Williams Poto: Riccarton Racecourse Development Enabling Bill Riccarton Racecourse Bill — Second ReadingsText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeWilliams Poto: Riccarton Racecourse Development Enabling Bill Riccarton Racecourse Bill — Second Readings[Sitting date: 01 June 2016. Volume:714;Page:11605. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]POTO WILLIAMS (Labour—Christchurch East): Talofa malo le soifua fa‘afetai tele lava. Let us not forget why the Riccarton Racecourse Development Enabling Bill and the Riccarton Racecourse Bill have come to the House and the genesis of the local bill which became a Government bill. That was actually at the request of Riccarton Racecourse because it was looking for an opportunity to stay viable and for the city to be able to continue to have that fantastic facility of the racecourse and continue to be able to provide the race meetings. It saw that this was a way to be able to do that by allowing for part of the land that is the reserve of the Riccarton Racecourse to be used for housing. So firstly I must acknowledge the fact that the trust board and the trustees of Riccarton Racecourse are really mindful of the significance and the history of that particular course and are wanting to ensure that we could retain that facility within Christchurch City. It has got a long history—138 years as my colleague the Hon Ruth Dyson says. It has history it has presence and when you are there you can see that it is a much-loved facility that we would dearly hate to lose.So let us start from that place about why this legislation actually came to the House originally. In order for the racecourse trust board to be able to do what it is doing of course we need enabling legislation on the Christchurch Racecourse Reserve Act because it is a reserve. We need to pass this legislation in order that we can take those 40 hectares and use them for the purposes of housing. I want to commend the Local Government and Environment Committee for holding the committee meeting in Christchurch. But as I recall at the time it was under some pressure from the Labour MPs that that occur—that we were sure that other people who would not ordinarily submit to the select committee would actually find it an opportunity to do so.Scott Simpson: We went for a field trip.POTO WILLIAMS: Indeed you did. It was actually really important that the select committee went to Christchurch to see the racecourse and also to hear the submitters. But as I recall over that period of time—it was a truncated period for gaining submissions because it was the summertime. As I recall there was only a few weeks of submission time over Christmas—chairman of the select committee over there as you recall—but people go on holiday. I know that as a member from the Christchurch Labour team we were very clear that we wanted to ensure that people had as much opportunity to submit as possible. So being there with the select committee to hear the submissions was a very important part of that.I want to commend the work of Dr Megan Woods in her local community because when the idea of taking some of the land at the racecourse and using it for housing first came up of course the local people were very concerned that they would lose access to very valuable recreation space where lots of people would walk their dogs—would meet and walk together. It is a beautiful space. And they were right to be concerned. I know that Dr Megan Woods hosted public meetings where local people could talk about their concerns. They feared the loss of their facilities. They were also concerned about the increased number of houses and what that would do to the infrastructure particularly in terms of roading and traffic and public transport. It is quite a busy part of Christchurch and there were concerns that it would become very difficult particularly at peak times to get in and out of properties and around the streets. So they had some very very real concerns. I know that Dr Woods also ensured that the concerns of the community actually reached the ears of the board at Riccarton Racecourse and they were able to use that information to address those concerns.There is a very strong partnership with Ngāi Tahu all through this work. Ngāi Tahu as I understand it will have a significant role in managing the project in developing the homes going forward. I recall at a meeting asking why the exemplar status was not continuing. An exemplar project around housing has to have a certain percentage of affordable homes it has to address the key issues of amenities and urban design and it has to look at infrastructure and transport planning. The reason this project which started out as an exemplar project actually did not continue to be an exemplar project was that other than the percentage of affordable homes those other key issues around infrastructure and transport planning were not I do not think addressed sufficiently for it to retain that status.I recall there were some Christchurch city councillors who had some concerns around April to May 2015 when the announcements were first made and some of them were concerned about the rationale for rezoning. Over the course of a year or so those concerns have been addressed and in 2016 the council became the formal promoter of the legislation.We are looking forward to the 600 homes that are going to be built—about a third of those are going to be under $450000. Although in Auckland terms that seems very cheap we still have some issues about concerns we have that our house prices have gone up significantly in Christchurch but that our incomes have not gone up at the same rate to match the pace of house price inflation. So although the Minister for Building and Housing in reference to his speech earlier on is crowing about the number of houses that are being built in Christchurch that very significant factor—that incomes in Christchurch have not increased at the same rates—has not been addressed as far as I am concerned.One of my colleagues was just asking what is going to happen to the Riccarton Market. It is a great market on a Sunday; in fact it is a place where you can get just about anything. For those of us who live in New Brighton who thought “Hey here’s an opportunity for the Riccarton Market to actually move to New Brighton to become part of the Seaside Market.” well we were clean out of luck because in this legislation the land that is going to be used for housing actually means that the market can stay in situ on site and continue to be a favourite place for my colleague Rino Tirikatene and I to go on a Sunday morning. So I am sorry New Brighton Seaside Market we have missed out on that one.It is going to be a fantastic place to live. While the select committee was there we had the opportunity to view the land that is going to be where the houses are built and for some lucky people they are going to be able to watch the horses go down the home straight. It will be a great place to live. I commend the work of the select committee and I am looking forward to being there when the houses are built. Thank you.