King Annette: National War Memorial Park (Pukeahu) Empowering Bill — Third Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
King Annette: National War Memorial Park (Pukeahu) Empowering Bill — Third Reading 
[Sitting date: 27 September 2012. Volume:684;Page:5778. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Labour—Rongotai) 
: 
 As you have already heard in this House Labour supports the National War Memorial Park (Pukeahu) Empowering Bill and now we are in the final stages of its passage. It will be welcomed by many many New Zealanders veterans and the community—particularly the local community here in Wellington. This bill has had strong local support not only from those who live in the direct vicinity but also from around Wellington in general and also I think from around New Zealand from those wanting to have a place that we could call a National War Memorial Park. 
This bill will enable the completion of the park by 2015 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Gallipoli. But as the Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage said in his third reading speech it will also be a place where we can commemorate other conflicts that New Zealand has been involved in. There are a number coming up of 70th anniversary commemorations. 
One of those that it would have been nice to be able to commemorate had the park been built earlier was the battle for Crete. I was fortunate to represent our country at the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Crete. It was a most moving occasion but very few people could actually go to Crete to commemorate that battle. Most New Zealanders will never be able to go there so I was privileged. Being able to go to a place like the National War Memorial and being able to commemorate events with others who were there and their families and their grandchildren I think will be a really significant part of this new park. 
It is a little bit like going to the Atatürk Memorial. The Minister in his speech—in fact actually no. It was not the Minister in his speech; it was something that Helen Clark said at the time that she proposed this park. She said it would be a place where other countries could have memorials and be able to commemorate events when they had been in partnership in war with New Zealand. That is why I mentioned the Atatürk Memorial in my electorate. If you have not been there on Anzac Day I suggest that you do so. It is the most moving service that you can go to. It is a relationship between Turkey and New Zealand. I am told that the spot where it has been built is very like Anzac Cove and it has a very spiritual feeling about it. This new National War Memorial Park will mean that other countries will be able to put up memorials as well. 
This bill was not without some debate as to the process that would be used for the establishment of this park because it does remove appeals under a number of Acts and there is the use of Orders in Council. I understand concerns that members have about the use of Orders in Council and proper process but I said in my speeches that it would have been really good if we had complete agreement across this House for the establishment of this park. Unfortunately the Greens have decided to oppose it and to me that is a little bit like having a bob each way. They were in favour of it but they opposed it where on this occasion for something as significant as this that was not going to cause a huge problem because there is so much community support for it it would be good if we had unanimous support across Parliament. Maybe even at this late stage the Greens might like to consider supporting this bill at the third reading. 
Why I think they can have some confidence in what has been put in place are the safeguards that were put in place at the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee. I understand the Greens were very constructive at the select committee in helping to put those safeguards in place. Having done that and having done the best job possible then I would have thought that they are now in a position where putting aside their overwhelming principles they could then support this bill because this does not happen very often. If you look at what this is about then I think that maybe this was an occasion when they could have put aside their objections. 
I think the safeguard of a review panel that is able to scrutinise the Orders in Council and report to Parliament every 6 months is a very good one. Also Parliament can disallow the Orders in Council within 12 sitting days. That means the power still comes back here to Parliament. Also there is the putting in place of a community committee that is able to be involved in the design of the park to involve those local people who will be affected. That is something that they were keen to see happen and I am glad that it has now become part of this project. 
This is a really good idea. I want to pay tribute to the former Prime Minister of New Zealand the Rt Hon Helen Clark. She had a passion—a burning passion—to ensure that we remembered those men and women who had fought in many conflicts on behalf of New Zealanders. Over her years as Prime Minister there were a number of things that she did to ensure that our old soldiers were recognised. One of them of course was the return of the Unknown Warrior and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. It was a wonderful occasion for New Zealand and for this Parliament when the body of the Unknown Warrior was brought back to New Zealand and lay in state here in Parliament and then was taken on Armistice Day down to where the park will be. It was estimated that over 100000 people lined the streets to see the body go past. It was a very moving ceremony and it showed the depth of feeling that New Zealanders have towards those who have paid the price to ensure that we have democracy free speech and freedom in this country. 
I want to not only say thank you to the former Prime Minister but also acknowledge that belatedly this Government has picked up the idea. I think it is a shame that we waited so long. Money was allocated for this park; I was Minister of Transport at the time. Along with Helen Clark the Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage we announced $10.9 million in 2007 for this park. It was then stopped after the election and nothing happened for a long time. In fact it was a piece of land that lay there bare with an old fence around it and lots of paper bags and plastic bags blowing across it. Finally a decision was made to proceed. Well done. I am glad that it is proceeding. It will be opened in April 2015 and I hope that at that time we can all come together and commemorate what is going to be a very significant project for all New Zealanders. We strongly support this bill and look forward to its completion with as much speed as possible.