Twyford Phil: Waitaki District Council Reserves and Other Land Empowering Bill — Third Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Twyford Phil: Waitaki District Council Reserves and Other Land Empowering Bill — Third Reading 
[Sitting date: 20 February 2013. Volume:687;Page:8044. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
PHIL TWYFORD (Labour—Te Atatu) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker Robertson. I want to just commend those words of wisdom in that last comment that you made. I noticed during the contribution of the last speaker that Aaron Gilmore has been away. I have just realised that he has not made a speech for the last 12 months. It has been rather a long time between drinks and it is good to have Aaron Gilmore back in the House because he provides so much entertainment for members on this side of the House. It makes the day a lot more fun. I too would like to— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Bring back Quinn. 
PHIL TWYFORD 
: I would like to bring back—I am not prepared to support the comment by Trevor Mallard suggesting that we bring Paul Quinn back to the House. I think that goes a little far. 
 I too wanted to respond to contributions made by Green and New Zealand First colleagues. This is now the third time that we have had the pleasure of debating Jacqui Dean’s Waitaki District Council Reserves and Other Land Empowering Bill. It has been a very enjoyable experience and now we are all much more familiar with Lookout Point than we used to be. 
Hon David Parker 
: Forrester Heights. 
PHIL TWYFORD 
: Forrester Heights as David Parker points out is the more authentic description for that little bit of land. The Local Government and Environment Committee went on a bit of a journey and it considered submissions from a number of people including Barry Monks Warren Crawford and other concerned citizens of Oamaru—good men who care about their community and care about public land in Oamaru and who had done a lot of historical sleuthing of the documents to try to establish that in fact this bit of land that we are talking about was reserve land and not reserved for endowment. 
But to the best of the select committee’s ability based on the best advice of officials who brought historical evidence to the select committee it was established that in fact Forrester Heights the land in question was not reserve land going back to 1884. The confusion arose through administrative error and it was in fact endowment land. I challenge any other member of the House in this debate to correct me if I have got that wrong. The land was confirmed through the earnest inquiries of the select committee to in fact have been reserved for endowment and not reserve land. 
In my submission if members of the House accept that the land was not reserve land then there is no other logical position than to vote for this bill. I listened to the member Eugenie Sage—an excellent member of this House—saying that the Greens were opposing this bill because of inadequate consultation by Waitaki District Council. That is completely illogical. That may be a really valid criticism of Waitaki District Council but it is a criticism to be made in the debating chamber of Waitaki District Council. That is its decision to make. If we stand for the rights of local communities and local councils to control their affairs as we have in numerous debates in this House over the last few years then it makes no sense at all to my mind for the Greens and for New Zealand First to stand up in this debate and vote against this local bill because they do not agree with the quality of consultation. 
Andrew Williams who is another member of this House whom I have a great deal of respect for—the lion of the super-city debate—stood up and made some very eloquent criticisms of the desire and intention of the Waitaki District Council to develop Forrester Heights even though as far as I am aware the council does not currently intend to develop that land. It did but I am not sure it does now. 
Hon David Parker 
: It does. It does. 
PHIL TWYFORD 
: OK. I stand corrected. David Parker has corrected me in that and tells me that it does currently intend to do that. I stand corrected. But even if it is wrong or unwise to develop this precious bit of publicly owned land on a lookout over Oamaru Harbour—even if it does that—that is an argument to be made in the debating chamber of Waitaki District Council. That is an issue for the citizens of Oamaru. It is between them and their elected councillors who are responsible for the stewardship of that land. That is not an argument to be brought to this House. Andrew Williams of all people has defended the rights of communities as we have debated the many odious local government bills that the National-led Government has brought to this House over the last year. That member stood up for the democratic rights of people on the North Shore and the wider Auckland region and— 
Maggie Barry 
: Not to mention lemon trees and pohutukawas. 
PHIL TWYFORD 
: Well that is interesting. It is good to hear a contribution from the member Maggie Barry otherwise known on this side of the House as “Poison Ivy” who I believe has broken the well-established Maggie Barry standing order that you must never stand up in this House and speak about something unless you have direct experience of it. I think that unless Maggie Barry can guarantee to this House that she has personally visited Forrester Heights she really has no right to stand up— 
Maggie Barry 
: Point of order Mr Speaker. Can I answer to that? 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch) 
: No. 
PHIL TWYFORD 
: Thank you Mr Speaker. That is my point. I really wanted to address my criticisms to colleagues in the Greens and New Zealand First because I do not believe that they make an argument that has any validity or any logic behind it. 
This is a local bill. Its purpose is simply to clarify the legal status and the provenance of decade after decade after decade of confusion rancour and dispute about the status of this land and that is perfectly understandable. Having visited Forrester Heights and having stood on that land and looked over Oamaru Harbour I understand why many of the citizens in that town that lovely town are concerned and want to see that land protected as open space and public space for future generations. That is something as Andrew Williams was saying that people in communities all over New Zealand feel passionately: that public land especially land that has reserve status should be held and protected for future generations. But the harsh fact of this land’s history is that it was never deemed reserve land to the best of the select committee’s knowledge. It was deemed reserved for endowment and the historical detective work done by officials showed that I understand at the select committee fairly conclusively. 
Labour is supporting this bill. Whether or not this land is developed is a matter properly to be considered by the Waitaki District Council. It is a matter between it and the people of Oamaru.