King Colin: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Colin: General Debate[Sitting date: 21 August 2013. Volume:692;Page:12679. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]COLIN KING (National—Kaikōura):On Friday at 2.30 p.m. on 16 August a 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck the top of the south effectively under LakeGrassmere.This is on top of a 6.5 magnitude earthquake 3 weeks earlier which has totally turned the rural communities of Seddon and Ward upside down. I had to make a dash to Seddon to support those who were distressed and traumatised. The emergency response team out of Blenheim set up a welfare centre at the primary school. The Red Cross team out of Christchurch set up a very well-equipped support truck. They set to work to support those who were being affected. The Minister of Civil Defence Nikki Kaye along with Gerry Brownlee the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery began to make their way down to Marlborough to show their support for and their solidarity with the people who were so gravely affected.It was my wife’s and my own privilege to be able to spend a night with those affected at the welfare centre to give support and comfort. It is worth bearing in mind that the aftershocks were raining in at a tremendous rate. They were measured at forces of between 5 and 6 magnitude and were adding to the already fearful situation. Over the night we were well supported by the Red Cross. They did a wonderful job and people took great comfort out of that. However when we woke up in the morning the situation was considerably worse. Heavy rain had set in and that was adding to the difficulty of the situation. The next morning was even more depressing than the night before considering the amount of shock that came with the beginning of the earthquake effects.Large teams however of the civil defence volunteers reported in under the control of the Marlborough District Council under its response manager DeanHeiford and that was quite heartening to see those people moving around. Ministers Kaye and Brownlee were also very positive and had a very uplifting effect on the spirits of those who were present. It had been announced that there would be a public meeting at the school assembly hall and the community turned up to hear and be reassured. We have been well recorded with the photographs in theDominion Postand throughout theMarlborough Express showing the damage that occurred between Ward and Seddon. The enduring memory will be of those photographs that were shown in theDominion Postyesterday with regard to the railway line in that area just illustrating the force and magnitude of that earthquake.I would like to acknowledge the contribution that the Ministers have made in assuring the community that all will be done within the Government’s power to put things right. That is very very important. But in saying that we recognise the limitation that will apply to that putting right. You can certainly put the buildings and the infrastructure together and make that right but the human toll of anxiety fear distress and resulting depression will need ongoing monitoring and support.So I would like to take the opportunity to express the community’s heartfelt thanks to those who came along to support it during its hour of need. The police who got out very very quickly checked all the rural roads and all the bridges. A number of those bridges had popped and were anything between 150 millimetres and 200 millimetres above the road level and needed to be corrected so that if there was going to be any movement it could be done safely. The road between Ward and Seddon was closed. I want to say a special thankyou to the police for letting me through at the Ward end. It was quite an eye-opener to see the cracks and the undulations in the road as the consequence of those shakes and we have had many many more since then. So thank you to the police.Thank you to the Red Cross for coming up from Christchurch with that well-equipped truck and also the Marlborough Red Cross the civil defence volunteers who came along with the plywood and the tarpaulins the fire brigades at Seddon and Ward for the building supplies and the tarpaulins the tradesmen the plumbers the carpenters and the electricians and of course the engineers. It is good to report that the Earthquake Commission is out on the ground at the moment working along with thetradespeople. We just want to put a message out and put it on record that all New Zealand supports the efforts in Marlborough and Seddon. Thank you.