Standards and Conformance Bill

I move, That the Standards and Conformance Bill be now read a second time. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those organisations from a range of sectors that made submissions to the Commerce Committee on this bill. Generally, the submitters were supportive of the amendments to the Standards Act 1988 and the Testing Laboratory Registration Act 1972, both of which are contained in this bill. I would also like to thank members of the select committee, who, having carefully considered the submissions, reported the bill back to the House without amendment.

As I said when introducing this bill to the House, the standards and conformance infrastructure supports the New Zealand economy in many important ways. Customers here and overseas increasingly require products or services that comply with standards of quality and performance, and they are looking for independent verification that they comply. The importance of the independence of that verification cannot be overstated. New Zealand’s standards and conformance infrastructure is well respected internationally, and maintaining the confidence of our trading partners is, of course, a key purpose of the bill.

The international norms and practices in standards and conformance have evolved since the Standards Act 1988 and the Testing Laboratory Registration Act 1972 were last amended. It is important that New Zealand’s infrastructure remains up to date with these developments and those overseas. The provisions of the bill are also designed to ensure that the efficiency and effectiveness of the Standards Council and the Testing Laboratory Registration Council are both maintained and improved.

Although submissions to the select committee were supportive of the technical amendments contained in the bill, several raised a concern about the age of the New Zealand Standards Catalogue. That is not an issue that can be addressed through legislation. However, the Government is considering this and a number of other issues in the context of a review of New Zealand’s standards and conformance infrastructure that is currently being undertaken by the Ministry of Economic Development. I expect to see the release of a discussion document relating to the review that seeks submissions from the public on those issues in the near future. The review of standards and conformance will also dovetail with the Quality Regulation Review announced by the Minister recently.

This bill represents an important first step towards improving New Zealand’s standards and conformance system.

Debate interrupted.

The House adjourned at 10 p.m.