Korako NukNUK KORAKO (National): Kia ora e Te Mana Whakawā. It is my pleasure to take a call on the Riccarton Racecourse Development Enabling Bill and the Riccarton Racecourse Bill. As someone who is quite new in this House it is really interesting to watch the dynamics on both sides. You have got an agreement here it seems that we are all agreeing to pass these bills. On the Opposition side it is all about that but the interesting dynamic there is that it is not actually acknowledging a lot of the really good things about these bills and the journey that the bills have taken to get to this particular point. I know everyone has a job to do in Opposition and also in Government but here on this side of the House I would say compared with the other side—the other side is where after all was said and done there was more said than done whereas on this side of the House there are indeed a lot of things that have actually happened particularly around the Christchurch rebuild. When we look at the emergency the recovery the rebuild and then what we are in now which is the regeneration phase and when we look at the incredible amount of money that has been dedicated to the Christchurch rebuild—we are talking $17 billion. In thinking about that it is indeed this type of legislation that has been the catalyst to actually address so much around the rebuild of Christchurch. When we come to this legislation the interesting thing the important thing about it is that it really does pave the way—it really does pave the way—for a really exciting and a really dynamic housing development. The dynamics within this one were actually about the fact that we had collaboration here and we had goodwill. That collaboration was between the Government it was between the Christchurch City Council it was between Ngāi Tahu as well and it was also between the Riccarton Racecourse. When we look at the goodwill factor it is about Ngāi Tahu in a lot of ways because it was their goodwill in the fact of the right of first refusal (RFR). When we look at the right of first refusal they waive it in this particular case and the reason for that is that they could see the immense opportunity that this would bring. In these bills we talk about land trapped in ancient history—actually not so ancient I suppose; in 1878. This was an opportunity for Ngāi Tahu to look at this and say: Look here's a great opportunity." When you look at our land Māori freehold land—Māori land—that is ancient history but when Ngāi Tahu saw the opportunity for this incredible development to happen well then they took it. I can remember the Hon Nick Smith coming to Ngāi Tahu back in 2009 and there was talk then of how we could actually use our RFR to be able to instigate some better use of our land through the laws that were available. This legislation actually really does it and the thing about it is that it is unique in the fact that it is probably one of the first developments that we have had the opportunity to have really true partnership in but it is also legislation where it is unique because we can actually include in this as the legislation is saying affordable housing. This is the beginning of affordable housing—the use of land that was tied up in legislation. It releases all of that so that everyone can actually utilise this type of land for the benefit of the people. When we look at this it is about the benefit of the people of Christchurch it is about the benefit of the iwi and it is about the benefit of racegoers and all of that. Just to conclude these bills here are very principled. They are pragmatic and they are progressive but the bills reflect the great work that the National Government is doing in the regeneration of Christchurch. There is going to be a lot more of this particularly when we look at the template because iwi who are actually getting towards or already have settled in Treaty settlements are looking at this and thinking: "Good old Ngāi Tahu again—look they are actually leading the way because we have another opportunity here to use our RFR." On that note kia ora and I commend these bills to the House."