General Debate

I move, That the House take note of miscellaneous business. I am sure that all members of this House are united in offering absolute solidarity to the people affected by the earthquakes in the early hours of Monday morning. We just offer that solidarity to those who—fortunately, in so few cases—have lost loved ones, those who have been isolated, those who are picking up the pieces of damage, and those who are working there. We offer our thoughts and our feelings, I am sure, united as a House in relation to that. All of us, in a sense, have been affected by these earthquakes. Indeed, here in this House we have felt them—but, of course, not to the same extent as many of those there in the South Island. Also, in respect of some of the effects here, around Wellington, I will just say once again that I am sure we are united in offering our solidarity.

I was in Kaikōura this morning. I was there with the local member of Parliament, Stuart Smith. I say that he is doing a great job. He knows the people there and is feeding back—[Interruption] That is right. He is feeding back to Ministers like myself the issues that he is hearing about in isolated communities, that he is hearing about in Kaikōura. I just thank him for what he is doing. Also there was the Prime Minister, who was there the day after those earthquakes and then today, and for whom, I know, this is very personal. He is really taking the effort to understand exactly what is happening and to make sure that the Government, at every level, is supporting the efforts.

We of course met with the civic leadership. We met with Winston Gray, the mayor. We met with his chief executive. We met with the many Government agencies there, from the junior through to the most senior. We met with police and defence and health personnel in a range of areas there, through to the workers and the business people, who are very grateful, I think it is fair to say, for what they see happening from this Parliament and Government. We take that very seriously. And through to the tourists, who also, clearly, would greatly prefer not to be caught up in these earthquakes, but who I think are resolute—all of the people I have mentioned are resolute and determined, and without wanting to paint a rosy picture of it, they had a solidarity and a strength to them, and an upbeat-ness about what they were doing. So I just want to pay tribute to all of those involved down there, particularly the workers—the people who are really making a difference.

We saw some fantastic examples of that this morning when we were down there. We went to the local marae there with Sir Mark Solomon, and many others as well, and they have literally been feeding about 500 people every mealtime, and they were not meagre rations, I have to say. When we were there, they were cooking up fish, there were stews, and they are doing, I think, just a tremendous job for those who are looking for company; looking for food and sustenance. Indeed, the tourists there—although this will not be, I think, one of their positive experiences in life—will go back to their home countries with memories of what they had there.

The police are going out to isolated areas. I met some of those who had come down from Auckland, and the work that they are doing is, really, pastoral work, and I would just like to pay tribute to those people.

As Minister of Transport, can I say it is very clear that these issues of transportation and connection, and getting access back, and also dealing with the freight issues of Canterbury, are going to be some of the biggest issues that we face. Of course, the immediate concern here is about providing the supplies and the services, but for me—and I know this is something the Prime Minister has a very strong sense of—the No. 1 priority is getting access back to the communities in these areas. I think the news so far is good. The work being done on State Highway 70 to have it back up and running so that the people of Kaikōura are connected in days rather than in months is important.

No one, I think, having seen the pictures—nor I, having seen the damage today from the air—could underestimate the slips, the several slips, the very serious mother Nature - made realignments, or could underestimate the work that is ahead of us in terms of State Highway 1 and the rail line. I want to say to this House and to those people affected by this that we will rebuild. We will rebuild that State highway network and the rail line there after the physical damage that has been done there.

Can I just once again express the solidarity of this House and pay tribute to all those who are working on the ground right now to make a difference.

I want to acknowledge the Minister who has just spoken, the Hon Simon Bridges, and Stuart Smith. His stories of the marae—it has been one hell of a morning for him. Events like this—the earthquakes that we have seen in the last couple of days across New Zealand—are a test of our national character. As is always the case, it is a bit about whether we as a nation will rise to the challenge of helping those who are suffering as a result of circumstances that are beyond their control. What we have seen in Kaikōura, and further north in the South Island, around Wellington, and in other parts of New Zealand is a real test of the Kiwi spirit.

The things that New Zealanders have done to reach out to each other, to reach out to friends and neighbours, and to reach out to tourists and travellers who are here as our guests have been absolutely amazing. I saw it myself on Monday morning, during our brief evacuation—how Wellingtonians responded and offered a helping hand to all who were there. I think particularly of BizDojo here in Wellington, a commercial premises. The staff did not have to open their doors. They happened to be around and about at 2 o’clock in the morning, and they made their premises available to anybody in central Wellington who just needed a place to be with others and feel safe. They put on coffee and they put on snacks, and it was a very nice thing to do.

It shows that when New Zealanders are up against it, we have a sense of determination and of resourcefulness, but also we never lose our sense of kindness and compassion. We have seen that during that night and on Monday morning and throughout the day, and yesterday as well. What New Zealanders have done for each other and to each other over the last couple of days has been absolutely fantastic, and when New Zealanders are just looking for safety and security in a time of need, this experience tells us they do not have to go very far. Even Parliament itself here, Mr Speaker—no doubt, under your mandate—opened its doors early on Monday morning to offer refuge and solace to those living nearby when they needed it most. We are a country and a people who look after each other and look out for each other, and we should be very proud of that.

