Waste Minimisation Bill
In Committee
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NATHAN GUY (National) : This is an important bill and I want to make a contribution to the debate, particularly in light of those people who are in their vehicles after finishing work, and who are heading up the Kapiti Coast to Horowhenua where there has been no power today. There has been a major storm through that area, and of course that will result, and has resulted, in a lot of waste all around the place. I have had a lot of calls to my office today about it. Trees are down and the phone lines are down, and some roads up there are blocked. It will take some time to clear that debris or waste, and I urge the community of Horowhenua to be patient. I have been in contact with the mayor and the chief executive up there, and all the support services are on stand-by. A lot of destruction has been caused by this weather bomb that has headed our way.
This bill is in a different form now, and is back before the House. We had a very robust discussion in caucus as it made its way through the select committee process. I need to acknowledge the good work that Nicky Wagner has done. Some of her Supplementary Order Papers are on the Table this afternoon, and I hope they will be endorsed by the Committee. This bill has come back in a different form because of the parliamentary process, and the select committee has worked hard on it. I know that Mark Blumsky and the team have been going up and down the country, hearing a lot of submissions on this bill.
Part 2, “Product stewardship”, will result in a scheme that hopefully will be flexible. Mr Roy made a very, very good contribution when covering his rural background in Invercargill. He mentioned baleage wrap—the green wrap around bales that many members will have seen around the countryside. Of course the manufacturers and the people selling that product do not want it back because of the terrible smell. But we need to think about a programme for that product, rather than having it just clogging up our landfills. So that is an important part of this bill. Its other aspect, of course, is the provision that when we purchase any whiteware component, we will possibly be able to get a refund or discount for the longevity of that item at the end of its life. I think that is a very, very important aspect.
I look forward to Mr Norman making a contribution tonight on this bill. After Nandor Tanczos, who was the proponent of this bill, made his valedictory speech, he produced a hammer out of his pocket and caused some waste to Parliament. He attacked his bench top. I am not sure whether this wood is New Zealand kauri, or exactly what—
Chris Auchinvole: Rimu.
NATHAN GUY: It is rimu. I knew I was close; it is a New Zealand native. So I want to know from Mr Norman, in relation to Part 2 covering product stewardship, whether the New Zealand rimu that was damaged by Mr Tanczos in this Chamber was able to be recycled. My understanding is that the damage caused by the former Green member to that piece of timber resulted in an invoice for payment going to the Green Party, and so it should have done. I look forward to—
Jacqui Dean: What about the watch?
NATHAN GUY: I am not sure about the watch. That is a very valid point, I tell Mrs Dean—whether the watch was able to be recycled under the product stewardship covered by Part 2. So I look forward to Mr Norman making a contribution. Members on this side of the Chamber have made several speeches now, and we would like Mr Norman to respond to a couple of aspects of this very important Part 2.