Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act Repeal Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRoyal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act Repeal Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 02 March 2016. Volume:711;Page:9342. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act Repeal BillFirst ReadingTIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West) on behalf of Hon Nicky Wagner (National—Christchurch Central): I move That the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act Repeal Bill be now read a first time. At this point I would have been nominating a select committee to consider the bill should it pass its first reading but I noticed that there is actually a contradiction between the notes I have received from the sponsor of the bill and the advice contained on the drill sheet. So for the benefit of the House I propose to nominate later—probably in the right of reply—which select committee should be considering the bill.At the outset I should acknowledge that the Hon Nicky Wagner is the sponsor of this bill and I am honoured to be performing this task on her behalf. I also want to extend my greetings to Blind Foundation members and staff in my home Waikato region. I very much enjoyed as I know did my colleague David Bennett the MP for Hamilton East joining them last year for their 125th anniversary celebrations. They do an excellent job and David and I are very proud to represent them here in our Parliament. I know that they and many other organisations are deeply grateful for the genuine interest and enthusiasm that the Hon Nicky Wagner demonstrates for their work needs and challenges in her capacity as Minister for Disability Issues. She is an excellent advocate for and friend to the many organisations supporting disabled communities throughout New Zealand.Carmel Sepuloni: Why is she not doing the speech then?TIM MACINDOE: It is most unfortunate to receive such an unhelpful and ignorant interjection I must say. I am also delighted to be introducing a bill for the first time in my parliamentary career; after nearly 7½ years that is quite something for me.In 2015 the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind which is now known as the Blind Foundation celebrated as I have mentioned a few moments ago 125 years of providing life-changing services to people who are blind or partially sighted. The foundation traces its origins to the Jubilee Institute for the Blind which was established in 1890.Simon O’Connor: When was that?TIM MACINDOE: Back in 1890—just a couple of years before you came into existence I think Mr O’Connor. More recently in 1963 the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind Act 1963 was passed which established the foundation as a statutory body under the name Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind. In 2002 the foundation wished to clarify its status as a body controlled primarily by and for the benefit of people who are blind or have limited vision and to modernise its structure and governance arrangements giving it the characteristics of an incorporated society. The foundation also wished to change its name to the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind to more accurately reflect the organisation’s modern philosophy. To that end this House enacted the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act in 2002. The Act provided the foundation with an option to register as an incorporated society and was structured in such a way as to become spent if the foundation chose to exercise that option. The foundation registered as an incorporated society on 10 January 2012 and accordingly that Act is now spent or redundant.The foundation considers it desirable therefore that the Act be repealed. There are two main reasons for this: firstly that keeping the Act on the statute book causes confusion as it suggests that the foundation is still a statutory body when it is not; and secondly that the repeal of the Act will emphasise the foundation’s status as an entity that is completely independent from Parliament.Throughout the foundation’s rich history the organisation has continued to adapt to the changing needs of society from its beginnings as a school for blind children to today’s multifaceted organisation that offers a range of services and support. Currently the foundation offers services that empower and support people who are blind or have limited vision to lead independent lives and reach their full potential. These services include support for the blind and partially sighted in independent living and getting around; helping them with technology and ways to continue reading—which of course is so vitally important to them—and communicating in general; and advice about staying in or looking for work which is obviously also of tremendous importance to those wishing to maintain a high level of independence. The foundation also offers professional services to assist the wider community to engage constructively with people who are blind or partially sighted. Such services are invaluable to our communities.The foundation’s strategic plan for the 2015 to 2020 period contains four key priorities: promoting independent living achieving access for all reaching more people and building a foundation for the future. The foundation’s members and associated parties regard the repeal of the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act as the final step towards full member governance and self-determination and towards assisting the foundation to achieve its goals.I am sure that everyone in this House is aware of the great work that the foundation achieves for New Zealanders who are blind or partially sighted. I hope that all members therefore will join me in congratulating and thanking the foundation for its fantastic work so far in the 126 years that it has provided service throughout this nation and wish it all the best as the foundation takes this next step in a long and proud history.I understand that it is necessary during the course of this speech for me to nominate a select committee to consider the bill. I therefore nominate that the bill be considered by the Health Committee. I know that it will give it excellent consideration and I am delighted to have the chair of that very fine committee Simon O’Connor here in the House tonight. I know he will receive it with rapture and give it due consideration.Simon O’Connor: With rapture or with—TIM MACINDOE: With both Mr O’Connor. You are a person of great capacity and I have enormous confidence in your abilities.Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Do not bring me into it.TIM MACINDOE: You too Mr Deputy Speaker are a person of great capacity—Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: I said do not bring me into it.TIM MACINDOE: —but I do not wish to be making any personal comments.It is therefore with great pleasure that I commend the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act Repeal Bill to the House and I am particularly pleased that the Attorney-General has enjoyed this fine oration.POTO WILLIAMS (Labour—Christchurch East): I too take pleasure in the first reading of the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act Repeal Bill. I want to spend a few moments just going over some of the heritage brought to this country by what we now know as the Blind Foundation.We know that the Blind Foundation began in 1890 and that it was actually called the Jubilee Institute for the Blind. It provided services for people who were blind or had low vision. As the previous speaker Tim Macindoe has already said it has enjoyed 126 years of connecting Kiwis who are blind or who have low vision to expert services often delivered by their peers so that they can gain training tips and abilities to deal with their blindness and achieve their potential. That is a very worthwhile aim. The first formal service of the foundation was actually a school in a residence in Parnell—and we all are familiar with the Parnell facility. At that time it delivered sheltered employment workshops and residential programmes but over the course of time as the desire to give greater integration into the community has imposed different sets of values this has of course meant that the workshops the hostels and the other institutional activities have been gradually withdrawn.Of course the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act 2002 brought another turning point for the foundation and it was finally able to formally recognise itself as an organisation accountable to those people living with blindness and low vision. The board is elected from people who are impacted by blindness or low vision.Why did it take the step of becoming an incorporated society as it did on 12 January 2012? Well primarily because it delivers services to its members and the services that it delivers to its members include such things as adaptive daily living and adaptive communications and technology. It delivers peer support counselling and employment opportunities. There is no doubt that we all know the service that it provides in supporting accessibility through its guide dogs. We also know that it offers some very specialised services—for example for children and young people and for people who are deaf and blind. It does particularly good work with Māori and Pacific communities I know—I have a cousin who is blind who has received some particularly good support through the Blind Foundation.But there is another reason of course to become an incorporated society and that is because it is membership based: it provides accountability and equity of accountability across the membership. Becoming an incorporated society is a convenient way whereby groups of people of similar interests—whether it be as in this case or sporting interests or particular leisure pastimes or professional groups—can group together and have shared values and vision. It also means that the properties the assets and whatever may be the ongoing development—it could be of a proprietary nature—remain the property of the society so there is some longevity and some futureproofing built in to the society so that it can retain its assets. And of course being a member you are subject to member fees.I just want to add a note of caution: there are also some aspects of being an organisation like this that could cause some challenges. One of the challenges I want to talk about through the wider community sector could be the pressure that is imposed upon some organisations when it comes to advocating on behalf of the people and the causes that it serves. Sometimes that can impact on their ability to gain Government contracts and funding. There are quite high levels of accountability that are required in reporting and that is a good thing but there is also a level of resource that is required to ensure that the organisations can meet those higher standards of accountability in reporting.There is also a very competitive nature when it comes to tendering for contracts and for funding. The requirements of outcome-based measurements and reporting again are a good thing in terms of being able to be very clear about the types of results that you are achieving with your funding dollar but again as I said they are resource-intensive. It can sometimes be hard to attract the type of calibre of person to sit on your governance boards that you require. With the Blind Foundation being very clear that its leadership will come from within its own membership group it does require some support around building capacity into that group.This bill will ensure that the Act which is now defunct is removed from the statutes because the foundation is no longer a statutory body. The repeal of the Act means that the foundation itself can be completely independent from Parliament and the foundation can see that its members will take the final step to that full-member governance and self-determination that it requires.There is also one other aspect of this bill that is of importance and that is around copyright when it comes to the matter of Braille. Under certain conditions published material can be copied into Braille for use by people with vision impairment without infringing the copyright and that is as it should be and I am pleased that that is a provision within this