It is one thing to rise to the challenge of the circumstances of the day—when the adrenaline is pumping and the circumstances are novel, we are motivated by the height of our compassion to make sure our neighbours and friends are all OK—but there is a longer-term challenge that we have to rise to, and Simon Bridges, the Minister who spoke just now, spelt out some of them. They are: what does the future look like? How are we going to rise to that challenge? What are we going to do to make sure that our road and rail linkages are safe and secure for the future? What are we going to do for the community of Kaikōura? There are people there who, when they get over the adrenaline rush of the last few days and the travellers have gone—when they have been evacuated—are going to be faced with decisions about what they do, their business’ futures, and their families’ and homes’ futures.

That is when the support of the community of all New Zealand is going to be needed most, and when the support of the Government is going to be needed most, as well. Let us make sure, in the days and weeks and months that follow, that we learn from the lessons of the past, and there are no lessons stronger than those that have come out of the Canterbury earthquakes. Let us make sure that the Earthquake Commission and the insurance companies are working with each other hand in glove, not against each other at the expense of those who just want to get their insurance claims settled. Let us make sure that those who are charged with doing the rebuilding and doing the repairs do a quality job. Let us work to the principle of “Do it once and do it right”. That will ease a lot of people’s anxiety.

We cannot get over the fact that we are a country prone to earthquakes. Sir Geoffrey Palmer put it like this, once upon a time. He said: “Sometimes it does us a power of good to remind ourselves that we live on two volcanic rocks where two tectonic plates meet, in a somewhat lonely stretch of windswept ocean just above the Roaring Forties.” Add to that his description of New Zealand as a “pluvial nation”, and we get an idea of the nature of the environmental and natural hazards and risks that we face. We are that nation. That is who we are, and earthquakes are a reality for this great country of ours.

The challenge for us—actually, as somebody put it to me the other day in Kaikōura when I visited and I asked him about it: “These earthquakes are the price that we pay for being in the most beautiful country in the world.” Let us make sure that we are a safe and beautiful country, that we look after each other, and that we look after the buildings and those things that are there to make us work and keep us safe.

I acknowledge the contributions of the two previous speakers. If there is one thing that this Government is very good at, it is managing its way through natural disasters. I was thinking about the Christchurch earthquakes and the Pike River disaster—I mean, this Government has a lot of experience in being very reassuring to New Zealanders and, actually, to our international partners as well. I acknowledge all of the international support that is still pouring in from around the globe—people ringing the Prime Minister and others, indicating offers of support. We acknowledge that, and we thank them very much.

This Government has also shown that it can respond when we have other challenges. I was thinking that we have had a few in the primary sector, with WPC80, and the 1080 criminal blackmail scare as well. This Government has a huge amount of experience in reassuring New Zealanders and reassuring international partners around the world that we are in good shape when it comes to dealing with natural disasters or with issues that this Government has had to deal with over a period of time.

Importantly, this afternoon I want to focus back in on the issue that we are dealing with now: a significant earthquake event and aftershocks that have rattled North Canterbury, the East Coast of the South Island, and, actually, right through the North Island as well. We think about the 1,600 aftershocks, and we think about the 100,000 landslides that are estimated. Of course, we have seen the visuals of those affecting the State highway network and the rail network, but we should not forget that these landslides have affected a huge amount of rural property. There are huge tracts of sheep and beef land and, also, dairy land in the areas that have been affected.

Personal property—this is going to be a massive build for a lot of our rural communities to cope with. Of course, a lot of them will have insurance, they will work through with the Earthquake Commission their own personal property, and as a Government we will do what we can to support them through. We have proven in the past that we can support our rural communities through droughts, through flood events, and through natural events such as the event we are dealing with right now.

I am pleased to say, as I mentioned in the question to the House a few moments ago, that all of the dairy cows are now being milked. I thought it was fantastic that TV ONE was showing on Seven Sharp last night a farmer down in North Canterbury, Don Galletly, whose whole dairy system—his whole cowshed, his yard, and his facilities—has been devastated by this earthquake. A thousand cows could not be milked. What did he do, and what did his neighbours do? They got on the phone and they talked to one another, and these cows have gone and been milked on another 11 properties. These are not farmers bleating to the Government saying: “You need to do more.” These are farmers who are innovators and entrepreneurs, who understand the mentality of No. 8 fencing wire. They pick up the phone and they deal with it. They put the cows on the truck and they send them off to their neighbours to be milked. They will come back, probably in better condition, in 12 months’ time, ready for another go on this farm—because Don Galletly is indicating that he is going to rebuild.

On a positive note, we had the Global Dairy Trade auction pop up another 4.5 percent last night. That is great news for our dairy farmers, who have been struggling through a very tough time. I also acknowledge the wine industry, particularly in Marlborough. They have suffered some tank losses there, in damage. I know that engineers are out there assessing that as we speak. They are right in the middle of their bottling plant period.

