Tizard Judith: Historic Places Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Tizard Judith: Historic Places Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:631;Page:3530] 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD (Associate Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage) 
: 
 I am delighted to take a call on Part 1 of the Historic Places Amendment Bill because there has been a great deal of rather confused debating on the issue. This legislation is about strengthening the Historic Places Trust which has had significant funding increases over the 6½ years of this Labour-led Government. I thank the Hon Brian Donnelly for his support in this work because he too cares about New Zealand’s heritage particularly our built heritage. 
I understand how anxious people are that those with an interest in heritage across New Zealand are well represented at this important organisation. But I was truly astonished when the National Party described Dame Anne Salmond John Acland Tumu te Heuheu Te Aue Davis and the other astonishingly able New Zealanders as Government cronies. It is just a ludicrous idea that those people whom I had the honour to appoint in many cases are Government cronies. It is truly astonishing. 
I point out to the National Party that the Hon Nick Smith when he was Minister of Conservation and in charge of the Historic Places Trust did a really important and useful thing. He forced the Historic Places Trust to regionalise. As a result we now have much stronger regional organisations in the trust. Unfortunately the Hon Nick Smith was never able to persuade the National Government to properly fund the Historic Places Trust. As a result although the trust regionalised it then had severe problems at the central level with delivering on the increased interest that New Zealanders expressed across New Zealand about preserving our historic places. So in this legislation we are making sure that the vastly increased funding is properly accounted for and that the Historic Places Trust as a result of the important work it is doing regionally can come back and advise the Government. The role of the Historic Places Trust is less hands-on now and much more about advising the Government—and indeed select committees and other groups—about the policy we need in order to extend this work. 
One fabulous example I can give the Committee is the work the Historic Places Trust did in preserving the Kerikeri Basin. We now have significant funding going into a roading project there because the stone store and the camp house were severely at risk of being washed away in a flood. The vibrations of the massive amount of traffic going round and across the bridge over the fiord were causing severe damage. This area is an important part of New Zealand’s heritage. The Historic Places Trust is applying that sort of analysis to the risk that much of our heritage faces and it is coming back to the Government with sensible proposals including policy changes relating to how we can do better in this whole area. 
So we should give credit where credit is due but the funding needs to be accounted for. This Government is determined to go on representing those fabulous volunteers across New Zealand who are the people who make the local decisions and making sure that that is defended and supported with Government money and good policy. That is what this legislation is about. The idea that the people who are appointed by the Government to the Historic Places Trust are Government cronies is frankly offensive and I really do take deep exception to that. 
I go on to the other issue raised by the National Party which was around wahi tapu. I say to National members that I am astonished at this attack on places like burial sites sites associated with births deaths and other major occasions sites associated with ritual and ceremonial worship healing places and battle sites. I am astonished that those places because they are important to Maori should somehow be opposed. I find it astonishing that the National Party is attacking those places. 
Last but not least I say to National members that I was at a forum in Auckland where two of the National Party spokespeople on this area gave an undertaking to Auckland people who were interested in heritage and culture that there would not be stupid petty party-political attacks on pieces of major important legislation to do with our cultural and heritage well-being. I am disgusted at the sorts of attacks that are coming from National members. It is like the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Bill all over again. We had to ring the National Party leader because this group of idiots was saying to us that they were going to oppose that bill. It is time the National Party took a responsible attitude to our heritage.