Moroney Sue: Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill — In Committee 
Moroney Sue: Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:670;Page:17101] 
SUE MORONEY (Labour) 
: 
 Clause 5 of the Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill is a very important clause. It is the clause that makes effectively null and void the last will and testament of George Parr who gifted the land to the people of Hamilton. On the day after the date on which the bill receives the Royal assent the land is entirely vested in the ownership if you like of the Hamilton City Council. So it is actually a very— 
Simon Bridges 
: Give us a families perspective. 
SUE MORONEY 
: The legislation is very significant actually. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: What about a Maori perspective? 
SUE MORONEY 
: I do not know why Government members want to heckle in the debate on this bill particularly this part. But I invite Tau Henare to take a call— 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Mr Chairman— 
SUE MORONEY 
: Are you taking a call Mr Henare? 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Want to sit down? 
SUE MORONEY 
: Are you taking a call? 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Rick Barker) 
: It is disorderly for members to have a conversation across the Chamber. Contributions are to be addressed to the Chair and the Chair alone. A member may ask another member to yield and that member will yield if that is what the member wishes. We will not have a conversation. Contributions are to be addressed to the Chair and I am ready willing and interested to hear what the member has to say. 
SUE MORONEY 
: Thank you Mr Chair. I am pleased that the Chair is ready and interested in what I have to say as opposed to the members opposite who just seem to want to heckle their way through this debate. But I look forward to their contribution. They will have a chance soon. 
With regard to the vesting of the land in the council this legislation is really an important matter. I want to make sure—and I would like someone from the Local Government and Environment Committee to give me this assurance—that an attempt was made to find any surviving relatives of George Parr because this clause is effectively putting to rest his last will and testament. I do not want to do that lightly or without ensuring that any surviving relatives have had the opportunity to comment on this particular part of the bill. I would like to hear from someone on the select committee about that issue because we are now laying to rest the Parr family’s official legal involvement with this very important piece of land which as we have already heard is so important to the history of Hamilton. 
George Parr whose last will and testament we are about to part from in this clause was an old and highly respected resident of Hamilton. He was 60 years of age when he gifted this land to Hamilton and though he was 60 he obviously wrote into his last will and testament what he wanted this land to be used for. He wanted the land to be used for children. [ 
Interruption 
] It was actually for children. I know that members opposite cannot understand why someone would be so interested in looking after children first and foremost. Those Government members over there have shown their colours—they have shown their lack of interest in children. 
Simon Bridges 
: Next she’ll start to sing “We Are the World”. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: She’s going to sing the “Red Flag”. 
SUE MORONEY 
: They continue to do that by their interjections during my contribution on this bill. They do not want to hear about George Parr. They do not want to know about this man who put children at the heart of what he was doing. 
I will tell the Committee the other reason why those members do not want to hear about George Parr. George Parr was a visionary. He showed the sort of leadership that National could never imagine showing. When he was alive he was an enthusiast and an advocate for passenger train services in the Waikato. He was a visionary. I want to pick up that mantle because I am the only Hamilton-based MP who is prepared to go out and advocate for a passenger train service between Hamilton and Auckland. Tim Macindoe is not interested in advocating for it and David Bennett is on the worst end of the spectrum—he actively opposes a passenger train service between Hamilton and Auckland. 
I think that George Parr would wonder what on earth had become of representation and leadership in Hamilton because the two local MPs are nowhere to be seen in terms of getting passenger train services established between Hamilton and Auckland. You know for the people of Hamilton it is an absolute no-brainer. We have a track—about 121 kilometres—between Hamilton and Auckland. We own the train service—well at the moment we own it; we may not if this Government gets another term—but those members will not support it.