Woods MeganThird ReadingHon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration): I move That the Greater Christchurch Regeneration Amendment Bill be now read a third time.I've made it very clear that I'm committed to this transition back to local leadership in regeneration in Greater Christchurch and for that reason I am so pleased to be standing here in this House today for this third reading of the bill. Early repeal of the section 71 power and earlier disestablishment of Regenerate Christchurch are both key in returning regeneration matters to local leadership. They are important pou on our transition pathway to local leadership in my home while the extension of a limited set of land powers to ensure there is a backstop if required for land title reconfiguration work in the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor will help solidify Christchurch's strong position from which to progress regeneration.The bill illustrates the accumulation of a lot of hard work by central and local government politicians and officials. It has only been possible given the progress made on regeneration in recent years. I think to many outsiders these will sound like quite technical amendments. But for those who live in the areas of Greater Christchurch they will see these as very important milestones. It is over a decade since the first of our earthquakes that we experienced in our region and this is a very important occasion of returning back to a normality where locals lead where locals make the kinds of decisions that they do in other parts of the country.I'd like to acknowledge as we have this third reading of this important piece of legislation the work of previous Ministers for Christchurch: the Hon Gerry Brownlee and the Hon Nicky Wagner. It was a long road after the 2011 earthquakes but the dedication to the work and the vision shown has helped to get us to this point. I'd also like to acknowledge Christchurch's and Canterbury's local government leaders. The mayors and councillors of not only Christchurch City Council but of Environment Canterbury and Selwyn and Waimakariri Districts and not forgetting the crucial role played by Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu in the progress made across all of Greater Christchurch.I'd also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge every member of this House who has represented the Greater Christchurch region over this decade. There's actually not many left in the House who were there at the time of the first of those earthquakes. The Hon Ruth Dyson of course who will be retiring from this House at the end of the year is the only one left on our side who was there at the time. Of course on the other side of the House the Hon Gerry Brownlee the Hon Nicky Wagner and the Hon Amy Adams were all there at the time of those earthquakes and it has been a long haul.I want to make special mention of some colleagues who were there who have left. One who always springs to mind first to me is the Hon Jim Anderton and the work that he did representing people through that period in the early days after the earthquake. I as the candidate for Wigram at the time worked alongside Jim and saw the tireless work that he like MPs right across Christchurch did for the people that he represented. We've also had many other members who have left this House one of whom has gone on to be the Mayor of Christchurch City in the Hon Lianne Dalziel. But then we also have those of us that have entered Parliament afterwards. I myself entered in that year 2011. At the end of that year Poto Williams came in Matt Doocey came in we've had a steady stream of new representatives of our region and we've all played our part. And Duncan Webb has entered. I'd like to acknowledge all these people.The early repeal of the provisions to be made through this bill is a clear sign of the success that all these people have made. The approval of the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor Regeneration Plan and the signing of the global settlement agreement both completed last year signalled significant progress in reducing the Crown's role in Christchurch. The approval of the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor Regeneration Plan was also the final step in the biggest piece of work undertaken by Regenerate Christchurch. With this bill bringing about the early disestablishment of Regenerate Christchurch I want to take the opportunity to also acknowledge the work it has undertaken in its four years of operation. Every project it undertook reviewed or contributed to has contributed to Christchurch being in its current position. So I'd like to thank all the board members and the staff who have contributed in all the ways they have to this work completed.I note that there are still things to be done. Certainly this bill does not signal that the Crown has finished its work but it does show that local leadership is the best way forward on regeneration matters. I'd also like to note the organisations and members of the public who took the opportunity to make submissions on the bill and thank the chair and members of the Governance and Administration Committee for their consideration of this bill. The process is critical to ensuring the best outcomes are achieved through any piece of legislation. I appreciate that having to consider it within a truncated time frame and through the COVID-19 response restrictions complicated matters. However getting this completed before the election was key to being able to give Christchurch that reassurance about the institutions and planning in place for regeneration in the longer term. None of this would have been possible without the committee completing its part of the process in good time and along multipartisan lines. So I thank all members of that committee. We are living in such uncertain times; being able to provide clarity of institutions and planning is highly valued. While the people in institutions of Greater Christchurch know resilience better than most having lived through uncertainty clarity is critical.I know there is plenty more for us all and for me to get on with in Christchurch but I do celebrate my home town. It is a wonderful city and I think it has come a long way in the decade that we have been working towards this. I am proud and pleased to stand here and that this bill will provide the next steps towards the next steps in our journey and towards local leadership. I commend this bill to the House.