Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Rugby World Cup 2019 Extended Trading Hours) Amendment Bill

I move, That the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Rugby World Cup 2019 Extended Trading Hours) Amendment Bill be now read a second time.

It’s a great pleasure to take this call and lead off this debate. In the current Air New Zealand health and safety video that appears on jet flights around the country, with which many members in this House will be familiar, there is a scene at the end where Stan Walker is talking to Israel Dagg and says, “I wonder when the next All Blacks - Air New Zealand health and safety video will take place?” And George Gregan pops up over the back and says, “I reckon in about four years.” The same theme, I think, appears with this legislation, because the last time we did this was four years ago, for the last Rugby World Cup, and there is a theme emerging here that every time we come to this event in particular, and possibly even other events, we’re passing legislation to allow something that is pretty natural to most New Zealanders, which is to want to get together with friends and family in a convivial environment to enjoy each other’s company, enjoy the sporting extravaganza, and also to imbibe alcoholic beverages of their choice.

For some of them, actually not to even imbibe alcoholic beverages—to have orange juice or a cup of tea or coffee, if that is their wont. But the main thing is people like to come together on these special occasions and not everybody’s front room or living room is big enough to host and entertain a multitude of friends and family. So people like to find venues where they can do that. And not everybody is as hip and young as some members in this House like Kieran McAnulty, who quite happily go off to the big crowded sports bars and partake of the kind of loud and very, very active and animated activities that go on in those sorts of venues. And there are some people who want to go to the more, I would say, mature venues like clubs, charter clubs, to enjoy that convivial environment, admittedly with the binging of slot machines and other things usually in the background. If you go to a New Plymouth club, that’s what you get and you can enjoy the pool tables as well.

But this bill is about recognising something that I think New Zealanders would expect this Parliament to recognise: that when our sale and supply of alcohol regulation doesn’t cover a perfectly reasonable situation, which is the situation in which some clubs and other licensed premises want to open for hours beyond their licensed hours to allow people to gather and enjoy the sporting extravaganza, then they should be allowed to do so. It is a pity that in some cases where licensed premises have applied for extensions to their licensed hours to the local district licensing committee, they’ve been knocked back or they’ve had imposed upon them conditions such as the need to run a raffle or even have a guest speaker or, you know, have to have streamers and decorations and all the rest of it, when actually what people want to do is gather around a big screen in the company of others and enjoy the spectacle.

So this bill is about enabling that thing to happen for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, which commences at the end of next month, 20 September, and goes through to 2 November. In the pool games, look, there’s varying levels of interest, it is true. I’m not sure how many will be queuing up for the All Blacks and Namibia game or even the All Blacks and Canada game, but people might—well, people will queue up for many of the other games, and once you get out to the knock-out phase of the competition, people invariably take a lot more interest. As we know, because the All Blacks are rated No. 2 now, I think behind Wales—you know, they’ll be up against it but New Zealanders will want to get in behind it. So this bill does that.

It’s not without constraints. Those licensed premises whose current licence does not allow them to be open during the hours when some of these broadcasts will take place must notify their local police station and their district licensing committee seven days beforehand that they intend to do so. They must apply the same conditions that are on their existing licence, and there’s a few other constraints as well. But otherwise, as it was in 2015, it’s a very modest piece of legislation, very time limited. It will allow an opportunity for people and the clubs who want to host them and the licensed premises who want to host them to enjoy that sporting event.

I should acknowledge that we’re at this place because of the drafting work and the advocacy of David Seymour from the ACT Party. I also acknowledge Nikki Kaye from the National Party. We were able to dust off the legislation from 2015. It applies mutatis mutandis, as they say in the legal profession, in relation to the 2019 event.

💬 Simon O’Connor: More Latin, I say.

But, by and large, it applies, and I know that Simon O’Connor is fully available for Latin translations off-line if anybody needs it. So that is what it does.

