Smith Nick: Reserves and Other Lands Disposal Bill — Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
Smith Nick: Reserves and Other Lands Disposal Bill — Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:612;Page:9284] 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (National—Nelson) 
: 
 The Minister when reporting on the Primary Production Committee declined to mention the very important submissions that were heard by the committee because that would have exposed the quite distinct double standards of this Government around reserve lands. This bill is about reserves and other lands and the changing of their status. Every member of this House will be aware that over this past winter there has been a power crisis—the second one during the term of this Government—yet the Government has refused point-blank to consider the very sensible hydro development project on the Arnold River in the community of Dobson on the West Coast. 
The Minister of Conservation has said in this House that it is impossible to change the status of reserve lands. Well hello hello here we have a bill that does just that. With this bill we are to change the status of certain areas of reserve land so they can become road can be sold or can be used for commercial purposes. Members on the Opposition side of the House say that if it is possible to do that for roads for commercial uses and for the purposes of land being sold then we should in fact allow the land in the ecological reserve at Card Creek to be considered for that hydro project. 
I want to put into context just how important that particular project is. The communities of the West Coast Marlborough and Nelson are at the end of the wire in terms of power supply in the South Island and have been particularly at risk. I have been advised by my own power company that we have had voltage outages that resulted in the failure of industrial equipment for the first time in 30 years in my home region. This project would enable the generation of 60 megawatts of electricity thus making the West Coast of New Zealand self-sufficient in power. Not only would it be self-sufficient but it would be able to produce power that could be exported into the regions of Tasman Nelson and Marlborough. We have heard from the mayors of all those districts. They have pleaded with this Government to please allow this sensible project to be considered. We have had from the Minister of Conservation Chris Carter nothing less than absolute rejection. There was not even the option of considering the use of the Card Creek ecological area—there was no consideration at all of that particular project. The select committee heard submissions from the Greymouth District Council. It asked the Government to please consider allowing that reserve land to be used for the hydro scheme. I want to give notice today that the National Opposition will move amendments during the Committee stage of this bill to make provision for that project. 
I want to bring to the attention of the House just how small an area will enable the West Coast to be self-sufficient in sustainable electricity. The Card Creek ecological area is one of hundreds of reserves on the West Coast. The area we are talking about is 5 percent of one of those reserves. The question this House has to ask itself is whether we so selfish that we will decline the people of the West Coast the use of 5 percent of one of hundreds of reserves. That land totals 0.02 percent of the conservation land on the West Coast. The Government is saying that it will not even let the people of the West Coast use 0.02 percent of that land in order to be self-sufficient in electricity. 
This issue will be a real test of the member for West Coast – Tasman as to where his loyalties lie. Is he one of those members who will simply sell out on his West Coast – Tasman electorate and vote down the provisions that are proposed? It is also very interesting that Jim Anderton the Minister for Economic Development told the people of the West Coast that he thought this was a good and successful project. Well I have to say that the issue will get very interesting because Gordon Copeland of the United Future party has said that he thinks the Dobson hydro project is a good sensible proposition and that he will be supporting our amendments. I understand also that the New Zealand First Party has said it will be supporting our amendments in that regard. If Damien O’Connor and Jim Anderton do what they say they will then we will see those amendments passed and we will see common sense prevail. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: And ACT! 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: The ACT party of course has also indicated that it is in favour of the common-sense position. If the West Coast – Tasman MP and Jim Anderton stand by their word then we will see some changes to the bill. I have to emphasise right now that those changes will not override the Resource Management Act. Of course this project will have to go through that proper process where the range of issues will be dealt with. But those changes open the door and allow that project to be considered. 
I challenge members of the Government as to why they want to stop the West Coast being self-sufficient in electricity. I have been to the Card Creek area with my colleagues Bill English Gerry Brownlee and also bless his soul Shane Ardern—without his tractor. When we went and looked at that area we saw that the bulk of it is over 6 feet high in gorse. I want to challenge Government members by asking why we should want to protect a block of gorse when the lights may be going out. That does not seem to make much sense to me. So I challenge members opposite about the report on that project. 
It is interesting to note that the Department of Conservation in its report to the select committee said that it did not think the Government should change the status of that land. Well I bet it did. But that is not what the Standing Order states. If any member wants to refer to Standing Order 258(1)(d) he or she will see it makes the claim that reserves and other lands disposal legislation allows this Parliament to make a determination to change the status of any reserve. I have looked over the history of that legislation and have seen that over 260 different blocks of reserves in national parks had their status changed by such reserves and other lands disposal legislation. 
I tell this House that we should apply common sense and allow that small area to be used for the hydro scheme. I would emphasise that the Greymouth District Council proposes to do a land swap that if the hydro site is made available by this legislation will see 700 hectares of Mount Buckley added in to the Card Creek ecological area. A consequence of this bill and the deal that would flow from it would see the Card Creek ecological area become larger and there would be a net conservation benefit from that. So the provisions I am proposing make good conservation sense good energy sense and any kind of economic sense and most of all they make for common sense. 
I look forward to contributions from the politically correct Labour Government as to what it has against the people of the West Coast that it will not allow them to use 0.02 percent of West Coast conservation land for the purpose of being self-sufficient in electricity. I particularly wish to challenge the member for West Coast - Tasman to stand firm for his people and not to sell out again to the political correctness that this Labour Government so often opts for.