Bakshi Kanwaljit SinghKANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI (National): Thank you Mr Chair. I would like to take this opportunity to contribute on the second part of this bill. Before I do that I would like to acknowledge Hamish Walker the local MP who participated in all of this process from time to time coming to the select committee and also going to Gore to listen to the submissions. So he is a hard-working MP who was there as a responsible member of Parliament for Gore. Darroch Ball: Why didn't they ask him to sponsor it then? KANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI: Because he was not given the opportunity to sponsor it. But this member of Parliament Mark Patterson who sponsored it was missing and out of action for the whole process. Today is the first time we have seen him. So let's come to the point why it was not sponsored. You need to ask your member why he was missing and out of action. Basically Part 2 gives the opportunity for the council to conduct a referendum. The referendum needs to be done within five years of the passing of this bill and its getting the Royal assent. The council will also contact the medical officer of the district health board. Clause 5(2) provides that the council will make publicly available in a timely and balanced manner prior to the referendum—(i) the views of the Medical Officer of Health; and (ii) the transfer plan and the proposed agreement outlining the roles and the responsibilities of the Company and any contractors (including the Council) in relation to the scheme as prepared by the Company under section 8;". This is a very important aspect because the council has to make sure that the public is aware of what's happening with their asset. This asset is very important to the people of Gore because it is the water supply scheme for that area. It is not only for their drinking water but for other purposes also. For the farming community over there it is a very important asset. Under clause 6 "Responsibility for conduct of referendum" the council will need to prepare a special roll of persons eligible to vote under clause 7 and "the provisions of the Local Electoral Act 2001 apply with any necessary modifications to the conduct of the referendum under section 5(1)(b)." Clause 7 "Eligibility to vote in referendum" provides that the people who are living in that area who are affected by this scheme are eligible to participate in this referendum. Also if they are in this distribution area or if they can be in part of the distribution area in the future they are also eligible to vote and participate in this referendum. Paragraph (b) of clause 7 says that "a ratepayer elector under section 24 of the Local Electoral Act 2001 whose property for the purpose of section 24(1)(a) or (b) of that Act is a property—(i) serviced by the scheme or capable of being serviced by the scheme:" is also eligible to participate in this referendum. The other clause clause 7(a) says that if the person is within the scheme distribution area he is also eligible to participate in this referendum. Then it goes on and in clause 9 it gives a plan as to how the transfer will take place. The first plan of the scheme must contain the following things which include the plan of the scheme and a description of the land and the property that is serviced by the scheme and that is within the scheme distribution area. That is what I think my colleague Brett Hudson the chair of Governance and Administration Committee was trying to say—that we should have a specific requirement on this and that we should have a plan B. I don't know why the sponsor of this bill did not take up that option."