got Ngati Paoa in this bill. If it is a treaty
bill or an enabling bill for
for Ngati Paoa to complete their treaty
treaty settlement, then Iwould like to know
to know from this minister in the chair
to
BELL RUNG The Hon
The Hon Scott Simpson. I have been Sitting and listening
sitting and listening carefullyto
contributions from members on the other side
other side of the House and I have to say that
the debate has been more measured
measured than I perhaps thought it would be earlier on.
I particularly wanted
wanted to comment on several of the contributions
contributions from Green Party members who I think, particularly
Catherine Delahunty, made
a very good historic analysis
dilemmas and situations that we find ourselves in. I am not
one that normally
normally agrees with much of what Catherine
Catherine Delahunty has to say but I thought
thought her contribution in this debate
debate was thoughtful and very useful. Members have made a number
of points
of points in various speeches about ownership
ownership of the land and clearly some of them
have not even read the explanatory note
explanatory note in the second paragraph, which makes it
owned. This is land that Minister
Smith in an earlier contribution in this
this debate earlier this afternoon made
made very clear, land that has been funded and purchased
by taxpayers and as such is
entirely appropriately
appropriately available for housing, for
for treaty settlement issues and for the
have found particularly unusual is that not too many months ago in this
very House Labour members
supported the
the Riccarton Racecourse legislation which was
which was a reserve piece of land for
for exactly the same type of purposes as being explored by this
piece of
piece of legislation and now on this piece
piece of legislation they simply don't.
don't. What I'm keen to know is what
the Labour Party that has changed from their support for the Riccarton
race Course legislation that now
support this legislation which seeks to achieve very
similar objectives and goals.
and goals. Phil Twyford in his
contribution made the point that actually Labour have no beef
with Ngati Paoa but then he went on
say that it was important that Governments govern in the
of all New Zealanders, which is exactly
exactly what this bill seeks to achieve. Not for
any other reason than that. Ngati
Paoa came to the minister,
minister, Nick Smith seeking this opportunity. They didn't actually
want another piece of land. So it is arrogant, Ithink,
minister,
assume that they know btion what Ngati
and that they themselves should be making
making decision about Ngati Paoa's aspirations
aspirations for this piece of land. This
This is an historic situation where, for the
for the first time in this parliament, Labour will not be
supporting what is effectively
a treaty situation.
treaty situation. INTERRUPTION I want to talk to
I want to talk to the minister's SOP where the minister
has actually gone to some considerable
lengths to listen
listen to the submitters who
exact lie at addressing many of the
submitters. There will be as a result of the minister's
SOP a guarantee
guarantee that Auckland city will cease
cease grazing and the SOP of the ministers
ministers make sure that that will occun
ministers make sure that that will occur. The second thing that
the minister's SOP
minister's SOP seeks to achieve is that it
that's exactly what submitters wanted and the
minister's SOP gives an absolute assurance that 8.4
hectares of playing fields will be retained and it
provides certainty for that community.
So this bill has had
had the total support of Ngati Paoa and I think that members, some
members across the House seem
to have forgotten
have forgotten that. Now, sir, there were a number of contributions
from members, Peeni Henare for instance
asked about the right not to
object. Well,
Well, this bill has been part ofa very full and
appropriate normal select committee process. There
were hearings held in
Auckland and there have been
have been submissions that have been available and it was well
submitted too, by members
of the public. So, Mr
Mr Chair, it seems that Labor have been
been happy to rely on the same process
process in some pieces of legislation...
legislation... BELL RUNG
BELL RUNG ..but not in others. It
selective picking of sometimes
supporting an open and full select committee process and sometimes not
that allows them
to be, I think, somewhat
somewhat conflicted in this sort of
O'Rourke from New Zealand First made a
a very typical New Zealand First kind
kind of speech and contribution to this debate. I don't
think that it added
added anything to the debate at all. He spoke
He spoke about the conservation values but
values but on the other hand he would
would much preferto have cows grazing on this
piece of land and so too, it
too, it seems, that members of the Labour
Labour Party would. He said that he wanted to support the community. So
I guess that what
this means is that really deep down New Zealand
first do want to support this bill.
Eugenie Sage
Eugenie Sage made a point about what guarantee was there that there would
be a notified consent process. Well,
that is a
that is a matter that Auckland City will
will address. I can't speak on behaH
will address. I can't speak on behalf of Auckland City
but I do think that they
probably will take
Mayor has written a letter to the Minister
Minister Nick Smith and Auckland council will, I'm sure, take onboard
the issues
the issues raised by Eugenie Sage. So the minister, who I
addressed most of the issues that have
have been raised by submitters in his very good SOP. Michael
an interesting contribution because here
here is a relatively new member to this House who barn stormed
his way through the
saying that housing, housing, housing was the most
important issue.
issue. Now suddenly he comes to the
parliament and he find that under the whip of
the Labour Caucus that suddenly
suddenly housing is not the important
important issue for Auckland as well. Housing
Chair, I thinkthat as we have heard from a number
debate, Louisa Wall has been the one
articulately summed up the conflicted spot that the
Labour Party find themselves in in this.
Louisa Wall
Louisa Wall has tried to find as much
much justification as the Labour Party
Party could for not supporting this by. She
by. She acknowledged that she found it difficult
it difficult and that that was a difficult
Party to struggle with this piece of legislation.
internal wrangles and difficult philosophical
philosophical positions that the Labour
I have been interested in listening to
to these speeches, and I guess we'll listen to a few more yet go.
listen to a few more yet to go. I've just called Phil Twyford. I'm
not going to waste any time in this
call responding to that
mumbling immediate
responding to that mumbling
address the claim that this bill somehow attempts to
address Auckland's housing crisis. This is