Roy Heather: Wellington City Council (Te Aro Reclamation) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Roy Heather: Wellington City Council (Te Aro Reclamation) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:608;Page:5737] 
HEATHER ROY (ACT NZ) 
: 
 ACT New Zealand proposes to support this bill. In fact it makes a good deal of sense and we are in favour of good common sense. Far be it for me to stand in the way of common sense or indeed of what may the jewel in the crown of the member for Wellington Central: allowing the Wellington City Council to sell or lease land from the Te Aro reclamation. 
I find the history of that land very interesting. The history of reclamation in Wellington is very interesting indeed. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: It’s very interesting! 
HEATHER ROY 
: It is. It is a very interesting subject and I became more acquainted with it recently when my son was given a school project on the 1855 earthquake. That is the way of things; parents often learn a lot more from school projects than their children. Land was scarce in Wellington when the settlers first came. In 1840 1100 town acre lots were pegged out. There was little land for public buildings or indeed for parks. Small reclamations were carried out in the early years of settlement and those were mostly private concerns. 
It is interesting to note that the early settlers were good hard-working folk who were prepared to set about and do things themselves. Reclaiming the land was time-consuming and very hard work though the settlers had patience and a strong work ethic. Reclamation did not happen overnight as we know. Today that attitude is something that is not nearly as common as it was then. Too many New Zealanders now expect that sort of public good to be done for them for nothing and they expect it instantly. It is a constant source of disappointment to the ACT party that this Government is only too willing to oblige them. 
The Historic Places Trust has placed 14 plaques around the city—they have the words “Shoreline 1840” on them for those who have noticed them on the footpaths along Lambton Quay—which trace the original shoreline of Lambton Harbour. The closest plaque to Parliament is outside the main entrance to Bowen House for those members who want to go and have a look. I did so myself this afternoon with one of my media staff. Those plaques give us an idea of the amount of land that has been reclaimed over the years and of how much development Wellington City owes to the reclamation carried out over the past 150 years. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: I love these backbenchers who do school projects. 
HEATHER ROY 
: It was a very interesting project I say to Mr Cullen. Around 1880 the Te Aro area was extended seaward and the Te Aro reclamations were carried out by the city council. 
In 1840 the Te Aro flat along with Thorndon was the only area of flat land in Wellington. It was however swampy and therefore less attractive for housing. It became quite industrialised and in fact there is still quite a lot of industry based in that area. In 1853 the Te Aro swamp burst the narrow bank that at that time divided it from the sea and flooded the town acres on the waterfront. The huge 1855 earthquake left Wellington looking much the same as it does now. The benefit for Te Aro was that the earthquake raised the land and drained the swamp. There was room for development at Te Aro but as it was not the city centre reclamation occurred after that at Lambton Harbour. The first reclamations did not take place until the 1880s and were completed in 1886 by which time 9 hectares had been added to the Te Aro foreshore. 
It seems now that the Wellington City Council is keen to sell some of that reclaimed land. Part of it is affected by the Te Aro Reclamation Act while other parts are unaffected and without the need for a notified public auction. This legislation will remove the requirement for the council to sell or lease the land only by way of a notified public auction. In other words the bill is about removing red tape. ACT New Zealand has always been in favour of removing unnecessary red tape. The Wellington City Council as the rightful owner of that land should not be required to jump through hoops in order to sell it. 
It is not often—in fact this is the first for me since coming to Parliament—that I have had the pleasure of supporting a bill for the reasons of acknowledging property rights and cutting the aforesaid red tape. Unfortunately I fear it may be quite some time before another occasion like this arises again for me but it gives me great pleasure to support this bill on behalf of the ACT party. 
Bill read a first time and referred to the Local Government and Environment Committee.