Williams Poto: Canterbury Property Boundaries and Related Matters Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeWilliams Poto: Canterbury Property Boundaries and Related Matters Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 03 November 2015. Volume:709;Page:7592. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]POTO WILLIAMS (Labour—Christchurch East):Tēnā koe. Thank you for the opportunity to speak and to take this short call. There are really just a couple of points I want to make about this bill and the first one cannot be emphasised too much and that is about the rights of property owners in Canterbury and how those rights have been somewhat stretched over the last 5 years. Just to recall it is not just the earthquake sequence that has impacted on the people of Canterbury and it has not been just the several tons of liquefaction that they may have had to move off their properties; it is the fact that the latest rates valuations turned up in their letterboxes and there were some significant differences in property values that they had to contend with. There are issues around coastal hazards. There are issues around section 72 notices going on land information memoranda. There is issue upon issue upon issue for the people of Canterbury to deal with in terms of their property and it cannot be stressed enough that they need to be given the appropriate time full information and due regard for their concerns in this process. I am not comfortable that that is actually occurring when we have four Canterbury bills before the people of Canterbury to make submissions on two of them with quite significantly truncated select committee processes to deal with.This is a group of people who actually deserve the time and the patience to have all the information presented to them and to be given the opportunity to consider it properly and to know that this House will actually consider their views—not give them a few weeks to consider a huge range of information that impacts many of their lives impacts the way that the regional council will be made up impacts the way that the regeneration will occur and impacts on their property rights. If there is one thing that the people of Canterbury do not need it is a Government standing over them demanding—Nuk Korako: What?POTO WILLIAMS: —that they actually engage in a process when they are not sure that they have full information in front of them. You can say “What?” Mr Korako from across the other side of the House but I am sure that from your office you know as much as I do that our people are very concerned that they have full information.Let us face it. We are not entirely sure that the surveying techniques that were used which were out of normal practice will not impact on boundaries of certain people and that those people will have the opportunity to have those disputes resolved appropriately because the surveyors are indemnified within this bill. There are some real major concerns for Cantabrians and I am really concerned that the list member across the other side of the House finds this amusing. I do not find it amusing at all. We currently have 300 disputes. As the process of rebuilding goes on there may be more so we must give due regard for the concerns of the people of Canterbury and we must get the assurance of the select committee that they will be given the information and the due regard that they deserve. There are issues for example right now where properties do not comply with planning laws and it is really important that we get these matters resolved. I mean I cannot state it more strongly.The people of Canterbury and the homeowners of Canterbury deserve to know exactly where their property boundaries are. On top of everything else that is currently going on in Canterbury we must make sure that they have all the information they need and that this information is given and their consultation is given due regard. Thank you.