We should not forget the fisheries, either, in the Kaikōura area. What has happened there is that we have seen the seabed rise, and I am getting some estimations in that it could be up a metre, it could be three metres, or it could be even higher than that. As a result of that, we have got pāua and rock lobster stranded, and, unfortunately, they will die. My message to anyone thinking that they can go in there and get a feed is: be careful. Ministry for Primary Industries food safety scientists are out there now saying that this fish will rot very quickly, and you will get a food-borne illness if you are not careful. We will work with the fishers and do what we need to do to rebuild this fishery. It is going to take some time. It is possible that there will need to be temporary closures while we work on the overall biomass.

But, as I say, this has been a whole-of-Government response. We are reassuring the community that we will do what we can to get them back on their own two feet again. Thank you.

It is very hard, at times like this, to try to draw anything positive out of these adverse events. We went through the trauma of the Christchurch earthquakes, and then the Seddon earthquake, and now we have the Kaikōura earthquake. But I think there is one positive message we can draw, apart from the displays of extraordinary community resilience. I think there is a much deeper sense of awareness amongst all New Zealanders that earthquakes are a norm in this country. Perhaps over the last 50 or 60 years we have had a slightly abnormal period, in that there have not been that many large ones, but normality is now returning. As a consequence of that, a lot of the frivolity, bravado, and casualness with which we have approached the earthquake risk in New Zealand, historically, have gone away.

A few years ago, before the Christchurch earthquake, in the boredom of Opposition, I surveyed every local authority in New Zealand about its earthquake at-risk buildings. I received some extraordinary answers. The Auckland City Council of the time said it had not updated the list since 1956. The then Wellington City Council said: “We don’t want to make the list available, because it will scare people.” The best one of all was the Ōāmaru council—I am not sure whether it was a borough, a county, or whatever at that point—which said: “We don’t have a problem in Ōāmaru, because we build our buildings with Ōāmaru stone, the safest substance known to man.”

How things have changed. And it is really good to see that councils are now being much more proactive, both in ensuring that unsafe buildings are remediated or removed, and in being open about the information that is available to their citizens. But I do have some concerns, in the wake of the recent earthquakes, about whether that sense of openness is being continued. Last night in Wellington, very prompt action was taken to close a building in Molesworth Street, which I see is now to be demolished. Earlier today, a building in Tennyson Street in the central city was evacuated, and so it goes on. That is good, but we cannot put a cloak of silence over some other events. There are many buildings in and around central Wellington on reclaimed land that are likely to be at risk. And I say: the sooner the public is made aware of that risk, and that information, the better.

There is also the issue of the Wellington waterfront. I was down there at lunchtime today; there are large superficial cracks in many parts of it. There are questions of safety, I think, not just in terms of the public safety but also in terms of our economic safety. Is this port going to be able to continue to trade as it has done of late? What are the impacts for the regional economy, and beyond, of that? I do not want to sound as though I am sounding a churlish note—that is not my intention. I am simply saying that a public that is now engaged, right around this country, with the need for resilience and response and good activity needs to be kept informed about what the risks are and about what steps need to be taken as soon as possible, because there are many people’s lives that, literally, depend on those decisions. I do not mean their physical lives, but their economic and social lives, and they need to be kept in the loop.

I realise that at a time like this there is often a sense of “Let’s not panic people by giving them too much information.” The reality now is that most New Zealanders, be they people who have been through the earlier earthquakes or the most recent spate, have had direct experience and can take full information being provided to them. They need to know, partly for their own reassurance and partly also as they seek to recover from those earthquakes.

I have the highest regard for everyone who has been involved in relief work: our official organisations, the voluntary organisations, the many individuals who have set up websites or who have gone in and physically committed to recovery, and that is great. That is the good thing about being a New Zealander. But it is also important at this time that we work together honestly and openly at a political level, at an organisational level, and at a community level to, firstly, make a response and, secondly, ensure that our communities remain resilient and active for the future.

The next few days are going to be difficult for all of us, whatever our station, whatever our situation. We need the confidence that we are all working in the same direction for us to get through this. I have confidence that we can do it as a nation. We have done it before, and I am certain we will do it again.

Sunday night was a bit like déjà vu for those of us who live in Christchurch or Canterbury. It was a shocking and a rude awakening and such a long earthquake. But this time we knew what to do. I would like to start off by saying a huge thankyou to all the emergency responders: those who leapt out of bed and snapped to attention—they did a great job. Our thoughts are also with the families, the friends, and the communities that were affected by the earthquakes, especially those who are new to earthquakes. Our sympathies are with those who are injured and particularly with those who have lost a loved one.

The National-led Government is no stranger to the difficulties of seismic activity. Over the past 6 years, we have had half a dozen major earthquakes and tens of thousands of smaller ones. The response to this most recent 7.5 magnitude earthquake has shown that we know what to do and we are here to get on with the job.

It is a really tough job being a first responder. You have to adapt, you have to improvise, and you have to overcome new and challenging situations. Making decisions is particularly difficult in such fluid situations, and I think the Prime Minister and Minister Brownlee have done an outstanding job in reassuring those affected by the earthquakes that they are committed to supporting those communities. I would also like to thank local MP Stuart Smith, who has been working so hard in the area.

We need to remember that the situations of a disaster are always different. There is no one single correct method of dealing with it. Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches, and that is exactly what our communities are doing. They are looking after each other, they are supporting each other, and they are making sure that everybody is moving in the right direction.