I know that there are some members who are concerned that this might signal something that some people in New Zealand are uncomfortable about, and that is what is described as an obsession about alcohol accompanying important events. And I think at a time when, you know, there is some commentary around at the moment causing us to reflect on the efficacy of our alcohol distribution law and regulation, it’s a legitimate point to raise. That said, I don’t think that the provision in this bill that allows this temporary amendment and temporary provision to allow premises to be available for people to congregate and enjoy the sporting event with alcohol available is going to cause undue harm or problems that might apply in different licensed premises in different circumstances under the current law.

In fact, I think the experience of 2015 was that when the legislation allowed premises to open longer, there was no harm caused beyond what was prevalent at the time, with the extra distribution of alcohol for those purposes on that occasion in those circumstances. I don’t think anybody is anticipating anything different on this occasion. So, on that note, I think this bill achieves a very confined, very specific, purpose, and I think that it does the job expected of it. I commend this bill to the House.

I am very pleased to speak on this legislation. Look, at the outset, I do want to make some acknowledgments. Can I make some acknowledgments of Clubs New Zealand, Hospitality New Zealand, but also I do want to acknowledge David Seymour and Andrew Little. It is rare in this House that we have such a breakout of cross-party love. And in this bill, except for the Green Party, there has been an extraordinary amount of collaboration across the House. I want to talk a little bit about why that is the case.

I think the first point which has been made by the Minister is that we were back here in 2015. It is generally acknowledged we are a rugby-loving nation. We may not be, in world rankings, the best in the world, but I’m sure that this House could pass a motion to say we are the best in the world. That is why we are here, in part, fast-tracking a piece of legislation. New Zealanders love rugby and we do recognise that we want people across the country to have access to the Rugby World Cup games.

I think what we need to acknowledge is, from this side of the House, we don’t want to be back here in four years. We do need to change the law to make sure we have a much better situation, less unwieldy—and I’m going to talk about that—around the viewing of major events. What this bill, in a very simple form does, is it enables the pubs and clubs in New Zealand to extend their licences under some conditions to be able to watch all of the Rugby World Cup games.

I want to acknowledge Grant Robertson on that point and Andrew Little. There was some suggestion with David Seymour’s original bill that it could have been just New Zealand games. I raised some questions publicly, and it is all games, but it is not correct to say that this legislation doesn’t have some constraints in it. Just like in 2015, there is a requirement for seven days’ notice to police and licensing authorities, and what the overwhelming evidence and experience showed was we didn’t have a whole lot of issues last time. So when I raised these issues with David Seymour and we went out there publicly and to the Government, I asked a question of Hospitality New Zealand but also of Clubs New Zealand. The reality is last time there weren’t a whole lot of bad situations. So I think we can look at experience and history on that matter.

The second point that I’d make, and Andrew Little actually also made this point, is it is not about everyone getting drunk. The reality is for some premises—and we do know that it is different for clubs versus pubs—it is just about being able to view the games. And why is that so important this time? It is important to acknowledge the change in the way that we are going to be viewing events: online. And the reality is that in rural parts of New Zealand—who, you know, National talks to quite a bit—there will be 40,000 households that potentially do not have access to broadband or fast connections. So their choice to actually get access to the games—and, yes, there is a partnership with TVNZ—may be going down to their local RSA or their sports club. So we saw, in the Opposition, that it was important to come back to this situation, to extend the law for this event because we are in this infancy and maturation as a nation around the way, and the technology, that we view events.

But I think I’d make a few final points. The final one is to say that it is an extraordinary example in a small nation of how we can come together in a very quick period of time and get it done, and that’s what we’re doing with this bill. We’re, effectively, enabling a whole number of New Zealanders in case we have technical issues with the rugby—in case, you know, you’re in a rural part of New Zealand, or if you have a situation where you go to your local district licensing authority and you actually get declined because the rules around special licensing are so archaic that certain people have to prove that they’ve got tickets. In fact, I heard an anecdotal situation the other day that, potentially, an RSA on Anzac Day was encouraged to do a dress-up. That tells you how problematic these district licensing rules are around alcohol—that we are in the situation that we can come together and pass a law to make sure that pubs and clubs can have access to the game, but, more importantly, rural parts of New Zealand.