bill.There is not much more to say on this bill. It does complete a circle I guess in a sense for the Blind Foundation. It is necessary to tidy up its status and ensure that we do not have statutes on the book that are no longer fit for purpose. In that regard I commend the bill to the House. Thank you.SIMON O’CONNOR (National—Tāmaki): I am very pleased to take a call on the first reading on this Wednesday evening on the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act Repeal Bill. It is a repeal bill as has been noted. Look its purpose is relatively simple. It is to ultimately strike a piece of legislation off the books to enable the foundation to stand completely independently if you will of Parliament by engaging now as a fully incorporated society.Can I begin though by acknowledging the members of the royal foundation for the great work that they do in the community. I have had good reason to engage with them from time to time back up in Auckland usually through friends and acquaintances who work there who speak incredibly highly of the organisation. I acknowledge too in my short time here in Parliament those from the foundation who have come before Parliament to advocate for the blind—for those who are visually impaired—and who have always done so in a very constructive manner. I think most recently in the education sector as we did a review of parental engagement we had people from the royal foundation come in and explain to us how important it is to have access to something as simple as—well what we take as being relatively simple—PDF documents from school and to be able to format them in such a way so that parents can read and be fully engaged with their children be it the child or the parents who have visual impairment. So again it is with thanks that I take this call for the work the support and the advocacy that is done.As we have heard from the two previous speakers and primarily from Tim Macindoe who led off reading the bill is here to deliver on an ambition of the Blind Foundation as it is known to modernise its structure. I think one element I have been struck with when looking through the history of the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind is that it has evolved over time. If I can indulge my own historical interest and perhaps that of Paul Foster-Bell who is with me here in 1889 there was a meeting with the Bishop of Auckland—I assume that is the Anglican Bishop of Auckland—who called together what was called the Association of the Friends of the Blind. From there—well a year later—it turned into the Jubilee Institute for the Blind which I imagine—Paul Foster-Bell: What was it the jubilee of Simon?SIMON O’CONNOR: Well I am not 100 percent sure actually but it will be one of the royal jubilees I am sure which led in 1908 to the Jubilee Building in Parnell which is actually one that I lived very close to.Tim Macindoe: Could’ve been the jubilee of the Treaty of Waitangi.SIMON O’CONNOR: You never know actually. But actually the Jubilee Building is remarkably well-known in Auckland. Whether it is absolutely known for its association to the Blind Foundation I am not 100 percent sure. I know that the foundation is now based next door to it. But the Jubilee Building has now been taken over by the council and the community comes together there and I think there is actually strong and good symbolism in that.But that was one of my little learnings. As I went through the history I also noted that in 1927 what was then known as the New Zealand Institute for the Blind set up a military band. That was a little learning—I think I have always associated seeing-eye dogs and the like with the foundation but not necessarily a military band. In 1955 there was then an Act of Parliament and that is what we are beginning to repeal this evening. An Act of Parliament was passed in order to regulate and work for the foundation. In 1972 the foundation received royal patronage. I believe Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra was out and she gave over that royal patronage. In 2002 as we have heard from Poto Williams there was a review of the Act of Parliament. Then in 2015 the foundation celebrated 125 remarkable years and in that time as this little bit of history has touched on it has evolved it has changed and it is now seeking via this repeal of legislation to modernise itself further.What I think is clear through all 126 years is the desire to form a strong community of like-minded people—the common bond around visual impairment and blindness—to be able to live their lives as they see fit and to advocate into the New Zealand community so that we understand not only their situation but to allow them to be the Kiwis whom they want to be. So I support this bill and like others I commend it and look forward to it coming to a select committee.JAN LOGIE (Green): I rise to take a call on this the first reading of the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act Repeal Bill which has been brought to this House as a private bill I understand by the Hon Nicky Wagner.It is in its essence a very simple bill. The heart of the bill is the intention to repeal the existing 2002 Act because the Act which was established by Parliament in 2002 enabled changes to the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind including enabling the foundation to choose whether it wanted to become an incorporated society or not. It specified within that Act that if the foundation chose to become an incorporated society then the 2002 Act would be spent and would need to be repealed. Subsequent to that of course the foundation did go through the process of becoming an incorporated society so it has asked that the 2002 Act be repealed. Specifically it wishes for it to be repealed because keeping the Act on the statute book would cause confusion and would suggest that the foundation may still be a statutory body when in fact it is not. The repeal of the Act will emphasise the foundation’s status as being completely independent from Parliament.I understand that for the foundation the 2002 Act was a very significant event because in its words it made the foundation truly accountable