Simpson ScottSCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel): It is a pleasure to take a short call on this Hurunui/Kaikōura Earthquakes Emergency Relief Bill but before I commence my comments I would just like to acknowledge the contributions of the previous speaker Rino Tirikatene and also of my friend and colleague Stuart Smith the local member of Parliament in Kaikōura. I thank them for the work that they both are doing on behalf of their constituents at a time of exceptional circumstance and a time when actually exceptional responses are required. It has been just on a fortnight since the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit and in that time the Government and this Parliament have responded promptly quickly and with great urgency to the situation which is now one of recovery. But during that period of time it became very clear—and one of the learnings from the disaster in Canterbury and Christchurch 5 or more years ago was that it was really important to get communities and businesses up and running and on their feet again absolutely as soon as possible. For some of the farmers and some of the people involved in horticulture and other businesses in the area they have had to make some on-the-spot on-the-ground urgent prompt decisions that may have taken them outside the realms of existing legislation. So what this bill seeks to do is to actually put right some of those things in terms of their legal responsibilities and it is legislation that means that in a sensible and realistic manner property owners businesses farmers and the like will be able to do—and have already done—some emergency work in order to allow access to facilitate the flow of water and to ensure that sewage and effluent is being properly managed and treated. They have had to take some measures to make sure that that happens. So this bill essentially does three things. It provides a temporary increase in the time frames with regard to retrospective consents for emergency works undertaken under the Resource Management Act and that is right and appropriate given the situation that we find ourselves in. Secondly this bill proposes that emergency works to farm properties become permitted activities through until the end of March next year and that also seems to be an appropriate and sensible time frame. Thirdly this bill allows for work to be commenced on the restoration of Kaikōura's harbours. If Kaikōura is to thrive again and thrive again quickly then access to the sea is essential. I noted just this afternoon that the Environment Canterbury Chair David Bedford has said that he was pleased the Government has … acted quickly and decisively" that this legislation "will enable a pragmatic approach to rebuilding the communities as quickly and as efficiently as possible" and thirdly that many of the provisions that have been introduced in this legislation are a direct result of the learnings that have taken place after the Christchurch earthquakes. In a slightly unusual situation this bill will be referred to the Local Government and Environment Committee for a day. We will sit tomorrow to go through it in more detail and I am looking forward to working—as we always do on the committee—collaboratively with members across the House to ensure that this bill is scrutinised with care albeit in a quick way. I commend the bill to the House."