Shortly after the earthquakes on Monday morning, I went to the Linwood College welfare centre in Christchurch. There were over 400 people there, and they were mostly evacuated due to tsunami danger. Thankfully, of course, Christchurch was not hit by the tsunami, but there were 2-metre waves recorded in Kaikōura and a 1-metre wave recorded in Wellington. At the Linwood centre everything was really calm, very well organised and professional, and the volunteers knew exactly what to do. Mostly, people came in, they sat down, they waited it out, and they had a cup of tea. The minor emergencies were dealt with quickly and pragmatically. Everybody could be useful, and I actually ended up with the job of driving a man with very high blood pressure to the hospital and then relocating his car.

I want to thank everybody who was involved at Linwood, because they did a really good job. I know that right across the country, right across the affected area, that sort of thing is happening in communities everywhere. I suppose that if there is one thing that is consistent about these difficult times, it is that this is when the Kiwi spirit comes out. Somehow disasters seem to bring out the best in all of us. Neighbours talk to each other, they check on each other, and they support each other. I think that is something that is really heartening to know—that when things get tough, Kiwis come out and support each other in our time of need.

The same thing can be said with our international partners. In Christchurch, we were very appreciative of the offers of international support that we received. It felt like the rest of the world was there, standing beside us and working with us. This week is no different. Countries from around the world have offered their assistance this time, and we have accepted offers from the US, Australia, Canada, Japan, and Singapore—and this time they are bringing their ships and their helicopters. It is humbling to see our overseas partners prepared to work with us, and it certainly strengthens our international ties.

Finally, I think international experience and our own local experience tell us that recovery takes time. But just as our Government was there to support us in Canterbury and was committed for the long term, it will be here for Kaikōura also, and for anyone else and their communities that have been impacted by these earthquakes. Kia ora.

About half an hour after the earthquake was first felt, Kevin Keehan realised that his family in Kaikōura would be in some danger. He was working near Wānaka. He then got in his car and he drove as far as he possibly could, and he made it all the way to Mount Lyford before the road ran out on him. The person who came to his aid was named Hugh Northcote. Hugh’s farm had been severely affected by the quake, but what he did was work with Kevin Keehan to make sure that Kevin Keehan could make it through to Kaikōura to see his family. When he was asked about that, Kevin Keehan said: “That’s what country people do, they look after [each other].” The good news is that right around New Zealand, country people and town folk alike have been looking after each other in the last couple of days.

I want to pay a huge tribute to all of those in the emergency services in New Zealand—what the Americans call first responders—who get out of their beds when something like this happens and go out no matter what is happening in their own lives. I know that in Kaikōura, with the volunteer fire brigade, there were people whose homes had been severely affected who got up and went out and helped others, and did not return home until the evening. That is the kind of spirit of response and empathy for the community that we hold so dear in New Zealand.

As I say, it was not just in the Kaikōura area that we were seeing acts like this. As has already been noted, Mr Speaker, here at Parliament you opened up the doors of the precinct so that anyone who needed to could come in. It was quite an amazing sight when I was in here early in the morning, having had a look around Wellington Central, to find dozens and dozens of people down in the foyer being looked after and being given breakfast, and having other members of the public come in to say: “Once you have to leave here, you’re welcome to come to my house.” That is the spirit of generosity that we have seen in city and in town, and I think many people around the world have been staggered by the way in which the New Zealand Parliament opened itself up, let alone the many other houses around New Zealand.

I too want to pay tribute to the member of Parliament for Kaikōura, Stuart Smith—who I think might be about to speak soon; I know he has done a huge amount of work—and to my colleague Rino Tirikatene. His electorate also covers this area, where the epicentre of the quake was. As politicians, it is a difficult time when your own community is affected, and I pay tribute to both Stuart and Rino for that. We have seen an enormous outpouring of generosity and support. I want to pay tribute too to the student armies that have been recreated down in Christchurch, here in Wellington as well, and also a special one created in Marlborough for the occasion. It is great to see that across generations people are wanting to support those who are around and are wanting to come together.

Clearly, Kaikōura is going to require a huge amount of support over the next period of time, and I want to join with other party leaders and politicians who have said that this House, together, will support them. But I also specifically want to mention the other communities in the Marlborough and North Canterbury regions that have been affected by this.

💬 Ron Mark: As we did today.

New Zealand First did acknowledge that earlier today. I know that in my own family—for my aunt and uncle who farm near Ward, this is now the second time in 3 years that their communities have been severely affected. In their case, there are two houses on their property and they have to swap between the two as they reinforce them. Those communities have been hit hard, and they too will require our support over the coming period, and as the aftershocks continue, I know how difficult it is for them.

The other way that we come together as a country in these situation is in the services that we provide. Public services and servants have really stood up. I want to particularly pay tribute to those in the civil defence and emergency management area, right across New Zealand, but also to a couple of areas that we, perhaps, do not always note. I want to pay tribute to Geonet and the service that it provides in advising New Zealanders of hazards, and I want to particularly pay tribute to Dr Ken Gledhill, the Director of Geonet, and echo his call for a 24/7 monitoring service, in terms of tsunamis and disasters. We need that in New Zealand. It is a price that we need to pay to ensure we give New Zealanders the confidence to face these disasters.

