McAnulty KieranKIERAN McANULTY (Labour): It is an absolute delight to rise to speak in favour of the Gore District Council (Otama Rural Water Supply) Bill. I'll tell you one thing Madam Deputy Speaker just to emphasize—DEPUTY SPEAKER: Don't tell me. Tell the House.KIERAN McANULTY: I'll tell the House via you Madam Deputy Speaker how excited I am and how keen I am to come here. I have left a group of farmers from Makuri and Pongaroa—the wider Tararua district of Central Hawke's Bay—in my office who I was hosting for a drink just to come down here and speak to this bill. A group of farmers in a Labour MP's office they could be up to anything—trashing the walls and pulling the pictures down—but this is how much I was keen to come and speak to this because what this shows is that this is another example of the House getting together in support of something that's important for rural communities.This particular bill as a local bill is one clearly that that community wants and how good is it to see the House getting behind it? I want to commend the member that is sponsoring this bill Mark Patterson—New Zealand First's Mark Patterson the locally based MP down in Southland. The community came to him as a staunch advocate for their issues and the concerns that they have. I've witnessed his actions in that electorate first-hand. He is a tremendous MP deeply committed to his local community. This in fact is a community that I know well. I've played cricket for Riversdale and rugby for Waikaia just out around this area here. It is a community that wants to make sure that they are as self-sufficient as they could possibly be and this bill is yet another example of that.In ensuring a special process for the transfer of ownership from the Gore District Council to the users of this scheme this House in supporting this bill through the sponsor Mark Patterson is showing that we are listening to their needs. Of course as mentioned by previous speakers because it services more than 200 users it does require a particular piece of legislation in the House in order for it to happen. But of course in other areas water storage and the provision of that in local government can be—as has been mentioned by previous speakers—a contentious issue. So how good is it to see that that is not the case in this one? This bill provides the best long-term solution for what this community needs and the users.I want to acknowledge the district council for actually acknowledging how important this was to the area and putting forward a solution to the issue that was presenting itself. Good on them—not every council would do that. I've worked in local government. I know how frustrating and cumbersome the processes can be in local government but not in this instance. I want to acknowledge their foresight in putting forward this option and putting forward a referendum where over three-quarters of the people that responded said that they supported this solution. The Gore District Council have demonstrated a core principle of the Labour Party and that is belief in local democracy: belief in what people say and doing what you can without undermining or jeopardising your values and ensuring that it can happen.Of course this scheme is typical of many of these types of schemes—rural agricultural water schemes—where they also supply a domestic source as well. I think it's marvellous when you think that the way that this scheme started is farmers and users getting together and getting the scheme off the ground—it's actually quite good to see it going back. That's a personal opinion. I think the Labour Party would have got behind this bill because it is a clear message from this community that this is a solution they have come up with themselves and if it didn't require legislation through the House they would have just got on with it. That's how people in Southland do it. But it did require legislation. They've brought it through Mark Patterson he's heard their concerns he's gone to the meetings he's put forward this as an option as a local bill and sponsored it and brought it to the House and everyone's getting behind it. So good on him and good on the people in and around Gore and the people of the Gore District Council.Hon Ruth Dyson: Do you roll your R?KIERAN McANULTY: I don't roll my Rs Ruth Dyson. I live in Wairarapa. We speak very plainly and clearly.Labour believes in democratic outcomes; it is what the party's founded on. So it is the absolute privilege for me on behalf of this Government along with my colleagues in this Government from the Greens and New Zealand First Rino Tirikatene and Liz Craig the hard-working list MP based in Invercargill to stand in support of this scheme. It's what the locals want and how good is it that this House can come together to deliver it?