Penk ChrisCHRIS PENK (National—Helensville): Thank you Mr Chair. Your decision was more popular in some parts of these benches than others. It's possibly even less popular with me than with those colleagues who missed out. I wish to speak to a tabled amendment in my name—an idea that had just come to me so freshly that the ink is still drying on the paper. It is none the less a thoughtful I think and worthwhile amendment and I wish to speak to it in the following terms. There are five main points I wish to make speaking to a new clause 12 inserting new section 26B into the Local Government Act 2002 which would read as follows: In the event of a reorganisation of local authorities where a Regional Fuel Tax is established in one of the regions the tax will become obsolete." The five reasons that I propose this amendment are as follows. I will speak to each of these in some detail throughout the rest of my contribution but briefly in outline first they are: one not subverting the intention of the reorganisation effort; two not subverting the intention of the regional fuel tax itself; three to acknowledge that the region in the regional fuel tax is different following the reorganisation to that which existed prior to such reorganisation; four to ensure the consultation process takes place; and five to ensure the integrity of the alignment between the projects that had been contemplated at first and the geographical area to which those apply. Taking the first of those the desire not to subvert the intention of the reorganisation it seems to me clear that in the case of local authorities being realigned or reorganised as we might say the intention of such reorganisation would be to create a new set of entities or a new entity as the case may be to apply to a certain region. If the arrangements that were in place in relation to a different region were then carried over then it could fairly be said I think that the object of the reorganisation—the desire to provide somewhat of a clean slate and a fresh start—could be said to be defeated.Secondly in relation to the desire to avert the subverting of the intention of the regional fuel tax it would have to be acknowledged I think by all in this committee that the purpose of a regional fuel tax is to apply to a specific region that exists at the time that the fuel tax was brought into force. So if a different region were to exist then surely the arrangements for the tax that would apply to the region should be different as well.That point really leads to my third point which goes to the heart of what a regional fuel tax is which of course as it says on the tin is very much a tax on fuel in a region or regions. So again without wishing to belabour the point—or perhaps specifically because I do wish to belabour the point—with a different region in place following the reorganisation of local authorities a different regional fuel tax regime or the absence of such a regime should apply.Fourth to ensure that consultation takes place is an important aspect of my amendment. If consultation takes place with one set of ratepayers and residents of a geographical area and then a different geographical area is created as a result of the reorganisation and a different set of residents and ratepayers thereby is created then the consultation that had taken place among the first set of residents might produce a different outcome or might have produced a different outcome from that which will be the result of consulting with the second set of residents and ratepayers—namely that created post-reorganisation.My fifth and final point Mr Chair as highlighted and no doubt therefore keenly anticipated by you and indeed all this committee—perhaps all the country if I may be so bold—is to maintain the integrity of the alignment of the projects that were contemplated in relation to the first iteration of the regional fuel tax—namely that in the regional authority that existed prior to the reorganisation and the geographical area to which those apply."