The other agency I want to specifically mention is Radio New Zealand. All media in New Zealand have performed a good job over the last few days in keeping New Zealanders informed, but Radio New Zealand, in its role as a public broadcaster, has been outstanding in providing service to New Zealand, including Susie Ferguson’s amazing run into the studio early on Monday morning. It deserves far better support. Its funding has been frozen for 8 years. Let us make this the occasion on which the House decides we need quality public broadcasting and we will fund it properly.

I would have to say that 2 minutes past 12 on Monday was quite a moment. I woke up to hear our daughter yelling out from down the house, and I said: “Well, you know, just stay there.” Actually, lying in bed was a pretty good way to respond to it, I thought. But anyway, that started what has been quite a surreal period.

I would like to start by acknowledging one of the first people to send me a text, Rino Tirikatene. I would like to thank him for that. I do support him in things such as JP nominations and so on—between ourselves we do work quite well together. But it has not stopped at Rino; there has been much support coming from right across the House, and I would like to acknowledge that. It is fantastic.

However, I am not the person who needs the support; it is the people who are affected by the earthquake. Once I got out of bed—when it finally stopped rocking—I headed down to the Civil Defence Emergency Management headquarters centre in Marlborough. I have to say, you know, you go right back to the Boxing Day fires in 2000—the response was not that great in Marlborough. It led to a complete review of how things were being operated. Richard McNamara, who is the chief there, is doing a fantastic job. He is internationally renowned. The systems they have in place are, I think, laudable, and they had a very swift response. Of course, we did not know at that stage what the situation was further down.

Once I learnt what had happened in Kaikōura, I decided to drive down there. I thought I would go as far as I could. When I spoke to the Mayor of Kaikōura—incidently, they had a council retreat at Saint Arnaud—a bit after 1 o’clock in the morning, they were making their way through Blenheim on their way back to Kaikōura. So I said: “Text me when you know what the road conditions are.” Nothing came through. I figured it could not have been that good. So I waited and timed my run so I would be on the coast at first light. I stopped at Seddon, and came across the community sitting around and people sleeping on the wooden deck outside the school. They made the right decision. They had assessed their houses as being dangerous, and they did what I think was very sensible: they gathered together in a place they knew was safe and sheltered there. It was great to talk to them. I went on to Ward and talked to the people in Ward, who had done something similar. I went as far as I could past the police barricade. The policeman smiled at me and more or less said: “Well, it’s against police advice but away you go.” So I went down the road as far as I could, and I got to the end and I thought: “Well, this is really going to take some fixing.” But it was not until a very kind Alan Wilkinson offered me his helicopter and I flew down there yesterday in a Hughes 500 and the pilot told me “That’s as bad as it gets.”, that I realised how bad it was.

It was pretty rough when we got down there, but to see the damage along the road—I thought I had a good handle on it on the way down, but on the way back it really hit me how big a task it is going to be to fix this. But we must fix it. It is part of the vital lifeline of New Zealand, and it is a part of Kaikōura’s absolute economic survival, so we must fix it. It reminds me that the Douglas-Cliffords set up a farm that was New Zealand’s biggest farm at Flaxbourne, and they built a wharf on the Flaxbourne River. This was in the early or mid-1800s. In 1848, I think—I stand to be corrected on the year—there was a massive earthquake that uplifted the coast, much as has happened today. That wharf was left high and dry. The river was no longer navigable, and that prompted their shift down to Stonyhurst in Canterbury, where they set up a similar operation with a wharf out on the coast, to trade with Christchurch, which was emerging as a town at that time, rather than with Wellington, which they were going to do from Flaxbourne.

The people of Kaikōura—there has been much said about them today. I have been there twice now in the last 2 days. Tomorrow I am going to North Canterbury. I am flying down there. Someone is driving my car to Christchurch as we speak, and I will be driving up into Hanmer Springs, Rotherham, Culverden, Waiau, and Cheviot, and I will try to get around as much of the area as possible over the next 2 days. Those people who are most isolated are often the worst affected and the most difficult to get to, but we will do our best to do as much as we can over the next few days. So my thoughts and sympathies go to the families of the people who lost their lives and to all those who are injured. Thank you.

Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. We have seen the great response of citizens, iwi, and our communities in supporting each other through this crisis. But yesterday, at a time when our fellow citizens were recovering from the massive earthquake, Parliament was engaged in passing legislation. Yesterday we saw the last chapter in the long, sad story of the failed Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPPA). New Zealand has been, perhaps, the first—and will possibly be the only—country to ratify an agreement that will probably never come into force. There was no possibility of it being signed in the United States before the presidential election, and there is very little possibility under the new president, President Trump, that it will be signed after the election.

A lot of people are saying that it is because of the election of Donald Trump that the TPPA has failed, and I think that is to misread the situation. Actually, the demise of the TPPA started 7 years ago, in the period when negotiations were undertaken in extreme secrecy, apart from corporate advisers, who influenced the delegates into supporting their proposal. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has been what we call a Trojan Horse agreement: the kind of agreement that has, apparently, trade benefits—that is its visible sign—but it includes elements that are profoundly dangerous for our society.

