Tirikatene RinoRINO TIRIKATENE (Labour—Te Tai Tonga): Tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker. I rise to stand in support of the Hurunui/Kaikōura Earthquakes Emergency Relief Bill at its last reading. As one of the local members in the affected area I too along with my colleague Mr Stuart Smith have been on the ground first hand seeing the devastation that has taken place but also the efforts that have been carried out by the community and the emergency services. I just commend all the work that is being done at this stage in terms of this bill.The most contentious point has been the dredging of the marina but that would be the most important emergency work that will need to be carried out in Kaikōura. We know that that is the only location where vessels can have passage in and out and tourism is the lifeblood of that community. We are not just talking about Whale Watch Kaikōura. We are talking about other related tourism businesses: dolphin encounters; various charter boat fishing operators once the fishing gets back under way again; and we must also not forget the cruise ship industry—we have various cruise ships that are not going to be docking in Kaikōura because they cannot get their passengers in safely to that community.It is having a huge economic impact and these emergency works are desperately needed. I know having spoken with the engineers who have already been on site—they are already there—that it is a big job but they want to swing into action as soon as possible. To get the necessary gear is going to be tricky in itself and to ensure the availability of that gear and also transportation—getting it in there safely—will be tricky given the issues with access. So there is a lot of work going on by a lot of people. Indeed now we are doing our bit to make sure that we can progress these works as well.I do not want to overly prolong this debate but I do want to acknowledge the local hapū Kāti Kuri for their support and their work on the ground at this time. It is going to take some months before the residents of Kaikōura will be back to normality but it is great to see that we have got an inland road and we have access through there.We have schools back up and running. Slowly the residents are getting back to everyday activities but we must not forget that there have been many families displaced or evacuated or whose houses have been destroyed or are probably going to be red-stickered—we do not know but they are likely to be. Those families now are in emergency accommodation. They have moved on from the marae in Tuahiwi and I do acknowledge the hau kāinga there at Tuahiwi Marae who have done an outstanding job looking after those evacuated families. We do now have families that are no longer in their homes no longer in their community. Now they are having to deal with the realisation that they have to adjust their lives in the medium to long term—their everyday situation with housing and just what their future might hold. I will be with many of those families tomorrow.Likewise just returning to Ngāti Kuri I do want to acknowledge the hau kāinga whānau the Manawatū whānau—in particular Hēnare the chair of the marae—and Major Timms whose son Justin Timms was in that kitchen cooking up those crays feeding the hundreds of tourists who were stranded and putting on that hospitality that we are renowned for to ensure that they were looked after until they were able to find safe passage out. There are many more stories that will come out of this but it was the efforts of those people who responded on the ground—I understand Major Timms is now in hospital in Christchurch so I wish him well and a speedy recovery. It is those everyday stories that are relevant because this legislation is all about getting those people back into Kaikōura into a rebuilt community and having their lifeblood which is tourism and fishing and other industries back up in business. It is not just the big businesses. The big businesses are supported by a lot of small businesses in that community. They are all impacted. It is not just tourism as well. There are wonderful engineering firms there are cheese factories and the like all impacted by the passages into Kaikōura and also reliant on and supportive of the wider community and the tourism industry which has pardon the pun been stranded and beached by the earthquake and by the lack of access through to the harbour. I am very proud to be supporting this legislation. I know that it is being done under urgency but it has had the full cooperation of all parties around this House. I do acknowledge the Acting Minister of Civil Defence and all his officials who have been literally burning the midnight oil. They have been reacting and putting in place all the necessary measures to ensure that we get this legislation in place and through this House. I have nothing further to do but to commend it to the House. Kia ora tātou.