Tizard Judith: Auckland War Memorial Museum Site Empowering Bill — Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
Tizard Judith: Auckland War Memorial Museum Site Empowering Bill — Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:611;Page:8358] 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD (Auckland Central) 
: 
 I move  
That the Auckland War Memorial Museum Site Empowering Bill be now read a second time 
. I am very grateful to the Business Committee of this Parliament that it has agreed to take this bill through all its stages today. Members have agreed that it is an important bill and that it is necessary for the Auckland War Memorial Museum to start its major renovation project which it hopes to start in the next month or so. As MP for Auckland Central I have been asked— 
Rodney Hide 
: Is that right? 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD 
: Yes. Did the member not try to stand there once? As MP for Auckland Central I have been asked by the Auckland Museum Trust Board to promote this bill. I take particular interest in this bill also as the Associate Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage. This bill will repeal the Auckland Institute and Museum Site Empowering Act of 1918 and replace it with new legislation allowing the lease of land within the Auckland Domain for the purposes of the Auckland War Memorial Museum and for extensions to the museum. It also corrects some mistakes that were made in that earlier legislation to describe accurately the present site of the Auckland War Memorial Museum. 
The museum is architecturally and spiritually significant to everyone in Auckland and indeed to all New Zealanders as well as to visitors to New Zealand. It is a major and respected repository of Maori taonga artefacts and information. It is trusted by the people of Auckland and the greater Auckland region to keep those treasures as well as being Auckland’s major war memorial. It is respected for its research and its educational role and it is the keeper of many of our treasures. It is a vital part of our cultural tourism circuit and therefore a major contributor to the economic well-being of New Zealand as well as being a vital link to New Zealand’s growing information network. The bill will enable the Auckland War Memorial Museum to expand and redevelop to meet the needs of the people of Auckland and of all New Zealanders and also meet the needs of the 250000 or so international visitors to the museum each year. 
I want to thank the Government Administration Committee for reporting this bill back to the House so promptly so that it can be passed to enable the museum’s redevelopment and expansion project to start on time. I particularly thank the chair of that committee Dianne Yates who conducted the examination thoroughly but in an extremely constructive way; as did all members of that committee. 
When completed the museum will house a much-needed and improved collection and visitor amenities befitting its role as one of New Zealand’s most important cultural institutions and Auckland’s major war memorial. Facilities will include new collection storage areas on site for the first time—indeed the whole collection will be on site for the first time. There will also be an enhanced learning centre a grand atrium and a new underground car-park. The car-park will start to address the parking problems associated with the popularity of the museum and indeed the domain almost any day of the week all weekend summer and winter. There will also be a new special exhibition hall an auditorium and improved refreshment and public facilities. 
The Government is making a contribution of $26.5 million over 5 years from the regional museums fund towards this redevelopment. That fund was set up to recognise the importance of Te Papa as New Zealand’s national museum and the vital national and internationally significant collections that are held around the country. Auckland and Canterbury museums have both had major contributions promised to them as have museums like Puke Ariki in New Plymouth Aratoi in Masterton and the Eastern Southland Gallery in Gore. The contribution towards the Auckland War Memorial Museum is the biggest and the total cost of that project will be double that $26.5 million raised by the museum board and the people of Auckland. The expansion project is scheduled if this legislation passes to commence on 1 October this year. 
As a Government we are making this contribution to the Auckland War Memorial Museum because we believe that this investment is required given the huge national and international significance of the museum’s collection and its programmes. The museum’s collection and in particular its Maori and Pacific collections are second to none in the world. They are part of New Zealand’s heritage and need to be conserved and protected for all new Zealanders to enjoy. The redevelopment project will enable the museum to house that collection much better to display it much better and to make it available to visitors to the museum as well as to scholars. 
Once completed the redeveloped Auckland War Memorial Museum will not only have world-class collections but it will have world-class facilities. It will be a tremendous asset to the people of Auckland and for New Zealand as a whole as well as engaging all those visitors. The passage of this bill is the final step to enable this project to proceed. 
Again I thank the Business Committee of the House for agreeing that this bill should go through all its stages today. I thank the Government Administration Committee all parties in the House that have agreed to facilitate the passage of this bill the Auckland Museum Trust Board and everybody who has been involved in the museum redevelopment and this bill. The Auckland War Memorial Museum is a key component in our country’s cultural framework and this bill will enable it to carry out its role for future generations.