But this final plea, from my perspective: the first part is that we don’t want to be back here in four years’ time. We actually need to ensure that for major events, potentially not just rugby—I know that people did raise issues around the Cricket World Cup—people are able to, in a relatively easy way, extend their licences and not go through cost, not go through unwieldy process, to be able to view sport. The second part is that this whole issue of technology, the way that content is being viewed, is changing, and Parliament and local government need to keep up with that change.

The final part that I want to mention—it’s been mentioned by the Minister—is around alcohol. The reality is, and I have had this conversation with a number of people in sport, that there is a massive component of sport funding that actually comes from some alcohol sponsorship. Now, I’m sure there will be members in this House that disagree with that. The reality is, as I think was demonstrated last time, the vast majority of people drink responsibly. So what National believes in is, actually, yes, there are some things around alcohol harm that we can all do as a country, but actually we do trust pubs and clubs in New Zealand to manage their premises in a way. There are constraints in this bill in terms of the seven-day time frame, and the reality is that last time we didn’t have a range of issues.

So I’m very pleased to support this bill to the House. I’m very pleased to have worked with David Seymour but also the Government to enable us to be in a situation where, I think, potentially hundreds of pubs and clubs in New Zealand are now able to watch the Rugby World Cup matches. It really reminds me, and I’ll leave you with this: being at Sir Brian Lahore’s funeral, actually—what a great man; the best of New Zealand—and watching some of all of those ex - All Blacks come together; actually, sport can bring a wide variety of people together. There is huge social benefit that can come from that, and that’s why we have not only supported this bill but have really been a catalyst for getting it to the Parliament, because we want more New Zealanders to come together to be able to watch sport and to ultimately see the All Blacks win in Japan. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise on behalf of New Zealand First to take a call on the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Rugby World Cup 2019 Extended Trading Hours) Amendment Bill—what a mouthful that is. And what a déjà vu it feels like, because just four years ago, we were standing in a similar place—well, actually, I was standing over there, but I know how it feels.

I just want to also acknowledge the work that Amy Adams has done last term to make sure that this bill is right for the play. New Zealand First has taken a great amount of time in being part of those discussions to ensure that we have a sensible, pragmatic approach to being able to have a beer on a licensed premises, to watch part of New Zealand culture unfold in front of our very eyes, with friends and family and colleagues. That’s what it’s all about.

I have to say I’m a little bit surprised at some of the members in the House that are not supporting this, particularly because it is about our culture and it is about connectivity and social intercourse amongst our communities, and I think this bill goes a long way to address some of these issues for the short term. But the bigger issue is ensuring that we actually fix this up, because in 2012, we introduced the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Bill, and it really is a bit of a bugger’s muddle. The issue really comes down to the interpretation of what is an event, and that is completely subjective. In fact, in the bill here it says “It is common for DLCs”—those are district licensing committees—“when considering a special licence application, to require a special event to take place on the premises—for example, a guest speaker, a band, or a fundraising event. Televising the Rugby World Cup does not align well with these types of events, which is making it difficult for some licensees to extend their trading hours for the tournament.”

Yet, having exactly the same legislation throughout New Zealand, some DLCs and local alcohol policies completely acknowledge that the likes of the Rugby World Cup or the Cricket World Cup are events that should be considered to be a special event, but we’ve got some more restrictive areas and interpretations that would say that they’re not.

Being involved heavily over my previous career before politics in hospitality—and I actually was a chair for the Hospitality Association of New Zealand—I found different parts of the country quite interesting to deal with. In Wellington, a number of years ago, I found them to be very, very open and supportive of events such as the Wellington Sevens, for example, and would encourage licensed premises to put in a special application to extend trading hours to ensure that people could be on a safe, licensed premises. In fact, you’re probably safer on a licensed premises than you are drinking at home or at somebody else’s house at a barbecue. We had other places around the country—and I don’t want to name some of those areas—where their perception of liquor licensing and special events was completely different, and on some occasions they would make us get all of our staff dressed up specifically and put balloons and streamers around to make it a special event, but, in actual fact, all we were wanting to do was play the rugby. The simple act of having a beer or a wine, or even not to drink—you can drink a Coca-Cola and have a bowl of fries—on a licensed premises, where you have a licensed manager and you have a duty manager, you’ve got licensed security, you have food available for all hours of the time that the premises is trading, and you’ve got trained staff who have got very strong regulations and rules around who they can serve and checking for ID—why wouldn’t we enable them to come to a licensed premises to enjoy the atmosphere and be with friends and family and colleagues to watch a special event?

