Mark Ron: Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMark Ron: Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 01 April 2015. Volume:704;Page:2826. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]RON MARK (NZ First): I rise on behalf of New Zealand First to likewise endorse and signal that we will be supporting the passage of the Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill not just through this reading but through to the conclusion. I am going to pick up on some of the themes of some of the speeches before me. It is very hard when you get a bill that is quite simple you come in as speaker No. 7 and pretty much everything that can be said about the Arts Centre has been said. So I am going to pick up on a couple of comments. I am going to pick up on something as a former Mayor of Carterton—the comments about the former Local Government and Environment Committee. I do need to say this: the previous select committee was not viewed on very well by local government in general. I am pleased that I am working—Jami-Lee Ross: Maybe it was that mayor.RON MARK:—on a select committee—there is chipping in from some young man over there; I will get his name soon. It will come back to me.Jami-Lee Ross: Old age is setting in.RON MARK: Oh yap yap yap. Do I need to talk about Northland to shut that member up? I probably could but I will move on. This select committee seems to have a very nice culture—and it is interesting that we are talking about arts and culture at this time—within it. I am pleased to be sitting on a committee that has a high degree of cohesion and collegiality about it. I have to say though that when I look back over my career in Parliament some select committees have not had that air that culture about them. The previous Local Government and Environment Committee earned itself a reputation in local government for being pretty pigheaded and bloody-minded particularly from the Government’s side. That was not evident today. It is not evident under the chairmanship of Scott Simpson—Hon Nicky Wagner: I would start being very worried about a strike.RON MARK: —and I am happy to say that I am looking forward to continuing working in the same vein as we progress through. It is not hard. If you want to hear those messages go talk to any mayor about the way in which the previous Local Government and Environment Committee heard their submissions on the amalgamation proposals and on the changes to the Local Government Act. They were quite disgusted and appalled by the body language and behaviour of some of the members Nicky—quite disgusted actually but moving forward.Phil Twyford: Not by all parties surely.RON MARK: No no not by all parties. One party thought that that behaviour was quite appropriate and that was the National Party.There were comments about Margaret Austin—and the Hon Margaret Austin has been the chair of the trust board—and it really does give me great pleasure to hear those comments about Margaret because in her time both in Parliament and in Christchurch she has done sterling work across the community and this is just another fine example of it.Looking at the history of the trust I note that the Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Board was established in 1978. That was 4 years after I arrived in Christchurch from the North Island as a young soldier. I can say that from then 1974 until when I left Christchurch in 2007 the transformation in the Arts Centre was absolutely astonishing. It went from being a place that had huge obvious historic and cultural value to being a place that had all the signs of falling into disrepair and even dereliction. But because of the efforts of a lot of very talented and committed Cantabrians over those years from 1978 to 2007 I saw it transformed as it was renovated revived and energised into becoming a vibrant centre of entertainment art education and trade. It became a centre of entertainment not just for Cantabrians but for people who visited Christchurch. I can say that as I grew and eventually became a family man with children I absolutely adored any opportunity to take my kids into the Arts Centre and to enjoy the entertainment and enjoy the arts and the cultures that were exhibited there so often. I think 1.5 million people—the records state here—were going through visiting there every year. Even those figures quite astonished me when I read them recently.I have spoken to many people all over the South Island who have had the opportunity to visit the Arts Centre. It would be fair to say that their views and their experiences of the Arts Centre are pretty similar to those that have been expressed in the House here today. Of course one could not get through this debate without mentioning the Dux de Lux. I see that the honourable member Megan Woods mentioned that and Todd Muller. Obviously a number of university students partook in that little place and I can say that a number of soldiers from Burnham Military Camp who partook in there on the odd occasion have always enjoyed the Dux de Lux and have enjoyed that opportunity to mix with people whom we probably would not meet socially on a normal basis particularly those of us in the military. Artistically culturally historically the Christchurch Arts Centre epitomised Christchurch and Christchurch people. It epitomised clearly their heritage and their culture but in many many ways it also epitomised their innovation and their determination not to allow a taonga that was so important to them to fall into a state of disrepair or even worse disappear.Of course we all know that in 2010 and 2011 Christchurch was hit by those rather devastating earthquakes. Again I am someone who considers himself to be a Cantabrian by 30 years’ occupation even though I am from the Wairarapa and my family were down there. I was fortunate—and unfortunate—in having family members who were in the Fire Service family members who were in urban search and rescue and family members who were in the police. I was fortunate to get a very unique opportunity to visit the red zone and view the devastation in places like the Arts Centre firsthand at a very early stage when most other New Zealanders were locked out of the place. It was a privilege that I still treasure and I know it was not one that was afforded to other people.Looking at the level of damage and having an engineering background myself I could only shake my head and wonder how the heck some of this work was ever going to be completed and whether there was ever going to be a full restoration. I understand the angst and the heartache from people who lament the decisions made around the cathedral. Anyone who has lived in Christchurch for 30 years on and off understands how important the English heritage and the English culture—and particularly the cathedral—is to Cantabrians. This particular project was always going to be extremely demanding for those who were entrusted with the responsibility of rebuilding restoring and conserving the Arts Centre going forward.This bill brought in by Nicky Wagner—and I congratulate the honourable member—seeks to address some of the impediments that were inherent in the former governance model. Having returned to Parliament and seen this bill which came in last year I can and New Zealand First can understand and concur with the honourable member Nicky Wagner that change was necessary if the good people of Christchurch were to do the task that was confronting them. Modernising the governance structure affirming the responsibility of ownership and duty to it removing the political influence that comes with ministerial and political party - influenced appointments—and it does not matter whether it is a red-dominated Government or a blue-dominated Government—are never actually going to deliver to you all of the skill sets that one requires in this task ahead.Hon Jo Goodhew: What about yourself?RON MARK: I know. I brought wonderful skill sets and your former Minister Tony Ryall absolutely acknowledged it and I am grateful for that recognition. But the member herself knows from her time in Opposition that one can look at some ministerial appointments and think that given the challenges of a $290 million project to be conducted over 7 years the skill sets in this case need to be very defined. So the amendments here to address that are very good amendments and we support them wholeheartedly.We would say I guess that culture is something that some of us look at with different eyes. I look at some of the things that were lost in Christchurch and we lament those losses. Let us just hope that looking back at the Christchurch Arts Centre in 7 or 8 years from now—and at the new board of trustees as they have undertaken their full restoration and rebuild work working and focusing on conservation—we will be proud that we supported that effort here this afternoon. Thank you.