Lees-Galloway Iain: National War Memorial Park (Pukeahu) Empowering Bill — Second Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Lees-Galloway Iain: National War Memorial Park (Pukeahu) Empowering Bill — Second Reading 
[Sitting date: 25 September 2012. Volume:684;Page:5580. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Labour—Palmerston North) 
: 
 Thank you very much Mr Speaker. I appreciate that. That is what they call me in caucus too. As Labour’s veterans spokesperson— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: That’s a breach of privilege. 
IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY 
: Oh that is true actually. As Labour’s veterans spokesperson I have the privilege to spend a lot of time with our veterans who have served in various conflicts around the world and over the decades. In recent times like many members in this House I have had the opportunity to lay wreaths and to honour the sacrifice and service of a number of our veterans at the National War Memorial. And in discussions that I have had with members of the RSA and with members of different veterans groups their response to the National War Memorial Park has been uniform in every sense. 
Their initial enthusiasm and excitement when Helen Clark first proposed the National War Memorial Park back in 2004 was then followed with some trepidation and nervousness when the current Government declared that it was going to abandon those plans and slow the process down. For a while it looked as though the opportunity to have the National War Memorial Park in place by Anzac Day 2015 was being lost and that the Government was losing focus. That trepidation has now been replaced with relief that there is a process by which the National War Memorial Park will be completed in time for that centenary commemoration of the landing at Gallipoli. 
I have to say that veterans have also expressed their appreciation of the fact that this has had more or less bipartisan—I suppose “bipartisan” is the term that many people use—or multipartisan support from parties around the Parliament. And it has to be said that for the most part the veterans are not terribly concerned with the intricacies of empowering legislation of the powers that the Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage will be given or of any precedents that might be set. All that those veterans their families and their descendants are concerned with is the completion of that original vision that was first espoused back in 2004. They are pleased that Parliament has found a way to ensure that that memorial will be completed in time. 
That is not to say that we as parliamentarians should not be concerned with the situation that we find ourselves in and as other members have expressed it is not ideal that the Government’s procrastination around this issue has led us to the position where we are having to pass empowering legislation in order to complete the job. It was not necessary. If the National Government had continued on with the plans that had been put in place had continued on using the funding that had been set aside for this project then we would not find ourselves in this position and that has to be recognised as well. 
But it is important on issues of national significance like this one that the Opposition lend a hand to the Government when it finds itself in this sort of trouble. It is appropriate that we act in a constructive manner and get the outcome that the veterans their families and in fact really all New Zealanders are looking for. So although it is not ideal it would have been unfortunate in the extreme if all Opposition parties had chosen to vote against this legislation and make it more difficult for the Government than necessary. 
That brings me to the Greens’ position. Although I respect the arguments made by Gareth Hughes I wonder if the Greens had found themselves holding the balance in this legislation whether this legislation would have lived and died on the Greens’ vote whether they would have voted the same way. That perhaps is a philosophical question that can never be answered. Well Gareth Hughes is nodding which suggests to me that the Greens would have blocked the completion of the National War Memorial Park had they been given an opportunity to do so. That I think is unfortunate. That is what people I guess expect of Parliament: that Opposition parties will oppose for the sake of opposition. It would have been an interesting question whether or not the Greens really would have been prepared to stop the National War Memorial Park going ahead. Gareth Hughes said they want to see it happen. They like the idea of a park. They like the idea of a contemplative place where we can go and reflect on the sacrifice that our veterans made we can reflect on the nature of war and we can reflect on our desire for a more peaceful future but they are not going to vote for the legislation that is going to make it happen. 
Shane Ardern 
: Sanctimonious. 
IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY 
: And it is those sanctimonious barbs that other parties receive from the Greens that I think perhaps betray their desire to put process in front of absolutely everything including an outcome that all New Zealanders want that is going to be good for Wellington that the local community wants and that is in the interests of our nation. I do not want to dwell on that any more but suffice to say that it is important for Opposition parties to help the Government out sometimes when it gets itself into a spot of bother. 
I also have to say that veterans have expressed to me their surprise that the Government has seen fit to move with such speed on this particular issue when the Government has been dragging its feet so substantially on another issue which is perhaps of even more significance to veterans and that is the rewrite of the War Pensions Act a process that was begun over 5 years ago when the Labour Government asked the Law Commission to carry out a review of the War Pensions Act. That review was returned to the Government more than 2 years ago now and the National Government has had those 2 years since to get on with the job. 
Nobody would say that it is an easy job. I think any veterans organisation and any individual veteran would have said that they would give the Government 12 months’ grace to get on with that job and sort out how it is going to introduce a new War Pensions Act that responds to the contemporary needs of New Zealand’s veterans. But now I think it is fair to say that veterans are getting tired of this Government dragging its feet over what is such an important issue to them. It is an issue of equity it is an issue of justice and it is an issue of recognising the service that was carried out on behalf of our nation and on behalf of decisions made by politicians. It is only right that we as a Parliament get on with the job of recognising that service in a more proper way. 
Nevertheless Labour does support this bill. We are pleased to see the completion of the National War Memorial Park. We are pleased to see that it will be done in time to honour the centenary of the landing at Gallipoli. We do believe that it is unfortunate that the Government has got itself in this position but we are from the Opposition and we are here to help.