Some parts of Australia have actually entered into a new age of thinking and looking at this dilemma that they have, where they have identified a number of events in certain states that they consider games of national significance, and those specific events, on those times that they’re played, if they are outside of your licence hours, providing you follow the rules and regulations to ensure that you give plenty of notice to your local authority and to the police, and providing you have food and security and all the other things that go with a safe premises—they can actually play those events beyond their licensed hours. I think as part of some reforms moving forward, this House needs to consider bringing into play some ideas along those lines, where we list the likes of the Cricket World Cup, the Rugby World Cup, the Football World Cup, the Netball World Cup, hockey, etc., and, of course, the Olympic Games, to name a few, that we could actually identify so that in four years’ time we do not have to sit here to discuss the next Rugby World Cup, the Netball World Cup, or the Cricket World Cup, and we can actually sit around and enjoy the social intercourse with friends and family. I think it’s very pragmatic.

I just want to say that New Zealand First has, of course, been very, very supportive of this role in 2015 and 2019—and, of course, in 2011, we had the Rugby World Cup here in New Zealand. There were some minor technical amendments made to ensure that licensed premises were able to operate within the confines of the law, because, of course, volume numbers were up.

But I just want to go back and just finish off my contribution to say good luck to our men in black. Over the last few tests that we’ve had, I have to say I was watching the South Africa—

💬 Hon Michael Woodhouse: And the parliamentary rugby team.

I’m not on the parliamentary rugby team, unfortunately, but I wish them all the very best this term as well. I have to say that watching the All Blacks take on South Africa, and we came to a draw there—I was sort of a bit perplexed as to, you know, the improvements that were required from the team. Then we took on the Wallabies, and much to my dismay, I was shocked to see that we had a first round loss, and I felt the despair around my friends and family and colleagues. There was certainly a lowering of enthusiasm, but they have certainly reinstated the faith of New Zealand after that absolutely resounding win over the Wallabies the weekend before last, with 36-0. I do have to say that New Zealand, the All Blacks—good luck, go forward, be strong. We have got a very good chance of taking three in a row, but it’s not going to be easy. Watch out for those Northern Hemisphere Blighties up the top end of the world, because they’re playing pretty good rugby too. I hope to see this proceed through the House expediently, as I’m sure it will today. Thank you very much.

It’s interesting—listening to speeches so far this afternoon, it would appear that this is a bill that has an enormous number of authors to it, and I’m not going to join that long list. All I will say is that before an author can get started, there has to be an idea, and I am an ideas man. I did, in fact, raise this with Mr Hipkins some months ago—he acknowledges that—and indeed did the same thing in 2015, and I’m grateful that others took up the mantle to write the bills, to go through the exercise, and to get us to a point where we are today.

But isn’t it an absolute pointer to the ridiculous nature of the legislation we have that guides liquor licensing in New Zealand at the present time? It is not the sort of thing that is easy to get through Parliament because, of course, it is a conscience vote. I can look across the House and see some people now applauding this particular bill who had all sorts of issues on the day that the bill was last changed in 2012 to try and get a different sort of approach to things. It’s utterly absurd that we have this every four years, or every time there’s a major sports event, or what have you—that we come to the House and try and put through some special legislation.

Today, we’ve heard some criticism of the bill that I have myself just criticised. But it also comes down to the fact that there is so much discretion around what would constitute an event for a special licence. The previous speaker, Clayton Mitchell, mentioned that, and I have to say that I’m taken back to the times when we were considering what arrangements would exist when the Rugby World Cup was in New Zealand in 2011. I do remember that our police at that time were not particularly helpful in understanding that it was an event where New Zealand had to show its widest hospitality, not in getting people drunk but making the opportunity available for people to come together in licensed premises. And I think that attitude pervades them to this day. Some people have suggested to me that maybe they should be called the “New Zealand Police and Prohibition Department”. I think that’s probably going a little too far, but there are times when you hear about—like the RSA that my colleague mentioned before, where on Anzac Day, to have a special licence, it was suggested that they dress up. Well, would they consider the wearing of a poppy a dress-up, because everyone knows that by the time they get back to the RSA, the poppy is on the memorial? So I think there does need to be a great deal more flexibility and also consistency across the country by all of the district licensing authorities around.

