Katene Rahui: Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill — Second Reading 
Katene Rahui: Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:670;Page:16846] 
RAHUI KATENE (Maori Party—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
 I am pleased to speak to the Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill as a member of the Local Government and Environment Committee on behalf of the Maori Party. 
Tim Macindoe 
: And a good one. 
RAHUI KATENE 
: I thank the member. When I stood to speak to this bill in the first reading on 16 June last year I ended with the statement: “It is therefore in the interests of the iwi and mana whenua that we support this bill to bring their stories to the fore.” So it was with pleasure that I read the submission from Waikato-Tainui Te Kauhanganui Inc. which made explicit the connection between Parana Park and the Waikato-Tainui settlements. I believe that some of the statements made in that submission form an important part of the record on this bill in that they place the understanding around Parana Park firmly in the context of its location abounding the Waikato River and the Gibbons Creek as riverbank. I want to bring us back to the vision that Waikato-Tainui have for the Waikato River: “Toku awa koiora me ona pikonga he kura panihia o te matamuri.” This means: “The river of life each curve more beautiful than the last.” 
I think about the more recent history associated with the land around Parana Park. The land was originally intended to be the site of a children’s convalescent home and playground but in 1958 legislation was passed to enable the council to administer Parana Park more effectively. The trusts of the last will and testament of George Parr required that the house situated within Parana Park be used for a children’s convalescent home for patients from Waikato Hospital and that the remainder of the land be used for a children’s playground. But the Hamilton City (Parana Park) Empowering Act 1958 changed all of that. Half a century later the House is again considering legislation this time to vest Parana Park in the council as a recreation reserve. I would presume that in this record the mayor and councillors are in themselves fulfilling the vision for the Waikato River of trying to make each curve more beautiful than the last. 
The submission from Waikato-Tainui points out: “The world is not static but continues to evolve over time” and they recognise the actions of the council being necessary to free it “from the existing restrictions in its administration of this land.” But they also make the interesting point that there is a moral obligation on the council to shape its administration towards the original intentions of the gift bequeathed by Mr George Parr in 1929—that is for Parana Park to be centred around children. Waikato-Tainui suggested that in doing so the council would also in turn be supporting the Waikato River settlement purpose to restore and protect the health and well-being of the Waikato River and all it embraces for generations to come. The Maori Party strongly supports the recommendations from Waikato-Tainui and agrees with them that there is a moral obligation on the council to administer Parana Park for the benefit of children in line with the wishes of George Parr. 
We noted also the submission from Laura Kellaway who supported the legislation being modernised as long as it reflected George Parr’s desire that it be focused on children. She spoke with the authority of someone who is both a Hamilton resident and a former user of Parana Park as a child. Her submission included a range of photographs showing children at play. 
The focus on children was also referred to in a submission from Gerard Kelly from the Waikato Tree Trust. I remind the House that there were only five submissions received on this bill. Because the majority of them refer to children I suggest that that sends a very strong message to the council about the preference of the community for how this park is to be used. 
The Maori Party believes that providing space for our tamariki and mokopuna to enjoy the great outdoors to flourish in the beauty of Papatuanuku and to appreciate the awesome wonder of the Waikato awa is indeed worthy of our support and to this end we support the second reading of the Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill.