Mahuta Nanaia: Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill — Third Reading 
Mahuta Nanaia: Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:672;Page:18355] 
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Labour—Hauraki-Waikato) 
: 
 I am happy to speak on the third reading of the Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill. I am sure that when David Bennett introduced the bill to the House he did not think it would have such a long gestation in the House. I was pleased to hear the contributions of a number of members across Parliament who have said such nice things about Hamilton. Like some other members of this House I grew up in and have spent most of my life in the city of Hamilton. We are very proud of our city. It is a beautiful city. We are one of the few cities that has the luxury of a beautiful river flowing through it albeit that the river needs to be cleaned up. We have a number of recreational facilities where Hamilton families can enjoy what Hamilton has to offer freely and also good open spaces where we can take our kids and that is the basis on which I make my contribution on the bill. 
I have spoken previously in the House about Parana Park. When I was growing up I experienced times when we went to the park to have a picnic. There were shared moments as we gathered there as a family to enjoy each other’s company. More recently I have also taken my own son to Parana Park where there is a small playground and a little paddling pool. In summer when the weather is nice from about 10 o’clock in the morning or in the afternoon a lot of mums take their kids to Parana Park and they have a little chat while their kids are enjoying the small paddling pool there. 
Parana Park is used frequently. It is used for the Anzac Day celebrations on an annual basis. Over the last 8 years we have noticed the growing number of people who attend the early Dawn Service. As we are not long past Anzac Day it is worth mentioning what we have seen which is that more young people are turning up to the Dawn Service at Memorial Park which is adjacent to Parana Park and more people are taking an interest in their local history and local landmarks of which Parana Park is certainly one. 
On that basis as has been noted by members who have spoken earlier I point out that this is an administrative bill. The bill means that we will continue to see Parana Park being used as a recreational reserve accessible to all families in Hamilton and to those visiting our great city. Parana Park has a specific history in relation to George Parr which my colleague Sue Moroney spoke about and it had a pre-colonial history which I spoke about in previous contributions to the House. But most important I note for the record that adjacent to Parana Park across the river is Rangiora which is a very important site of significance to the local people. It is a place of deep spiritual importance overlooking this particular area. 
Many people have talked about whether the name of “Parana Park” has any Maori significance. It could have been pronounced “Paarana” but I do not think the name has any Maori significance. The origin of the name still eludes me but I can confirm that to my knowledge having asked a number of people who are expert in the history of Kirikiriroa particularly that “Parana” is not a Maori word. [ 
Interruption 
] “Pa-rana”—I thank the member for that contribution. I had thought about that too. 
Lastly I am pleased that the small house still stands on that particular site. It was originally intended as a convalescent home. It is still on the site and is well maintained. There is a beautiful rose garden next to it. I think if nothing else it is a part of retaining the history and connection to George Parr on that site. I hope that the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the site and of the playground and the small paddling pool in particular is something that the city council will continue to be committed to so that more of our young people and young families in Hamilton can enjoy the special nature of this park. I am happy to support the third reading and I commend the bill to the House.