Ngaro Alfred: Christian Churches New Zealand Property Trust Board Empowering Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeNgaro Alfred: Christian Churches New Zealand Property Trust Board Empowering Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 16 March 2016. Volume:712;Page:9819. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ALFRED NGARO (National): I rise to take a call—and I know that there has been a little bit of goading from the other side there. I actually want to acknowledge the Rev. David Clark whom I hope will take a call on this bill. Having been a minister of the Church and having actually served a congregation he knows everything about the property and the purpose of the Church and its roles of responsibility and I look forward to the member being able to stand up to talk about this.But we are talking about Part 1 of the bill and we are talking about the purpose. I know Mr Chair that your wise counsel would be for me to look at new things that we maybe can add to this debate in the Committee stage and what I would like to add is in clause 4 “Purpose”. The submission that was brought forward by what was the Associated Churches of Christ Church Extension and Property Trust Board—and I want to acknowledge its chairperson who is Mr Steve Baigent and also its secretary Mr Viesturs Altments. In their submission they talked clearly about the purpose of this bill and I want to acknowledge them. They are probably at home in Nelson now and may be looking at this debate with a sense of anticipation—Hon Phil Goff: Wondering why they’re spending money on your salary.ALFRED NGARO: But what they—well no they did not pay for my sermons Mr Goff. No no—not at all. The people came willingly as volunteers to hear the good news—to hear the good news. So hopefully this bill is good news. It is not the gospel—I will not say that—but it is good news for the Church in this regard.But what the board members put forward in their submission was quite clear which was that the old Act of 1929 meant that it had inhibited the trust board. What it did was it meant that when we talked about the transfer of funds they could be used only for property use. When we talk about the purpose of this bill that is the real intent.What the association wanted to do by renewing this trust at its conference in 2013 was try to give itself the ability to have greater flexibility—and those were the key words that were used.So the purpose of this bill is actually not just about the transfer of the asset as a property; it also enables the trust board to be able to use the funds to have a flexibility in particular and what it calls a wider outreach of ministries which it could use to then actually engage with and serve its local communities.In their words—Mr Chair if you will allow me the indulgence to just quote a very small part of their submission. It states on page 2 paragraph 3 of the submission under “Background”: “In particularthe 1929 Act limits the ability to apply any of the funds held by the Trust Board to other than property purposes”—and here is the aspect of this particular clause clause 4—“except by way of loan. In the view of the Boardthe limitations in that Act are an obstacle to the effective use of part of the significant funds the Board holds for the wider outreach community and kingdombuilding purposes of the Christian Churches of New Zealand movement.”I would have to say that that actually is the heart and purpose of this bill. It is to ensure that it is a fact that the board has the flexibility to be able to ensure that it can use those funds not just for the use and the procurement of property and maybe its repairs and renovation but in particular so that the board can now utilise those funds to be able to engage in other forms for the purposes and wider forms of outreach. That again goes to the heart of clause 4 of the bill which is the reason for the change in this form of legislation for the trust board.I will not say too much more about that but I will just say that I think it is quite clear that the association has established this purpose so that it allows it to be able to minister in various ways. I will not go through the 30 different churches in the 30 different areas; one of them probably will be down in Dunedin. I am sure that Mr Clark there—I can see him getting his notes ready. He is ready to take a call. I look forward to that. I hope it is not the brief call that may call for the end of the debate.But I do want to acknowledge the board for coming and making its submission and for its commitment to seeing this through. There were not a lot of submissions—there were only two. In this part in particular the purpose of the transfer of this board is not just for the issues of property but also for the extension of—I will not say “the extension of the kingdom” although in the association’s eyes it is the extension of the kingdom.It is for the extension of its services—its ministry—of outreach into the wider parts of the community. So I acknowledge the submitters; I thank them for that. And I acknowledge the opportunity to be able to speak on this part of the bill about the property and purposes at present. Thank you.