We have seen a major movement rise up against the TPPA, not only in New Zealand but internationally, across the 12 countries negotiating it. We have seen fantastic work done by doctors in analysing the way it would undermine public health. Lawyers, including the Chief Justice of New Zealand and the Chief Justice of Australia, have expressed deep concern over investor-State dispute settlement provisions, which would allow foreign corporations to take cases above the Government. We have seen local government mobilise, representing 60 percent of the New Zealand public, concerned about the way the TPPA will undermine local democracy. We have seen iwi representatives take a case under the Treaty of Waitangi, concerned that granting new rights to corporations will undermine their rights under the Treaty of Waitangi. We have seen those concerned about internet freedom recognise that there are privacy concerns when our data is held overseas with no local control. We have seen concerns from trade unions and workers about a race to the bottom in human rights and in workers’ rights in particular. We have seen concern about climate change. In the 6,000 pages of the agreement, there is not a single mention of climate change, even though the TPPA can undermine action on climate change.

We have concerns about the environment; two-thirds of the 696 cases taken under the investor-State dispute settlement provisions have been about the environment. We have seen academics undertake peer-reviewed research that has been necessary because the Government has not undertaken the research. We have seen small-business concerns about advantages being given to large foreign corporations, rather than protecting small business. We have seen action in Parliament, where 7 years of the Green Party raising issues has been joined by concerns and a strong position also from Labour, New Zealand First, and the Māori Party. In New Zealand over 100,000 citizens signed petitions and many thousands march in rallies, including 35,000 in Auckland on 4 February.

This is part of a global movement. This is why the TPPA was defeated. We do not want agreements like this to be resurrected, so we are calling for fundamental change, and for transparency and accountability in the processes. We are talking about rules that benefit companies that trade—not at the expense of small business and local economies, not at the expense of social inclusion and human rights, and not at the expense of the environment, but in ways that will protect and support democracy. Thank you.

We have learnt a lot in the years since the Christchurch earthquakes—the Canterbury earthquakes—which disturbed much of Canterbury and much of New Zealand many years ago. We have learnt from a government and from an administration perspective so many lessons with regard to the Government’s response and to what is immediately needed in what are now North Canterbury’s earthquakes, centred in the Kaikōura district, and so the response has been swift and the response has been sure across a number of Government agencies. I want to acknowledge the wide support across the Parliament and across the parties, including across party leaders, for the response that the Government is making.

We have also learnt a lot about the NGOs responding with surety and with swiftness, and so is the community. Communities all around New Zealand are responding strongly to what is now the terrible situation that the Kaikōura and North Canterbury communities find themselves in. I am very mindful of the message given by Christchurch and Canterbury people, arising out of their earthquake, and that was: “Do not forget us.” And we have not. This Government has not forgotten Canterbury. There continues to be a large amount of support that goes into Canterbury, and it will be the same for Kaikōura. The Prime Minister has, on several occasions in the last 3 days—I doubt that the Prime Minister has thought of much else, nor have senior Ministers, nor indeed have any of us thought of much else. But the message from the Prime Minister right down and across the Parliament, I am sure, is that “No, we will not forget you, Kaikōura. It is a crisis now. It is a crisis that is going to last for some time—some many, many months—but you will not be forgotten.”

We have so many regrets now, and the first and strongest regret is for the loss of life. Two people lost their lives in this latest earthquake, and we all send our condolences, and have done and will continue to do so to their families. We regret the disruption and the fear that people have in these current times, particularly with the aftershocks continuing. We regret damage to homes. We regret damage to businesses. We regret the ongoing disruption of tourism opportunities in and around the Kaikōura district. Many of us are very familiar with that district. We holiday there, we have family there, and we know that these are tough times ahead for them. Again, the Prime Minister has indicated that “No, we will not forget you.”

We regret things like the beautiful coastal drive from Picton down to Christchurch. We regret that we will never see that again in its current form. We regret that Waterfall Creek looks like a place of the past, as a significant and well-loved breeding colony for seals and the most wonderful experience for New Zealanders and tourists alike as they have done that short walk up to Waterfall Creek to see the pups waiting out the time, getting into mischief while their parents are out to sea, fishing, so that they can come back to shore and feed their pups. We regret the lifting of the seabed. That is going to make a fundamental difference to the ecosystems of the Kaikōura coast recreational fishing opportunities. We regret all those things, but I tell you what, it is the response that matters now—the response by Government agencies, which has been legend, but also the response of the locals.

I just want to read an email I have received from a person dear to me who lives right in Kaikōura Bay itself. “Thanks so much,” she says, in response to my email. “All good here, but we really do need the internet so we can keep working. Can’t be far off now. Just saw a huge frigate. I think it’s the New Zealand one and there’s choppers in South Bay and all sorts of choppers all flying around today. We had light showers earlier but now cleared. Gosh, it’s a busy old place. We made a fish and rice curry and took that up to the marae yesterday and will head up again to see if they need a dishwasher or a vegetable peeler. It’s all good really.” Mr Speaker, that is the power of the people and the power of the community. Thank you.