Look, obviously we’re supporting this bill, and I do recall, in 2015, the numbers of people who were saying, “This will be a disaster. People will be staggering out of bars at, you know, eight o’clock, nine o’clock in the morning, when the kids are coming to school or to preschool. There’ll be a mess everywhere. It’ll be carnage from one end of the country to the other.” Not one single incident occurred, because in the end, sports fans are there for the sport; they want to enjoy that occasion and not ruin it by getting themselves into such a messy state that they can’t do exactly that.

I would like to hope that Spark are on top of the technology and able to deliver these games to New Zealanders. They’re not going to be cheap. If anyone has a Sky Sport platform at the moment, if they have to go and get Spark, then that’s another $90-odd a month. So sport and its access to it in your home is becoming more and more of a luxury. I think the disappointment that I would express is that the bill on the Order Paper in the name of the honourable Clayton Mitchell, the games of national significance bill, has not been brought forward by the Government, not embraced by the Government, and on occasions when leave has been sought for that bill to come forward, unfortunately, it is the Government who have denied that leave—which is extraordinary, because Clayton Mitchell is himself part of the Government.

Can I say the All Blacks squad that was announced today carries with them the hopes of the nation in this tournament.

💬 Hon Michael Woodhouse: Bad luck on missing out.

There will be—well, my colleague says, “Bad luck on missing out.” I know Steve Hansen. I’ve always said to him I’m available, and he just gives me one of those dull smiles when I mention that to him. Look, can I say, in a very serious way, congratulations to those who have made the squad, and best wishes for their work, and best wishes to the coaches and to Steve for the great, extraordinary record that he has as a coach.

But I do want to make a special mention, too, of someone who has missed out, and that is the great Owen Franks: 108 tests, a truly great servant of New Zealand rugby, and, I’ve got to say too, a wonderful human being. I don’t know anybody who has had anything to say about him other than comments that are totally praiseworthy. I know that this will be a particularly disappointing day for him and for his family, but I would want him to realise too that his legacy in the game is very, very big, and for all the years that are ahead of him, he will be in the category of Brian Lochore and others for the contribution that he has made.

So with that, can I say I hope that people do enjoy the benefit of the extended hours that are going to be available, and I express my confidence that people will act responsibly during those hours and, above all, enjoy the success of our team.

As with past legislation, the Greens will be, and are, opposing the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Rugby World Cup 2019 Extended Trading Hours) Amendment Bill. This bill enables club licence and on-licence holders to extend their trading hours in order to televise the 2019 men’s Rugby World Cup games. We know that licensed premises would normally have to apply for a special licence to operate and serve alcohol outside of usual hours, but this bill will allow them to bypass the special licence process that we already have in place. It follows a similar bill that we’ve passed before.

How much longer are we going to continue to tag the sporting culture of our country—which I am incredibly proud of, and have a strong affinity with through myself and my family and my community—to drinking? How much longer are we going to justify this gift to the alcohol industry that says that the only way that we can enjoy the world cup as true New Zealanders is if we rush through urgency this legislation to extend opening hours and for the sale of liquor? What an incredible gift to the alcohol industry. What a culture we are upholding that continues to allow drinking as part of the ordinary, normal way that we do sports in this country.

I want to offer at this point a massive shout-out to the sports that happen around our country every day, every week, all year long. That happens without alcohol. That happens based on the values of bringing people together, socialising with physical activity, and connecting and learning about how we are as a society.

For the Greens, I’m very proud to be opposing this legislation. I also am proud to oppose this legislation on behalf of the Greens because, apparently, we do have warning about this men’s Rugby World Cup competition. Apparently, there is cause for us to not have to rush things through urgently. I hear that this thing happens—I don’t know, is it every four years? We knew it was going to happen the last time we rushed this through the House, so the need for urgency is not clear to me and my colleagues.

