Wong Pansy: Auckland War Memorial Museum Site Empowering Bill — Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
Wong Pansy: Auckland War Memorial Museum Site Empowering Bill — Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:611;Page:8359] 
PANSY WONG (NZ National) 
: 
 The National Party is very pleased to support this bill sponsored by the Auckland Museum Trust Board. We have also agreed to support the express passage of this bill to enable the redevelopment work to start. I must say I was somewhat surprised at that rather quick reading and flat tone used by the member for Auckland Central who is also the Associate Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage. I thought she would feel a lot more excitement to see an icon in Auckland get a very much-needed redevelopment and facelift after 70 years. 
The Government Administration Committee had the opportunity to hold its hearing at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. I think all the members who were there would agree with me that it was a very worthwhile exercise. The redevelopment project will cost $49.5 million and will make improvements on two fronts. First of all personally I was very impressed and moved by the staff at the museum who have to work in such outdated outmoded and very cramped working spaces particularly in the workshops and so on. It was almost sad to see people having to put up with working in such cramped spaces for so long. For the sake of the staff I am really pleased that they will have improved workshops where they do such innovative work in preserving one of the most prestigious collections of Maori artefacts etc. We had a conducted tour and saw that some workshops are actually in the courtyard of the existing Auckland War Memorial Museum. For the first time I had the opportunity to contrast the experience of a visitor to the museum which is a magnificent site and then be taken to the back room and see the types of conditions that the staff have had to put up with for so long. I am sure they will be pleased to see that their working environment will be hugely improved. 
 The other redevelopment phase concentrated on the new seven-level atrium where the museum will be able to showcase musical sessions and hold seminars so the public can appreciate even more the collections of the museum and the exchange of ideas relating to collections and other valuables kept in the museum. The trust board and executive enabled us to see a very impressive demonstration of the utilisation of modern technology and also the New Zealand culture which will be showcased separately in public areas in educational sites and in unique types of display. When the work is finished I think the public will be very impressed with that Auckland icon. 
I think most people will agree with me that car-parking has always been a problem whenever special events have been held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Now we will have a covered car-park which is another major improvement. People will be sheltered which is really important for a site that exists in open space. I am sure that improvement will increase the patronage of the museum which Aucklanders take such immense pride in. 
We learnt something quite interesting during the select committee hearing. We were told that the legal description of the museum site is slightly different from the original legislation of 1918. So we need this bill to correct that matter and also to address the concern of some people that the museum is located on top of a volcano and whether activities need to be restricted. So this bill includes clauses to ensure that activities on the Auckland War Memorial Museum site will not be curtailed because of that concern. 
The National Party is very very pleased to support this bill and wants to see the redevelopment work proceed quickly. On a personal note I want to make two further points. The first is that in recent years as someone who now lives in central Auckland I have had the privilege of attending Anzac Day memorial services in the Auckland War Memorial Museum. The dawn service and the open day at the museum later on have always made it a very special day. That particular site and the collection in the museum make the Anzac service a particularly moving experience for those who attend. The war memorial museum setting is very befitting and it is pleasing to see the increasing number of people attending the dawn service particularly the young people of New Zealand. I am sure that is a sign of us wanting to celebrate our shared history and shared losses and the spirit of unity as a nation in remembering the people who have paid a high price so there can be peace in the world. 
Secondly there is a certain sense of sadness for me. When I visited the Auckland War Memorial Museum at the beginning of the year to look at the redevelopment plan I raised the point that nowadays in Auckland one in five people are of Asian ethnic origin. The discussion was quite positive at the beginning of maybe having a corridor or space in the museum for a dedicated Asian display area. However I was saddened to learn that the museum board eventually turned down that idea. I hope that in the not too distant future the decision can be revisited because Auckland and New Zealand are becoming increasingly multicultural. The museum is where people see our history and our past being celebrated and displayed. I would like communities from all backgrounds to have a special place in the museum—our place—to celebrate their culture. I hope to work with the Auckland Museum Trust Board in the future to redress that issue. Certainly there is a special place for our Maori history for the Pacific Island community and for European history and it is a very proud part of our history. I want to see other communities also being allocated some special place in the museum. But despite that it is a very special place—it is our place. Today we are very happy to support the reporting back of this bill.