McClay Todd: Cultural Property (Protection in Armed Conflict) Bill — Third Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
McClay Todd: Cultural Property (Protection in Armed Conflict) Bill — Third Reading 
[Sitting date: 05 December 2012. Volume:686;Page:7254. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
TODD McCLAY (National—Rotorua) 
: 
 It is a pleasure to speak on this bill the Cultural Property (Protection in Armed Conflict) Bill because I think it does an extremely important thing for New Zealand. It helps us meet our international obligations. You see the bill ensures that New Zealand honours these international obligations to protect cultural property in situations of armed conflict. 
Earlier in this debate the Labour list MP Maryan Street made reference to the legislation first having been introduced to the Parliament under Labour’s watch of the country under its Government which was for a 9-year period. She seemed quite concerned that not enough progress was made at that time. She also asked why progress had been made now because she said that this is an important bill. Well I can say to Miss Street that there is only one reason: it is because the Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage the Hon Chris Finlayson is probably the best Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage we have seen in this country for at least as long as I can remember and probably as long as Maryan Street can remember which is much longer than I could remember. I want to thank the Minister for his commitment. Miss Street ran out of time but she too I sensed wanted to praise Minister Finlayson for his hard work and being able to do something in this House that Miss Street was so concerned that Labour had not quite got to when it ran out of time. I want to thank Miss Street for those sentiments on behalf of the Minister. I know he has a lot of warmth for her. 
Can I say that National values the need to protect culturally significant artefacts throughout the world particularly in areas of armed conflict. I want to also recognise the last speaker in this debate for the Greens Catherine Delahunty who did say that there were other areas that the Greens were concerned about. Well this deals only with armed conflict but some years ago before I returned to New Zealand with my young family I worked for a Greek member of the European Parliament who had been a Minister of Culture in Greece for many years from the island of Lésvos. There was not a day that went by that he did not raise the issue of the Elgin Marbles with me—not formally of course; I did not have the ability to do anything about this. In Greece in the 19th century the Elgin Marbles were removed and taken off to the United Kingdom where so very many people have a chance to see them but I do recognise that there are other issues around culture. I want to recognise that Catherine Delahunty said that the Greens were concerned about history—some would say rewriting it but I will not because this is a very reasonable debate at the moment. Well I did say it but there you are. 
But what I would say is that it is good to see the House joining together on an issue like this. This shows that the work we are doing to preserve and support culture internationally as well as domestically is very well supported. I thank all parties of the House for joining with the National Government in doing something that Miss Street was so concerned that Labour was not able to do over 9 years. Thank you.