Korako Nuk: Wellington Town Belt Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKorako Nuk: Wellington Town Belt Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 16 March 2016. Volume:712;Page:9846. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]NUK KORAKO (National): Kia ora e Te Mana Whakawā. Like many visitors to Wellington I have long admired the town belt. When seeing Wellington from above what stands out is that this compact and crowded city has such a great green expanse running through it. Of course as an MP from Christchurch I am proud of the green spaces that our city has—as its name says it is the Garden City. The beautiful Port Hills where I am based is a beautiful beautiful place. But like these areas in Christchurch it is clear that the town belt is a treasure to the residents of Wellington a taoka.In preparing for this speech I was fascinated to read the preamble of the bill which lays out some of the history of our capital city and the town belt. It may be said that the New Zealand Company displayed great foresight in setting aside large tracts of land to form reserves that would never be built on.But I would like to point out something that was highlighted today in the extended sitting this morning around the three Treaty settlement bills and that is that subsequent acquisition by the Crown was done with no consultation or compensation of the iwi groups with interests in this area. This has been highlighted quite a lot in the speeches tonight. There is something and I covered it then during the extended sitting—both the New Zealand Company and the Crown worked hard to establish a new city and an environment for the benefit of European settlers but the well-being of Māori and the property rights of mana whenua actually went out the window. This injustice was addressed though when the historical claims of Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika and Ngāti Toa Rangatira were settled in 2008 and 2012 respectively. Some of the cultural redress provided to these iwi concerned the town belt such as renaming the hill that rises behind Parliament to Te Ahumairangi Hill. Parts of the Wellington town belt are of particular significance to mana whenua and in addition the town belt itself has come to carry great importance to the residents of Wellington.This bill provides a statutory basis for the Wellington City Council to continue managing the town belt on behalf of all Wellingtonians. It also seeks to impose responsibilities on the council and to provide it with the appropriate powers to protect manage and enhance the town belt. The third purpose of the bill is less practical but of distinct significance; in particular it is of importance to mana whenua with a historic connection to areas of the town belt. That purpose is to recognise the history of the town belt and the significance it carries for mana whenua and Wellington residents.The relationship of mana whenua to the town belt has been recognised in the deeds of settlement as has the fact that breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi occurred in these areas. The affected mana whenua have now had full and final settlements but it is important and appropriate that the significance of mana whenua to the land be recognised on an ongoing basis. If we move into Part 1 of the bill itself we find that the role of mana whenua is further recognised. In clause 4 the principles of the bill require that in performing its role the council has regard to the principle that “the Wellington Town Belt should be managed in partnership”—in partnership—“with mana whenua”.I would like to cover as my colleagues have done some of the changes that the Local Government and Environment Committee has recommended be made to this bill. One of the major changes is an amendment to bring the bill into line with the Public Works Act 1981. This came about due to concerns raised by the New Zealand Transport Agency and Land Information New Zealand about the application of the Public Works Act to the town belt. This could have negatively impacted upcoming highway developments particularly the second tunnel that is proposed through Mount Victoria. By introducing uncertainty to the whole process the bill as originally drafted could have delayed these projects and thereby delayed the benefits of reduced congestion and an improved public transport system that they are expected to deliver to Wellingtonians.The recommended amendment replaces clause 23 of the bill with a new clause clarifying the application of the Public Works Act 1981 to the town belt. Under this amendment the council cannot sell town belt land for public works but otherwise the normal provisions of the Public Works Act apply. We believe that this is an appropriate balance between allowing important developments to proceed without undue delay ensuring a proper process is followed if the town belt is to be affected by any such developments and protecting the special nature of the town belt itself.The Local Government and Environment Committee has also recommended removing a parcel of land—and this is really to us and to mana whenua one of the most important parts of this bill. This is because that parcel of land may be subject to future Treaty settlement claims or be subject to a right of first refusal provision under the settlement legislation. That is I think a major part of this bill. It is also important that it protects the town belt and contains provisions to allow additions to the town belt. We also need to recognise the rights of mana whenua under their Treaty settlement and this amendment will do that.I would like to end by acknowledging the sponsoring member Grant Robertson and the work he has done to bring this bill to the House on behalf of the city council in this electorate. Kia ora. I would also like to acknowledge Paul Foster-Bell. Paul is a particularly diligent member of the Local Government and Environment Committee and always works hard on the legislation before our committee. As an MP with a strong connection to the Wellington Central electorate Paul has taken a strong interest in this process and he has supported it along the way including through the select committee process.In my final summary of this bill I want to acknowledge all of the Wellingtonians who are here this evening who have contributed and also that the fact is that we have it seems a cross-party kotahitanga together on this bill. On that note I commend this bill to the House. Kia ora.Amendments recommended by the Local Government and Environment Committee by majority agreed to.Bill read a second time.