King Annette: Canterbury Earthquake Commemoration Day Bill — Procedure First Reading Second Reading Procedure Third Reading 
King Annette: Canterbury Earthquake Commemoration Day Bill — Procedure First Reading Second Reading Procedure Third Reading 
[Volume:670;Page:17131] 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) 
: 
 The Labour Opposition will be supporting the Canterbury Earthquake Commemoration Day Bill. We are determined to work alongside the Government and the community to make sure that Christchurch is a better place for everybody including our children. One way we can do that is to ensure that this day of commemoration is able to take place. 
I am one of those who have been to Christchurch over the last 2 weeks on two occasions and I have seen firsthand the devastation and the impact on the lives of so many people; not only people who live in Canterbury but also family and friends right around New Zealand. I do not think I have ever seen such devastation in one of our cities or towns in New Zealand. We have had many disasters over many years but I do not think I have seen in my lifetime such devastation. 
Yesterday I went to Lyttelton and unless one has been there one will not believe that almost that entire town has fallen down. It will take a lot of hard work to rebuild it as it will in many parts of the city of Christchurch. As we have said on a number of occasions over the last 2 weeks we feel for the people of Canterbury and we want to be part of the rebuild of that area as fast as we can. We want to ensure that they have the opportunity to work live and play in a most wonderful part of New Zealand. As a former South Islander who trained there as a school dental nurse I have a lot of affection for that city. 
We believe it is appropriate to set aside a day for the people of Christchurch to mourn for the staggering loss of life. I would however have to say that it would feel better if we knew the names of all those who had passed away; if we knew whom we were commemorating. There is a feeling of emptiness that there are only so many who at this stage are identified as having passed away. I understand the terrible work that has to be done in identification and I say to the Minister of Police that the work the police have been doing is absolutely amazing. They will do it thoroughly and they will ensure people know that the remains returned to them are those of their loved ones. I understand that but I feel that a commemoration should really be about commemorating those who have lost their lives and we will be in a situation where this day is held but we will not know whom they all are. 
It makes one wonder whether at some stage there needs to be some other commemoration. Perhaps a year after this event when we have been able to identify everybody and when people’s minds have been put at rest we will be able to commemorate this terrible disaster together as a country. We also believe that by having a day to commemorate people will be able to stop and reflect on what they would like to see happen in their own region and their own city. That is important. 
One of the things that was said to me over and over again when I was in Canterbury is that Cantabrians must have a say in what happens to their city. They must have a say in how it is developed designed and built. I think that is a strong message we must all take on board when we think of the people of Christchurch. If we think about it as if it were our own back yard it would be wrong and we would feel aggrieved if somebody said to us: “This is how you are going to have your own domain and we’re going to make the decision for you.” So I think there is a clear message to us. 
Those of us who would like to see a rebuild happen quickly should stop take a breath and think about how we can ensure that there will be a rebuild of that city that has the buy-in of many many of those people. We know that the economic cost to us as a country along with the social cost is huge if we do not get the rebuild of that city right. So when we commemorate and when people are thinking about it I urge us to consider the views of Cantabrians and what they would like to see happen. 
There is no need for us to panic in terms of the re-establishment of the city. We with the people of Canterbury have an opportunity to ensure we build a city of the 21st century the like of which we do not have in this country. We will look back in 100 years’ time and say that out of that devastation and rubble has grown a city that is providing economic and social sustenance to many many people over many generations. 
Labour members support this bill and we will ensure we are represented at that memorial service. I know that the Leader of the Opposition alongside the Prime Minister will be speaking on that day making it a parliamentary occasion. I think that is important because it is not a Government occasion. We have been talking across this House about how we stand together. It is important I think that the commemoration service represents political parties across the political divide so people can see we are together in commemorating with them the loss of so many lives. We stand here to support this bill and commend it to the House.