Urgency

I move, That urgency be accorded the passing through all stages of the Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (No 2). The Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (No 2) is a very short, eight-clause bill that does one thing. It prevents the expiry of key provisions in the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act 2001, which supports the efficiency and contestability in one of New Zealand’s most significant industries, the dairy industry.

Without this bill, these provisions, as they affect the South Island, will expire on 31 May this year. The bill needs to be passed as soon as possible to give South Island farmers, dairy businesses, and the wider dairy industry certainty about the regulatory environment that will apply to them in the coming dairy season, which begins on 1 June. In particular, it needs to be passed under urgency to provide certainty for dairy farmers prior to the closure of the Fonterra shareholder application period on 28 February 2018.

I note the provisions of this bill were originally contained within the larger Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill introduced to the House by the previous Minister in March 2017 but not progressed any further. The bill removes any additional provisions that were contained in the original bill and simply strips the bill down to only continuing the status quo while further consideration is given to other matters.

Can I just remind members that the moving of an urgency motion is, effectively, a point of order, and not subject to interjection.