Jones Dail: New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
Jones Dail: New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
[Volume:609;Page:6290] 
DAIL JONES (NZ First) 
: In speaking to Part 2 I notice that it has 67 clauses so it is a very very big part. I would expect that members get about an hour and a half at the very least— 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Two hours. 
DAIL JONES 
: The member says 2 hours but I hope we do get the full opportunity to debate this very very lengthy part. 
Part 2 sets out amongst many other things the functions of this new organisation New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. They include to “contribute to a supportive environment for sustainable economic development by ... fostering collaborative networks and partnerships between central government local government industry trade unions regions education and research organisations” and suchlike. I note the insertion of the reference to trade unions and I again congratulate the Commerce Committee on that. Trade unions are a very important part of our community and it is important that Parliament recognises the contribution they can make to obviously trade and enterprise because they are an integral part of trade and enterprise and developing products. 
The issue I have been referring to throughout this afternoon’s debate is a classic example of how we could implement the New Zealand trade and enterprise legislation through collaborative networks and partnerships between central and local government and that is the development of the Whenuapai area. Members of this House may be unaware that that area which is currently the Royal New Zealand Air Force Auckland base consists of 311 hectares located in the Brigham basin—15 percent of the land area of the basin. Sixty hectares of the base are vacant and could be suitable for other uses. Current expectations are that it will take 5 years before the Royal New Zealand Air Force fully departs. So we are in a perfect situation to implement the New Zealand trade and enterprise legislation; to have a collaborative network and partnership between central government local government industry trade unions and the like in the future development of this area. 
The area is vital to Auckland and it is very very important to Waitakere and the North Shore. Currently it is estimated that the airbase contributes $60 million per year to the Waitakere and North Shore economies. It is Waitakere’s single biggest employer with 1420 fulltime-equivalent employees. There are 453000 people currently living within 16 kilometres of Whenuapai. My guess earlier on of about 450000 was not bad! This number is virtually identical to the 442000 people living within 16 kilometres of Mangere. Twenty-seven percent of the families within 10 kilometres of Whenuapai have an income of over $70000 compared with only 14 percent of those within 10 kilometres of Mangere. Those are some statistics that show the importance of this area the dramatic change there will be in Waitakere City and North Shore when the Royal New Zealand Air Force base finally closes—presuming that it ever does—the effect that that will have on the area and the need for some involvement to coordinate development in the area. 
The Auckland Regional Council has also been involved with the Auckland regional economic development strategy plan and suchlike. The comments are that the strategy has a framework that combines eight elements which connect the region with the world through an outward focus. Platform 5 is to provide a high-quality living environment. It refers to initiatives such as a regional business land-use strategy addressing land supply and infrastructure for existing and new businesses and to implement regional strategies that lead land use environment and infrastructure development. This is a crucial area to the development of Auckland and dare I say it even New Zealand because industry that is developed in Auckland helps to pay the taxes the health bills and all the other things that help Auckland and the rest of the country. 
Currently members will know that there is an upper harbour corridor that links Waitakere City to North Shore City via Greenhithe and it is identified as a strategic transport corridor in the regional land transport strategy. Transit New Zealand has started construction of a new State Highway 18 motorway link through that corridor and it is planned to be completed in 2006-07. As a matter of interest I remember when the existing upper harbour bridge was opened around September 1975. I went over it that day and I thought what a wonderful connection it was. How empty it seemed to be on subsequent days when as a member of Parliament I used to get the weekly indication of how much traffic had gone over the upper harbour bridge. That is barely 28 years ago and we have seen how that area has developed. Obviously there is potential for the area to develop to that extent and more again. New Zealand First is supporting this legislation.