SpeechHAWKE'S BAY AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL SOCIETY EMPOWERING BILLSecond ReadingANNA LORCK (Labour—Tukituki) on behalf of the Hon Meka Whaitiri (Ikaroa-Rāwhiti): I move That the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society Empowering Bill be now read a second time.Right now in the heart of Hawke's Bay is 40 hectares of land known as the Tomoana Showgrounds. It is prime production land and home to one of our region's favourite events the Hawke's Bay A & P Society's Hawke's Bay A & P Show and host to some of our region's most prestigious events—including the Napier Port awards for primary excellence the Hawke's Bay Wine Awards and the Hawke's Bay Horse of the Year—and to New Zealand's best farmers market which I am sure many in this House will have attended and if not I can strongly encourage you to go along and support us.Over the past months the showgrounds have been transformed into a distribution centre to support our Hawke's Bay through its cyclone recovery where hundreds of volunteers have been helping along with individuals and families and businesses and organisations across the country in giving support to our cyclone recovery; and where there has been a distribution centre using the army and the civil defence force to get out food and generators and clothing and support to those in need throughout our region. It is also part of the Waipatu community where along with myself who lives in the area my fellow colleague the Hon Meka Whaitiri—whose name is on this bill—also neighbours and we are connected into her local marae.I would like to acknowledge Meka Whaitiri as the member whose name is on this bill the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society Empowering Bill and who is currently out supporting cyclone efforts on the ground. Can I start by thanking the Governance and Administration Committee for its efforts in examining this bill—in particular the chairperson Ian McKelvie alongside the Hon Michael Woodhouse and David Bennett and my colleagues Rachel Boyack Naisi Chen and Jamie Strange. This bill was originally scheduled to be reported back to the House on 11 April so I would like to thank members for the way they have expedited this process while still allowing for the appropriate scrutiny of the legislation. The committee has recommended the bill be passed without amendment which would mean that the settlement on the sale of the Tomoana Showgrounds can go ahead as planned on 31 March this month. I'd like to thank the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society and the Royal Agricultural Society of New Zealand for its submissions in support of this bill and also to the submitter who did not support this bill. The scrutiny of the legislation at the select committee is an important part of our democratic process and it's crucial that everyone has the opportunity to have their say. The reasons for the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society Empowering Bill were well traversed during the first reading but I will just go through them again for the benefits of members and anyone tuning into Parliament at the moment. This is a simple and practical piece of legislation which will enable the Hawke's Bay A & P Society to sell its interests in the Tomoana Showgrounds without being required to invest the money from the sale and purchase into other land. The society has agreed to sell the showgrounds to the Hastings District Council for $1.75 million under an arrangement that will give the grounds reserve status ensuring it is protected for the community and ensuring that the land is forever used for agricultural purposes because it is prime production land. The council also has plans to prepare a reserve management plan and with the community to determine how the showgrounds are looked after and to create events in the years to come. So just as for the purpose our forebears did we will have this for future generations belonging to the people of Hastings for the benefit of everyone in Hawke's Bay and beyond. Now the reason this bill is needed is because currently the provisions of the Agricultural and Pastoral Societies Act 1908 require that the Hawke's Bay A & P Society invests the money that it receives from the sale of this land into purchasing other land suitable for the purposes of the society. The Act controls how the sales must be handled and what can be done with the proceeds. But this may not be in the best financial use for the society. In their submission to the select committee the society said this bill would allow it to invest in more productive opportunities and it does not consider the purchase of further land to be beneficial for the objects of the society. Importantly this will still allow the society 10 days of an annual fee used for the Tomoana Showgrounds in perpetuity which means it can continue to host all those great events that Hawke's Bay is so well known for and to promote the primary sector. Our farmers and growers are some of the best in the world and they have had a really hard time of late with the cyclone in our region and it is important that we do all we can—all we can—to ensure that we can support our farmers and growers and yes our kiwifruit growers into the future too. It is an industry that employs so many people across Hawke's Bay and as we all know it is such the backbone of our regional economy and it deserves everything we can do to support it.It was great to see that the Tomoana Showgrounds has been so useful in this last month as a hive of activity and somewhere where we can all come together to support the cyclone recovery. I thank all parties in Parliament who supported this bill during its first reading and I can assure members once again that this bill has also had strong community support. Now it's been important through this robust process that as the Hastings District Council is looking to purchase this land it was also put out to consultation to our own community. Of that over 90 percent of those who submitted supported the sale to the Hastings District Council. I think once again this firmly cements why we see such a pocket of prime productive land being able to be used for community good and also for the future of our region. I'd also like to acknowledge the submissions both from the Hastings District Council and also from the Waipatu Marae community. Society members voted in favour of the sale. It has been through as I said this consultation process. This bill enables a sensible and practical outcome for the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society and means that our region will be able to continue celebrating and promoting the successes of our local food and fibre sector. I think once again this is a show of true regional support and in doing so I would also like to acknowledge all members who have supported this for the society and who have met with the society. I know early on in the consultation process the local MP for Napier Stuart Nash and I met with the society to hear all of their ideas and how they wanted to see a great outcome for our Hawke's Bay showgrounds. And again I hope that for everybody who hasn't yet been to the farmers market please put it on your list because it's markets like that and it's supporting local businesses that will help our region so much. I also know when I look across to the other side of the House and I see members from the National Party like Nicola Grigg—I know that she will be there supporting Horse of the Year a great wonderful local event that we all enjoy. I commend this bill to the House.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): The question is that the motion be agreed to.