Eagle PaulPAUL EAGLE (Labour—Rongotai): Thank you Mr Speaker. It's my pleasure to talk on the first reading of the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission/Te Waihanga Bill. It's exciting. When I first saw this I thought about time." So I want to congratulate Minister Shane Jones the first citizen of the provinces for finally getting it on the road literally. This is a really important bill in terms of getting an entity under way to provide independent and expert advice on infrastructure.In his speech he talked about what was wrong and it was quite simple: there is no long-term plan. There are lots and lots of ideas and lots and lots of little plans but no one cohesive plan for Aotearoa New Zealand in terms of the infrastructure that a whole range of entities are building. That's short-sighted that's costing millions but more importantly that's costing lives. I believe this bill will address that.He also mentioned four problem areas and some of those I just want to talk about further in a tad of detail and that is the fact that we'll see some integrated investment decisions—that's really important. Every speaker has talked about a pipeline. My colleague Meka Whaitiri talked about integrating that local and central government procurement capability. I think that's important. That word "capability" is important because I know many in local government whilst big on ideas lack the capability to deliver.This bill sets out the functions of the commission in two main areas the first being strategy and planning—that's important. What I foresee is that they will bring together all those entities who are beavering away with their plans looking at individual plans for different types of infrastructure bring it together and get an agreed vision for the future. It will form a road map then we get the pipeline and things will get under way pretty quick.The second thing which hasn't really been talked about is sort of a one-stop shop of experts. That's really important and I mention those in local government those smaller government entities that don't have the capability. They will now have the independent expert advice there in this commission to be able to deliver those projects and that's really important because the ideas are big but the delivery is left wanting. This is the commission that's going to bring those bits together.I want to talk about a case study because one of the things that excited me was when Minister Jones talked about the Ministry of Works. For those of you who know—and I know our chief whip Ruth Dyson knows this—when you go to the Chatham Islands there's Highet Place there. I'm not going to talk about Allan Highet who was responsible for pushing the button on Think Big. The one thing that that road sign tells me is that there are a whole lot of former houses there built by the ministry for Government workers. It's a symbol to me of really what went wrong when the Ministry of Works leased somewhere like the Chatham Islands.If you'll bear with me we were proud to open the $56 million wharf down there. I was recently reading a contractors' magazine and it sort of summed up why we need this commission. It said for example we had to establish the quarry which required excavating up to six metres of over-burden build a road from the quarry to the port set up a concrete batching plant and construct a yard to produce 3000 concrete blocks for the breakwater. Ladies and gentlemen can I tell you that that's a huge huge project but because of the way that we currently do our procurement that's all gone. There's no quarry there's no more road and there's no more concrete batching plant because they're doing it project by project.Meanwhile on the island there's a huge list of infrastructure projects that need doing. Let's start: the airport extension. That too needs concrete—that'll need a quarry. Let's continue: communication. There's no cellular network. Where in New Zealand apart from some of those small rural outposts is there now no cellular network? The broadband is a bit shonky at that too. Basic infrastructure for telecom is left wanting costing the economy millions and billions of dollars. For those of you who do get down there you will see two windmills on their sides literally. I mean it's a sight unseen unless you've been there. Again it's energy infrastructure that could run that island purely by wind but instead there's not been the foresight or the funding put there to get those windmills back up.I don't even need to mention housing. I don't even need to mention schools let alone a small wee wharf up there in Kāingaroa for the fisher people—those who catch fish. How about that? But what there is is a case study right here just off the mainland—800 kilometres out there in the water between Wellington and Christchurch—that is an example of why this commission is needed. What you have is a community suffering because we do everything project by project entity by entity—there's no vision there's no road map and there's no pipeline. That's why I bring it back to Highet Place because that was named after the then Minister of Works. Those houses were built for Government workers to deliver Government infrastructure.In 2019 we face a frightening reality of a whole bunch of projects that need to go through individual assessments conflicts of interest probity—you name it. It's just more unnecessary work. I believe that if you have one commission a one-stop shop—and I like using that term—that gives I guess a refuge for those seeking not only a listening ear a sympathetic one at that but also the capability because that council on the Chatham Islands is small. It's tiny. It has an enterprise trust but it doesn't have capability. So having this commission I believe would get the 600-plus people into mainland reality but not only that; it would leverage that economic benefit which is in the billions. I know that the Minister is keen to get down there and keen to assess those Provincial Growth Fund applications. My concern is that that process will happen they will get the nod—my nervousness remains in the capability of service delivery and that's why this commission will be up and running and providing them with that capability that they desperately seek.I'm glad the Opposition is on board. The first citizen of Epsom is very keen to be part of this.Hon Ruth Dyson: Prince of the provinces.PAUL EAGLE: Oh sorry. I was referring to the first citizen of Epsom who wants to be the first citizen of the provinces.Hon Paul Goldsmith: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I think there is a basic rule that members are supposed to refer to other members by their names and not epithets such as that.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): Yes the member is absolutely correct. Actually a general encouragement to all members: there has been over the last few days quite a bit of nicknames and not full names. The member should use the correct name and with the honorific.PAUL EAGLE: Sorry Mr Assistant Speaker. I withdraw and apologise to the member for Epsom. How about that? There we are. Oh sorry the list—look I forget. The good member from somewhere in Auckland! Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. Does that work? We're getting there.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): Haere tonu.PAUL EAGLE: I don't want to say anything more because we're coming up to dinner time and I know that that's important for some of the members in this House particularly on my right-hand side. I commend this bill to the House."