SpeechMARJA LUBECK (Labour): Thank you Madam Speaker for the opportunity to take a call on this bill. I'd like to start also by al salam alaikum and joining my colleagues from around the House as we've heard today as we all think today of our Muslim communities remembering the atrocities of four years ago.I rise in support of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society Empowering Bill in its second reading. I'd like to commend my colleagues on the Governance and Administration Committee for their work on this private bill; the sponsor of this bill Minister Meka Whaitiri who brought this bill to the House; and of course my colleague Anna Lorck. The bill empowers the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society to sell its interest in the Tomoana Showgrounds and any other land it may acquire and then apply the money received from the sale of the land towards purposes that are consistent with the objects of the society.As we have already heard several times this bill is a simple and practical piece of legislation. Currently the provisions of the Agricultural and Pastoral Societies Act 1908 require the society to invest the money they receive from the sale of land in purchasing other land suitable for the purposes of the society. What this bill does it treats provisions of the Agricultural and Pastoral Societies Act 1908 the Agricultural and Pastoral Societies Amendment Act 1912 as well as the Agricultural and Pastoral Societies Amendment Act 1920 as never having applied to the society. This is done to achieve the purpose of allowing the society to apply the money received from the sale of the land towards purposes that are consistent with the objects of the society.Now as we have already heard this bill of course comes to us in the shadow of the devastating impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle in the Hawke's Bay region which remains under a state of emergency. Many people for whom this bill applies will continue to live with a degree of uncertainty in their lives and are still disrupted. The cyclone was such a devastating and traumatic event for so many people and so many businesses. We will get through this. We will rebound strongly from Gabrielle but it will take a lot of effort.At this point I would like to acknowledge Anna Lorck the MP for Tukituki who kicked off this debate. What I've also learnt is that she was in a previous life the Waipukurau show queen wearing a beautiful red sash after being anointed as such. But I would like to commend her for the relentless work on the ground in her affected communities as well of course as our colleague Stuart Nash and Anna has already described those events in her speech of how that region has suffered so terribly.The Agricultural and Pastoral Society recently entered into an agreement to sell most of its showground to the Hastings District Council under arrangements which will give the grounds reserve status and so that means that it will be protected for the community. The council also has plans to prepare a reserve management plan with the community to determine how the showgrounds are looked after and then create opportunities for many events in years to come—and Anna Lorck has already run us through some of those events that are being held there.I do remember—it's a while ago but a bill that is as similar as it can get to this bill was passed in 1991. It was the Kaipara ki Mahurangi Kumeu District Agricultural and Horticultural Society Act 1991. What that Act did: it provided specifically for the activities undertaken by the Agricultural and Horticultural Society at the showgrounds and it was referred to as a landmark for all New Zealand A & P societies at the time because until that time they had been restricted to renting their properties or their buildings for short terms.Agricultural and pastoral associations as we have already heard from many speakers around the House thinking about their personal memories are of course part of the fabric of rural New Zealand and shows and expos have been part of the rural communities for over a hundred years in many communities. Last weekend we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Kumeu A & P Show and it was really great to have Prime Minister Chris Hipkins attend and enjoy the festivities. He received a really warm welcome and was asked for what must have been hundreds of selfies and photographs as he was trying to get over the very large grounds. He led a tractor parade—and you may have seen that on the news—and was riding up front in a very shiny red tractor. He also signed one of those giant pumpkins—Andrew Bayly: Massey Ferguson.Mark Cameron: Go Massey Ferguson!MARJA LUBECK: You got it you got it—it was a Massey Ferguson indeed. He also signed one of those massive pumpkins as we do see at those A & P Shows and that pumpkin was later on in the day auctioned off for $400. I've got it on good authority that that is the highest price that one of those pumpkins has ever raised at the Kumeu A & P Show.Ian McKelvie: Our pumpkin soup.MARJA LUBECK: So it was—no it's not good for pumpkin soup because apparently they're very watery when they reach that stage. So really it just goes to the animals. It was really good to see tens of thousands of people over that weekend enjoying the show being back because of course COVID over the last couple of years meant the show being cancelled or scaled down for the last couple of years. I do want to echo the sentiments of my colleague David Clark who previously commended the efforts of the many volunteers in our communities that make sure that these A & shows can be run in our communities. The next one in Kaipara ki Mahurangi is on 18 March and so I hope people are taking the opportunity to visit Warkworth on that day.A little bit of history on the Hawke's Bay A & P Show—my colleague Emily Henderson gave you a short version; well I've got the long one: The first … show was held in 1863 in a paddock in Havelock North. An agricultural and pastoral society and its annual show was recognised as being important to Hawke's Bay by the early pioneers [because] they knew that the future wealth of the province would be generated by agriculture and horticulture. By the 1920s the Hawke's Bay A & P Society's annual show had been based at the Hastings Racecourse for more than 40 years. [Now] The society had owned the property from 1878 but in 1884 sold and then leased the property back from the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club for the show. It was suggested at the 1906 AGM that the society once again look at owning a property [and that actually eventuated] in 1911 when 51 acres of Nelson Bros land at Tomoana was judged to be an excellent location after [it was advertised] for possible [other] sites. The purchase by the A & P Society was assisted by William Nelson's generosity in making … financial arrangements. However it [took] many [many more] years before this site [could actually] be used."At the Hastings Race Course the buildings belonging to the A & P Society had been erected in the middle of [a] race track. [And] they weren't allowed to be high as to block the view of spectators and [so they] were only temporary. The oval was not that suitable for parades of stock and inadequate for future growth." So the A & P Society judged that that was not good enough and they wanted better. "The land at Tomoana was debt-free from 1918 and the A & P Society in 1920 had about £10000 in the bank."—judging by today's value that would be roughly about a million dollars—"Building an infrastructure of cattle and horse pavilions produce hall latrines grandstand and offices at Tomoana was going to be very expensive and [judged to be roughly about] £30000"—so about $3 million in today's value."… shifting … the "northern boundary" of Hastings was upsetting [to] some [because they] didn't see [moving] from the racecourse as necessary and [they thought it was] too remote." So there was a fund-raiser and the funding was "used to extend the show ground property from 51 to 62 acres and in developing the property in 1923. In 1925"—as is mentioned before—"the first show was held at … Tomoana and a record 20000 of the [then] 65000 Hawke's Bay population attended." And that was that history.So the society is now paving the way for initiative and forward thinking in the rural sector contributing to more positive economic development across the region. As several people have mentioned the bill has very strong community support. Hastings District Council wrote a letter of support as has the Waipatu Marae. Society members have voted in favour and also I learnt that over 90 percent of submitters have voted in favour of the sale.Now the reasons for this bill have been very well traversed by previous speakers. Anna Lorck referred to this in her previous speech as "a show of true regional support" which I acknowledge it is. I commend it to the House. Thank you Madam Speaker."