to those living with blindness or low vision rather than to the State or Parliament. That of course is a change that is to be respected and now it is reinforcing that change by asking for the Act to be repealed.There has been a little bit of history given already this evening and I am going to add to that though not by talking about the buildings and so on but by talking about some of the philosophical changes that have happened over the time from when the foundation was established in 1890 as the Jubilee Institute for the Blind. Its purpose was to provide services to people who were blind or who had low vision and the way that it existed at that time was by having the first formal service school and a residence in Parnell. It offered over many years sheltered employment opportunities workshops and residences. But it is nice to reflect now I think on the social change and—probably in part as a result of the advocacy work that it has done—the change in the late 20th century away from separating people who are blind or impaired by low vision into ghettoes rather than having a focus on acknowledging their strengths and inclusion and roles to play alongside everyone else as part of our diverse society.So today we see that the foundation’s first object is the independence integration enablement and well-being of New Zealanders who are blind or who have low vision. I think it absolutely makes sense for the foundation to be independent and accountable to its members and to be off the books of Parliament as a sign of that independence and enablement and focus on its membership. Of course the work it does is very broad and part of that is around advocacy and part of it is about services and I am sure that everyone in this House would like to offer their appreciation for the more than 125 years of advocacy and enablement that the foundation has provided.DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East): It is a great pleasure to speak in regard to this bill. We have had a very generous I think explanation from members of the House around the history and the roles undertaken by the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind—especially the last speaker who made a very poignant point about the need for independence and the ability to live one’s own life even though someone may have a disability.My grandfather was in fact blind—or of limited sight. We knew little about it but we do have stories of him going to Parnell in Auckland travelling from Cambridge and I know that that service in those days was essential to him and I know that that service has carried on over the years. It has grown and it has become a lot more sophisticated I am sure since then and has delivered a lot more in a range of areas for a number of New Zealanders who have had to endure and go through the process of making a life for themselves in our community which is not always open to people who have disabilities or issues with sight.This is a bill that is a very simple bill in the sense that it adjusts the structural nature of the organisation so that it can provide better service to its members and that is something that I think everybody in this House is no doubt in support of and wishing to see progress. I just want to echo the words of my colleague Mr Tim Macindoe around how in Hamilton we are very fortunate to have a very strong service in our city that is well represented. There are so many great people there who give a lot of voluntary time to help out other people whether in communication or just support.I think the key thing though—when you talk to people who are in a situation where they do have limited sight or hearing loss—is very much getting into the job market. Having an occupation having the ability to be part of the community and work is a big part of giving them confidence and support. I think that is one thing that this Parliament could possibly do a lot more of to help people in that area—into work and to enable organisations like the foundation to actually achieve a lot more to give people that independence and confidence in their own abilities and also their contribution to our community and to feel that they are valued and part of the community. That is essentially what everybody wants. If we can make that easier for people to have that opportunity then I think that is something that this Parliament should progress.Although it may be a simple bill and achieve quite a simple purpose it is something that is in a very important area that makes a real difference to people’s lives. I think that we should support and assist in any way we can organisations like this that do a great deal of work in our community and make a real difference to people’s lives in ways that we would never understand unless we have actually had to go through it.DENIS O’ROURKE (NZ First): This bill could hardly be simpler or more straightforward or in fact more sensible. The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind as we all know and as many people have said in the House this evening does wonderful work in the community and has widespread support throughout New Zealand. It has become an independent incorporated society under the Incorporated Societies Act so it no longer needs a special Act of Parliament. The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act 2002 is therefore redundant and it is sensible to repeal it.We in New Zealand First wish the foundation well in its important work. It is good to see it flourishing and succeeding in that work. For all those reasons New Zealand First will be very happy to support the bill.JOANNE HAYES (National): I am pleased to stand and support the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act Repeal Bill. We have heard tonight the many reasons why the Act is to be repealed so I want to take my contribution a little bit to the side and talk about some of the services that the foundation has provided. I want to do this by talking a little bit about some examples of where I have seen this actually happen. I want to hark back to my university days.Back in the day I was doing a first year social work degree at Massey University. They had all sorts of first year