Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise on behalf of the ACT Party in support of the Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill. I think that this is a fantastic bill that looks to support a lot of our businesses while also making sure that we have the ability to be able to pay for that support. I particularly like what is in Part 3 of this bill, which is ensuring that we can get GST refunds available to all importers who return goods valued at over $1,000, including looking at work around those who are not GST-registered also being able to extend how long it is before they can return goods and apply for GST refunds, if needed.

There is one aspect of the bill that I ask the Minister to be fulsome on and to work with her officials on, and that is in regard to the levies for recovering costs relating to goods management. I’m thinking, as the Minister in charge of firearms reform and having come from a wholesale industry where a lot of prohibited goods are imported by one person or one company but also have to go through a process of approval with different agencies, as well, that we need to ensure that when the levies are set for businesses who may end up having two sets of fees to pay, that is considered at the time that the levies are set.

All in all, it is a great bill that is going to get things moving, support businesses, support the Customs Service, and get this country rolling. Let’s fix this. We commend this bill to the House.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Look, I’m happy to take a call here on the second reading of the Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill. We considered this in the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee, and I’d like to thank committee members from across the House for their time and work on this, and for advisers’ contributions as well.

Ultimately, this is about efficiency—making the system better—and that is one of the core aspects of this Government: improving efficiency. That, ultimately drives productivity gains, and that drives economic activity. That’s what we want to see on this side of the House, so I commend this bill.

As has been noted in the first reading of this bill, it is largely technical in nature. It seeks to improve the way Government agencies, particularly Customs, recover costs and manage imported goods, while also progressing product stewardship schemes and providing greater clarity for consumers on GST refunds. There are incremental but important changes and, on balance, the Green Party continues to support this bill.

The bill amends three existing pieces of legislation—the Customs and Excise Act 2018 and the Goods and Services Tax Act 1985 and the Waste Minimisation Act 2008—to support the implementation of product stewardship by clarifying the role of Customs in collecting stewardship fees.

Product stewardship, simply put, is: if you made it, you’re responsible for it at the end of its life. We all know it’s easier and cheaper to buy a new kettle than get one repaired. It wasn’t that long ago that a kettle bought as a wedding gift would last a couple’s lifetime. Let’s get back to that and have less in landfill.

As my colleague Francisco Hernandez noted at the first reading, the Green Party has a commitment to product stewardship and the zero-waste kaupapa. The Waste Minimisation Act started as a member’s bill and was championed by former Green MP Nandor Tanczos—who is running for the Mayor of Whakatāne—and passed with cross-party support.

The Hon Eugenie Sage did amazing things with product stewardship in her time as the Associate Minister for the Environment. We are happy to see the Government is continuing to progress on product stewardship through the changes proposed in this bill, particularly through enabling Customs to collect fees tied to product life-cycles. This is a sensible and efficient step, especially when dealing with imported goods. It gives appropriate powers to allow Customs to support product stewardship without requiring new stand-alone systems.

We need to move towards a system that reduces waste. Waste minimisation is about moving to the top of the waste hierarchy. Reduce and repair are right at the top; recycling is right at the bottom.

Ryan Hamilton: Point of order. Sorry, Mr Speaker, to interrupt the speaker but I believe she’s on the wrong bill.

ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Teanau Tuiono): The member can continue.

KAHURANGI CARTER: Thank you. Waste minimisation and a circular economy that futureproofs our next generation is best summed up by the words “waste not, want not”. Consumers want to have eco-choices. We see it with choosing the bus, worm farms, growing kai, buying local, and researching eco-solutions. The Waste Minimisation Act is about shifting responsibility upstream on to producers, importers, and distributors, to replace the burden of waste on whānau, councils, and Papatūānuku, and ultimately allow us to move towards a circular economy. These amendments help support that transition.

This is not just a practical and sensible change but it also helps promote a culture of repair over replacement. Consumers want to choose eco, but the system encourages fast consumption and throwaway culture. Extraction, production, consumption—throwaway; a straight line all the way to the dump. We must make it easier and cheaper to repair goods, and this is a practical step and contribution towards waste minimisation and a circular economy.

It also ties in with the Greens’ broader advocacy on the right to repair bill, championed by the Hon Marama Davidson and Ricardo Menéndez March. Supporting repair practices means supporting consumers, small business, and the environment.

I want to shout out to Repair Revolution Christchurch, Repair Cafe New Zealand, Para Kore, WasteMINZ, and the Zero Waste Network for your contributions to product stewardship. You will be celebrating this small but important step in moving towards product stewardship and a circular economy.

While this bill is technical, it supports important progress and, most importantly, allows for stronger foundations for product stewardship. The Green Party supports these practical steps towards a circular economy and a waste-free Aotearoa, and we commend the work behind the bill. We will be voting in support.

Thank you. Before I take the next call, just to clarify for the House: it’s the Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill, but Part 2 is the amendments to the Waste Minimisation Act 2008, and Part 3 is amendments to the Goods and Services Tax Act 1985—so those are the “Other Matters”.

Debate interrupted.