If there are indeed problems with the special licensing process that we currently have, then let’s fix that with some proper robust debate. Let’s hear from organisations at the forefront of eliminating violence connected with alcohol. Let’s hear from the sporting industry.

I wonder if, after this world cup, we are going to see some actual proposals to get some robust debate put through for urgent legislation. Is this the threshold for urgent legislation that we want to put through this House?

I listened to Gerry Brownlee, the previous speaker, talk about the last time we passed this legislation, and he said that there was no such bleak picture of people staggering out of bars at all hours of the night. The absence of that particularly bleak situation is not good enough, because we need to also keep investigating the long-term narrative of attaching drinking culture to sporting culture. Sporting culture is beautiful, sporting culture is positive, and sporting culture is something that we all can sign up to, be a part of, and contribute to. I do not see the need for us to continue to uphold and connect that to having a beer.

That has got nothing to do with denying people an ordinary and responsible way to be able to drink alcohol, in and of its own self, but connecting it and continuously tagging it to sporting culture is why the Greens will continue to oppose this. Thank you.

I was asked to provide a bookmaker’s perspective on this particular piece of legislation. It is vitally important that the media, I hope, and the public recognise that, on the whole, this House is coming together to address a problem that would have caused considerable inconvenience to many people, because there are a lot of people out there that use the social institution of a club or their local pub to go along and get together and watch something that’s important to them, and that, of course, is the All Blacks performing in the Rugby World Cup later on this year in Japan. They have a tremendous chance to do what no country’s ever done before, and win three in a row.

Whilst I accept and respect the views of those that say that this probably should have been sorted out four years ago, when we were in a similar situation and were faced with having to do a similar piece of legislation, nevertheless, I don’t believe that’s a reason to oppose it. We’ve got a situation in front of us now that we do need to fix, because there are clubs around the country that have followed the rules as they are written out and have been declined their application to extend their licence to allow them to serve alcohol while showing the Rugby World Cup games.

Rugby is vitally important to us as New Zealanders. It is deeply ingrained in many of the communities—all of the communities, indeed—that we live in, just like mine in Wairarapa. My beloved Wairarapa Bush beat Wanganui in the weekend, by the way, Mr Assistant Speaker, and I’m sure you’d be very pleased to hear that.

The fact is that, you know, many of us have grown up supporting rugby since we were young, and for something that is essentially an administrative issue that is easily resolved, it would have been a real shame to deny not only those people that wish to enjoy a responsible drink whilst watching the rugby but also those people—they might live in rural areas, they might live in areas that the previous Government did not supply rural broadband to and, therefore, cannot connect to Spark and see the All Blacks. They’ve got to get together and do so at a club. They might also just simply not be able to afford the pay-per-view nature of the coverage of the Rugby World Cup, and it would be a real shame if we did not extend the ability for clubs and pubs to get an extension of their licence to continue to serve alcohol whilst they are showing the games.

Of course, we do have a very good chance. Despite the confusion that was raised in this House by the Hon Nikki Kaye, New Zealand is, of course, ranked at the top of the world and ready to go, and we are going to do very well.

I was reflecting on the speeches during the speeches of the last Rugby World Cup. A very good friend of mine, Andrew Little, and I happened to be in London at the time, and I thought the House might enjoy this wee anecdote.

I was young and ready to impress—of course, I was wanting to get a decent spot on the list—so I thought I’d show the Labour leader at the time a good night out in London, which was, of course, where the Rugby World Cup final was. I’d never actually spent any time in London, so I had absolutely no idea what I was talking about, and Andrew asked me to take him to a pub full of New Zealanders. The only pub that I knew was the Walkabout. I jumped in a cab and I said to the driver “Take us to the Walkabout.”, and he gave me a funny look. He started the car and turned round the corner and parked up, and said, “Here it is.” So my first opportunity to try and impress Andrew Little, and I blew it. But luckily enough, nevertheless, I was given a very low list position, and then, unexpectedly, we did quite well at the election and here I am. So there you go.

