Korako Nuk: Christchurch City Council (Rates Validation) Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKorako Nuk: Christchurch City Council (Rates Validation) Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 03 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4310. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]NUK KORAKO (National): E mihi atu ki a koe e te Mana Whakawā. Huri noa e te Whare tēnā koutou katoa.Pita Paraone: Tēnā koe.NUK KORAKO: Kia ora. It is again my pleasure to stand to take the final call on the Christchurch City Council (Rates Validation) Bill. I am not going to relitigate a lot of the topics around the speeches that have been done over the process of this bill. But I do want to acknowledge on both sides of the House here this evening the real quality of the speeches and particularly listening to a former mayor listening to a very active Auckland MP Mr William Sio and also from this side of the House as well. I would like to acknowledge as the final speaker the sponsor and the driver for this bill the Hon Nikki Wagner the National Party MP for Christchurch Central and also the chairman of the Local Government and Environment Committee Scott Simpson and all of our colleagues actually who sit on this committee.I do not believe in listening to the last speaker Poto Williams that the select committee has been ungracious. I do not believe a lot of the descriptions in some way about how we have handled this bill. I think it has been professional and it has also been a bill that we all understand. I mean listening tonight listening over the last two times the bill has come to the House for the first and second readings—it is that the words that we are hearing have commonality. Reluctance retrospective legislation regretful emotive blame and blasé are the terms used for councillors. But at the end of the day I certainly feel that we have the commonality to agree with the fact that this is what happened and we are here to address it. The city council which was the only submitter has put up its hand and has said yes—and past councillors. It is our responsibility and it is our duty to put this right. On that basis I think that we have a clear direction on how we are actually going to vote for this bill.I think it is important too to remember that after the situation was first identified—and this was according to three or four mayors whom I spoke to—almost every council across New Zealand actually then suddenly stopped and looked back at its processes around rating processes. That was a catalyst that this situation created so that everyone could ensure for themselves the fact that their processes were correct so that they could give their constituents their ratepayers the confidence that they deserve. That is very much an overview of the bill itself but I think that we need to also look at the council itself. I remember Glen when he came to submit on behalf of the council. When you understand—and particularly those who do not come from Christchurch who are not actually there day in and day out who actually have not lived through the last 4 or 5 years of the incredible upheaval the disruption and all of that that is going on in this city—that it is our council and they do a tremendous job.I want to just spend one part of this speech to say that yesterday was a very significant day. Yesterday: “Leri era Italia Giornata Nazionale”. What that means is that yesterday was Italian National Day. I am bringing this up il Capo because of the fact that—if you read an article in the Christchurch Press on the weekend—it was the former chief executive officer of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority who had actually visited the city of L’Aquila. In that city in 2009 they had over 300 people who actually lost their lives and 65000 people were homeless. If you compare what they have done in Italy with Christchurch well then you will see how hard this city council is working. But also one of the things is that the recovery is in partnership with the Crown central government the regional council and also the Christchurch City Council iwi and all the major stakeholders. When you compare us with what is going on in Italy all the usual suspects—corruption hold-ups all of this you know leadership problems—are things that we do not actually experience here.Finally just to highlight in this bill the incredible assistance that this Government has given to the city of Christchurch it is reflected in the fact that in the 2015 Budget another $100 million was given to the Christchurch rebuild which brings it to $16.5 billion of taxpayers’ and ratepayers’money. That says a lot. That is almost 40 percent of the total estimated cost of the Christchurch rebuild which is in excess of $40 billion. In tying all of that together our council the Crown the Government the regional council and all the major stakeholders are really a shining light another beacon to the world on how we actually work together. This is a reflection—I am looking at both sides of the House—that we support this bill in its third reading. On that note just to finish off is the fact that I would like to again acknowledge all of the contributions here this evening and to commend this bill il Capo to the House. Kia ora.Bill read a third time.