O'Connor Simon: Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeO'Connor Simon: Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 06 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3279. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]SIMON O’CONNOR (National—Tāmaki):I would be biased if I said that was the right call. I am very pleased to stand and take a call on this the Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill. I am very conscious—and I probably must apologise to Minister Wagner and others—that I am an Aucklander. I do apologise but I actually think that the arts is something that moves well beyond just Canterbury and Christchurch. It is something for the whole country.I want to acknowledge the work that is already being done and add to some of the questions that my colleagues have been putting to the Minister tonight. I want to signal to the Hon Nicky Wagner that there are a few thoughts I want to raise. As an initial context I remember the Arts Centre well from trips down to Christchurch in the past. I remember it for two reasons: not only for the art and for the drawing together of people and the expression they bring but also for the architecture. When I returned after the Canterbury earthquakes that was something I felt quite profoundly and quite sadly. But really what it comes back to is the people. I think inherently what is happening here is drawing the people back together. That is not only in the bill but in the governance structures and so forth. If I was to push that a little bit further in some ways picking up on what the Greens spoke about earlier—I think it was the member Eugenie Sage—actually this has been quite a collegial discussion and environment in which to progress things forward.The arts are important. Anyone who knows me knows I am a great supporter of the arts—everything from the Royal New Zealand Ballet to the opera to the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and the like and also the other forms of the arts and expression that we have—Hon Christopher Finlayson: The NZSO?SIMON O’CONNOR: Oh sorry I have been remiss. I have shown my Auckland bias. I have been instantly reminded by the Hon Christopher Finlayson of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra of course. I say that as context because of course what the Arts Centre does is touch on a whole different range.Some people might be questioning as we look at this bill tonight in the Committee of the whole House why we are bothering with something such as the arts. I cannot help but be drawn to what Churchill once said—granted in the context of the war and the devastation there. He was asked by someone: “Why are we actually putting all this money into the arts? Why are we putting it into the arts when there are much more important things?”—in this case the war. Churchill said: “Well what are we fighting for?”.I think that is a really important context when we come to Canterbury and to this particular area. What we are after is a really important expression. If I may share one quick expression. When I lived in Fiji for 2 years around a vocational—Carmel Sepuloni: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I am just seeking your advice. I know that we decided to take this bill as one part but now we are about to hear about his Fiji trip. He has talked about the Auckland orchestra in the context of Christchurch. I just think it is going a little bit broad at the moment and I would like you to—The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Chester Borrows): I take the member’s point and I ask the member who has the floor currently to come back to the matter in question.SIMON O’CONNOR: If I may actually—the context the element of Fiji despite the member’s objection is destruction. I do not intend to push this too far but it is the—Hon David Cunliffe: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. You have made a considered ruling that Fiji is not part of Christchurch. Indeed arguably it is not even part of the South Island. The member opposite has flouted your ruling—The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Chester Borrows): I do not need any further help in respect of this matter. Please take your seat. I do not need any assistance from the member on this point of order. The member who has the floor was drawing it into context and I am sure—I am absolutely convinced—that his next contribution will be totally salient.SIMON O’CONNOR: Vanaka vaka levu au kila—anyway we will leave it there. Let us not continue or we might get into trouble.The key part about the Arts Centre here is that it is a new opportunity to take what has been an existing trust and to build on the strength of it but to bring about new opportunities. We have heard from many members about the great work that Jen Crawford as the chair has been doing as well as André Lovatt as the chief executive officer. What we are seeing in this bill is an attempt to change the structure to move it towards something that is more skills-based. We have heard that from other members. I think that in a time of crisis if you will it is really important often to move from the representative which respects the sort of normality of the situation to bring it back into the context of crisis. This means you need skilled people from the community to help drive this forward. We have heard it from the Local Government and Environment Committee and when you read through the report you can see that a lot of consideration has been given to this: how do we do it better?For those of us who have worked in community groups on community boards with sports groups and otherwise we always know that there is an ebb and flow. We are not expecting the crises of Christchurch but there are ebbs and flows when there are times where you move from normality into the need for skills-based leadership. It is really good to see that in place here. I think though I would appreciate some of the insights from the Minister on why she sees this to be comprehensively skills based and why there is no need or not a specific need for some representation or maybe the two will blend in there. The other is and it is one of the first things that was drawn to my attention around clause 8. The select committee was very clear on the need for the Crown to be removed in terms of transferring the trust property to the Crown. I think this is quite a fundamental question. The Crown is trying to step back. I think there is a paradox in that.