Chauvel Charles: Canterbury Earthquake Commemoration Day Bill — Procedure First Reading Second Reading Procedure Third Reading 
Chauvel Charles: Canterbury Earthquake Commemoration Day Bill — Procedure First Reading Second Reading Procedure Third Reading 
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CHARLES CHAUVEL (Labour) 
: 
 I begin my short contribution in the second reading debate of the Canterbury Earthquake Commemoration Day Bill by acknowledging the Minister of Labour for addressing in her second reading speech some potential concerns I raised in my first reading speech. I accept that the choice of timing is never easy and that there are always pros and cons. 
I agree with Trevor Mallard that a decision has been settled on and the course of action which is the commemoration on 18 March is now clear. It does leave a further decision which is what opportunity there will be at a later date for the entire nation to have an opportunity to mourn to commemorate and to celebrate what we know will be the recovery of Canterbury. Maybe the idea advanced by Maryan Street about an unveiling in a year’s time from the anniversary of the earthquake is an appropriate thing to consider. 
I mentioned in my initial contribution the services that were held around the nation on the first day of this month. I think they reveal a real need amongst New Zealanders outside Canterbury to participate in that process. I will say no more on the issue other than to respectfully urge the Minister and her colleagues to consider that need because I do think it is real. As I said Labour accepts the decision with regard to the timing and the regional nature of the holiday we are discussing now. But I think it is very important that we acknowledge that wider need and acknowledge the importance of making sure everybody has an opportunity to as I said engage in that three-stage process: mourn those whom we have lost commemorate the event then look forward to the future. I hope looking forward to the future is something we can all begin to focus on. 
I really encourage Ministers and members of the Government to think about two things as we move forward. One is the need for compassion. We have heard all sorts of comments in the last couple of weeks about looters. Many would say fair enough; that sort of behaviour is terrible. But let us not forget that there is other behaviour going on such as profiteering price gouging and excessive renting. We need to think about the people who are affected by that sort of behaviour. As far as I am concerned it is every bit as bad as looting. We may need to think about taking powers as has been done in the United States in post-emergency situations that provide some ability in the short term to control that sort of activity. We may need to do that so that people particularly those at the bottom and in the middle who need to rent commercial premises or houses and need to buy goods and services are not affected by the rawness of the rules of supply and demand. That is the first hope I express going forward. 
The second one is to urge the Government to be far-sighted. There is a huge opportunity here for the people of Christchurch and Canterbury when it comes to rebuilding what has been lost. Would it not be fantastic to see a true eco-city with businesses and houses built to the highest energy-efficiency standards a world-class transport system and clever town planning while preserving the beautiful heritage buildings wherever possible? We should concentrate on the intellectual and entrepreneurial opportunities that the city has going forward such as the wonderful cleantech sector; the university which is a real jewel in the crown; the tourism businesses that contribute so many jobs; and the other educational and training institutions. There is a huge opportunity to get people upskilled and to address all the training needs that we know people have so that they can go forward and contribute to the rebuilding of the city. 
It would be fantastic if rather than looking inward and being preoccupied with the awful past we have all spoken about today we were able to look forward with pride and have a think about the opportunities that that sort of visionary rebuild would guarantee to that magnificent city in the South Island. With those words I commend the bill to the House in the second reading.