Wagner Nicky: Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeWagner Nicky: Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 01 April 2015. Volume:704;Page:2815. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon NICKY WAGNER (National—Christchurch Central): I move That the Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill be now read a second time. As the member in charge of the Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill I welcome its second reading. The Arts Centre holds a really special place in the lives of Christchurch people. Everyone has a memory of spending time there whether it was long ago when they were a student whether it was more recently at the Court Theatre or the Southern Ballet Theatre or whether they have been a residential or a commercial tenant or perhaps a regular shopper a cafe consumer a movie-goer or a bar-hopper.Pre-earthquake the Arts Centre of Christchurch was vibrant and welcoming. It was the place to meet the place to work and the place to play. It was the creative and cultural heartbeat of our city. The Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill is an important element in the ongoing protection and preservation of the Arts Centre for the future. Its purpose is to modernise the governance arrangements of the trust and to set out the charitable objects of the trust in legislation. It will provide greater certainty around the original intention of the trust deed and formally recognise the heritage and cultural significance of the Arts Centre.The Arts Centre is a magnificent complex. It consists of 24 heritage buildings. The first date back to 1876 and go right through to 1923. During the earthquakes all but one of them were very badly damaged. That has resulted in a fantastic but huge restoration project which will probably take about 7 years and cost near on $300 million. It is a programme that has been recognised as the biggest and the most high-tech in the world. It is going really well. I would like to pay tribute to André Lovatt the chief executive officer of the Arts Centre and everyone who is working on the site for the fact that they are hoping to be able to deliver it on budget and years earlier.It was really good that the Local Government and Environment Committee could visit the site and see the work so that it could understand the importance of this bill. But the bill is only part of the change that is happening at the Arts Centre. At the same time significant planning is under way to let the Arts Centre achieve a vision for the future of the whole complex. That vision of course is informed by the objects of the trust and recognises the need for the Arts Centre to be financially sustainable in the future.The new governance structure proposed by the Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Board follows a comprehensive review and consultation process. Before it drafted the bill it carried on conversations with local stakeholders and it also worked with Crown Law and the Ministry for Culture and Heritage over a few years. The modernisation of the governance arrangements will bring the trust in line with currently accepted best practice. It is vitally important that the trust board has the skills and maintains a strong set of skills during the restoration phase over the next few years and also that an enduring governance structure is in place for the repopulation phase and in the future.Some helpful amendments were recommended by the select committee to improve the workability of the provisions. It recommended removing the Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage from the list of parties to be notified in the event of a vacancy on the trust board in order to eliminate any feeling of misperception of the Minister’s influence on the trust board’s governance. The trust board also considered it important to give certainty to the community that the objects of the trust would no longer be subject to ad hoc amendments and that is recognised in the bill.The reference to stone buildings is entirely appropriate as it reflects the wording of the original trust deed and respects the intentions of the original trust. It was noted by the select committee by majority that it supports the view of the trust board and does not recommend deleting the reference to stone in the preamble to the bill or in the body of the bill. An amendment to the definition of “The Arts Centre” is instead proposed to clarify the meaning of that term.The select committee also proposed an amendment to require the trust board to make the conservation plan of the Arts Centre available at annual meetings. This is absolutely supported by the trust board and is consistent with its intended future strategic direction of open and transparent governance of the Arts Centre. I am advised that the existing site conservation plan was produced back in 1992 so it has been around for a while and it is due for updating. The trust has committed to updating that plan for the site following the completion of the restoration project.The bill as originally proposed provided for the site to be vested in the Crown on an interim basis should the trust ever be wound up. But it is recommended that this be amended for consistency with other charitable trusts so now the provisions of the Charitable Trusts Act 1957 will apply. This is an improvement I think to the current trust deed arrangements and is fully supported by the trust board.The bill will enable the trust board to continue to be able to recover from the impact of the earthquakes. It is an appropriate governance structure for the future. It will lay the foundations for an inspiring public place for the people of Christchurch for Canterbury and for visitors to our city now and for future generations. From the damaged buildings and the rubble there is a unique opportunity to create a new exciting and vibrant centre that will be a source of great pride for Christchurch and I think for New Zealand as a whole. In the past the Arts Centre was one of the city’s most enjoyed tourist attractions. It was the place that all of us took our visiting friends and relatives to and I look forward to being able to do that again very soon.I would like to thank the Local Government and Environment Committee for its careful scrutiny of this bill. It is a better piece of legislation because of its work. I would also like to thank the House for its unanimous cross-party support. I am extremely pleased that this bill is back in the House and I look forward to it being enacted by the end of the year.