students doing that degree but one was a woman who was born blind. She came into the university and had studied right up to then and wanted to complete a social work degree and I thought that of all the people studying towards the social work degree she would have been to me the most deserving and the most rewarding student—if I had been a lecturer—to teach.I was really amazed at the guidance that the foundation supplied to the university and to her to help her get through the exams. We all know that to first year students exams seem a little bit overbearing; they are a little bit more structured and intense than schooldays. I was quite intrigued about the way that they examined her—all verbal—and the number of volunteers who came in to read the exam papers out to her and some of her papers as well. I was very impressed with the services that the foundation gave to this young woman who went on to gain her degree and no doubt become a very good social worker working in the community.The next example I want to talk about is farmers because farmers over time are quite susceptible to visual impairment because of their exposure to the sun. My next-door neighbour came to me—he was only in his early sixties—and he said: “Oh you’d better wear sunglasses.” and he had just been diagnosed with glaucoma. He started his journey receiving advice and support not only from the doctor but he also went to the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind to ask for things that could perhaps actually help him to come to terms with the fact that he had glaucoma and there was really nothing that he could do and eventually he would go blind. He had to come to that realisation—really we saw it in his face: it was devastation right through to acceptance.In 2014 I collected for the foundation in Christchurch and one of the volunteers on that stand with me was a farmer from Southland—from Clutha Southland—who knew Bill English very very well. He told me that he went blind fairly suddenly. This man would have been in his late fifties early sixties and he had a guide dog and he said to me that ever since he had made a connection with the foundation it had helped him immensely. He had had this dog for 6 months. He must have been very good with animals because he basically had this dog eating out of the palm of his hand or the dog had him eating out of the palm of its paw. I was really impressed. This man and all the people with whom I have come into contact who have either been born blind or have gone blind over time always have this absolutely wonderful wonderful attitude and that drive to carry on and live really great independent and full lives.The last one I want to talk about—I met a trainer of guide dogs and she had a pup sitting next to her. He was 6 months old and I can tell you that my 6-month-old huntaway is not as well behaved as this young guide dog pup. She asked whether I would be interested in helping to raise one as a puppy and I said I knew my husband would never let me have a puppy because I would not ever let it go and I would ruin all chances of its training because I would spoil it rotten.This bill is a great bill and I know with the backing across the House that this bill will go through and is well supported by everybody. I commend it to the House.JENNY SALESA (Labour—Manukau East): Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker for this call on the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act Repeal Bill. The Blind Foundation was 125 years old last year. It has been through a number of changes since it was established as the Jubilee Institute for the Blind way back in 1890. The foundation is this country’s primary supporter for nearly 12000 people who are blind and those with low vision. It provides emotional and practical support with a view to enabling them to face their future with confidence. It allows people to take up the same opportunities and choices as everyone else.As the spokesperson for employment skills and training I understand the need for appropriate skills and training for employment for everyone. I also value those who like this foundation take on the important work of ensuring that differently abled people are equipped with the skills and training that they need to participate fully in society whether it be support in living independently or in getting around or help with technology or better ways of communication or indeed advice on staying in or looking for employment. I commend the foundation for the work that it has done and the work that it has done over the last 125 years. For it to get to the current stage of governance and strategic direction over that period of time is a feat indeed.The most recent of the foundation’s incarnations was in establishing the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act 2002. That Act changed the governance structure and it allowed the adoption of a constitution that ensured that the foundation was led and governed by its members. It also allowed people to elect to their own offices. That Act also offered the foundation the option of registering as an incorporated society should the membership see that that was a beneficial course of action. As this House has heard it took that option up in 2012 meaning that the provisions of the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act 2002 are now spent. To keep the statute book clean the Act should now be repealed.As someone who is passionate about education and high standards of literacy throughout our society I wholeheartedly support the consequential amendment to the Copyright (General Matters) Regulations 1995 which is proposed in clause 4 of this bill. This amendment would ensure that the foundation is correctly described for the purposes of the Copyright Act. It allows it to continue with its important role in making and circulating Braille or audio copies and adaptations of published books and dramatic works to those with low vision and those who are blind without infringing copyright. This brings a richness to the daily life of the foundation’s members and it allows them to be on an equal footing with others in our community in education training