Wilkinson Kate: Canterbury Earthquake Commemoration Day Bill — Procedure First Reading Second Reading Procedure Third Reading 
Wilkinson Kate: Canterbury Earthquake Commemoration Day Bill — Procedure First Reading Second Reading Procedure Third Reading 
[Volume:670;Page:17130] 
Hon KATE WILKINSON (Minister of Labour) 
: 
 I move  
That the Canterbury Earthquake Commemoration Day Bill be now read a first time 
. I thank the House for supporting the passage of this bill through all its stages today. 
The bill provides for 18 March 2011 to be a day of commemoration in those parts of Canterbury—that is in northern and central Canterbury—that observe Christchurch Show Day as Canterbury Anniversary Day in order to commemorate the devastating consequences of the Canterbury earthquake on 22 February 2011 at 12.51 p.m. Just over 2 weeks have passed since Christchurch was shattered by its second major earthquake. This bill has been introduced to allow for the people of Canterbury to take a day to come together as a community and as a region to grieve together and mark an event that has so deeply affected each and every one of us. We are still in the response stage of the earthquake. There is an enormous amount of work left to do and that will be ongoing for years but next Friday we want to take the time to provide an opportunity for all of Canterbury to mourn. It will also be a chance to celebrate the lives of those who have been lost. There is no denying that the wounds are still open for everyone to see. Next Friday’s memorial service will not bring an end to the grieving process but I hope it will help Canterbury at the beginning of this long road ahead. 
This bill provides for next Friday to be observed as a public holiday known as Canterbury Earthquake Commemoration Day. Canterbury Earthquake Commemoration Day is to be treated in those part of Canterbury that observe Christchurch Show Day as Canterbury Anniversary Day as a one-off public holiday for the purposes of the Holidays Act 2003 and as a day to which section 65C(1) of the Education Act 1989 applies which requires schools to be closed. 
The provisions of the Holidays Act 2003 governing observance and payment for public holidays will apply to Canterbury Earthquake Commemoration Day as follows: employees are entitled to be paid if Canterbury Earthquake Commemoration Day 18 March 2011 would have been a normal working day for them. If employees do not work on Canterbury Earthquake Commemoration Day they are entitled to be paid what they would have earned had they worked on the day; if employees work on the day they should be paid at least time and a half for the time they actually work on that day. They are also entitled to an alternative holiday if the day would have been a normal working day for them. 
I am aware that this will place some unexpected costs on some businesses in the region and of course this was taken into consideration when the Government discussed creating a one-off public holiday for the region. However there was no getting away from the fact that this earthquake is the greatest tragedy ever to strike the Canterbury region. Most people in Canterbury will want to attend the memorial service but without a public holiday it would be much more difficult for many of them to do so. It is important that all of Canterbury is able to take a day to mark this tragedy and we hope that businesses in the region will support this public holiday. Many businesses are not able to operate right now and the Government is providing support to them and to thousands of employees. 
The welfare of the people of Canterbury is what matters most at this time. I expect that tens of thousands of people will want to attend the memorial service and I encourage everyone who can get to Hagley Park to do so. The Government considers that to mark a very significant event it is appropriate to have a public holiday for the people of northern and central Canterbury. I commend this bill to the House.