Cosgrove Clayton: Riccarton Racecourse Development Enabling Bill Riccarton Racecourse Bill — Second ReadingsText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeCosgrove Clayton: Riccarton Racecourse Development Enabling Bill Riccarton Racecourse Bill — Second Readings[Sitting date: 01 June 2016. Volume:714;Page:11608. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Labour): Like other members on both sides I rise to support this legislation. I say to the member Nuk Korako who just made an eloquent speech that it is right and proper that we celebrate this development and that we celebrate the initiative and goodwill of Ngāi Tahu and other community actors and stakeholders within Christchurch. But I have got to say to the member who has just resumed his seat that in all the self-glorification that the Government shines on this tonight it is noteworthy to point out that it was not the Government that initiated this process. It was not the Parliament that initiated this process. It was of course the Riccarton Racing Board which approached the Government with an initiative to do it.Nuk Korako: Couldn’t do it without us though.Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE: Well that is true. The member said they could not do it without Parliament without the Government. That is true that if you want to progress legislation this is the only game in town. But it was not an initiative of the Government to fly down from Wellington and say: “Hey here is a brilliant idea. Let’s put this in place.” No it was the local people the local stakeholders and the racing club itself that came up with the idea. It was slightly controversial at the time to be fair because this is an iconic place within Christchurch. I know it well. I grew up effectively across the road on the north side of Yaldhurst Road in my early years. My old man actually taught me how to drive in a Morris Minor in the carpark of Riccarton Racecourse—probably because he was too scared to put me on the road at that time at 15.Hon Phil Goff: Wise man.Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE: Indeed. Wise man says Mr Goff. We will not talk about his motorbike antics because he is running for mayor. I have had the occasional flutter and was Acting Minister of Racing for about 8 hours at a New Zealand Cup at one point—I did not pick the winner—a great moment in history. But I just say to the member who has just spoken that credit should go where credit is due and credit for this initiative is due to the Riccarton racing folk. It was not without controversy and it is an iconic part of the Canterbury and Christchurch landscape.In fact I can regale the House—I am in danger of becoming John Carter in my latter years—with a story of my grandmother and grandfather who harked from Invercargill. My grandfather ran a dubious book I think at a business many years ago so if I owe the member for Invercargill’s parents any money I am sorry but the debt died with my grandfather. But he was a great punter and on his wedding honeymoon he brought my grandmother up at Cup week and housed her in the Riccarton Racecourse pub across the road for the duration of Cup week. He went from the gallops to the trots gallops to the trots and then after a pretty arduous week he advised his new wife that he had won enough money to pay for the honeymoon. Suffice to say that my grandmother who died at 96 hated the races for the rest of her life because of that short and interesting experience.Look we support the legislation. It will provide a substantial number of houses in an area but again I would just point out that although it will add to the housing stock you have to acknowledge in Christchurch that it is late—Hon Ruth Dyson: We’re short of a few.Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE: We are short of a few but the housing market is over the hump. On that side of Christchurch it will provide a gap—Rolleston is not that far down the road—but as Dr Megan Woods and Ruth Dyson and others have said there are other issues around that side of Christchurch in respect of infrastructure. You cannot just plonk 600 houses of—what—3½ people on average per house in that particular area and not deal with infrastructure around Yaldhurst Road and Racecourse Road leading into Johns Road and the Hornby area. That is a challenge I think not only for the Christchurch City Council but also for the Government—to provide infrastructure resource around that. That was in my early years a pretty sleepy part of Christchurch. It was very rare you would get a traffic jam as I grew up around that part. That will change overnight with this particular development and resource and infrastructure must follow.So in the briefest possible way and having regaled the House with a wonderful couple of personal histrionics I think this is a very good piece of legislation. It is a chance for local stakeholders again I think to take charge of their own destiny. It will preserve the iconic—as a colleague said—Riccarton Market which is very very well established and very well loved right across Christchurch. It will—Hon Ruth Dyson: Not as good as Lyttelton market.Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE: Not as good as Lyttelton market? Well you know we do not often disagree in the Labour Party but you know once or twice occasionally we do. It will preserve the iconic nature—that is the Riccarton racing club—and assist with its financial and fiscal future. So I think we should expedite this. I do not think there is a lot of drama around it now but as I conclude my speech I just make the point again that credit should go where credit is due and credit is due to local stakeholders and the Riccarton racing club rather than any sort of reflected glory that members of the Government would reflect upon themselves during this debate.