Robertson Grant: Wellington Town Belt Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRobertson Grant: Wellington Town Belt Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 16 September 2015. Volume:708;Page:6721. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central): I want to thank all the speakers who have spoken during this debate and all parties for their indications of support for this legislation. It is welcomed very much by me and by the Wellington City Council. While I am on the subject of thanking people it is timely to thank the Wellington city councillors who have helped drive this project. I particularly want to acknowledge Helene Ritchie and Iona Pannett in most recent times and other councillors before them who have been the driving force to get this legislation through the process that the Wellington City Council has. It has not been easy. We have gone through a couple of trienniums but we have got there and I am very grateful for the support that those councillors have given. Behind the scenes council officials have worked overtime to get this legislation into good shape.I want to particularly acknowledge Paul Andrews and especially Michael Oates who has lived and breathed this with me for many years. Michael has done a terrific job in pulling together all of the threads that make up this legislation. Michael you deserve all the congratulations for that. The Wellington City Council officials have been helped by a team of lawyers. We have been at this for so long that the law firm has changed its name about four times while we have been doing the bill but to Adam Holloway and Nick Chapman thank you very much too for your excellent work in getting the bill to this point.My colleague Annette King has already mentioned the advocacy of the groups in the Wellington community that do truly love and live the town belt in particular the Friends of the Wellington Town Belt group. It has worked hard on this legislation for a very long time. Annette King mentioned Joan Quinn who is in the public gallery today. Joan has a lifetime attachment to the Wellington town belt and she epitomises the way Wellingtonians feel about it. Joan I hope you will be pleased today to see the legislation finally find its way into this House.There were a number of matters raised in speeches that I do want to refer to just briefly. The first of those is the issue around the Public Works Act. I did say in my comments that this has been an issue of debate. The Wellington City Council itself has never formally proposed that the town belt be exempted from the Public Works Act. What is in the legislation is an attempt by the council and officials to come up with a formulation that protects the councillors in their roles as trustees of the trust deed. As councillors they are not allowed to do anything that would dispose of the town belt so that is protected.What was then suggested in this legislation was a process that would give standing to councillors and other Wellingtonians in any attempt to acquire the town belt land under the Public Works Act and an outline of a process for compensation should that occur. There have been discussions between Land Information New Zealand the New Zealand Transport Agency and council officials and as I said in my opening remarks that has led to some proposals that the Wellington City Council will bring to the select committee. To correct Mr Hudson that is the process the Minister for Land Information agreed to—specifically that those amendments would come to the select committee. That is the correct way to deal with an issue like this when a bill has gone through the Wellington City Council’s processes. This is a local bill. It comes to us from a decision of the Wellington City Council. It has made its decision; that is the bill we have in front of us but it has acknowledged that it will propose changes in this area at the select committee.The other area I want to mention just briefly in the couple of minutes remaining to me is around the other concerns that were raised in early consultation on this bill. That is the question of commercial activities and I want to be very clear with anyone who is listening. Commercial activities are limited by this legislation. This bill is about protecting the purpose of the town belt as a public recreation ground. Under this bill no more than 8 hectares of land in total at any one time can be leased and those leases cannot be granted for more than 20 years including any renewals with exceptions for the chest hospital site and Wellington Zoo.I am proud to bring this bill to the House. It is the product of a lot of work and it does speak for the city of Wellington a city that values its green and open space but also a city that values that every Wellingtonian deserves to be able to enjoy this. This bill upholds those principles and it provides certainty clarity and confidence that the town belt will be there for many generations to come. I commend this bill to the House.Bill read a first time.Bill referred to the Local Government and Environment Committee.