Gilmore Aaron: Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee 
Gilmore Aaron: Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee 
[Volume:661;Page:9965] 
AARON GILMORE (National) 
: 
 It is a pleasure to stand and speak on the second reading of the Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Bill. We would not know we were talking about Canterbury after hearing the member who has just resumed his seat Phil Twyford talk about what is going on in Auckland. For the people listening tonight I will read what the review group unanimously concluded which is that the institutional failure in Environment Canterbury “requires comprehensive and rapid intervention on the part of central government to protect and enhance both regional and national well-being. Failure to intervene will lead to continued lack of progress in water management in Canterbury.” 
The review panel which undertook a series of consultations with councillors and various review groups up and down Canterbury came to that conclusion. It got to the situation where it found that Environment Canterbury was broken. It found that the situation was the tyranny of democracy. People came into people’s offices and said that Environment Canterbury was not delivering what they want that it was not delivering the needs of the people that it was broken and that we needed to bring in some commissioners to put in place a fundamental change in the nature of Environment Canterbury. 
When we look at the review report we see a series of recommendations. Tonight the focus has been on water. But there have been many other recommendations and they include the need for a review of public transport. No member on that side has spoken about those recommendations. All they care about is the threat to democracy. They fear that there might not be an election in 3½ years. Well there might be a miracle. The situation in 6 months or 8 months may be that the commissioners have fixed Environment Canterbury although I doubt it. We have allowed enough time to fix the problem and not have some half-cut solution. 
Environment Canterbury does not have issues just around the water strategy. We are very happy to include the Canterbury Water Management Strategy in schedule 1 of this bill and I think that is a good step forward. There has been fear on the other side of the House that that would not happen and that we would not abide by those principles. But they are in schedule 1 and I think that is a good thing. Many members of Parliament were involved in the consultation around that strategy and those rights and principles are enshrined in the bill. Another area where there is fault with Environment Canterbury concerns discussion with iwi in the local area. There have been major problems with that discussion and a need to bring in more resources for iwi liaison. The bill will allow more consultation to be put in place. 
The great fear I seem to hear from the other side of the House is the fear of success the fear that Environment Canterbury might change and actually be better for the people of Canterbury. I think there is a fear of giving Environment Canterbury a chance over the next 3½ years to be fixed and to give the people of Canterbury what they want. They want a council that delivers them the resources they want. It is not just across the councillors; it is across the entire council. The council is broken. 
I look forward during the debate on the remaining stages of this bill to hearing some sensible discussion from the raucous banshee on that side of House. Thank you very much.