Doocey Matt: Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDoocey Matt: Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 03 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4290. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MATT DOOCEY (National—Waimakariri): It is an honour to rise and speak to the third reading of the Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill. I am very proud to stand and speak to this bill as a very proud born and bred Cantabrian. As Ron Mark indicated and was first asked when he was in Christchurch I have heard they ask in Christchurch: “What school did you go to?”. In Wellington they ask where you live as the first question and in Auckland it is what job do you have. So I am a proud person from Christchurch who went to a very good school St Bede’s College which until recent boundary changes was in my electorate and interestingly enough currently six MPs in the House are former students.This is a great day for New Zealand it is a great day for the South Island and it is a great day for Christchurch thanks to this legislation. In fact just before speaking I took a call from my wife who was feeding my 14-month-old daughter. Like anyone in this House we all make commitments and sacrifices for our families. For me part of this job is to ensure that New Zealand is moving forward and also the regions such as Canterbury and cities such as Christchurch. When I think of my daughter who is now 14 months old I think to myself: “What sort of country and what sort of city will she inherit in 10 12 and 15 years’ time?”. It gives me great heart that because of this legislation the Christchurch Arts Centre will be a part of Christchurch and very much a part of her growing up and a part of the memories that she will have over the next decade and further on.As a proud born and bred Cantabrian I too have great fond memories of the Arts Centre. Like most people who grew up in Christchurch we have very fond memories of a fantastic city. I go back to thinking about the early 1980s when really there was not a rugby team in New Zealand that could beat our Canterbury rugby team the undefeated Canterbury rugby team through the 1980s Ranfurly Shield era. I vividly remember sitting as a young fellow on the embankment and watching Larry the Lamb running around before the game. And who could forget Larry the Lamb? Those were the days of Andy Earl and Bruce and Robbie Deans. Before the game there was a parade. Those were the days when you could go out on to the field and everyone had their own banners which they had graffiti on. It was a time when Christchurch got together.Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Come back to the bill.MATT DOOCEY: And I will just—yes Mr Deputy Speaker. So there are memories like that as well. The Arts Centre—I have great memories when growing up and probably more as a young adult of spending time in the Dux de Lux. It was not one of the stone buildings obviously that are part of the Arts Centre but a key part of it and very well frequented. Thursday nights you would go along to listen to a good Christchurch band. In the 1980s and now Christchurch had very good local music.Any good Cantabrian will remember a great New Year’s Eve spent out in the courtyard having a few local craft beers. It is very much like sitting in Cathedral Square listening to the Wizard and watching the Birdman. Who will forget Radio Ron? I saw Radio Ron the other day and interestingly enough he does not seem to have aged unlike myself. He is still going strong. So there are great memories of the Arts Centre Lancaster Park Cathedral Square going for a hot dog in the Dog House and frequenting places like Cashel Mall. But really for other people they might remember the Court Theatre in the Arts Centre. They might remember going to the markets and the art studios.It is great because Canterbury and Christchurch and the South Island are very much tourist meccas for this country. I have never met one tourist who has not said: “If I had known how beautiful the South Island was I would have stayed there longer”. That is what everyone says. They come down to Christchurch—I mean it is the gateway to the whole of the South Island—and they spend time in Christchurch. The Arts Centre is a key part of that. It is fantastic that this legislation will keep the Arts Centre at the heart of the tourism industry in Christchurch whether that be going for a ride on the tram or punting down the Avon River.I just want to take some time to acknowledge the very hard-working Minister Nicky Wagner who has brought this local bill to the House. I think as a Canterbury MP what a role model what a mentor. But we are a great team of Canterbury National MPs. And Canterbury—obviously at the last election National won the party vote in every electorate in Canterbury. I think the Hon Gerry Brownlee had a lot to do with that in respect of the earthquake recovery. Could I also acknowledge our very hard-working chairof the Local Government and Environment Committee Scott Simpson. If I could name just a couple of bills it gives you the breadth of the work of this select committee—from the earthquake-prone building legislation—Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! A whakataukī in respect of a kumara and how sweet it is is coming to mind. I suggest the member stick to the bill rather than refer to any others that may be on his mind at the moment.MATT DOOCEY: Thank you very much Mr Deputy Speaker. So the Arts Centre is very much a beacon of the Canterbury recovery. We have very much got a mixed economy in this recovery. It is about central government and local government investment and it is about private investment. That is why it was so fantastic to hear in the Budget that the earthquake recovery will get an extra $1 billion. But it is interesting when we look at the Arts Centre restoration which at around $240 million to $290 million is currently the world’s largest restoration project. It must be acknowledged that a lot of that is to do with funding that has not come from the Government. It is people getting out there raising the funds and investing in something that is very much the fabric of Christchurch.I think too of when we went down to Christchurch as a select committee. We held the select committee meeting at The George hotel and then walked down to the Arts Centre—and thank you to chief executive officer André Lovatt and trust chair Jen Crawford for showing us around. What a fantastic story. There will be plenty of people who will have a go at the pace of the recovery and what is happening with the recovery but if you do not take stock and have a look at what is happening you will miss and forget great stories like the Arts Centre. That is why legislation like this is much needed because the Arts Centre is like I say currently the world’s largest heritage restoration project.On that tour around the Arts Centre it was fantastic to see the flags from all around the world that were in the room. They represented every different nationality of the stonemasons. Most of them had off their own bat engaged with the Arts Centre to come to New Zealand and to come down to Christchurch to be part of this amazing story. It was quite pertinent that one of the noticeboards still had posters from 2010 and 2011 of events at the Arts Centre before the earthquakes struck.The Arts Centre very much has a pivotal role in Christchurch. As we know we are called the most English city outside England and it is no surprise with an Arts Centre that is modelled on parts of Cambridge University. And we have our archaic one-way street system and of course the Avon River and the cathedral. So it is quite right that we have got legislation that will support the Arts Centre and very much make it continue to be at the heart of what is a fantastic city.Another key part of this legislation is the board moving from a representation model to one of a skills-based model. I would encourage all people from Christchurch—and of course Canterbury; even from out my way in the Waimakariri electorate in North Canterbury whether it be Kaiapoi or Rangiora—who think they have the skills to put their hands up because it is not always about the State. It is about big communities. What we want to do is support big communities to support things like the Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust. I commend this bill to the House. Thank you.