Shearer David: Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill — In Committee 
Shearer David: Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill — In Committee 
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DAVID SHEARER (Labour—Mt Albert) 
: 
 I will take a brief call on the Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill. Though Tim Macindoe is not here at the moment I thank him for his explanation of how the name of the park became Parana Park. I was sitting here talking to Nanaia Mahuta and asked her whether the name came from a Maori background. She said that no there is no such word as “Parana” in Maori. We thought perhaps it was named after George Parr who as we know vested this land. 
Darien Fenton 
: Who thought of it first? 
DAVID SHEARER 
: Maybe it was Darien Fenton who thought of it first. I would like to give her credit for coming up with that without having read the submission that Tim Macindoe told us about before. It raises an interesting issue though of how the name of George Parr and the word “ana” which refers to the bridge were joined together. I accept Tim Macindoe’s version of events in terms of how Parana Park got its name and he might be able to enlighten us in terms of how “Parr” and “ana” came together in the name Parana Park and how people came to know that park in the heart of Hamilton as Parana Park. 
Tim Macindoe 
: She was a child and he wanted to do something for children. She had died the year before and he acknowledged her. The two plaques are there. They look at each other; they merge. 
DAVID SHEARER 
: That is a very touching explanation. I thank Mr Macindoe very much. 
Tim Macindoe 
: You asked; I’m happy to help. 
DAVID SHEARER 
: Ha ha! I am pleased I asked. 
I want also to touch on the point Sue Moroney raised which was the 2010 issue. I think we could all benefit from the wisdom of officials etc. in terms of how 2010 comes into the equation when we are debating the bill in 2011. As Chris Auchinvole said to us before if this bill does not proceed as quickly as it should through the course of this year it could actually go into 2012 and we could be putting it through under a new Labour-led Government—which would provide the same support because Labour members are supplying support today to the bill—rather than a National-led Government. 
The third point I will touch on—and it was brought up by my colleague Phil Twyford—concerns the word “vesting”. There is an enormous amount of nervousness around the country at the moment about land and assets being sold off. I think the people of Hamilton are also worried about it. I do not think they are an exception. When the opinion polls say that between 65 and 70 percent of New Zealanders are opposed to the selling-off of our State assets then I imagine that the same thing applies to land inside Hamilton. This park is a piece of land that is well used. The Hamilton City Council wants it to be protected. The bill has been brought to the House by David Bennett—and I congratulate him on doing that—on behalf of the Hamilton City Council. The bill hopefully will ensure that this piece of land in the heart of Hamilton—which is being used as we have heard for kohanga reo for various early childhood centres and for a number of different uses—is preserved now and into the future. This park is an enormously important asset to the people of Hamilton and the people of Hamilton need to be absolutely and utterly assured that the intention of this House in using the word “vesting” is to ensure that the park stays with the people of Hamilton so that they can have the use of it both now and long into the future. It is as I say an asset that needs to be protected. 
I can understand why the people of Hamilton want to ensure that this legislation goes through—to guarantee that this land stays in trust for them for their children and for their grandchildren. At the moment there is an enormous amount of nervousness around the country about the selling off of assets and potentially of land that people feel they have already paid for. They have paid for this park as well.