Bennett David: Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill — First Reading 
Bennett David: Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:664;Page:11755] 
DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East) 
: 
 I move  
That the Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill be now read a first time. 
 We intend to send this bill to the great Local Government and Environment Committee to deliberate on and to hear any submissions that there may be from the public. This bill is brought to the House on behalf of the Hamilton City Council which approached me as the local member for Hamilton. The bill is in relation to an area of land known as Parana Park. If people have been to Hamilton they will know where Parana Park is. The park is aptly named because it is right on the edge of the Waikato River and is beside Memorial Park which is where we have our great memorials for fallen soldiers and those who have served this country. It is the centre place for our Anzac Day celebrations and commemorations. It is also a public area and space used along the riverside and is very much part of the community of Hamilton and Hamilton East so we have great pleasure in presenting this bill to this House today in regard to Parana Park. 
I will give members of this House and the public some understanding of the history around Parana Park. Parana Park was gifted to the city by George Parr who died on 26 February 1929. By his last will he gifted the house situated at 3 River Road to Hamilton City to be used for a children’s convalescent home for patients from the Waikato Hospital. The land surrounding the house was to be used as a children’s playground. In the 1950s it became apparent that the house was most unsuited for such a use and the 1958 Hamilton City (Parana Park) Empowering Act was established to give the Hamilton City Council more effective administration and management of the Parana Park area. 
It is interesting to look the obituary of Mr George Parr on 26 February 1929 from the  
Waikato Times 
. It describes him as an old and highly respected resident of Hamilton at the age of 60 years—nowadays 60 years would not be old. He was the son of the late Mr John Parr a former Mayor of Hamilton and the Parr family had a grocery business on Hood Street in Hamilton. If members have been to Hamilton they will realise that Hood Street is now the nightlife capital of Hamilton and I imagine the building with Parr Bros on is still there. 
George Parr was an active person and took an active interest in public life. He was president of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. He actually advocated for a few issues that are not dissimilar to many issues that are being advocated in Hamilton at the moment: the connection of the Waikato River with Waiuku by means of a canal and a train service from Kawhia and Raglan to Hamilton. Those issues are interesting when we look at what is being advocated in the city at the moment. He was a member of the Hamilton licensing branch and the most telling thing was that he was a very strong Liberal supporter and had a great active interest in politics. He was somebody who was known to be very successful and community-orientated and not to have any enemies in the city. 
Unfortunately Mr Parr never married and had no family that would have taken over the property in normal circumstances so he gifted it to the city council. When it was vested in the city council in 1958 as I said before the Hamilton City (Parana Park) Empowering Act gave Hamilton City Council the ability to effectively administer the park. I will read from a speech on that legislation by the Hon Dame Hilda Ross who was a member for Hamilton and a member of the National Party as well—a very fine member. She told us some history of the property. She said: “In 1929 on the death of the late George Parr his property and his house were left to the Hamilton City Council. In his will he expressed his wish that the property be held as a children’s playground and the house as a convalescent home for children from the hospital. The house has been found most unsuitable for that purpose—” 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This is fascinating but I wonder whether there are any limits on the extent to which members are allowed just to read out  
Hansard 
. It is unusual to give leave for it to be tabled but it is in the record and those of us who are well prepared for this bill of course are well up on this. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy) 
: In answer to your question the Hon Mr Mallard there are no limits. Do I have an opinion as to whether there should be? Yes I long for the days when members were not able to use prepared notes in the House. However that is not the case and the member is in order. 
DAVID BENNETT 
: It is a very short extract from  
Hansard 
 from those times as members can see. I was going to read only a small part of it to the member but I am sure he will be most diligent and look for it and read it later when he goes back to his office. Essentially Dame Hilda Ross echoed the thoughts we spoke of earlier about the hospital not finding the land able to be used for the intended purpose so the council used it as a park. The council found that it could use the property only for rental and it was not used for the specific purpose for which it was intended in the original vesting with the Hamilton City Council. 
She noted: “There is a paddling pool and a barbecue which the Girl Guides use a great deal. An outdoor stage has been built so that people can sit and watch. Trees are planted so that people can look at this attractive part of the city and take advantage of it.” I was reading that out for a purpose in the sense that Hamiltonians use that part of the city for its aesthetic qualities often and many a time. It is appropriate that Hamilton City Council now be able to deliver to the residents the ability to use that land in such a way that they have better control over the property so that it can deliver exactly what the residents want and have wanted for many years in the way they use that property. 
So the purpose of this bill is to assist the Hamilton City Council to provide the amenities that Hamiltonians want. Hamiltonians use that land now for those purposes and through this bill we give the city council the full extent of the powers that they desire so that they can implement and deliver those services to the community. As Dame Hilda Ross said it is a very pleasant site but brings in no revenue. The city council wants to run the ground and use whatever proceeds there may be as a means of maintaining it. So things have not changed terribly in the last 50 years. 
In the end we are providing this bill to the House on behalf of the city council. The land was gifted by an individual for a children’s convalescent home for patients of the hospital. The land has been used as a playground in the past. In the 1950s it became apparent it was unsuitable so was vested in the city council through the Hamilton City (Parana Park) Empowering Act. Parana Park is currently used for recreational purposes and the Hamilton City Council considers it is appropriate to update and modernise the legislation by which it holds Parana Park to enable it to more effectively manage and administer the park. The repeal of the 1958 Act will allow Hamilton City Council to do just that and will enable it to carry out any plans for development of that area. 
In essence what we are doing here is making the vesting of this land into the Hamilton City Council a reality so that it can use it for the most appropriate community purposes as it is currently used by the community now and we recommend this legislation to this House. National supports Hamilton City Council in its desire to maintain this land and Parana Park in a way they can serve the community interests. Thank you.