Simpson ScottHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel): Thank you very much Madam Speaker. It's a pleasure to be the last National Party speaker in this debate on the St Peter's Parish Endowment Fund Trust Bill. People who are watching on television or listening on their radios—or indeed in the gallery—will have got the sense now having heard other speakers in this debate that there is unanimity across the Parliament and support for this piece of legislation. That's a good thing because too often in this Parliament people look and see us arguing debating philosophy and policy and principle and all that sort of stuff.Hon Grant Robertson: Philosophy?Hon SCOTT SIMPSON: Occasionally we do do philosophy. My colleague Simon O'Connor is very good at it. So it's quite nice occasionally for us to be united on a good piece of legislation that's actually going to continue the good work that has been done over a long number of years since the establishment of the original piece of legislation many years ago—back in 1927 I think was the first piece of legislation.Our Parliament has a history that dates back to around that time—and in fact even earlier times—of doing these special bespoke pieces of legislation for a range of organisations whether they be charitable sporting or indeed religious. I can remember on a number of previous occasions in my time in Parliament having to update legislation relating to other organisations. I remember after the Christchurch earthquakes when there needed to be some updating of some of the bespoke pieces of legislation that related to horseracing and jockey clubs around Christchurch. The fact is that when these pieces of legislation were first formulated they were formulated with good intent to encourage good community outcomes for organisations that were doing good work across the nation in the particular sector or field that they operated in. But over the years many of those good intentions have been overtaken a little bit by time. The good intention remains but the practical application of the piece of legislation has become for a variety of reasons limiting inflexible and not best placed to provide the kind of nimbleness and good governance that is now required in a modern environment for a changed set of circumstances and also not particularly well futureproofed. So I want to commend the local member the Hon Grant Robertson for his work in bringing this private bill to the House. He's the sponsor but it's promoted by the St Peter's Wellington Endowment Fund Trust Board. So it's appropriate that in this Parliament we do update modernise and futureproof the good work that the folk at St Peter's do not only in the parish but also for the wider community that they represent.In a previous life I served for a number of years on an Anglican parish vestry that didn't have the benefit of an endowment fund but was a heritage building over 100 years old. I have a particular memory of my years on that vestry of the constant battle in terms of raising money to do significant maintenance work on the historic building which was much loved in the local community but actually not necessarily as well supported by the local community. It was a relatively small congregation of wonderful people generous of spirit time and energy and financial support but always struggling with the need for fixing some windows or updating the roof or fixing a leak or upgrading the toilet facilities or maybe the kitchen in the hall needed work—all those sorts of things that are a challenge constantly for the good folk who almost inevitably give so generously voluntarily of their time to promote and encourage these wonderful institutions that form the very fabric of so many of our communities around the nation. In my electorate in the Coromandel we've got a number of churches that are of a similar vintage to St Peter's. In Thames in particular we have a couple of outstandingly beautiful magnificent hard kauri built churches. I'm thinking of St George's Anglican Church in Thames and also St James' Presbyterian Church in Thames—beautiful examples not only of religious buildings but actually of magnificent architectural buildings in their own right. But the constant demand to keep them up is ongoing and never ending.So not every parish has the opportunity of having an endowment fund or a bespoke piece of legislation that goes with it. So when we have an opportunity to update modernise and futureproof as we are doing with this piece of legislation that's something that I think we should take advantage of. I know that to get to this point will have involved many many hours not just formal meetings and discussions within the trustees' meetings but also amongst wider members of the congregation and parish community. They will have given very careful thought to the prudent and pragmatic approach that is going to be needed to ensure that this iconic building and this iconic institution that is so much part of central Wellington will be maintained and kept in good order and good governance over the many many many years ahead. I don't have a particular knowledge of the building itself other than I can remember about three years ago participating in a political debate on climate change in the precinct of the church. It was actually quite a good debate—Hon Grant Robertson: Did you learn a lot?Hon SCOTT SIMPSON: Well I had divine guidance on several matters and I can remember James Shaw participated in that debate as did several others. Now I'm not sure that he was particularly inspirational in providing me with divine inspiration on that particular evening but I do recall that it was a very appropriate and good setting for a debate that was in good mood good heart and just representative of the sorts of things that a church like St Peter's provides to the wider community. It's not just the Sunday services and the religious outreach; it's far more than that. Other speakers have made mention of the very good and proud record that St Peter's has but I know as a traditional Anglican myself that by and large we don't like change. Change comes slowly and with a lot of debate and a lot of angst and often a lot of gnashing of teeth and wringing of hands but eventually we collectively get there and so on this piece of legislation it's an absolute pleasure to as I say be the last speaker on behalf of the National Party in this portion of the debate.We will pass this legislation today before the Parliament rises tomorrow and I think it's very fitting that part of what we do in the conclusion of this Parliament is to pass this piece of legislation. So again my thanks and appreciation go to everyone who has been involved in getting it thus far and my best wishes and sincere good hopes for future endeavours. I'm sure that the church the parish and the community are going to endure prosper and succeed for many many years to come.