or in simply enjoying the reading of a good book. Labour supports this bill. Thank you.PAUL FOSTER-BELL (National): Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā Tuarua. Tēnā koutou katoa e ngā mema o Te Whare. In rising to take a call in this first reading debate on the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act Repeal Bill I just want to respond to some comments that have been made so far in the debate.My colleague the chairman of the Health Committee Simon O’Connor the honourable member for Tāmaki reflected on the history of the Blind Foundation. The question was raised around what was the eponymous jubilee in the name of the Jubilee Institute for the Blind when it was founded in 1890. Well having done a little bit of historical research I am pleased to be able to say that I can inform the House that it commemorated the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Colony of New Zealand in 1840. Because I think it might be of interest to other monarchists—Simon I know is one of them—I was wondering whether there was a royal jubilee in 1890 and of course there was not. So that was the event after which the initial institute for the blind was named and was formally adopted at in a public meeting.Then in 1891 a school known as the Jubilee Institute was founded in Parnell. I think members have also touched on that establishment. In 1892 the institute was incorporated as a separate charitable institution and a board of six trustees was appointed. A lot has happened since then. The jubilee buildingopened in 1908 and there was a significant event in 1926 when the institute was renamed as the New Zealand Institute for the Blind. Other members have also mentioned the foundation of a military band but they might also be interested to learn that from 1927 onwards the institution of a military band also led to a dance band a school choir and a girls’ string orchestra providing much enjoyment obviously to those people who might have visual impairments but could still enjoy the beautiful music performed by those bands. In 1955 there was an Act of Parliament that enforced deinstitutionalisation.I like other members want to reflect on some of the changes that this bill now brings in as we are in the modern era in which there are technical aids to assist those with visual impairments and blindness. The changes to the copyright legislation that the honourable member Jenny Salesa mentioned—it is actually the Copyright (General Matters) Regulations 1995—actually changes the descriptor of the foundation in thoseregulations so that modern technology can be used for instance to read aloud from a PDF file or other electronic sources; so that those technical aids can be provided so that blind people and those who are visually impaired can enjoy literature without running the risk of impinging upon copyright. I think that is a very positive measure.This is a measure that has been supported by the Blind Foundation itself. In fact as early as 2002 the foundation expressed a wish to clarify its status as a body controlled by and for the benefit of people who are blind or have low vision and also to modernise its structure and its governance arrangements giving it more characteristics of an incorporated society. This is not a new desire; this has been the wish of the foundation itself for more than 10 years. We know other groups that are supporting people with disabilities in New Zealand and that have similar statuses have modernised their constitutions and updated their arrangements to reflect the modern environment in which they operate.As other members have mentioned in 2015 the Blind Foundation commemorated 125 years of providing valuable services to people who are blind and have low vision. I think it behoves this House to ensure that the next 125 years for the Blind Foundation are underpinned by the best possible institutional arrangements to allow them to proceed with transparency as a body controlled by and for their members and to deliver the results and the services that people with blindness and visual impairment require and need.So it is without a moment of hesitation that I would commend this bill to the House and hope that the select committee gives it—and I am sure it will under the chairmanship of Simon O’Connor—full and proper consideration and advances it further.KEVIN HAGUE (Green): I want in this contribution to refer to two kinds of transformation that are perhaps embodied or exemplified in this bill. The first of those is a transformation in the stance taken by organisations such as this because the way in which the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind was first constituted exemplified almost a paternalistic view of how services ought to be provided. I guess that was in common with the approach to charitable works that was prevalent at the time as well. Under that approach people who were blind or others who were the recipients of such charitable services were seen as passive recipients who ought to be grateful for the largesse of the State or of the charities that provided for them.Things have moved on quite a bit from then and part of that is demonstrated in the change of name of the foundation itself becoming first of all the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind to make the point that in fact the foundation sets out to be an organisation that comprises people who are blind or have visual impairment. This next step that the bill provides for—cutting the ties to a statutory basis for the foundation—I think is the next logical step. That accompanies the 2012 registration of the Blind Foundation as an incorporated society marking that full transition away from an arm of the State—or an entity of the State—through to a fully independent organisation of blind people themselves. Empowerment is one of the two pillars for achieving independence.The other pillar for achieving independence that I want to speak about is changing the environment that surrounds blind people because when we speak of disability there is an ongoing debate about whether we should talk about people who have disabilities as being disabled. Indeed that is the preferred term