In what we hope will be a post-Covid world, New Zealand is set to host APEC in 2021, National’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson Gerry Brownlee says.

“Host responsibility for the security of delegates, particularly over the Leaders’ Week, requires legislation that fairly balances security needs against New Zealanders’ freedoms.

“A Bill to achieve that has been through a Select Committee process.

“National has supported the process so far. However the Government has chosen to include the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC 2021) Bill in today’s urgency motion.

“It is in our view completely inappropriate that a Bill of this nature is dealt with in the rush of dead of night urgency.

“There is not a Government majority to pass the Bill and National will not support its remaining stages being rushed through under urgency.

“We would urge the Government to recognise that pushing the remaining three stages of this Bill (which is effective in 2021) through urgency is inappropriate. Should the Government choose to remove it from the urgency motion, then our position would change.”

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