Williams Andrew: National War Memorial Park (Pukeahu) Empowering Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Williams Andrew: National War Memorial Park (Pukeahu) Empowering Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 28 August 2012. Volume:683;Page:4814. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
ANDREW WILLIAMS (NZ First) 
: 
 I take a call on behalf of New Zealand First on the National War Memorial Park (Pukeahu) Empowering Bill. New Zealand First will be of course supporting this bill and supporting this initiative of the Government and the other agencies including Wellington City Council the New Zealand Transport Agency and the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. We believe this is a very worthy project as we approach the centenary of World War I and it is very fitting that such a project is undertaken as a significant milestone in the commemorations of some of our most notable parts of New Zealand history. 
For those of us who have been to the National War Memorial on a number of occasions we are always most impressed with the memorial itself the wonderful building that is there and what it offers in terms of that building structure. But it has always been my impression that it is a great shame that the road immediately in front of it is a busy road. In a sense you know it is a big drawback from the war memorial that is there and the National War Memorial building. It is not fitting that it is such a busy arterial route. When you compare it with the great capitals of the world and their national memorials and you think of the likes of Canberra and you think of the likes of Washington DC—my youngest daughter Bryony was in Washington DC this week and she commented on being able to walk around and see the marvellous monuments and the wonderful memorials in Washington DC—it is very notable that in many countries a huge amount of national pride is often in their national war memorials. We have also seen that in more recent years with the wonderful memorials that have been developed in London including the New Zealand memorial that is there now in Hyde Park. So I think it is very fitting that finally New Zealand should make its National War Memorial an even more fitting place something with a little bit more peace and tranquillity and something with a little bit more of the natural New Zealand quiet ambience rather than a busy road roaring straight past the memorial. 
I have looked at the concept drawings and the concept designs for this and it is a beautiful park that is envisaged there with the former road disappearing underneath and well out of sight and sound. As a result it will allow larger numbers of people to go and visit the war memorial and take in the whole ambience and feeling of the place. Also when there are parades—and I have been to a number of parades there—it will be a much nicer place for our veterans for our military for those involved with the parades and for the public who are attending to have a more fitting peaceful and more observant commemoration. 
I was talking with my colleague Richard Pryor here before. Both of us have attended—not Richard Pryor; Richard Prosser. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Prosser. Prosser. 
ANDREW WILLIAMS 
: Sorry. It is not a day for surnames is it Mr Assistant Speaker? I apologise to my colleague and I am sure he will call me names afterwards as well. 
But Richard Prosser and I were just noting that we have both attended Anzac Day ceremonies at the Anzac War Memorial in the centre of Sydney and how lovely that is with the ponds and the park that surrounds it and how it is such a wonderful fitting situation for their Anzac Day ceremonies. I can see this being the same situation for the capital city of our country. This park in the future will be a wonderful place for more and more people to go to. Being an Aucklander I say that we are very proud of our cenotaph up there in the middle of the Auckland Domain next to the Auckland War Memorial Museum and how wonderful it is to have that surrounded by such a large expanse of green space. Similarly it would be very appropriate for the capital city to have a similar park of a reasonable size around the National War Memorial so that again it can be commemorated in that way. 
We owe a great debt to our veterans and as the veterans’ affairs spokesman for New Zealand First I say that we are very conscious of honouring them and remembering them. Here in this Chamber when we look at the names around the walls here there are great names such as Passchendaele behind me Gallipoli over there Messines and Egypt. There are so many wonderful names and of course more recent ones such as Viet Nam Korea Malaya and others. While we honour our veterans and our great commitment to keeping world peace around the world it is very fitting that we also do this at our National War Memorial in this way. 
Much of the cost does involve the actual road and many people who perhaps are not so enthusiastic about this might look at the cost but much of that is taken up in the actual tunnelling of this road which is going to be of long-term benefit to Wellington and long-term benefit to traffic movements in that area. Effectively the park costs and the memorial costs are an insignificant amount in the greater scheme of things. 
We believe that this legislation is important. Time is of the essence. It will take a reasonable amount of time to get this project completed. We cannot wait until after the World War I commemorations to have it completed so it is important that it is done in a timely fashion. In matters of national importance such as this where we would hope there would be agreement across the House to get this done we would certainly look to have this bill expedited through this House as quickly as possible so that this project can really get some traction and really make some progress very very quickly. 
Just in closing New Zealand First supports this. We think it is very very timely. It is another way that we can honour those who have fallen in the name of our country and who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country. They have made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our nation in order for us to be the good democracy that we are. In that respect this is a very very small price to pay to ensure that we continue to honour what is a great legacy that has been left by those who have fallen in the past and by those who have gone off to war on behalf of New Zealand. So New Zealand First is very happy to commend this bill to the House and we will be supporting it.