Civil Aviation Bill

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I’ve been waiting to take this call since November last year, because that was the time when the second reading of the Civil Aviation Bill began. It has come up on the Order Paper a few times in the last few weeks, and I’ve been ready to take my call, and we’ve never quite made it. But tonight we will get through the final section of the second reading of this bill, which is very, very exciting.

The Civil Aviation Bill is important because much of our aviation legislation is out of date and needs modernisation, and that is what this bill does. I do want to acknowledge the Transport and Infrastructure Committee, who have taken a significant amount of time to work through the bill and make a number of practical and good suggestions. One of the challenges that we face—that is certainly the case in my region—is the need for our airports to have modern legislation as they evolve. For example, in Nelson, the runway is currently too short for us to be able to have electric and modern planes come on to the runway, and the airport is currently working through a process locally with the council, with the golf course, and with residents on—

ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa): Order! Order! There’s a lot of noise coming from this side of the House.

It’s all good.

💬 Hon David Bennett: Well, she was waiting since November.

So the law is important so that airports, like Nelson, are able to make the changes they need as aviation evolves over the coming years. So it’s an excellent bill. I’m looking forward to it getting through its second reading tonight so we can progress it and implement it, and I commend it to the House.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yes, this bill sort of lost its impetus with a while between speeches, but National supports the bill as well. There are some changes in it that are necessary to upgrade the technology and some of the rules around civil aviation which haven’t been done for a while. But, in essence, it’s a bill that will be without too much debate and it will be supported through the House.

Kia ora, Madam Speaker. I just loving standing in this House and being able to present information. Coming back to the New Plymouth electorate, as I always like to do, we have, if you’ve not seen, our airport in New Plymouth, it is the state-of-the-art, most modern, wonderful—and again, Barbara Kuriger gets to enjoy the airport in the electorate of New Plymouth. I know we get to travel together regularly out of that airport and into the airport. Half a million people, at least, a year come and go from that airport.

This legislation is important. This legislation has been waiting a long time. This legislation is being commended to the House.