Brownlee Gerry: Riccarton Bush Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Brownlee Gerry: Riccarton Bush Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 13 June 2012. Volume:680;Page:2971. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam) 
: 
 I thank all members for their contributions on this bill the Riccarton Bush Amendment Bill. I am sure it will be quite an enjoyable select committee process for those who are involved because this is a part of Canterbury and indeed Christchurch that has a very rich history. I want to just acknowledge that the very first chairman of the Riccarton Bush Trust after the gift in 1914 was John Deans III. He was the son of John Deans II who was the son of John Deans the brother of William Deans. William Deans died very shortly after their arrival in Canterbury and John Deans farmed that property himself for quite some time. Then of course when he went back to Scotland he married Jane Deans. Jane McIlraith was her maiden name and he had been betrothed to her I think for some 12 years and finally went back to marry her. Whilst coming back to New Zealand he was horseback riding on the Isthmus of Panama got caught in the rain took a cold and never really recovered from that. So John Deans II really did not get to know his father as well as he might have. He of course then had a very large family. The property that is being amalgamated by the trust today became the home of I think John Deans III who was also the first chairman of the trust that I spoke of before. 
In my time I have known Patrick Deans who was a trustee Hugh Deans Richard Deans and Hugh’s son whose name escapes me just at the present time but who has been a great contributor. And of course the chairman today is Charles Deans. In between times Richard Harrington who was the Mayor of Riccarton was chairman of the trust for a very long time. So it has had very good stewardship from people who are quite passionate about it. Denis O’Rourke mentioned one of the trustees before who was equally passionate about the place. 
The connection to Homebush was mentioned by Ruth Dyson and that of course is also a home that has been lost due to the earthquakes and that brings its own sadness. Some of the barns that went with the farm on the property of Christchurch Boys’ High School have also been lost after so many years. So it is important that that house does get back on its feet and does get recovered.  
Can I just also mention that in a country like New Zealand where we have so few degrees of separation for the time I was on the trust the trust’s secretary was Roger Cave. Roger Cave is the brother-in-law of Prime Minister John Key. So there are a lot of connections in this House not only to local members but to others as well. 
In the front of the property away from the bush there is quite a splendid stand of oak trees. The seeds for those oak trees were provided to the Deans family to Jane Deans and her son by Governor George Grey. They are known as the George Grey oaks. They stand there very proudly. But I am pleased that so many people have recognised the value of the bush itself—the remnant stand of kahikatea. The site is known as the member for Te Tai Tonga pointed out as Putaringamotu. I believe that is “the place of the severed ear”. I have asked Rick Tau a number of times exactly what the story was behind that and he has given a bit of a gruff laugh and never really let on what it was about. I suspect he was trying to make up something that was pretty fantastic. 
At the time we launched the management plan for this bush Rick Tau did speak on behalf of Ngai Tahu. He spoke most eloquently as he always does about the value of whichever particular project he is involved in. He said of this place that he was happy that Ngai Tahu could always have communication with the trustees but did not need to be on the trust because the original lease to the Deans brothers was a genuine one. It was for some 6 miles in a radius from the site that is roughly where the house is now. He made the comment that when the settling company the Canterbury Association came to New Zealand in 1850 both the Maori and the Deans got done. I am sure that many of the explanations for these stories will come out during the Committee stage the second reading and the third reading and I look forward to all those processes. 
Thank you to all the members who have done so much work on this bill and I must say that although I am proud to bring it to the House other people have done the work behind it including the legal services team from the Christchurch City Council and they should be congratulated on that. Thank you. 
Bill read a first time.  
Bill referred to the Local Government and Environment Committee.