Foster-Bell Paul: Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFoster-Bell Paul: Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 01 April 2015. Volume:704;Page:2829. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]PAUL FOSTER-BELL (National): Tēnā koe e te Mana Whakawā. I rise to speak on behalf of the Government in the second reading debate on the Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill. Far be it from me to correct the honourable member Dr Megan Woods but I did just want to raise one small issue. In her speech she described this bill as a local bill. Of course it is important to recognise that this is in fact a private bill.A private bill is something that although not abhorrent to this House is relatively rare because in general as a constitutional principle we prefer to pass general legislation that has equal effect for all. However I actually agree with previous speakers in this debate that such is the value of the Christchurch Arts Centre not only to Christchurch but to New Zealand and even in a global context that this bill is appropriate. It is appropriate that we put in place specific enabling legislation to enshrine the objects and powers of the trust and its board and to protect this asset which is of enormous value to the people of Canterbury and to the citizens of New Zealand.I had I suppose the pleasure of training as an archaeologist at the University of Otago. I bring this up for a couple of reasons. Firstly I am not entirely unaware of some of the issues around heritage management and rehabilitating dilapidated old ruins having spent several years during my university time with a trowel brush and shovel in such sites. Secondly because the University of Otago like the Arts Centre is in that wonderful neo-Gothic style—in fact the Christchurch Arts Centre is described as collegiate or collegial Gothic it is as the very distinguished and discerning member Scott Simpson pointed out built to emulate the mores of Victorian Britain. But it is actually unique in the world as a consolidated example of that style of architecture in a precinct—not just in individual buildings but consistent across entire city blocks—and it is something that is very precious to us. In fact prior to the devastating earthquakes the Arts Centre precinct along with the Christchurch Cathedral was being considered for recognition and for World Heritage status to be inscribed to it on the World Heritage Listby Unesco because of its unique nature and its value not only for New Zealand but globally. So this is a timely bill.It is important that after 30 or 40 years of operation we modernise some provisions that govern the original trust. I think we should also note the excellent work that is being done by the existing trust board and the good management of the staff led by André Lovatt as chief executive officer of the Arts Centre. They are in a strong position due to that good management. After the devastating first earthquake in 2010 which did a lot of physical damage—a lot less human damage death and destruction was wreaked—the Christchurch Arts Centre very sensibly reinsured. It settled quickly and reinsured.So the reason we now have one of the largest—in fact the largest as Scott Simpson said—heritage restoration projects currently under way in the world is that the Arts Centre was sensible in its approach to insurance and managed to secure a nearly $300 million payout from insurers to enable it to undertake that 7-year restoration process. The additional funding of course being applied by the Government does help but in a situation where we are inevitably forced to prioritise and juggle between hospitals schools arts precincts and other buildings it is useful to have significant money coming in from insurance providers.I do not have the connections to Canterbury that some other members have but I do have a fondness for the Arts Centre building. I enjoyed David McPhail’s play Muldoon performed in the Court Theatre. It would have been about 10 years ago in the early 2000s. Having visited along with colleagues from the Local Government and Environment Committee to have a look at the work that is being done there it was very very clear not only that is there high quality in terms of the management of the organisation but that it really is a “United Nations of restoration”. You hear Irish accents. You see people from the Czech Republic those from the UK those from Europe those from Asia—from all around the world—contributing to maintaining some of these crafts and trades that have been lost over the years but are now being re-inculcated and retaught. So we have not only plasterers and stonemasons but also people who work in wood and people who are experts in the electrical wiring of heritage buildings to avoid the unfortunate risk of fire which you get when you have these buildings where certain fundaments cannot be changed.This is a good piece of legislation. The objects of this legislation are not for the Government to step in and determine on behalf of the people of Canterbury how the centre should be managed. In fact it is quite the opposite. This bill enshrines a role for the trust board that includes holding the trust property for the objects that have been laid out. These objects are to hold and develop the Arts Centre as a unique and outstanding cultural centre for use by the people of Christchurch and—equally important in my view—to foster promote and facilitate an interest and involvement in the arts culture creativity the creative industries and educational purposes.We saw this in play when we visited the Arts Centre site and it was explained to us that in previous incarnations the buildings were used for such features as cafes and art galleries. Of course there will be those facilities in the restored Arts Centre. But we were also shown the fact that they will have state-of-the-art laboratories including 3D printing—this new technology that allows something to be designed on a computer and then realised in plastic or polymer form almost instantaneously. This is very expensive equipment but it will take the arts that are developed there to a new level. It is very appropriate for this modern age in which we live.The powers of the trust board as enshrined in this bill are fairly far-reaching. In fact they have the full capacity to carry on or undertake any activity that advances the objects of the Arts Centre. That includes the acquisition of further real or personal property of any nature that may be useful for the maintenance of the Arts Centre and being able to let or lease the lands and buildings so that the buildings can be let out and put to use because as we know when heritage buildings are engaged in a useful purpose they are more likely to be valued and respected but also maintained. The trust board is allowed to construct re-erect improve maintain and provide further buildings and of course that is important in a situation where we are in the middle of a major restoration project.The trust board will be empowered to employ staff—an important factor also in terms of managing such a significant site. It will be able to borrow money. It will have the ability to make a business decision as to whether it needs to seek a mortgage or debenture or some sort of injection of capital to enable the board to achieve its aims—although of course as I have mentioned that $300 million insurance payment does help significantly towards the reconstruction—and it is able to generate public subscriptions and donations. So it is able to do a wide range of things. This is not a bill that is about the Government putting more power in its own hands. In fact this is a bill that modernises the settings for the Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Board and actually empowers it to deliver.I do want to raise a few other points. I congratulate the Minister the Hon Nicky Wagner who has demonstrated I think with the excellent majority with which she held the seat of Christchurch Central at the last election that she is an incredibly hard-working MP and that she has been a passionate and tireless advocate for this project in particular.I would like to acknowledge the chair of the Local Government and Environment Committee and all of our colleagues. Given the comments from Mr Mark I would have to agree with his description of the committee as being a group of people who have an interest in working together collegially—which is appropriate when we are dealing with collegial Gothic buildings—and who take a sophisticated and I think quite enlightened approach to dealing with this issue and making sure that the right things are done.The committee did suggest a number of amendments to the bill. There probably is not time to go through each and every one of those today. But I think in a general sense that it is important that we achieve a position where people are on the trust board due to the skill set they bring rather than because they represent specific interest groups in society. We need people who have accounting knowledge legal knowledge Government expertise and importantly heritage management expertise on the governance body for the Arts Centre so that it can be run well into the future. Thank you very much.