King Colin: Walking Access Bill — First Reading 
King Colin: Walking Access Bill — First Reading 
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COLIN KING (National—Kaikoura) 
: 
 It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to talk to the Walking Access Bill. I take the opportunity in this short call to address the second Labour speaker’s comment about why National is supporting this bill but supporting it with caution. One only has to go back to 2002 and see the absolute reckless shambles that Labour made of the first attempt to force right-to-roam legislation through this Parliament. It would be naive of us to forget the animosity that was whipped up by trying to impose that. 
I just point out to the Labour members on the other side of the House that the general public does not trust them. It was very interesting to see that. When we got to a situation where there was an issue over it I could drive the full length of my electorate and see every gate tied with an orange ribbon. That was because of the Government’s mentality that one size fitted all and it was going to impose a right to roam over the freehold property rights of New Zealand people. It was also very interesting that at the time there was quite a reaction amongst average Kiwis that it was not the way to go. 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: So we’re selling assets are we? 
COLIN KING 
: The member for Waimakariri should remember that that was not the way to go. In actual fact those people who lived along the waterway called the Avon River were likewise wound up got very angry and sent a very clear signal through to the Government. We had the gates tied in 2004 and 2005. We have subsequently had a back-down by the Labour Government because it could not make a way forward in that direction. What we will find and what we must be very aware of when we get to the select committee with this bill is that the public will be very very sceptical indeed. I feel that it is my responsibility to alert my constituents to the risks that could potentially exist in this bill. 
One of the things that has happened since pastoral farming has become very very difficult to make pay is that a number of farmers have actually developed their own walkways and businesses. One of those people is Kevin Loe out at Ward who has developed a wonderful 3-day walkway out along the coast there. It is helping to keep him and his family on the land. I just hope as we go through this process that when this potential Trojan Horse bill is sent to the select committee it is examined thoroughly and that the Local Government and Environment Committee actually gives it the due consideration it deserves. 
This is a very very serious matter. We have had the Labour Party here trying to say that it has sorted its way through this matter in a very very amicable way. We have United Future there saying that access will be greater. We have the Greens thinking that they will have the right to roam and to go everywhere. It will not be as simple as that. We have to separate out the rhetoric and get down to the substance because after 10 years when we have the Minister reporting back to Parliament about what needs to be done we can just imagine the massive bureaucracy that will be involved. This bill will be just another one. 
We should always remember that whilst it may be difficult it is still the Kiwi way to seek permission. We should also remember the original issues when Labour tried to bring to the House its bill for a right to roam. We have hunting fire potential lambing calving forestry and a whole lot of rural activities going on. More often than not—I say to my learned friend over there Doug Woolerton—it is not about wandering over dairy farms where they have electric fences; it is about wandering over pastoral land where there are some beautiful vistas. We appreciate that those areas are very very significant and important. 
I just want to leave the House with a final thought: we should not forget about the bad blood that the Government created around its intention of a right to roam. The Local Government and Environment Committee should be very aware that it will have to do its work thoroughly. It is an affront to the committee to where this bill rightfully should have gone: the Primary Production Committee. I invite everybody who is interested and who is going to be involved to put forward their submissions. Let us get this bill right. It is only a shell and a framework and it is a long long way from what is doable.