I want to start by congratulating the Acting Minister of Civil Defence on taking on suggestions from New Zealand First. Yesterday we asked about the Cook Strait ferries running to Lyttelton and today KiwiRail confirms it is looking at doing precisely that. We just hope that Bluebridge is not left out those conversations.

Yesterday we asked about buildings occupied by the Public Service and expressed our concerns about earthquake strengthening. We believe the Minister—that everything is being done—but we again raise the question of modern building standards and the rising issue of design integrity and the sensibility of some of the occupancies we have seen. How can it be that one of New Zealand’s oldest pubs, the Thistle Inn in Wellington, could survive a 7.2 in 1942 but the headquarters of the New Zealand Defence Force, which was opened in 2007, is now deemed to be uninhabitable? The fact that the 111 service has had to relocate to a safer building and that the new award-winning Statistics New Zealand building suffered pancaking is of concern to New Zealand First, and we know that the apartments in Tennyson Street have been evacuated and that, also not far from us, the old Deloitte building has been structurally compromised.

We want to draw the House’s attention to a report written by Wairarapa reporter Piers Fuller on 9 October, saying that in Masterton there are 13 near-new buildings that have been deemed now to be earthquake prone due to design flaws. We cannot be smug here when considering these issues, because the worst-performing building in this precinct is the Beehive. This 1970s monstrosity, which New Zealand First suggested should have been knocked down back in 1998, wobbles like a jelly, which might be an acceptable risk to some except when one considers that buried in the bottom of that is the bunker that is our national response headquarters. So we ask again these questions: how sensible are some of the occupancies and some of the placements and some of the usages to which we are putting some buildings?

We think it really is time that we started looking through the implications of the hitherto undiscussed or mentioned reality—that being, what will happen if the southern fault goes and we suffer an 8.2 like we did in 1855 and what we can expect of an earthquake of that magnitude. I am pleased that Mr Dunne spoke the way he did, because this is not to be critical; this is about putting things in the air and considering, in the light of what the nation has gone through, what we should be doing. We need to be looking closely at our Defence Force and asking ourselves how many more times we can turn to our men and women in the Defence Force and ask them to pick up and assist us to put our country back together in times of natural disasters and disasters of this magnitude given the budgets we give them and given the equipment we give them in the inventory.

One surely has to consider the difference in capability between the Indonesian vessel moored up in Auckland right now, the Banda Aceh, and Singapore’s Resolution, and compare that with what is, essentially, a ferry design converted into a multi-role vessel for the New Zealand Defence Force. We have had good service out of HMNZS Canterbury, but it really is not a Mil-Spec vessel and is not much use to us in anything more than a sea state 1. We as a nation need to be looking forward to these major purchases going on with these disasters in mind.

We need to be seriously thinking about where we should be placing Government agencies, and it is time that we started considering what is, essentially, an earthquake bowl here in Wellington. It is time we started asking why the 111 service could not be in Masterton or Waipawa. Is there any reason why the headquarters of the New Zealand Defence Force, if it has to be rebuilt, could not be in Ōhākea or Linton? Is there any reason why the Electricity Authority has to be in Wellington instead of Kaitāia? Above all, why does the bunker have to be under the Beehive—a building that we all know to be very unstable?

Now is the time for some broader thinking about Government agencies and where they should be placed. New Zealand First would say that there is a very strong argument for moving some of these agencies and head offices out into provincial New Zealand for the future and the betterment of all New Zealanders.

As a New Zealander, my thoughts are with all New Zealanders this week who are feeling the impact of these devastating earthquakes. As a very proud born and bred Cantabrian, my thoughts are with other Cantabrians who are dealing not only with the impact of this earthquake in the early hours of Monday morning but also with the issues of previous earthquakes over the last 5 or 6 years. As a North Canterbury resident, my thoughts are with other North Canterbury residents who are very much at the hard end of the impact of this devastating earthquake. My sympathies go out to the families, friends, and loved ones of the two people who lost their lives. But what I do know is that it is at times like these that the country will come together. We are one nation—it is the way we come together, keeping connected to support each other through the atrocity of such a fatal earthquake.

Can I acknowledge my parliamentary colleague Richard Prosser, also from North Canterbury, who came into my office on Monday as well to look at how we can work together for the benefit of North Canterbury. Can I also acknowledge my colleague Stuart Smith, who has shown great leadership and, most of all, what North Canterbury communities are known for, which is pragmatism, getting out there, and getting things done. Stuart has been out on the ground assessing the impact on his constituents as well. I know he has a very big electorate to get round, so I have offered my help in supporting him with how we can work better for some of the districts, although not in my electorate, that are quite hard hit—for example, Hurunui.

When we look at some of the impact on the “Waimak” district—in fact, I feel, through a lot of focus and upgrades on our infrastructure and our buildings since the last earthquakes, that we have, in fact, increased our ability to cope, and there was very little damage in the “Waimak”. Because of that, I have been working with Jim Palmer, the chief executive officer of the Waimakariri District Council, and David Ayers, our mayor. We have been able to look at how we deploy resources further north, to our neighbouring districts like the Hurunui and like Kaikōura, to support them in getting vital infrastructure in place—roading, electricity, water, telephones, and connectivity.

