Woods MeganDr MEGAN WOODS (Labour—Wigram): When I came down from my office to take a call on this bill I did not anticipate that it was going to get either quite so spirited or personal in the debate and I do not think that speech reflects well on that member Maureen Pugh at all. To make it personal against someone who brings a member's bill to this House simply lacks any sense of grace. To claim for example that Ruth Dyson does not know the West Coast—well maybe this actually speaks to what the previous speaker should have done and that is actually find out some information before she gave that speech. In fact Ruth Dyson lived on the West Coast for many many years Ms Pugh and I suggest that maybe when you come down to the House to discuss a member's bill you make it more in the realm of a constructive discussion.Let us think about this: the Great Wall of China the Historic Centre of Prague the Pyramid Fields from Giza Versailles the Acropolis Vatican City the Taj Mahal Petra and the Palace of Westminster. These are other Unesco World Heritage sites. These are the equivalent sites to what we are asking to be protected in New Zealand. You would not think that from this speech that we have heard. This is a very simple bill. What it does is it seeks to do something that is not currently on the statute book and that is to provide protection for our World Heritage sites that are in place at the moment.The bar for becoming a Unesco World Heritage site is in fact very high. It is an international accreditation that has a very long process. So in addition to the handful of World Heritage sites that we currently have there are currently some additional sites that are going through the process. In order for them to even be on the list to be considered the potential sites need to be nominated. It is these sites that are named in the explanatory note of my colleague Ruth Dyson's bill.We heard from Ms Pugh the list member from the West Coast about the great future of tourism and the threat that this bill offers. Well I would like to reiterate: the Great Wall of China the Historic Centre of Prague Vatican City the Taj Mahal—are these areas that have been jeopardised by the fact that the Governments of those countries could not mine those sites? Or have they perhaps seen some value in them actually other than digging them up? Ms Pugh could at least let this bill go to the select committee. It could go there and the committee could listen to the communities. It could see the very clear thing that is being asked: that these are places of national significance in terms of either our natural history or our history of the nation.One of the sites named in the explanatory note is the Treaty Grounds at Waitangi. Is the National Government suggesting that we should dig it up to see what is under there or does this have other value to us as a nation? The Government will not even send this bill to the select committee to have a rational discussion about it—one that does not get personal one that does not launch into hysteria and talk about Green viruses" but one that asks: "Should we have a statutory protection for our World Heritage sites on our statute books? While we are at it should we be thinking about the sites that we actually want to put through an international process to get accreditation?". I do not for a moment believe that we are that short-sighted as a nation that we cannot see the value in what we have as a country and be proud of our history be proud of what we have and want to protect it.The speech that we heard showed that there is not any ability to have any fresh ideas any fresh thinking about what our future holds and what our country is. I want to make sure that there is a legacy left for future generations in this country and that involves protecting our heritage—both our natural heritage and sites of historical significance. Other countries have had the foresight to do it and I do not for one moment believe that New Zealand as a nation cannot take the same kind of stand to protect what is precious to it as a nation. Thank you."