Kanongata'a-Suisuiki AnahilaANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI (Labour): It is an absolute privilege to stand here tonight to make a call on the Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Amendment Bill also known as the ARAFA" bill. Was it "ARAFA"? "ARFA"—a-r-f-a—"Bill"?I want to acknowledge the member Dr Parmjeet Parmar for this bill. Thank you Dr Parmar. I acknowledge her chairwomanship. Every time I visit the Education and Workforce Committee I'm always respectful of the chair.Before I get on to the bill I want to talk about my visit to Papakura High School on Monday. The principal John Rohs—I need to say this because every time I get up I'm always talking about how privileged I am to be under the leadership of the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern. I'm always saying that and I think it's important that we hear the voices of the community leaders of what they say about the Prime Minister. I want to quote now Principal John Rohs. He was a principal in Christchurch in Aranui High School.Hon Poto Williams: Aranui High School!ANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI: And he'd set out to say—kia orana to you Minister Poto Williams. What he said to me was about his description of the Prime Minister. And I quote: "She's made it so worthwhile to be in New Zealand."ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): Order! You need to relate that to the bill.ANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI: And I'm bringing it to the bill.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): Otherwise I'm going to have to terminate your speech.ANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI: OK. Kia ora e Te Mana Whakawā. So I'm bringing it to the bill because Papakura is in Auckland and we are the biggest city in New Zealand. The Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern lives there and of course Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki—I live there as well.So this bill was—I'll just give you a brief history in case they have forgotten. The bill was introduced on 12 September and it had its first reading on 25 September and was referred to the Governance and Administration Committee. I might say I have not been with the Governance and Administration Committee. I have not been a visitor to that committee and I look forward to it. Today from that awesome committee they recommend that they have examined this the Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Amendment Bill. They have examined it and they report that we should support it. I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the select committee: the chair Mr Jian Yang; Ginny Andersen a member in the Hutt south; Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi; Sarah Dowie who spoke earlier before; Paul Eagle the awesome member for Rongotai; the Hon Peeni Henare the current member for Tāmaki Makaurau; Willow-Jean Prime; Lawrence Yule; and of course contributions by Dr Parmjeet Parmar.I want to continue my acknowledgment of the 12 organisations that had provided submissions—Hon Member: Who were they?ANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI: —and out of the 12 nine had actually supported it. So the question was who are they? I will oblige by naming all 12. They were the Auckland Philharmonia Trust; the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust; the Amenities Board; the Coast Guard Northern Region; the Auckland Theatre Co.; the Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Board again; Drowning Prevention Auckland; the External Reporting Board; the New Zealand Opera; Surf Life Saving Northern Region; the Auckland Festival Trust; and of course the Auckland Observatory and Planetarium Trust Board.When I read this bill—I'm not a member of the board—it reminded me as a 15-year-old of when I was filling out the tax returns for my friends and families and charging them a donation of 20 bucks and it also reminded me—and I want to acknowledge all the non-Government agencies out there—of when I was the treasurer for Pacific islands women's group PASIFIKA when I was completing the end-of-year accounts. It reminded me of that because my brain like the observatory in Onehunga it almost exploded into the universe. So when I read the bill that's what it actually reminded me of.It is a very important bill because what the bill in simple terms is saying is it's for the organisations whose livelihoods depend on this—the Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Amendment Bill is about completing one set of accounts. And I want to get to that. I want to say—yeah it's one set of accounts.Hon Meka Whaitiri: Shared services.ANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI: That's right. So the bill seeks to amend and what it would correct like our previous speakers have spoken about is an anomaly in financial reporting requirements that apply to special amenities such as the Auckland Festival Trust. Tonight in Auckland in every March for the last I think four years—12 years actually—we've got the Auckland Festival. And tonight I know that you'd rather be listening to me than be in Auckland listening to Hollie Smith—she kicks off the Auckland Arts Festival—where she's going to be singing the Māori version of "Bathe in the River" or the "Bohemian Rhapsody" in waiata in Te Reo Māori. I don't think everybody would like me to sing it; they would prefer that Hollie Smith does it. That's one of the charities which is the Auckland Festival Trust.I want to make special mention that it has been 50 years since the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust have been in operation saving lives in Auckland for 50 years. I want to say thank you for what you do. The Surf Life Saving Northern Region at a glance: they have in the last year 427 rescues 1000 youth aide teachers and 43000 prevention actions involving over 128000 people all of those in 88500 volunteer hours. I just want to say thank you to the Surf Life Saving Northern Region. Thank you for what you do.Last but not least in terms of the organisations that I'm going to acknowledge is the Auckland Philharmonia Trust which also provides a programme at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau which is in Auckland south or South Auckland as everybody knows. I really like their programme. They especially have a one-off programme called—well the special concert of "Pese! Fasi! Pūoru!" And it's about music for everybody making orchestra something for everybody.So like I've said before the member Dr Deborah Russell referred to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and she referred to generally accepted accounting practice (GAAP) but the bill would replace a requirement for specified amenities to prepare financial statements in accordance with the New Zealand equivalent to international financial reporting standards with a requirement to prepare in accordance with generally accepted accounting practice. So when I heard "GAAP" I was thinking "What's GAAP?" Anyway I realise now that it is the "generally accepted accounting practice".Again I just want to remind the House what the purpose of this bill is. The purpose of this bill is to remove from the Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Act the requirement that specified amenities prepare financial statements according to the New Zealand International Financial Reporting Standards—which is like the member Dr Deborah Russell referred to IFRS. It is to allow specific amenities to prepare one single set of financial statements that comply with generally accepted accounting practice—that comply with GAAP.So like I said before my head when I was listening to the member for Mt Roskill Michael Wood talking about the Stardome at One Tree Hill when I studied this bill—yeah my head almost exploded into the atmosphere because I think for most people it says "tiny anomaly" but actually as a ratepayer in Tāmaki-makau-rau in Auckland this is important so that we enable these nine groups that are receiving funding from the Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Board to complete their financial obligations.Again I want to acknowledge all 12 organisations that submitted. I don't think I will oblige by repeating who they are. But I want to also acknowledge the select committee who have actually recommended that we support this bill and of course last but not least the sponsor of the bill—and it is a member's bill not a private member's bill. That's an obsolete word "private member's". It's a member's bill from Dr Parmjeet Parmar. Thank you very much for this bill and congratulations. On this member's day I would like to commend this bill that has been recommended by the committee. I would like to commend it to the House. Mālō 'aupito."