Kedgley Sue: Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill — Second Reading 
Kedgley Sue: Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:670;Page:16845] 
SUE KEDGLEY (Green) 
: 
 The Green Party joins with every other party in this House in supporting this small but nevertheless very significant piece of legislation the Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill. In particular we would like to join the tributes for George Parr. It is interesting that we are here in this House 80 years on thanking George Parr for his extraordinary generosity and far-sightedness in designating and gifting this land to the people of Hamilton. Many people leave gifts leave legacies but what a magnificent legacy it is to gift a park to a city. Actually when I think about it I realise that any great city in the world is distinguished by its park. When we think of New York we think of Central Park. When we think of London we think of Hyde Park. When we think of Christchurch we think of Hagley Park. When we think of Auckland we think of the Auckland Domain. When we think of Wellington well we have the Wellington Botanic Garden and now we have Waitangi Park— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: And the Basin Reserve. 
SUE KEDGLEY 
: —and we have the Basin Reserve. But I do want to mention Waitangi Park because when I was a Wellington city councillor there was a proposal to build five-storey townhouses all over Waitangi Park. I and many other councillors fought vehemently against the covering-over of Waitangi Park with townhouses. Finally we won and now we have this small but wonderful park Waitangi Park in Wellington as well. 
What would our cities be like without parks? This is particularly the case today as our cities—and I am thinking of Hamilton City too—are becoming increasingly congested and increasingly spread with suburban sprawl. In Hamilton where I spent quite a bit of my time when I was growing up—my grandparents and all my relatives lived there—there was a lot of open space. There was lovely open space around the lake but now all of that open space—or most of it—is gone and there is just suburban sprawl. So for the people of Hamilton I say thank heavens for the vision of George Parr and thank heavens that he gave Parana Park and that this park like so many other open spaces in Hamilton and other cities has not been built on and is not covered in townhouses or suburban sprawl. He was a very great visionary and I hope he is remembered in Hamilton and honoured for this great gift. I agree with my colleague from Labour about what a visionary he was. 
Again it is worth remembering in the context of our tribute to George Parr his vision for public transport—his vision not only in leaving this magnificent park but also in his understanding of public transport. He was a huge advocate for a train from Hamilton to Kawhia—a great visionary rather like Sir Dove-Myer Robinson. If only the people of Auckland had listened to men like Sir Dove-Myer Robinson and George Parr. Members can imagine what Auckland would be like if we had listened to Sir Dove-Myer Robinson that great visionary. We would have had light rail or a mass transit system right through Auckland but instead Sir Dove-Myer Robinson’s vision was defeated by National in one of its many manifestations when it came in and forced the abandonment of the plans for a public transport system in Auckland. 
Unfortunately the vision of George Parr for a train from Hamilton to Kawhia was also not implemented; it was opposed by developers at the time. He had a vision also for a canal and members can imagine what a much better place Hamilton would have been if that vision had been implemented—if Hamilton had had not only Parana Park but also a canal and a rapid train linking Hamilton to Auckland. 
The other thing about parks is that not only are they wonderful places to have recreation—and many people have been sharing their memories of all the important things that happen in Parana Park—but also they are of course the lungs of the city. As cities become ever more congested with cars and houses and even more built up these green spaces these rare little jewels of green spaces are the lungs of the city as well as places for people to have recreation. 
My colleague Phil Twyford was talking about what a pleasure it was to be talking about something positive—a positive piece of legislation that the Local Government and Environment Committee of which I am a member has been able to consider—and about what a sharp contrast that is to most of the other legislation we have had to consider which is all about getting rid of local government and its democratic rights in New Zealand. Mr Twyford was focusing on Auckland and on the fact that with one fell swoop we got rid of eight democratically elected and well-functioning councils in Auckland and replaced them with a super-city. 
But I am not sure why Mr Twyford omitted to mention given his penchant for talking about these issues the getting rid of Environment Canterbury. That would have to be the worst the most blatant taking away of power that has happened to local government in New Zealand. I remember an American who came to a big public meeting we were holding in Christchurch when the people there were so upset about this matter. He said that it could not happen in America; a local council could not just be wiped out like that. 
So it is a relief that on the Local Government and Environment Committee we have had at least one bill that is completely positive which is about giving to people and to local communities rather than about taking away from them their rights and their democratic ability to vote etc. It is fantastic that we can join with every other member of this House completely unanimously in supporting the Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill. We hope that Parana Park will remain for another 80 years as a precious piece of open space in Hamilton and that all the other magnificent parks around New Zealand such as Hagley Park and the Domain will forever remain as this one is—protected for recreation and as the lungs of the city and as an area not able to be encroached upon and built on as so many parks have been. Thanks.