Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage): I move, That the Cultural Property (Protection in Armed Conflict) Bill be now read a second time. New Zealand ratified the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict on 24 July last year. The convention was established in response to the widespread destruction of cultural property during the Second World War. It provides for the protection of things like movable property, such as works of art, manuscripts, books, scientific collections, and archives; monuments and archaeological sites; museums and libraries; and centres containing a large amount of cultural property.
