Korako Nuk: Wellington Town Belt Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKorako Nuk: Wellington Town Belt Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 04 May 2016. Volume:713;Page:10791. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]NUK KORAKO (National): E Te Mana Whakawā ā e mihi atu ana ki a koutou katoa huri noa i Te Whare nei tēnā koutou.[Mr Assistant Speaker acknowledgments to you all throughout this House and thank you.]It is my pleasure to be able to be the last speaker on the Wellington Town Belt Bill and to also acknowledge those who did a lot of work particularly through the Local Government and Environment Committee. This particular piece of land will shortly with the final reading be put into law to be protected in a lot of ways.I want to start off first by acknowledging the tangata whenua which has already been done before but I think it is important in the final speech because it is the beginning and also an important part of the finish. The whakataukī“Tumutumu parea rākau parea whānui te ara ki a Tāne” which opens the preamble of this bill was uttered by the Te Atiawa chief Te Wharepōuri Te Kakapi-o-Te-Rangi when he observed the arrival of the New Zealand Company ship the Tory. The translation pretty much is “ward off post and weapon so that the expansive path of mankind is opened up”. This is about the journey of life overcoming obstacles and issues and focusing on the main tasks at hand. This is an important part of this bill particularly because it is an important part of that preamble.As we know the New Zealand Company’s dealings with Te Atiawaand local iwi proved to be deceitful and the Crown provided little assistance as well. One of the things that the Crown and the Company did between them was to reserve this large town belt between the planned urban and rural areas of Wellington. This was done originally with no compensation for or even consultation with Māori. But the breaches of the Treaty that occurred within the environs of Wellington City have now been settled with Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika and Ngati Toa Rangatira.I want to acknowledge the instigator of this bill Grant Robertson because during the select committee process there was very very good and excellent engagement actually with the questions that were asked about the Port Nicholson settlement and how it affected tangata whenua. Also in the redress of those settlements there was the acknowledgment of the special relationship of mana whenua particularly around some of those areas of the town belt. I think the important thing too was that the place names were also changed including that area of the town belt that rises behind Parliament now known as Te Ahumairangi Hill. Mana whenua had an interest and a relationship with areas that now make up the Wellington town belt well before the New Zealand Company arrived. That has been recognised in previous settlements and particularly through this bill.What was very clear in the submissions process we undertook on the Local Government and Environment Committee was that the town belt has also come to mean a lot to the residents of Wellington. Generations of Wellingtonians have enjoyed the botanic gardens the many recreational activities available and the natural beauty of other reserves and walks in the town belt. It is appropriate that this area continues to be managed and administered by the Wellington City Council on behalf of the people of Wellington.Other parts of this bill particularly around the legal status of the Wellington town belt which has in some ways never been entirely clear—and with that has come some of the uncertainty about how protected the town belt actually is and the authority of the council that manages it on behalf of Wellingtonians. This bill to me and to us all provides that certainty that is definitely needed.It replaces the Wellington (City) Town Belt Reserves Act 1908 and the Wellington City Exhibition Grounds Act 1959. It provides one principal source of the council’s powers in relation to the town belt. It also clarifies the legal status of land that is not currently part of the town belt but is managed as if it was. Under this bill there are 400 hectares of town belt and the further space of 130 hectares that is managed as if it is the official town belt or part of it.The interesting thing about this bill and the important thing about it is that it modernises how the town belt is managed by the Wellington City Council. The council must adopt a management plan. I think this is important because it will futureproof and give assurances about the ongoing management of the town belt through this bill. So what we see is that it will adopt the management plan and review it. I think this is important. The town plan is reviewed every 10 years. Also what that includes is a public submissions process so you have that real kotahitaka going on or that collectiveness between the council and also the Wellington ratepayers.The other part is that there are also wider consultation provisions that apply when the council seeks to build or extend the structures imposes charges grants leases and consents or adds land to the town belt. In relation to leases one of the changes that came out during the submissions which I think was really interesting—it was a recommendation by the select committee in the end and was agreed to by this House—was to put a limit on the leases that may be granted within the town belt Again it is a certainty around futureproofing. The council may grant leases on no more than 8 hectares in total of the town belt which is another excellent way of protecting it.For me this is a sensible limit that allows some third-party use of areas within the town belt but ensures that no future council could allow more than this small percentage of town belt land to be occupied. In looking at all of that the council is also required to direct any moneys earned from the leases on the town belt towards contributing to management costs which again is about ensuring that not only is it protected and managed properly but there are revenue streams to ensure that it is ably managed. I think the other part is that the council has also limited the business activities within the town belt. This received particularly through the chamber of commerce—actually this was an interesting part of the submission process.In saying all of that I want to close by just saying well done to the Wellington City Council for recognising the need for clarification of the status of this land and the modernisation of the management regime. I want to also acknowledge the many Wellingtonians who took an interest in the process and made submissions to the select committee. These are so important not only in this bill but in every bill that comes before a select committee—the submitters are a really important part of it. Also I want to acknowledge Grant Robertson the MP for Wellington Central because it was Mr Robertson as we have heard before from many speakers who shepherded this bill through the House on behalf of his local council.The Wellington town belt is a unique and distinguishing feature of this city. To me and to all of us it is the pūkahukahu o te pā—it is the lungs of the city. It really does truly need to be protected and this bill will do that. On that note kia ora also to those councillors who are here in the gallery—e mihi atu ki a koutou—and I have no hesitation in commending this bill to the House. Kia ora.Bill read a third time.