Cosgrove Clayton: Christ’s College (Canterbury) Amendment Bill — In Committee Procedure Third Reading 
Cosgrove Clayton: Christ’s College (Canterbury) Amendment Bill — In Committee Procedure Third Reading 
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Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Labour—Waimakariri) 
: 
 I feel somewhat strange in contributing to this debate— 
Iain Lees-Galloway 
: Catholic. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: Yes being one of five St Bede’s College old boys in the Chamber. 
John Hayes 
: What sort of saint was he? 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: He was a good saint I say to Mr Hayes. 
People have mentioned that Christ’s College has a long and honourable history and that is true; they struggle with first XV rugby as exhibited this season when St Bede’s College thrashed them. But I note that as an institution in Christchurch they are indeed a venerable institution. Although there is not so much religious but school rivalry especially in Christchurch we note that I think St Bede’s College holds the record for the largest number of MPs. I was not going to say the largest member although Gerry Brownlee is a former St Bede’s College old boy. St Bede’s College has the largest number of members of Parliament at one time in the Chamber. It used to be six when Mr Blumsky was a member of Parliament so I think we hold that record. I do not know that we hold the record for the largest number of all time but we do for the largest number at any one time. I note that across the Chamber Messrs Brownlee David Carter Dunne Cosgrove and O’Connor all come from that venerable—and far better school I would say—but rival school St Bede’s College. 
It is a pleasure that Nicky Wagner is in the chair as the sponsor of this bill. I am very pleased that she is here given that I would not have thought she would be available today after the hammering she took from Gerry Brownlee the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery. I am told it was for her conduct in criticising the Earthquake Commission the Government. She suggested some rather bizarre behaviour that people in my province of Canterbury should engage in if the Earthquake Commission had missed them and that was to put “URGENT” in an email. I will come back to the bill Mr Chairman but I am pleased that Ms Wagner has recovered from her emotional experience with Mr Brownlee and is here today. 
This bill is technical. I note with interest that it mirrors very similar private legislation to expedite the handling of trusts by church organisations such as Presbyterian Catholic and Methodist churches and it promotes a tidy-up. I am not sure whether this is still the case in my electorate of Waimakariri around the Redwood suburb in my patch that there are a number of leasehold properties—or used to be anyway—that Christ’s College had ownership of. I assume not knowing the intricacies of this bill back to back that those properties will also be covered in the tidy-up of this trust legislation. Mr Parker I know has raised a number of interesting issues in respect of the beneficiaries of those trusts and who in the future may be able to benefit from the large moneys that Christ’s College has approved over many years. 
Members on this side will support this legislation. I do not believe there is any politics apart from interschool rivalry in the Chamber. The bill will receive I am told reasonably swift passage as we go through it this evening. 
The bill amends the Christ’s College (Canterbury) Act 1910. I am trying to recall which is the older school within Canterbury. Mr Burns might be able to assist me as to whether it is St Bede’s College. I should know this. 
Colin King 
: It’s Christ’s College. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: By how many years? 
Colin King 
: By quite some time. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: He speaks possibly as a Christ’s College old boy. 
Colin King 
: No Lincoln. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: Lincoln OK. That is another venerable institution in our province absolutely. Christ’s College is very old and venerable. The board has administered large— 
Colin King 
: I think it was 1851 or 1852. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I am glad we have some positive stories in the Chamber—1852 or 1855 Mr King says. 
In a modern way the bill attempts to bring together the administration of property vested in the college for the intended purpose or purposes for which property assets were given or vested in the college. A number of the clauses and areas in the Act are obviously now archaic or redundant. The bill will allow a modern institution that administers millions of dollars I presume in respect of its own operations and the assets therein and to manage those in a contemporary sense. 
I will not labour the point in respect of support for this bill because as I said I feel slightly uneasy being of Irish-Catholic St Bede’s College stock in supporting— 
Grant Robertson 
: You’ve overcome it. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I have overcome it well my colleague says. Yes we are a broad church. 
We support this bill. It will get its passage through today and I think it is pleasing that in Canterbury given the difficulties we have we have such great educational institutions whether they be Presbyterian Catholic or the second-raters—the Anglicans!