Chadwick Steve: Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill — In Committee 
Chadwick Steve: Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:670;Page:17110] 
Hon STEVE CHADWICK (Labour) 
: 
 I want to take a call on clause 6 of the Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill. It would be lovely also if Government members would take a call. They seem to be venting a lot of frustration about the fact that we are paying a lot of attention to this bill clause by clause tonight. There are two issues that I want to cover. 
I am a bit disturbed at hearing from the banter across the Chamber tonight that Government members do not seem to care about the naming of this park; it is just preserving the status quo by calling it Parana Park in the new bill. I think my colleague Sue Moroney brought up a very good issue tonight. She said that the Geographic Board would have been the more appropriate place to put the naming of this park to. I am glad to see Pita Sharples look wisely across the Chamber over his glasses at me. As Minister of Maori Affairs I think he will be concerned now that he has heard that the Waikato District Council just decided that tonight in clause 6 we will enshrine the name Parana Park. I have seen the Minister of Maori Affairs go: “My golly. Here’s a lost opportunity. My golly I think I will get the Geographic Board to have a look at this. My golly it could have been called Putikitiki. It could have been called Kirikiriroa.” There are many names. 
An opportunity has been lost by this Government as its members are demonstrating tonight. They are saying to push this through. They want to get on to the next item of business on the Order Paper. Well Opposition members do not. We want to give this bill due concern and due consideration. I am pleased that I am receiving very good vibes from the Minister of Maori Affairs. He might just go to the Geographic Board. That board came up with “Whanganui” which we think was a wonderful decision. In fact when I was Minister of Conservation I too thought that a lot could be done about giving several areas in New Zealand their proper names—their names before Pakeha confiscation. That would have settled a lot of wrongs. But this Government is determined that we are going to look at huge Supplementary Order Papers we are not going to get legal advice we are not going to refer the marine and coastal bill back to select committee we are just going to ram it through—that is why we are debating this bill tonight. I think that during the debate tonight we have brought up some wonderful points. I have seen Pita Sharples writing on his BlackBerry. 
Let us have a look at this Parana Park bill. It is called the Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill and I would like to see the Minister take up the opportunity to put a referral to the Geographic Board to say: “How the heck can some of these bills just include a roll-over name like Parana Park?” which is what clause 6 does. I think that is a pity. The park was called Parana Park. Parana Park had its time and place. I say to Pita Sharples that this very park was on confiscated land for goodness’ sake! It was ultimately freeholded and that is how it got into George Parr’s ownership. He made a very generous and benevolent gift to Waikato but this bill causes another opportunity to redress a wrong of the past. I think the naming as enshrined in clause 6 will cause some concern in the future. Tainui will look at it. This is not necessarily an uncontroversial bill and I think that is why we want to debate it very vigorously. 
Clause 6 also talks about the recreation reserve. It enshrines the recreation reserve. I think that has been rather charmingly done. I want to congratulate the Hamilton Beautifying Society—[ 
Interruption 
]—if I can I say to Mr Henare. It is nice to say thank you to those who have contributed positively. The society has done a lot of good voluntary work in Parana Park. It has built a children’s paddling pool. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Good on them! 
Hon STEVE CHADWICK 
: I would not demean the society. 
Tim Macindoe 
: It’s been there all your lifetime. 
Hon STEVE CHADWICK 
: That is what the Hamilton Beautifying Society did. Then it put a lovely picnic shelter where the stables were and then a brick fireplace was built by the Rotary Club of Hamilton and presented to the Hamilton Girl Guides. Bless them.