Blumsky Mark: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Blumsky Mark: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:631;Page:3633] 
9.  
MARK BLUMSKY (National) 
 to the  
Minister of Internal Affairs 
: Does he agree with the Prime Minister when she reportedly said that the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary was the sort of project that the Significant Community Based Projects Fund aimed to help; if not why not? 
Hon RICK BARKER (Minister of Internal Affairs) 
: 
 Yes. 
Mark Blumsky 
: Does he agree that the sanctuary had proved itself against the fund’s criterion of securing commitments for significant community support towards the project cost from funding sources other than central government given that it had secured an $8 million interest-free loan from the Wellington City Council and only after extensive community consultation? 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: Yes it is true that the project for a visitors centre and car-park at the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary did meet many of the criteria set down by Cabinet. There were some concerns however about some financial aspects of the project. 
Russell Fairbrother 
: What does the Significant Community Based Projects Fund aim to do and how much has been distributed this year? 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: The Significant Community Based Projects Fund aims to help those significant community projects that have been stifled of capital over a number of years. It is to be a funder of last resort and a number of very very good projects have been funded. An amount of $19.3 million has been allocated including to the velodrome in Invercargill the Chinese gardens in Dunedin the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust in Waikato the Oparara Valley project on the West Coast and Auckland’s agricultural and pastoral showgrounds. Those are excellent deserving projects and won support in their own right. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Just keep the level of chat down so we can hear the member. 
Hon Peter Dunne 
: How does the Minister reconcile his officials’ advice to the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary—that its application had been declined because it had failed to secure significant community support for the project from sources other than central government—with the fact that at the time that the Wellington City Council approved a loan of $8 million to the sanctuary in June 2005 those same officials had advised the sanctuary that the loan would not pose a problem with its application and also with the fact that of the $15 million previously raised by the sanctuary 64 percent had come from the community at large and is he therefore now prepared to request his officials to review their decision? 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: The application was not for the sanctuary itself; the application was for a visitors centre—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Hon Peter Dunne 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I am sitting not very far from the Minister but with the noise I cannot hear a word he is saying. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I sympathise with the member. 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: The first point I would make in answer to the member’s question is that the application was for a visitors centre and car-park not for the sanctuary itself. Secondly the officials did acknowledge to the group that the loan was there and told it that it was not a problem but that is not to say there were not other financial concerns about the entire project. There were concerns and they have been outlined to the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. 
Mark Blumsky 
: How much confidence does he have in the grants process when the Wellington City Council was absolutely certain in giving the $8 million interest-free loan that the loan would be repaid whereas his officials sat in their office and without consulting the council and without consulting the sanctuary deemed that the loan could not be repaid and used that as one of the main reasons for declining the grant? 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: I am confident about the process. The criteria were clear and the process was transparent. Every application had to go through exactly the same process. They were all judged fairly and equally. I have to say to the member that it was not just the loan that was at issue; the officials have explained to the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary their concerns. I make the point to the member that another funding round is coming up next year. 
Hon Peter Dunne 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I have a slight dilemma in that I have used up my party’s allocation of supplementary questions for today but the Minister has failed to answer the first part of my original supplementary question which was whether he would order a review. I cannot ask a second supplementary question but he did not answer the first part so perhaps he could be invited to comment on it now. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Would the Minister like to add to his answer. 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: Is this a supplementary question Madam Speaker? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: No. [ 
Interruption 
] I have in the past ruled in the same way when members have not phrased their questions properly—and yes Mr Hide I remember quite clearly that once I gave you the benefit. Would the Hon Rick Barker please add to his answer. 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: No. 
Mark Blumsky 
: Can the Minister understand why his colleague the Hon Marian Hobbs found the decision “bloody hurtful” when the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary clearly met a different criterion of securing demonstrated community support given that it attracted over $13 million in community funding that 350 volunteers had put in over 250000 hours of volunteer work and that the sanctuary has 5500 members—yet his department deemed that it did not have enough community support? 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: What the applications to this fund have shown is that there is an enormous amount of energy out there in New Zealand for significant projects. All the projects we had to turn down were deserving and it is very difficult to judge one as being better than another. I am well aware of the outstanding work being done by the Karori sanctuary but I would say that it is rather ironic that criticism based on public concern comes from that member as 70 percent of Wellingtonians said they opposed the sale of Wellington Airport yet that member Mark Blumsky sold it. 
Mark Blumsky 
: Can the Minister understand the statement made by his colleague the Hon Marian Hobbs that she had huge doubts about the decision and about the process around the decision when she and many others cannot see the logic behind criteria that result in the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary’s application for $6 million of taxpayers’ money failing but that would have approved an application from it for $8 million of taxpayers’ money? 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: The member’s last statement is simply not correct. I can understand the frustration felt by Marian Hobbs but I am confident that the process was clear transparent and robust. 
Hon Jim Anderton 
: Can the Minister tell the House when the grant policy for significant community activity and events was put in place and was it in place when the National Government was last in power? 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: I can say that this is a fantastic policy that shows Labour’s commitment to strengthening communities. We are prepared to invest in communities unlike the National Party. This is a Labour process and if National has its way which it will not and imposes huge tax cuts then all these sorts of activities will be gone—gone well before lunchtime. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. We notice that the Labour whips have indicated to Marian Hobbs that there are not enough supplementary questions left on their side for her to ask a question. If you were to recognise her you could take the question off us. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: That is not a point of order. It goes on the list of “not points of order” that I am keeping at the moment.