What is really important about the “Waimak” is the coastal towns. Of course we all know, with the experience of an earthquake, the risk that it may result in a tsunami. We know a lot of people were evacuated, and a lot of people self-evacuated out of the towns in my electorate, like Kaiapoi, Pegasus, Woodend, Waikuku, Pines Beach, and Kairaki. We set up welfare centres. I talked to many of the volunteers, and I would like to acknowledge our civil defence volunteers who staffed those welfare centres in Kaiapoi, Woodend, further inland in Oxford, and in Rangiora and the great work they did in supporting people who were very anxious and stressed at the time.

It was not only the welfare centres that were at full capacity. There were a lot of the high streets, like in Rangiora, Cust, and Oxford, where many people had parked up and were sleeping overnight in their cars. There were great stories coming out about the night-shift workers in supermarkets checking on people parked in their cars in supermarket carparks to see whether they were OK.

There is one great story—I am working with a lady called Lilly in the “Waimak” at the moment, who put a call out through her networks, through her social media, and through media to collect perishable donations and non-perishable items for the people in Kaikōura. To date, Lilly has collected five shipping containers worth of goods to be taken up to Kaikōura. I will be working with her to understand the logistics of how we actually get up there. Of course, in Woodend we are receiving the NH90 helicopters, and we have a welfare centre set up in Woodend as well to support those people coming off the helicopters, as well. So there are great stories coming through about how communities are supporting each other and how the Government is supporting these communities, as well.

Having a background in mental health, I just want to finish by saying that I am acutely aware of the impacts of the earthquakes. We have seen that from previous earthquakes—stress and anxiety. I would tell people to look after each other and to contact their GP, the Canterbury District Health Board, or their local member of Parliament’s office. Thank you.

In closing this general debate, I too would like to acknowledge the local members of Parliament and the work that they have been doing in that area—Stuart Smith, who has spoken in this debate today, and, of course, my colleague Rino Tirikatene. Rino and I both entered Parliament in 2011—

💬 Dr David Clark: Good year.

—representing an area—that is right, Dr Clark, a wonderful year—that was suffering from earthquakes. So for both him and me, our whole parliamentary career has been dealing with earthquakes. I would put money on the fact that Rino will continue to work closely with the local member there, Stuart Smith, and I acknowledge the kind words that Stuart did offer about Rino.

Over the last few days—and we will in the coming days, I am sure—we have heard a lot about the Kiwi spirit, about rolling up our sleeves, about stoicism, and about resilience. These are all important attributes that communities need to dig deep to find in these days. But I would also like to make the point that it is OK for people not to be feeling this. These are very difficult days. These are difficult things for people in these affected and impacted communities to cope with, and it is OK to say that you are not feeling all right and that you do need help. I echo the words of my colleague who said that, Matt Doocey.

We have seen remarkable things, as we did throughout Canterbury after our earthquakes: organisations, people, and individuals stepping up; the sense of community; and the coming together. We have seen the remarkable work that has been happening at Takahanga Marae, where my colleague Rino Tirikatene is heading—where 500 to 600 people are being fed, where people are being housed, and where people, importantly, are being offered the opportunity to be together, to have a place to go, and to feel safe. That is one of the things that we always have to ensure is there.

There are many things we can look to that happened in Canterbury that went well. It is very heartening for me to see many of the communities of Christchurch and Canterbury now wanting to give back, to support those further north who now suffer the same terrible fates that they did 6 years ago.

It is not the time for politicking or bickering; we have a huge job to do, and there will be problems that need to be solved. Labour will support the Government in doing things to get things moving. But, in saying this, it is also important that we learn the lessons that we have been through in the last 6 years. We have learnt an awful lot in this country over the last 6 years about how it is that we need to deal with both disaster and recovery and how we put those things together. It would be a mistake if we did not learn those lessons.

What I do not want to see is a situation where the people of Kaikōura in 2022 are still waiting to get their lives back on track, and if we simply copy what we have done in Canterbury, that could well be the outcome. We need to ensure that we have good mental health services from the beginning, that we do not fund on a business-as-usual model, and that we ensure that the local organisations and professionals who are in the area are well placed to help the people in their community.

We need to ensure that the claims process for people getting their homes fixed learns the lessons of what we have been through. We need to ensure that we do not have a huge spike in housing costs, by getting in there early, by providing the temporary accommodation. We need to ensure that we do not end up re-repairing people’s homes, by getting the scoping process right the first time. We need to ensure that we send in trained professionals who can see what is wrong with particular buildings. We need to ensure that support is there—legal support for people to deal with their claims process. Where we got to in Canterbury—and I am sure many Cantabrians can attest to what a great organisation the Residential Advisory Service has been in helping them get through their ordeal—is that there is so much that we can do together. There is so much that we can and will achieve as this part of the South Island and Wellington puts the pieces back together and rebuilds lives. We are a great country; we have great character. Let us learn the lessons of what we have been through and move forward together.

The debate having concluded, the motion lapsed.