The point is that this particular piece of legislation is very basic. It’s very straightforward, and it fixes something that should have been fixed a long time ago. I think that the calls for this to be addressed have been heard, and I also want to point out one very important piece of information. It’s not actually easy for some people to find the schedule of games for the world cup. They just need to look at the back of the legislation. Every single game is listed in the back of this piece of legislation, and the New Zealand games are highlighted in bold, as are the semi-finals, the quarter-finals, and, of course, the final.

We’re very pleased to see that this Government has worked alongside other members, like David Seymour and those on the other side of the House, that have put forward this idea. Everyone has seemed to have claimed some input in this. I had absolutely no input into this bill at all, but I am very pleased to stand and speak in favour of it.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise proudly on behalf of the ACT Party in support of this bill, which I think is a wonderful achievement for our Parliament and is politics at its best. But it’s also a defence against one of the dark forces of New Zealand politics. You see, even the greatest political achievement of our country, which in my view happened in 1893, we should never forget was part of a dirty deal with the prohibitionists to achieve universal suffrage. The wowsers are never far from our politics in this country, and they lie in wait to ruin anyone’s fun that may seek to have it. It’s been the case in 2015, with the Rugby World Cup then, when the All Blacks were victorious, and it has been the case in 2019, when the All Blacks, of course, will again be victorious.

It’s a wonderful thing that this Parliament has been prepared to put aside all of its usual differences to work together to beat the wowsers, to beat the prohibitionists, and to allow sensible and sane laws so that people can do something very innocuous. I want to thank in particular the Hon Nikki Kaye and the Hon Andrew Little, from National and Labour respectively, who have worked with me, and I’ve worked with them, to make this possible. It’s politics at its best, working together for the people.

I want to say to the people who are worried about what this might mean: don’t worry. I have to confess being a little bit nervous in 2015, when I was somewhat responsible for a similar bill, about what might actually happen, because there were those who said—those wowsers of whom I warned us earlier—“New Zealanders can’t handle it. They’ll go and they’ll be lying destitute and pissed in the gutters up and down this country because they just can’t handle an extra couple of half-hours or hours of the pubs being open outside their usual licensed hours.” Yet what happened? Nothing brings together New Zealanders better than sport. New Zealanders up and down this country went to their pubs, went to their clubs, and enjoyed the game. If I remember rightly, the main thing that was sold was actually eggs benedict, given the timing of the games in 2015. There was no trouble.

Let me just say that again: last time we extended the hours so that people could watch the Rugby World Cup at a pub, there was no trouble as a result of that law change. My suggestion is that there will be no trouble this time—

💬 Chris Bishop: What about the eggs bene?

—because New Zealanders—

💬 Hon Gerry Brownlee: Will there be enough eggs?

—are fundamentally good people. Gerry Brownlee is asking about the eggs benedict. Mr Brownlee, I am sure that even though the games are much later—more towards 11 p.m., 12 p.m., 1 a.m.—if Gerry Brownlee asked very nicely, they will whip him up something special out the back.

💬 Chris Bishop: It’s never too late.

💬 Andrew Falloon: All day breakfasts.

All day breakfasts. All day breakfast for Gerry Brownlee doesn’t just stop at midnight; it goes into the next day as well. I’m saying—

💬 Hon Carmel Sepuloni: That’s bad.

He’s asking, and Chris Bishop’s asking as well.

I’d say to people that New Zealanders are going to enjoy the game at their local pubs and clubs responsibly. But I’d also say that eventually there needs to be a long-term fix, and I think that this Parliament should be looking—not often; I wouldn’t make a habit of this—to our cousins across the ditch, because there is one area where the Australians have actually got something right, and it is in the way that they allow a Minister to issue an edict to have the pubs open for a particular event. It saves their Parliament having to go through the rigmarole of changing the law every four years for the Rugby World Cup, and it has the advantage that they can be a bit more equitable, because they can do it for a range of other events as well as their particular favourite one, which I’m sure will not be the Rugby World Cup this year.

So it’s a great day for Parliament, a great day for rugby, a great day for democracy, a great day for pubs and clubs. I commend this bill to the House. Thank you, Mr Speaker.