SIMON COURT (ACT): Thank you, Mr Speaker. The ACT Party opposes this bill. It seeks to add up to two unelected representatives to the Canterbury Regional Council, and it conflicts directly with ACT's principles that only democratically elected representatives should serve on councils and in Parliament. Environment Canterbury—or ECan, Canterbury Regional Council—already has two mana whenua appointees which give advice to council on tikanga to help them with decision making. That appears to be a better way to actually address some of the issues that councils face when they're looking at planning, consenting, long-term plans, and where and how to provide community services for the people that live in that district. That's why this bill won't actually help address any of those issues. What it will do is add two extra individuals to the 14-person council, now 16; it will dilute democratic representation; it will essentially override basic democratic principles; it will result in unelected members having the same voting powers as elected members; and it will increase costs to the Canterbury ratepayers. For the ACT Party, that is sufficient reason to oppose it.