. I saw that David Shearer launched Mike Lee’s mayoral campaign. I do not believe he has announced that he is standing yet, but David Shearer said that he had. A whole lot of irrelevant stuff has come from the Opposition, but I am very proud to be supporting a bill that is about taking the New Zealand Customs Service into the future, supporting technology, and supporting Kiwis and Australians to be able to travel more easily to each other’s countries. I am proud to be supporting this bill.