Reti Shane; Parker DavidDr SHANE RETI (National—Whangarei): Thank you Madam Chair. Previously Minister Parker reiterated the criteria for the selection of some of these projects and I'm just concerned that there may be something missing in those criteria which he identified. I particularly want to comment on his last statement that his number one criteria for project selection was bringing forward employment. I want to give a few examples of projects that may miss out on that and then seek some explanation why and if it's actually taken into account because I don't see it actually in the criteria he gave. Now these are all projects in Whangarei that came to me already pre-screened by Whangarei District Council and commissioners. So you know we could talk about our favourite projects; I support them in the first instance because they come to me at the request of the community and I use them by way of example to then point out the particular hole which I don't think the Minister has addressed. The construction of a marina is a key factor for Whangarei District Council. We have Hurupaki School which is needing an upgrade and Green Bay School which is needing an upgrade. We have the Springs Flat roundabout that needs to be done. It's quite different to some of the other things we've talked about tonight but it was already agreed by the New Zealand Transport Agency. As the Minister said the land is already purchased; it's just the consenting which this bill is to help. Green Bay High School also has an upgrade and there are some of the roading changes in Whangarei which are conducive to bringing traffic towards the Hundertwasser Wairau Māori Art Centre which is a project that both this Government and the previous have worked very hard on. Now here's the hole that I'm concerned about. I look at the criteria that the Minister listed and I look at these projects put forward for Whangarei and I say But what is our current unemployment rate?" because the Minister has said that his number one agenda is to bring forward employment. I'm seeking to ask whether he will take into account the fact that while everyone is all very worried about double-digit unemployment Whangarei hit that months ago. We tend to go down fast and rise slowly so the dreaded double-digit unemployment is already with us. We lead the regions unfortunately in that race to the bottom; it's the nature of our economy tourism particularly being hit. So I'm asking him: with these projects that I've highlighted here that are important to the Whangarei economy—and the Northland economy I would add—I did not see in the criteria that he mentioned any context of the level of unemployment in the particular regions that the projects may be positioned towards. So I'm seeking some reassurance from him: are these projects within the scope of the criteria or not?Hon DAVID PARKER (Minister for the Environment): In respect of the school upgrades I'd be very surprised if they need a resource consent. I would have thought the designation that already applied to an existing school site would allow modifications to a building without a new resource consent. On occasions that might be different. If that was the case and it wasn't going to just sail through—I suspect it would sail through normally very cheaply and quickly without recourse to this sort of legislation. I would be surprised if those projects actually need a resource consent. They'll need a building consent but they won't need a resource consent in a lot of cases.In respect of roundabouts if members wish to look at the list of permitted activities this is the third track. This is works that have been permitted in rail and road lines owned by the rail or road operator—the New Zealand Transport Agency or KiwiRail. Permitted activities include at clause 11(2) of Schedule 4 safety upgrades of level crossings roundabouts and the like. So it may well be that that's already a permitted activity. If it's not a permitted activity then it may well be that under the relevant district plan it's already something that's easily allowed. If it's neither of those things then application could be made to the Government for progressing that as a preferred project by Order in Council."