Parliament made no progress on members’ bills after an Urgent Debate ate into the time available on Wednesday
Deputy Speaker Eric Roy granted a debate on the recent upheaval at the top of ACC after Question Time. This was followed
by the General Debate.
After the dinner break the Waitaki District Council Reserves and Other Land Empowering Bill completed its first reading on a voice vote. The bill revokes the reservation of 2 pieces of land within the Waitaki
District and clarifies the status of a third piece of land.
The Mount Maunganui Borough Reclamation and Empowering Act Repeal Bill was also passed its first reading on a voice votes.
The bill repeals a law that authorised the transfer and reclamation of 73.5 hectares of seabed to the old Mount Manganui
Borough Council The Council reclaimed approximately 23.5 hectares of the harbour which is now vested in the Tauranga
City Council. The authority to undertake reclamation of the balance of the seabed has since been repealed. However, Nga
Potiki expressed historical and contemporary grievances regarding the scope of the reclamation authority and the siting
of a wastewater treatment plant on the reclaimed land. The Tauranga City Council and Nga Potiki agree the repeal of the
principal Act is appropriate in the context of these historical grievances.
The Riccarton Bush Amendment Bill was also given its first reading on a voice vote. It updates the governance arrangements for the Board known as the
Riccarton Bush Trustees.
All three bills were referred to the Local Government and Environment Committee for consideration.
The third reading debate on the Fair Trading (Soliciting on Behalf of Charities) Amendment Bill was interrupted when the House rose at 10pm.
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