Kedgley Sue: Carter Observatory Act Repeal Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
Kedgley Sue: Carter Observatory Act Repeal Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:663;Page:11363] 
SUE KEDGLEY (Green) 
: 
 The Green Party is very happy as is every other party in this House to support the Carter Observatory Act Repeal Bill. The bill has taken years to get through this House and there is no particular explanation as to why that is. I suppose it was just a lack of priority. But finally we are passing this bill tonight. 
Although everyone has been waxing eloquent about the wonderful national Carter Observatory the incredible asset it is to Wellington and the way it generates so much interest among schools as a science and education centre nevertheless the harsh reality is that 72 years after its founding we are presiding over the transformation of a once great national astronomical observatory into a tourism attraction—a tourism attraction—and an education centre. I think it is actually rather sad that today we are losing our national observatory. 
I made the point in the Committee stage about a very interesting report written by the Australian astronomer and professor Professor Mike Bessell in 2005 when he was commissioned to review the Carter Observatory by the Ministry of Research Science and Technology. I will quote from a couple of parts of his report because he points out that “Among all the sciences astronomy has the unique power to reveal the true scope of the outside world. This immense and enduring appeal of astronomy to the public allows it to act as a powerful ‘science magnet’:”. I think that many members have acknowledged the incredible interest of science students in astronomy. The report goes on: “At the elementary school level teachers know that the two scientific topics guaranteed to excite their students are dinosaurs and outer space … The lecturers in these courses know from long experience that a palpable hush falls over the class whenever topics such as black holes the search for other planets Earth-crossing asteroids or the origin and fate of the universe are brought up.” The report points out that “Astronomy among all sciences has the highest relative participation by non- professionals.” The report also points out that for that reason astronomical research is increasing in other countries such as in Europe the United States of America Canada and Australia so it is rather tragic that here in New Zealand we are going in the opposite direction and closing our national observatory. 
As the professor pointed out in his report and as two other reports also pointed out basically the observatory is closing for the key reason of the lack of adequate financial resources. His report talked about the way the Carter Observatory has languished over the years through lack of funding and about the fact that we have a much much smaller percentage of research and development funding available for astronomical research in New Zealand. It is extraordinary that we have such a tiny percentage of funding available for astronomical research; that is a bit of an indictment. The report talks about the fact that the funding through the Marsden Fund is simply not adequate to sustain a national observatory. For that reason and really for that reason alone we are presiding here today over the demise of a once great national observatory that has been around for 72 years. 
As I also pointed out in my speech during the Committee stage I am concerned about the continued funding and viability of the Carter Observatory even in its new guise as a tourism attraction and as an education centre. I pointed out that the professor in his report emphasised that no planetarium or science centre in the world can survive through gate takings alone; they have to be supported by local or central Government funding. That is my worry. To be sure the Wellington City Council has stepped into the breach—a breach that I guess has been caused really by central government because successive Governments have failed to provide the funding that is needed to sustain a national observatory. Now the Wellington City Council has stepped into the breach but it has guaranteed funding for only the next 10 years. So I question what will happen after that. 
Yes it is wonderful to have this science centre and yes it has been recently refurbished and it reopened just over a month ago. It is a fantastic centre; it is a great tourist asset to Wellington. We hope that it will very much continue to attract visitors. Wayne Mapp talked about a survey today that shows that Wellington is the No. 1 winter destination for tourists in New Zealand. That is largely because of all the interesting things such as the Carter Observatory and the many other assets we have here in Wellington. But it is a worry whether the Wellington City Council will provide the funding to keep the observatory as a genuine educational centre and as a world-class tourism asset. Those are the concerns that the Green Party has as we support this bill today and as we preside over the demise of our once great national observatory. Thank you.