Korako Nuk: Riccarton Racecourse Development Enabling Bill Riccarton Racecourse Bill — First ReadingsText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKorako Nuk: Riccarton Racecourse Development Enabling Bill Riccarton Racecourse Bill — First Readings[Sitting date: 03 November 2015. Volume:709;Page:7574. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]NUK KORAKO (National): Kia ora e Te Mana Whakawā. It is indeed my pleasure to be able stand here today and talk about the Riccarton Racecourse Development Enabling Bill and the Riccarton Racecourse Bill. I do this as a member of this Government as a Christchurch ratepayer and also as a member of the Ngāi Tahu iwi. This is just great legislation when we think back 5 years ago to the devastation that happened right across Christchurch and other parts of Canterbury. We are able to talk about legislation that really does give us a vehicle to be able to continue on with the great development that has happened to date under this Government. And particularly we are talking about the 13000 houses that were lost and the incredible job that has been done to rebuild that housing stock and to make them very much warm safe and healthy houses. Just listening to a couple of the speeches from the other side of the House leading up to mine the other thing is that in some ways I congratulate them but in other ways some of the discussion is that the glass is half empty. I want to talk about the fact that the glass here is very much half full and continues to be topped up all the time particularly with this legislation.When we look at these two bills I think the important thing—and it follows on from my speech 2 weeks ago now around the Greater Christchurch Regeneration Bill when I talked about this—is kotahitanga. I talked about how the major stakeholders who make these things happen in Christchurch actually do work very very closely together and work in a sort of true partnership. So when we look at this bill this bill is definitely about cooperation. It is a cooperation with the Crown it is a cooperation with the Christchurch City Council and it is a cooperation with the Ngāi Tahu iwi and also Riccarton Racecourse.In that sort of cooperation what are the benefits then and what does it bring? What it does is pave the way for a really exciting innovative new housing development in Christchurch—that is what it does. Then the other part of this is what those stakeholders actually bring to this development through this legislation. Looking at the Riccarton Racecourse first of all what it brings is the land. In doing that it will be able to ensure that it is actually able to generate income as well. The next one is the Ngāi Tahu iwi. What the Ngāi Tahu iwi will bring through its property company is specialist knowledge within property development. What that does in turn particularly for iwi members is generate income for those iwi members. It generates more income for them that gives them more education scholarships it gives them more access to the fine savings scheme that they have called Whai Rawa—all of these sorts of incremental value things that are done through the various subsidiary companies of the iwi.The other thing is the benefits that it also brings to the Christchurch City Council and to the Crown itself. Looking at the Christchurch City Council and then looking at the people of Christchurch themselves what this does is give another 600 houses within this development. But the real unique thing about this development is the fact is that within it they are able to include something that is actually possibly in some of the other developments something that has been very difficult to achieve. And what I am talking about here is affordable housing. Within this development—which as I say is very unique—is the fact that within the 600 houses there is going to be a minimum of 180 houses that are actually going to be classified as affordable housing. That classification works. The fact is that in practice this means that the houses need to be priced below $450000 and then they are only for first-time homebuyers who can actually access the Government FirstHome scheme. So it all sort of really connects together on moving forward in partnership.To me though this legislation also allows—as the previous speaker from New Zealand First Denis O’Rourke said—for a template to be developed by which we have legislation that allows land to be released because originally it was actually tied in with these ancient laws as being about land use. So it is actually enabling land use to continue through using land not for the specific purposes that it was laid down for but for a more specific purpose now in the 21st century and particularly around the aftermath of the tragic earthquakes in Christchurch.I think that this legislation really does define the way forward particularly with healthy homes. It goes forward particularly when we talk about Treaty settlements and what could be when we look at the template that it is developing. Ngāi Tahu also have the right of first refusal and so they are able to sort of work that through where they are contributing to this development using that right of first refusal process. The other part is around those businesses particularly the Riccarton Racecourse being able to sort of shed some of that land and even keep the original intention which is the racecourse itself but then be able to use a large part of that land for social development particularly houses.These bills are indeed part of an excellent process that is freeing up land for economic development in Christchurch letting Riccarton Racecourse secure its own future through the assets it already controls and bringing in those partnerships that I have talked about. This is great legislation. This is really a way forward. It is an excellent template also for the future of freeing up land to do such excellent work as this legislation will allow it to do. I have no hesitation and I would like to commend these bills to the House. Kia ora.