Smith Nick: Bishop Suter Art Gallery Governance Restructuring Bill — First Reading 
Smith Nick: Bishop Suter Art Gallery Governance Restructuring Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:646;Page:15773] 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (National—Nelson) 
: 
 I move  
That the Bishop Suter Art Gallery Governance Restructuring Bill be now read a first time. 
 Nelson is very proud of its arts heritage. The fact that our Bishop Suter Art Gallery is the oldest gallery in New Zealand is part of Nelson’s identity. The Suter has played an important role in our community for over 108 years. The problem this bill seeks to address is the archaic structure under which our art gallery is managed. The old 1896 Act has constrained the Suter Gallery and if this important Nelson institution is to survive another 100 years we need to update the law under which it is run. 
This bill does four things. Firstly it transfers to a new trust the Bishop Suter Trust all the property the rights and the obligations of the Suter including its land and buildings in Bridge Street Nelson and its invaluable art collections. The new trust is a standard trust under the 1957 Charitable Trusts Act and it is to be a council-controlled organisation under the Local Government Act. This change means that the Suter will have a standard trust structure with greater legal accountabilities and a direct link with the people of Nelson through our democratically elected council. The second legal effect of the bill is to dissolve the old trust board and remove it from the register of charitable boards. The third legal effect is to make it plain that there is no legal obligation arising from donations given for the recent redevelopment proposal for the Suter so that the new board is free to proceed with or postpone that major development proposal. The fourth and final part of the bill repeals the Bishop Suter Art Gallery Trustees Act 1896. 
This is not a controversial bill. It has the unanimous support of Nelson City Council of the neighbouring Tasman District Council of the existing Suter board and of the new board and it has the strong support of the wider Nelson arts community. I also sincerely appreciate the indications of support from the Government and other parties in this Parliament. 
I wish to give notice that in seeking the referral of this bill to the Local Government and Environment Committee I shall also be seeking the support of the House for a report-back date of 30 June so that it might be possible to have the bill reported back and completed during the term of this Parliament. That is very important to the Suter in that it is somewhat frozen in time. Until this bill is progressed it cannot move to the new structure or to the new trustees and some of the exciting development plans for the Suter cannot be advanced. Given the wide support for the bill and the fact that it is relatively straightforward I hope other parties may support that. 
In promoting this bill I acknowledge a number of key players who have helped to get it to this point. Sari Hodgson the existing trust chair is a dynamo of energy who has served Nelson in very many ways. She and her fellow trust board members have put months and years of work into developing this bill. They have never shied away from the greater accountability that this bill will place on the governance board and in that they have done the Suter a great service. I also acknowledge Sir Geoffrey Palmer who has generously given his time both in the development of the ideas behind the bill and as a former trust board member of the Suter. I particularly acknowledge David Farnsworth of Pitt and Moore lawyers in Nelson who has given hugely of his time to draft this bill on a pro bono basis. The community is also indebted to Viesturs Altments chief executive of Nelson City Council who has saved ratepayers a mint by doing a lot of the legal legwork himself. 
I will keep my comments brief in the hope that we may have the bill introduced this evening so I conclude by paying tribute to Amelia Suter who founded this art gallery in memory of her husband Andrew Suter the Bishop of Nelson from 1866-91. Her vision of a public art gallery all that time ago has served Nelson very well. We celebrate the fact that this was New Zealand’s very first public art gallery. This bill is all about ensuring that the Suter Art Gallery continues to thrive and to live up to her vision.