Eden Park Trust Amendment Bill
First Reading
NATHAN GUY (National—Ōtaki) : The Eden Park Trust Amendment Bill, which we are putting through the House this evening, is an important bill. I appreciate the Hon Trevor Mallard’s comments before, when he indicated that there is going to be wide-ranging support for this bill to go through the select committee process. I also acknowledge his indication that he would support an even shorter period for the select committee process.
In essence, this bill moves the Eden Park Trust Board from operating under the provisions the Act of 1955, through to where it needs to be in order to enable the redevelopment of the park for the Rugby World Cup to commence. When we look at that time line of 2011, we see just how close we are getting to it. So it is important that this bill gets through the House and into the select committee as quickly as possible. Judging by some of the speeches this evening, there is wide-ranging support for this bill.
When we think about the economic spin-offs that we will get from hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2011, we realise that it will be hugely significant. The figures that I have seen are that around $500 million of GDP will flow into our economy and several hundred million dollars of that will go into the Auckland economy, which is fantastic. I was fortunate enough to go to the Rugby World Cup final in South Africa in 1995, where we made the final, but, unfortunately for us, the All Blacks did not win. I recall the huge atmosphere in that ground, with over 100,000 people there. This bill will enable Eden Park to have a capacity of 60,000, which is fantastic. That will be important for us when we showcase our prowess on the rugby field and what we have to offer as a country.
This is an important bill, and I am sure that it will get through this evening. I commend this bill to the House.