Sosene Lemauga LydiaLEMAUGA LYDIA SOSENE (Labour): Thank you for the opportunity to take a call on the Spatial Planning Bill first reading. Alongside the Natural and Built Environment Bill this legislation is much needed. The Spatial Planning Bill is the template for the next 30 years. It highlights the environmental outcomes that need to be achieved because we are under the climate change changes not just in land use but also around our environment. The information requirements is really important—that the plan provides better infrastructure. I've come from Auckland Council for over a decade where spatial planning was really important for communities such as Māngere in South Auckland. The benefit of having a spatial plan is to see what we currently have by way of environment by way of housing by way of business centres medical churches communities that all are in the mix. What the Spatial Planning Bill provides is coordination of the template—the better infrastructure which is missing in communities such as in South Auckland. I just want to highlight that the bill is a huge step forward for Aotearoa. Despite what colleagues on the other side say who probably have not had the experience I can tell you that the coordination and the review of the spatial planning—the integration—is very helpful particularly for rangatahi and young people who want to be involved in terms of climate change outcomes for their community. They want to have better education. In terms of infrastructure many of the communities in South Auckland face a number of challenges when it comes to spatial planning because of housing typology that may not necessarily be available for them. However what they do—and certainly my lived experience is that they get involved when there is public engagement through the tools such as Auckland Council elected members by way of local boards. So public engagement has been critical to the success of the smaller spatial plans under Auckland Council. Part of that is our kōrero with iwi and with mana whenua. Part of the public engagement that I have been a part of is to actually recognise and to understand the values of tikanga particularly around wairua and whenua and the reason why we as a community—and it's not just iwi rangatahi; it's also Pasifika and ethnic communities. I can only speak of my experience with Auckland Council. The regional spatial strategy is really important because it provides innovative tools. This Government has provided funding for businesses post-COVID and one of the things that has been highlighted recently is how young people carry out their business within five days. So two of those days they'll be studying two of those days of the week they are entrepreneurs and the last day they'll be working on Uber. The environment for businesses and entrepreneurs particularly in big centres is changing. The Spatial Planning Bill will help with the integration particularly when Kāinga Ora are building houses. In Māngere over 10000 dwellings are being provided for the communities as such and land use and whenua is really really important but we are seeing the building going upwards.So infrastructure is very important and I've given you the example. In a post-COVID environment there are those challenges. However what is very important to communities is things such as transport infrastructure housing typology playgrounds good parks and even the life of the local streams. So public housing that has been provided in various areas around the motu the environment to understand the environment—lots of our rangatahi and our tamariki in the respective communities want to be involved but in order for them to be involved and in order for them to be engaged in things such as spatial planning that is currently being carried out by the likes of Auckland Council they want to know where they can plant trees they want to know how they can watch that tree grow and what affect and impact tree planting has in a community. So just in closing I want to highlight that the priority of this Spatial Planning Bill is very important for big communities around the motu that they can become involved. I commend this bill to the House.