Dean Jacqui: Christchurch City Council (Lancaster Park) Land Vesting Bill — Second Reading Third Reading 
Dean Jacqui: Christchurch City Council (Lancaster Park) Land Vesting Bill — Second Reading Third Reading 
[Volume:649;Page:18048] 
JACQUI DEAN (National—Otago) 
: 
 It is a sad day when a devoted fan of the Highlanders must stand in this House to speak on the Christchurch City Council (Lancaster Park) Land Vesting Bill. As I go through some of the background information on this bill I will need a tissue very shortly as I get myself further into my speech. Lancaster Park in Christchurch is the home of the Crusaders rugby team. The Crusaders do not always win—they say they do but they do not—and the Highlanders do quite well against them. Can I mention the Highlanders? I am a devoted fan of theirs but never mind that. 
I notice that the first cricket match to be played on the grounds was scheduled for the opening of Lancaster Park on 8 October 1881. Probably all the Deans went; all the Deans from the first four ships probably all turned out. They were probably all excited about the opening of Lancaster Park. I suspect some of my forebears were in amongst that lot; they came in on a convict ship no doubt. Can members guess what happened? The match was cancelled due to rain. Well what an auspicious start that was! We do not get that at Carisbrook; we do not get that in Dunedin. Oh no! At Carisbrook we carry on. We do not need the comforts of the modern day; we carry on. 
Russell Fairbrother 
: Snow and hail. 
JACQUI DEAN 
: Snow? It does not matter to us. It does not matter to the Highlanders. It does not matter what the weather is like. That cricket match at Lancaster Park was cancelled due to rain and I think that says it all. 
I turn to the submission made on behalf of the Christchurch City Council on this bill. It is quite a simple bill and there was only one submission on it: from the Christchurch City Council. Probably it was the body most closely associated with the bill and I mention the summary of its submission which is in support of the bill—as indeed is National and so am I conflicted though I may be. Actually due to the wonderful nature of MMP the Otago electorate of which I am a proud member is now to become the Waitaki electorate which takes in much of Central Otago and North Otago but also South Canterbury all the way up to Mesopotamia Station. When I am up there campaigning hard which I am doing when I am not here sometimes I am asked which rugby team I support. That would be the only time in my campaign when I am driven absolutely speechless because I am so conflicted and remorseful. In addressing the bill—[ 
Interruption 
] I remain silent and nobody knows where my true heart lies although I must say that many of my younger years were spent on the banks of Carisbrook watching some fantastic games being played by the mighty Highlanders which remains a very good team to this day. 
The aim of this bill is to facilitate the redevelopment of Lancaster Park and obviously with the Rugby World Cup coming up in 3 years’ time Christchurch does need a modern sports stadium that will take it into the future. I recognise that and I also concede that it is something that all Cantabrians—one-eyed and deluded though they may be—seem to desire. As the Minister said in the first reading the bill will bring ageing and redundant legal structures into the 21st century—and that is what this bill is all about—and provide freedom from significant impediments to further development of the stadium. All joking aside that is what this bill addresses and that is what it will achieve. It will do that by giving effect to an agreement between the Victory Park Board established by the Victory Park Act 1919 and the Christchurch City Council. 
The Victory Park Board has controlled and managed the land and facilities at Lancaster Park very well for the past 89 years and it is probably appropriate to extend our congratulations and our appreciation to it today. However the redevelopment required at the park has grown beyond the Victory Park Board’s financial resources. Therefore in return for the Christchurch City Council agreeing to fund the redevelopment the Victory Park Board has agreed to vest the Lancaster Park land along with land and assets owned by the board in the council and that is a sensible thing to do. It is vested in the council in trust for sporting recreational entertainment public assembly and other ancillary purposes. With the passing of this bill into law which will happen this evening the Victory Park Board will be wound up and so will be a great part of Christchurch’s heritage and history. As my colleague the one-eyed Cantabrian Kate Wilkinson says it will not be forgotten. Indeed it will not and it should not. 
It is probably appropriate now to acknowledge the hard work of all the people who have been involved in developing this bill and bringing it to the House. They include the member for Christchurch Central Tim Barnett the Victory Park Board members themselves the Christchurch City Council members of the public and in particular Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu which in the interests of the Christchurch community has very generously deferred its rights under the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act so that the redevelopment of Lancaster Park can take place. 
I guess it goes without saying—and it has been said several times tonight unnecessarily in my view—that Cantabrians love this stadium. It is—OK it is—a true sporting and cultural icon to the people of Christchurch. Who can forget— 
Nicky Wagner 
: And Canterbury. 
JACQUI DEAN 
: And Canterbury. 
Nicky Wagner 
: And New Zealand. 
JACQUI DEAN 
: And New Zealand. Who can forget the marvellous marvellous concerts held at Lancaster Park where cars full of people from North Otago—probably from as far away as Dunedin and much further afield— 
Eric Roy 
: Invercargill. 
JACQUI DEAN 
: —and Invercargill have had the most fantastic trips through to Christchurch and through to Lancaster Park whether to watch Dire Straits or—who else has been there? 
Kate Wilkinson 
: U2. 
JACQUI DEAN 
: Oh yes. They have been several times. 
Kate Wilkinson 
: Billy Joel. 
JACQUI DEAN 
: Billy Joel. Not to mention—[ 
Interruption 
] Yes we will get on to him in a moment. 
We must not forget of course the odd rugby game and cricket match. The one time I went to watch a rugby game at Lancaster Park in recent years—it was about 7 or 8 years ago—man it was cold! It was very cold. 
Eric Roy 
: It should have been postponed. 
JACQUI DEAN 
: Well we could see the game which was a bonus but it was very cold. So I hope the council is doing something about that as part of the park’s redevelopment. 
Moana Mackey 
: Don’t you live in the South Island? 
JACQUI DEAN 
: I have to tell Moana Mackey—and it is a truth that is obviously not going down well over on that side of the House or in fact among my own benches—that compared with Carisbrook Lancaster Park is just cold. When it is not cold one cannot see the games and when one cannot see the games the cricket matches are being called off because of rain. But oh well people love it. 
Lancaster Park is the home of the Crusaders and I acknowledge that they are a great team and many members of this House have spent a lot of time supporting that team. Is it not a good thing that with New Zealand rugby whether it is those of us who live in Otago or further south or those of us who live further north in Wellington and Auckland we are all very passionate about and loyal to our teams and our stadiums? It probably would be remiss of me to speak on this bill and not mention the Deans family known in Canterbury as the first family of rugby. Both Bruce and Robbie Deans were stalwarts of the Canterbury rugby team holding the Ranfurly Shield for 25 challenges—I remember that very well—and also representing the All Blacks. As well Robbie has had a fantastic record as a coach and a manager. 
In conclusion— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Wake up Mr Deputy Speaker. 
JACQUI DEAN 
: Oh do members want me to go on? Christchurch Cantabrians and in fact all of us in New Zealand want and will get a truly modern sports stadium that can move with the times within the right legislative framework which this bill will provide. I wish the people involved in the redevelopment all the best of luck and I support them in this bill. Thank you. 
Bill read a second time and a third time.