Peachey Allan: Major Events Management Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumePeachey Allan: Major Events Management Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 22 August 2007. Volume:641;Page:11390. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ALLAN PEACHEY (National—Tamaki): I would like to take what I expect will be a brief call to speak in support of Part 3 of the Major Events Management Bill. Madam Chair I crave your patience and that of the Committee for a moment if I appear to wander off in terms of relevance. I assure you that I will not.I would like to reflect for just a moment. Last Friday night I had the great privilege to attend a dinner of an outfit called the Carbine Club in Ellerslie. This is a group of noted former and current sportspeople who get together from time to time to enjoy each others’ company and to assist a charity. It is the sort of organisation in which somebody has to pass on before a new member is admitted. We observed the passing of Ron McGregor that great man of rugby league. I had the very great privilege to have as my dinner companion that night a man whose name I hope members in the Chamber will recognise—Joe McManemin. He was the manager of the New Zealand athletics team at the Rome Olympics way back in 1960. I had a delightful night talking to him—Hon Trevor Mallard: Didn’t have this legislation then.ALLAN PEACHEY: No not in those days. We did not need it in those days I say to the Minister. We had this marvellous conversation about Snell and Halberg winning those two gold medals and subsequently going on to Perth and Doreen Porter winning that silver—Hon Trevor Mallard: No Perth was before then.ALLAN PEACHEY: No Perth was 1962 I assure the Minister—I am old enough to remember. The point I want to make is that men like Joe McManemin have given their lives to athletics and to organisations like the former Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association. The symbols that this bill seeks to protect are the result in the case of Mr McManemin of over 40 years’ work. I think it is important that the Committee acknowledges that in a way those men and women own the symbol. They made no financial gain at all from their voluntary effort over 40 or 50 years. Cynics can say: “Yes but look at the trips they had.” but let me tell people from my own experience that those trips are hard work. They are not junkets. They are hard work.I reflect on another member of the Carbine Club a good friend of mine Murray McKinnon who is currently in Osaka with the New Zealand athletics team at the World Championships in Athletics. To the best of my knowledge he is the only New Zealand journalist there who will be reporting back to New Zealand on the efforts of our athletes. He has paid his own way and that is the sort of commitment that in Part 3 we talk about protecting.I do not believe any organisation any smart clever business person or anybody seeking to make a financial gain for themselves has any right to be able to do that using things like the symbol of the Olympic Committee. I am pleased that this House is protecting that because we are saying that we acknowledge and respect the years and years of voluntary effort that has gone into this brand this symbol and what it represents. So much of what it represents is the very very best of New Zealand.I am honoured to speak in support of Part 3.