Sullivan Birth Registration Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSullivan Birth Registration Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 12 March 2014. Volume:697;Page:16629. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Sullivan Birth Registration BillIn CommitteePreambleCHRIS AUCHINVOLE (National):It is a pleasure to stand to discuss and debate the Sullivan Birth Registration Bill during this Committee stage of the bill. It has been equally interesting listening to the previous speakers on the previous item on tonight’s agenda. The opportunity for private bills or local bills to come through is a very significant part of parliamentary work even if it affects a small number of people. Most of our legislation of course is designed to embrace populations or large parts of populations or certain sections of them whereas these bills this one in particular affects one individual. It does so in a very particular way because it provides an identity for a person an identity that was in fact lost and has now been restored—or will be restored by the passing of this bill as it completes its various stages.I was reflecting earlier on what I might contribute to this bill to assist the understanding of people who are not familiar with the technicalities of it—and it is a very technical bill. But to give it personal reflection I thought this evening of how fortunate I have been to travel earlier in my life to large parts of the South Pacific basin in particular Papua New Guinea which is a country I spent a lot of time in and fell in love with. But I was constantly reminded of the fragility of personal identification because in that country—and in plenty of other countries in the world probably but fewer and fewer all the time—people do not carry personal identification in the form of passports driving licences or that sort of thing. Their identity is within their own family within their wantok within their groups of people. They are identified because they are known as individuals. And that is very very fragile especially when rural comes in to urban community.In this particular case this bill would require the Registrar-General of Births Deaths and Marriages to record the details of Rowen Sullivan’s deceased mother on her birth certificate. Following the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act 2013 same-sex couples are able to marry and therefore to apply to jointly adopt children. If Rowen Sullivan’s birth mother had been able to marry her long-term partner this situation would not have arisen. Ultimately this bill will make what is a matter of fact—that Diane Sullivan and Doreen Shields are Rowen Sullivan’s parents—a matter of law.I would suggest to anyone who asks why we are doing this through Parliament—that this seems to be a lot of time being spent on an individual—to just try not having these things right in their life. I would suggest it is a breakfast lunch and dinner job. It is going to be affecting you all the time.To give listeners and people who are in the Chamber the detail of how this happened I will just go through a list of the events. Rowen Sullivan’s parents from birth were Diane Sullivan—that is her birth mother—and Diane Sullivan’s female partner Doreen Shields. Diane Sullivan died in 2010 when Rowen was 17 years old. Doreen Shields chose not to adopt Rowen while Diane Sullivan was still alive as this believe it or not would have required the removal of Diane Sullivan—that is the birth mother—Preamble agreed to.LOUISA WALL (Labour—Manurewa):I seek leave for all provisions to be taken as one question.The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There is no objection.Clauses 1 to 4LOUISA WALL (Labour—Manurewa):I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the Government Administration Committee for the wonderful work that it has done on behalf of Rowen Sullivan Doreen Shields and the late Diane Sullivan. The work that the committee has done has ensured that the integrity of this family has remained intact. I particularly want to thank the Hon Ruth Dyson who has chaired this process Chris Auchinvole Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi the Hon Trevor Mallard Mojo Mathers Eric Roy and Jan Logie.I as the sponsor of the Sullivan Birth Certificate Bill would like to support the recommendations of the select committee and there are two. The first is that the title of the bill be changed to the “Sullivan Birth Registration Bill”. The intention of this piece of legislation is to ensure that Rowen Sullivan has a birth certificate that names both of her parents. In fact that outcome or that output will be available by virtue of the registration of her parents so I support 100 percent what the select committee has done. In addition the select committee recommends the insertion of a new clause 4 which provides that “Diane Sullivan and Doreen Margaret Shields are for all purposes the parents” of Rowen Sullivan.I would like to thank again the select committee for its wonderful work. I look forward to the third reading debate on this bill. I thank the Committee and all members for their support. Thank you.KANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI (National):As has been mentioned the mover of this bill the Sullivan Birth Registration Bill is Louisa Wall. Can I thank you Louisa for introducing and sponsoring this bill because it is very important for the Sullivan family and they have been waiting for it for a long time. I would like to acknowledge the chair the Hon Ruth Dyson my colleagues Chris Auchinvole and Eric Roy and the other members of the Government Administration Committee who have supported this bill all the way. The Sullivan family and particularly Diane have got a special place in Rowen’s life and she wanted her parents’ names on her birth certificate. Thank you.Clauses 1 to 4 agreed to.House resumed.The Chairperson reported the Tasman District Council (Validation and Recovery of Certain Rates) Bill without amendment the Sullivan Birth Registration Bill without amendment and no progress on the Electronic Transactions (Contract Formation) Amendment Bill.Report adopted.