Wagner Nicky: Christ’s College (Canterbury) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Wagner Nicky: Christ’s College (Canterbury) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:661;Page:9584] 
NICKY WAGNER (National) 
: 
 I want just to recap. As we have heard Christ’s College is one of the oldest schools in New Zealand. It was established to provide education for the sons of settlers of the Church of England colony of Christchurch. In 1855 Parliament passed the Christ’s College ordinance which incorporates the deed of foundation incorporating Christ’s College Canterbury as a body corporate having perpetual succession. 
The Christ’s College (Canterbury) Amendment Bill that we have been debating today will amend the 1910 Act to authorise the governing body of the college to apply property in certain circumstances to the benefit of the college even though that is not the original purpose of the bequest. I will go through those circumstances: if the original purpose has become wholly or in part redundant if it is uncertain as to application if it is impractical to implement or if the property generates income that is inadequate to or in excess of the amount necessary for those purposes. We heard from John Boscawen how difficult such circumstances are for boards of governors to deal with. 
Let me make it clear: the board wishes to ensure that the objectives of the trust continue to be met unless they are impossible. We have heard tonight that many bequests can no longer be used effectively for their original purposes. The interesting and most common example given by the college is a bequest by an old boy to make sure that left-handed guns were available for cadets in training. Obviously the old boy was a left hander who had trouble with the right-handed guns at cadets and he wanted to make sure that no other boy had to put up with that. Nowadays of course there is no cadet training at college. Other examples include the 1919 gift—so the gifts go back right to the establishment of Christ’s College; Maria Somes was the first benefactor of the college—to provide bursaries for the sons of soldiers. I noted that the bursaries were for the sons of those who had fallen or suffered as part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces in World War I or World War II or for the sons of the members of various forces of the British Empire who had served in the Great War. 
We have talked about orphans and about Christchurch orphanages that no longer exist. We have talked about sports events that do not happen anymore and subjects like Latin that are no longer taught. It has become virtually impossible to meet the criteria of many of these funds. In the trusts where there is too little or too much money stipulated the board would like to have the power to adjust those figures so that purposeful scholarships as close as possible to the original may be awarded. 
Under present legislation where it is not possible to use bequests the money continues to just accumulate in the college’s accounts without being spent. This does nothing to benefit the college or the students despite the donors’ intention. Several speakers tonight have sought additional safeguards in the management of these requests but I remind them that under the 1910 Act that we are seeking to amend Parliament gave the board wide powers in relation to the administration of those funds—far more significant college funds and assets than those we are asking for the power to administer tonight. In that debate in 1910 the Hon Mr Jones said he hoped that “the gentlemen entrusted with the charge of these endowments would realise the responsibility that rested on them.” 
One hundred years on we can see that Parliament’s trust has been well rewarded. The gentlemen of the board have governed prudently and well and the college has prospered. Today a century later I ask for similar support from this Parliament. This time I believe that there is even more reason to trust the governing body which will have a far lesser responsibility. In 2010 the warden of the school is the Bishop of Christchurch the Rt Rev Victoria Matthews and the chairperson of the board is Mrs Mary Ross. I believe that they and the other lady members of the governing body can with the gentlemen of the board be absolutely entrusted with the managing of the school’s funds successfully for the next 100 years. 
Bill read a first time.  
Bill referred to the Government Administration Committee.