because people who have disabilities are disabled by the failure of the society around them to provide space to adequately integrate those people into the full life of society. That is another of the changes that the Blind Foundation has made. It has now emphasised the importance of services that enable blind people to participate fully in society.In the few minutes that I have remaining I want to talk about two extraordinary New Zealanders: Joan and Jim Newcombe. They are my parents-in-law. Jim Newcombe is 86. He is blind—has been now for some decades. Jim is the person whom I go to when I am at home when I want to know what is really going on in the world because it is Jim who will have read all of the latest magazines and all of the latest books and he does that through the services of the talking book service from the Blind Foundation. It is Jim who actually gets around the town and he does that using his guide dog—again from the services of the Blind Foundation. He has got his watch from the Blind Foundation; he has got his globe from the Blind Foundation. A more connected man—a man more in touch with what is going on in the world—I cannot think of. He could not have achieved that without the services of the Blind Foundation. Joan Newcombe is one of the principal fundraisers for the Blind Foundation. Her efforts are what enable Jim to participate fully.So I fully commend this bill to the House and I thank the Blind Foundation for its work. Thank you.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): Tim Macindoe—in reply.TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West): Could I begin by thanking all members who have contributed to this debate for their very thoughtful contributions. I am sure that those who have been in here or perhaps tuning in around the country who have been listening to the debate will have been moved as I have been by some of the personal stories that members have told about their association with people who are blind or partially sighted. For instance we have just heard from Kevin Hague of his account of Jim. I relate to that story very closely and I thank him for sharing that with us. I fully understand as Mr Hague has suggested that often it is those who cannot see physically who have enormous insights into the world and we can learn so much from them. Unanimity of views may not make for riveting after-dinner television or for sensational headlines but it does indeed demonstrate the capacity of members of this House to focus on matters of some sensitivity such as this and to work cooperatively and intelligently on these non-controversial matters that are very much in the public interest. So I thank members for doing that.As many speakers have noted during the debate the principal reason for the introduction of this bill—which has of course been requested by the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind itself—is that the statute it seeks to repeal is now redundant. I want to apologise to members for my initial hesitation earlier in the debate over the particular select committee to which the bill would be referred in the likely event that it passes its first reading but I am delighted to hear that it is being welcomed by the Health Committee and that will be under the excellent chairmanship of my good friend and colleague Simon O’Connor the member for Tāmaki.I was interested to hear from my colleague David Bennett the member for Hamilton East that his grandfather was blind. As a former member for a Hamilton electorate Mr Assistant Speaker you will know that the two MPs for Hamilton frequently see more of each other at many of the events that we attend than I often feel I see of my own family. And yet I have to say that I was unaware until this evening that Mr Bennett’s grandfather was blind just as I am sure that he would be unaware that my wife’s grandfather the late John Johnson was also blind in his latter years as a result of the condition that we know as glaucoma.John Johnson was a truly admirable man and I held him in the highest of regard. It was a great privilege to know him in the years after our marriage—I think he survived for about 12 years after I married my wife. He was dearly loved and is still greatly missed by his children and grandchildren. I want to put that on record because I never heard him complain about his condition and in all the time that I knew him he was completely blind. I spent a lot of time with him when I could. He could never see me but he was a tremendous conversationalist a deeply intelligent man and as Mr Hague was mentioning when he spoke of Jim recently he had tremendous insights into the world. I was as I say greatly in admiration of him. He was an avid reader before he lost his sight and so therefore to lose that ability must have been deeply frustrating to him. And he was deprived of the joy of seeing his great-grandchildren—he had several great-grandchildren in his twilight years.I mention him and want to put him on record in the reply in this debate because his lack of self-pity was a feature I have witnessed and admired in many of the blind and partially sighted members of our community. It is humbling for those of us who are fully sighted to detect the acceptance the gratitude and the can-do attitude that so many Blind Foundation members demonstrate. Sometimes those of us who do not live with a significant disability need to be reminded of just how fortunate we are and how little we really have to moan about.Again I commend the Hon Nicky Wagner for sponsoring this bill and for her dedicated efforts as Minister for Disability Issues. She does put a huge amount of time and energy into that portfolio and I know she enjoys it and I know she is appreciated for that effort. I also know that she will be as delighted as I am to hear that this bill has attracted the unanimous support of members of this House tonight. I thank members sincerely for that support and I especially thank and commend the foundation for its outstanding service throughout its history in New Zealand from 1890 to the present day. I warmly commend this bill to the House.Bill read a first time.Bill referred to the Health Committee.