Tolley Anne: Gisborne District Council (Alfred Cox Park) Validation Bill — In Committee 
Tolley Anne: Gisborne District Council (Alfred Cox Park) Validation Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:632;Page:4007] 
ANNE TOLLEY (National—East Coast) 
: 
 I rise to speak in the Committee stage of the Gisborne District Council (Alfred Cox Park) Validation Bill. I want to make just a couple of points. First my colleague Moana Mackey has already explained that this is a small bill but is of significant importance to the Gisborne District Council because it has found that it is operating outside the law and no council wants to be placed in that position. 
The bill has a reasonably long history. I understand that it has taken about 7 years to get to this stage and as I indicated earlier it was started by the former member Janet Mackey. That leads me to my second point which is about consultation. Dr Pita Sharples spoke in the second reading stage on behalf of Rongowhakaata whom he said had not been consulted. I want to raise two points about consultation that apply particularly to this bill but that have wider implications. There are processes that form part of a local bill. The council was obviously very surprised to hear that there were people who had some concerns about the bill who had not already expressed those concerns to the council. This was despite the fact that the council’s Maori liaison officer was of Rongowhakaata descent and despite the fact that one of its own councillors was a member of the same political party that stood in this House and raised objections. So it came as a surprise to it. 
It also came as a surprise to the council that it was required to go and consult when in fact there was no resource consent or legal obligation to go and seek out affected parties other than that it had advertised the fact it was promoting this local bill and had called for people to come forward if they had any issues they wanted to raise with the council. 
So having followed that process the bill then came to Parliament and went to a select committee which again advertised locally in the Gisborne district for people to raise any concerns or objections they had to the bill. But no one came forward either from the affected iwi or on their behalf. We have to ask having gone through that process how reasonable it is for people then to raise their hands and say they are upset because no one consulted with them. 
Quite obviously the Gisborne District Council is concerned and I assure the Committee that the mayor is making contact with the iwi to discuss their concerns. But I have no doubt that if this matter had been raised at the select committee committee members themselves would have required the council to ensure that Rongowhakaata were satisfied and happy and had been consulted. 
So there is a process to be followed and it behoves everyone involved in a consultation process to play his or her part and not to come along at the last minute. That is how one is accused of political grandstanding. 
This little bill has no relevance to what may or may not have happened under the Public Works Act. It has no relevance to that whatsoever. It is just a small bill looking to validate uses of the Alfred Cox Park so that the Gisborne District Council is operating within the law. I am pleased the majority of the Committee will support the bill going through.