Foster-Bell Paul: Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act Repeal Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFoster-Bell Paul: Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act Repeal Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 02 March 2016. Volume:711;Page:9349. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]PAUL FOSTER-BELL (National): Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā Tuarua. Tēnā koutou katoa e ngā mema o Te Whare. In rising to take a call in this first reading debate on the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act Repeal Bill I just want to respond to some comments that have been made so far in the debate.My colleague the chairman of the Health Committee Simon O’Connor the honourable member for Tāmaki reflected on the history of the Blind Foundation. The question was raised around what was the eponymous jubilee in the name of the Jubilee Institute for the Blind when it was founded in 1890. Well having done a little bit of historical research I am pleased to be able to say that I can inform the House that it commemorated the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Colony of New Zealand in 1840. Because I think it might be of interest to other monarchists—Simon I know is one of them—I was wondering whether there was a royal jubilee in 1890 and of course there was not. So that was the event after which the initial institute for the blind was named and was formally adopted at in a public meeting.Then in 1891 a school known as the Jubilee Institute was founded in Parnell. I think members have also touched on that establishment. In 1892 the institute was incorporated as a separate charitable institution and a board of six trustees was appointed. A lot has happened since then. The jubilee buildingopened in 1908 and there was a significant event in 1926 when the institute was renamed as the New Zealand Institute for the Blind. Other members have also mentioned the foundation of a military band but they might also be interested to learn that from 1927 onwards the institution of a military band also led to a dance band a school choir and a girls’ string orchestra providing much enjoyment obviously to those people who might have visual impairments but could still enjoy the beautiful music performed by those bands. In 1955 there was an Act of Parliament that enforced deinstitutionalisation.I like other members want to reflect on some of the changes that this bill now brings in as we are in the modern era in which there are technical aids to assist those with visual impairments and blindness. The changes to the copyright legislation that the honourable member Jenny Salesa mentioned—it is actually the Copyright (General Matters) Regulations 1995—actually changes the descriptor of the foundation in thoseregulations so that modern technology can be used for instance to read aloud from a PDF file or other electronic sources; so that those technical aids can be provided so that blind people and those who are visually impaired can enjoy literature without running the risk of impinging upon copyright. I think that is a very positive measure.This is a measure that has been supported by the Blind Foundation itself. In fact as early as 2002 the foundation expressed a wish to clarify its status as a body controlled by and for the benefit of people who are blind or have low vision and also to modernise its structure and its governance arrangements giving it more characteristics of an incorporated society. This is not a new desire; this has been the wish of the foundation itself for more than 10 years. We know other groups that are supporting people with disabilities in New Zealand and that have similar statuses have modernised their constitutions and updated their arrangements to reflect the modern environment in which they operate.As other members have mentioned in 2015 the Blind Foundation commemorated 125 years of providing valuable services to people who are blind and have low vision. I think it behoves this House to ensure that the next 125 years for the Blind Foundation are underpinned by the best possible institutional arrangements to allow them to proceed with transparency as a body controlled by and for their members and to deliver the results and the services that people with blindness and visual impairment require and need.So it is without a moment of hesitation that I would commend this bill to the House and hope that the select committee gives it—and I am sure it will under the chairmanship of Simon O’Connor—full and proper consideration and advances it further.