Bennett GlenGLEN BENNETT (Labour—New Plymouth): Kia ora Mr Speaker. It's a pleasure to rise to speak on this piece of legislation and I acknowledge the previous speaker Harete Hipango and thank her for her thoughtful contribution. My hope is that Palmerston North City Council as I know it would have has done its work and has spoken with local hapū and iwi and has had conversations around that and I'm sure that Mr Utikere would have done his due diligence and had conversations. But it's really good to bring us back to remind us about the land that we all get to live on this space and who the first people of this land were. I want to say mānawatia a Matariki. I said it yesterday in the House. Yeah we've had the holiday we've had the celebrations over the weekend but it is the season of Matariki and let us be reminded of what's gone before us what's here now and what is to come. I guess this piece of legislation and this piece of land are about that: acknowledging what has happened; acknowledging what's there right now but also looking forward to the future.Now we've talked a lot about Tangi Utikere tonight and so we should because he's a fabulous wonderful member of Parliament for Palmerston North. Here's also congratulations Mr Utikere for becoming a junior whip just recently and I will keep my comments within time—I will behave thank you very much. But I'm just grateful for my colleague from the year of 2020 to be in the whips team. Also Mr Deputy Speaker I will speak to the legislation and I think it relates to you sir obviously as the member of Parliament for Te Tai Hauāuru. I believe that part of your electorate is Palmerston North so we acknowledge you this evening as I know you listen with great interest to the oratory that is just pouring out of this House tonight.There have been some jokes obviously and obviously there's always the gag about New Plymouth - Palmerston North but I want to move on from that. I think we've grown up; I think we're beyond that now. But I did some research because we all did and I can't imagine what it would be like to be a member of Parliament without Google but anyway I'm sure that did exist. I'm sure people actually went to libraries and actually had real-life knowledge that they stored up for years and years. But Palmerston North has an interesting history because we think of Palmerston down South and we think of Palmerston North but did you know that there were actually four Palmerstons back in the 19th century? Four—not one not two but four—and of course there was that big conclave of conversations back in about 1873 off the top of my head where there was a lot of confusion in this country. Obviously my ancestors who came here were very original: North Island South Island. Palmerston—what are we going to do because everyone's really confused? I know: Palmerston North."—which this piece of legislation is about; the very very important Palmerston North Reserves Empowering Amendment Bill—very important. So I just find it fascinating but thankfully I've spent time in Palmerston. I was born in Dunedin so Otago and I have loved that small town and the town of Palmerston North in the North Island I have. In fact as I look at the map and look at this piece of land it brings me home. Now this is not home—I was not born here—but my mother actually is from Foxton. [Interruption] Yes and my mother had the privilege of being an old girl of Palmerston North Girls' High. She used to catch the bus every day from Foxton to Palmerston North and it was obviously life changing because it set her up to have wonderful children that have ended up—one of them at least—in this House. I'll give her all the credit this evening. I look at this piece of legislation and it just seems like a no-brainer. It seems basic and really simple. Obviously this Huia Street Reserve does have a long history and as was spoken of earlier the bits of history that I have in front of me are of my ancestors; not of tangata whenua to be bluntly honest. This reserve was actually given to the city of Palmerston North back in 1876 by the Wellington provincial Government. It was to be used as a public park or recreation ground or botanical gardens for the inhabitants' enjoyment of Palmerston North. Now I really take the point that the Hon Eugenie Sage made. I know she is a competent and effective chair of the Environment Committee. When she talked about the importance of green space she did talk very much about the importance of ensuring—whether it be around traffic movements around waste water around all those amenities—that we do have to look at this and we do have to pay attention. It might seem like a momentary decision today to through a few more houses up to meet housing needs but what is the big picture? Where do we look for our descendants—where do we look? But then of course in my continued research I don't have the knowledge or wisdom that my colleague the MP for Nelson Rachel Boyack who is from Palmerston North has but I do have a map. Hon Member: A "power-pointer". GLEN BENNETT: It is a PowerPoint which I always struggle with to be honest. But when you look at the piece of land and then you look around in the vicinity and if I had my little protractor or the bits of stuff you used to use in maths you'd see there is many a green space in the near vicinity. They are very close. For me our connection to nature our connection to the environment is important so as I look at the green spaces available I feel comfortable with the fact that this piece of green space which has sat vacant since 2005 can actually be released if this law comes into force so that it can be committed to housing to ensure that the good people of Palmerston North have places to live. This piece of land on the corner of Fitzherbert Avenue and Park Road also as I heard earlier was around traffic movements and there are some concerns about what that could look like. But again with town planners and the work that's done in consenting I know that it's not just a "throw some houses up and hope like heck that it's going to be OK". There are obviously consents and processes that have to take place that will ensure that the roads are safe and that the roads will be able to be used in a convenient way. Again as Rachel Boyack mentioned in her speech—in her very significant contribution that I'm still reflecting on actually—the access way to Palmerston North Girls' High won't be affected by the change in land use on this piece of land. Now this local bill the Palmerston North Reserves Empowering Amendment Bill is small in nature in many ways but it will be significant for the families who get to live in those dwellings. I truly believe that everyone deserves a place to call home whatever that may look like and having more housing in the wonderful city of Palmerston North is important. As I said my mother spent a lot of time in Palmerston North in her teen years. My first memory actually was when I was around 10 years old. We were living in Auckland. We bused just like my mother down to Palmerston North. [Interruption] Yes I was in the church and yes it was for a music and creative weekend and I did a really amazing job in terms of my theatrical expressions. It obviously didn't go far. I have made several appearances on TV but none you will remember. Yes I was on Fair Go but only as an actor in reconstructions—don't worry—and nothing else. This is important and Palmerston North deserves pieces and parcels of land to be made available for housing. For myself as the MP for New Plymouth we have a similar situation with a piece of land right in the centre of our CBD that sits vacant; it has actually since the year 2008. I'm really glad that just this week there's been an announcement around releasing that piece of land and removing the structures on that piece of land for the sake of our local tangata whenua—for Te Āti Awa—to do work to develop that space for the sake and benefit of New Plymouth just as this piece of legislation is here for the sake and the benefit of the people of Palmerston North. It's a great pleasure to stand this evening to speak and to commend this bill to the House.Motion agreed to.Bill read a second time."