Gallagher Martin: Wellington City Empowering and Amendment Bill — Second Reading Procedure Third Reading 
Gallagher Martin: Wellington City Empowering and Amendment Bill — Second Reading Procedure Third Reading 
[Volume:615;Page:11110] 
MARTIN GALLAGHER (Labour—Hamilton West) 
: 
 I rise to speak in support of the bill. The previous speaker spoke of it as being a boring minor bill. It is not boring not minor to the people and the communities directly affected. First I take the opportunity of complimenting the Local Government and Environment Committee on its excellent work. I also take the opportunity to pay tribute to the local member of Parliament for Wellington Central the Hon Marian Hobbs and her excellent work in working with the communities the select committee and the Wellington City Council as she outlined. 
Why should I as the member of Parliament for Hamilton West be interested in this bill? Believe it or not I have an intense and incredibly keen interest in this bill in that it represents a very very good relationship between the local authority in this new era of partnership between the Government the Parliament and democratically elected local authorities in our country. Why should I be interested in this particular bill as a Hamilton MP? I am interested for the simple reason that notwithstanding some of the democratic argy-bargy that may be happening on the Wellington City Council from time to time as a Hamiltonian I am a little bit envious of the Wellington City Council and some of the far-reaching positive things it does. 
In many ways it is a role-model council. Let me take an opportunity—yes it is a wee bit away from Willis Street—to applaud the wonderful initiatives that we are seeing in terms of the waterfront development. There is awonderful sense of excitement that we get in this city and this bill and this relationship in terms of giving the council the right with a democratic mandate to develop this particular section of property and to look at managing a property portfolio appropriately for local conditions is a very good positive example of a forward-thinking city council. 
I repeat the purpose of this bill— apparently it was not captured in the Local Government Act—was to if one likes amend some historical circumstances. When the select committee spent quite a bit of time working through this bill hearing some very good submissions and presentations and a briefing from the Hon Marian Hobbs it obviously had uppermost in its mind the power of general competence which means returning decision making back to local communities. 
I am very pleased and have been reassured. Commercially obviously the council pointed out that it makes very sound commercial sense to consider the Willis Street land in conjunction with those other properties in any future sale and marketing strategy. In terms of the commercial strategy we had a very good example in Hamilton—when I was Deputy Mayor of the city of Hamilton—of the Hamilton property company at the time that was a subsidiary of the city council. In terms of the city council we set out the benchmark and we made a split between things that were strategic purchases that would help the growth of our city and were appropriate property purchases in terms of the structure of our city. But also we had investment properties that obviously were like any company there to return a yield to the ratepayers and to council. 
There has been much debate in my own community and the council became involved and took a key part in for example the purchase and development of an international standard hotel—now called the Novotel Tainui Hamilton—which again has won praise from my city because it has been a very useful adjunct to our tourism strategy. Some other property was purchased and the buildings were pulled down to improve access to the Waikato River. I just use those as examples. Day to day Hamilton Properties Ltd operated as an independent company with a clear brief. But again as shareholders we the city council gave an outline of the kinds of things that we wanted to see. 
Marian Hobbs very eloquently identified her concerns and her role as a local member of Parliament to represent local community groups and I think it is very important. Again I compliment the select committee on observing the fact by noting the words: “some of the tenants of these properties are extremely important community groups including (but not limited to) the Wellington Community Law Centre the Women’s Centre Trust Mokai Kainga Pacific Islands Community Arts and Cultural Centre ALAY Community Centre for Refugees and Migrants and the Wellington Volunteer Centre.” I note the words of the committee—I guess this is a message or point of view expressed to the Wellington City Council: “We appreciate the value in having these community groups centrally located and in close proximity to each other and were therefore very concerned about what may happen to the tenancies of these groups should the council decide to sell the Willis/Victoria Street block. It is noted that there are however no community groups based within the land located at 45 to 53 Willis Street.” 
The report goes on to say very importantly: “We received a briefing from Hon Marian Hobbs …who informed us that the council and the community tenants have formed the Victoria Street Community Tenants’ Liaison Group which aims to address the concerns of groups that may be affected by the possible sale of the land. We sought assurances from the council that they were assisting these tenants to find suitable alternative accommodation.” 
Basically obviously I want to note in the  
Hansard 
 very clearly we have received assurances from the Wellington City Council that those very important groups will be treated appropriately and fairly and that their great and wonderful contribution to the community of Wellington will be taken into account in any future development of the land in that area. 
It is interesting that the parliamentary committee focused also on complimenting the council for taking a proactive approach in assisting these community groups. Again we recognise the importance of having these groups centrally located in Wellington City and urge the council to continue working with the current tenants until satisfactory alternative accommodation has been found. 
 I take the opportunity that is presented to me around this bill to observe the really critical role that the Wellington City Council and other local authorities have around the country my own council included in fostering and assisting community groups which in a way this bill highlights. This happens all around the country. My own city council is a major provider of accommodation and assistance for community groups. There is a real benefit to residents and ratepayers in these community groups functioning effectively and being proactive within our community. 
Again obviously local government is not just aboutbasic structural infrastructure—the roading system or the sewerage system etc; it is about the health and welfare of communities. I am here to give praise this afternoon and I think the Wellington City Council in its proactive involvement with this community and in its focus on the economic and social development of the Wellington City is in many ways a role model. I have even said that in terms of my own draft annual plan submissions to the Hamilton City Council we have to look at some best-practice models albeit in terms of its wealth and capital structure Wellington is a lot wealthier than the city of Hamilton. Let me commend the leadership of the Wellington City Council: the mayor; the Deputy Mayor Alick Shaw; and the other councillors on their excellent leadership. 
I go back to my own council to give members an example. We are having a debate about our river bank development. We are debating some resource consents and Wellington is getting on and debating where it will put the “Waterfront Hilton” and all those things it is doing. This bill is an example in my view of a progressive city council that came to a progressive parliamentary committee. I think we have a very very positive result. Let me commend absolutely the hard-working focused member of Parliament for Wellington Central the Hon Marian Hobbs who gets in with the community. She does not sit and poke borax. She does not sit and get negative. She does not say that this is a minor unimportant bill. She gets in and works for the people of Wellington Central in getting the best outcome for her community. I commend this bill.