Fenton Darien: Local Government (Tamaki Makaurau Reorganisation) Bill — Third Reading 
Fenton Darien: Local Government (Tamaki Makaurau Reorganisation) Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:654;Page:3730] 
DARIEN FENTON (Labour) 
: 
 In December 2006 John Key told the people of Auckland he was proposing a bill that would provide for an independent review of Auckland governance and allow for a referendum on reform choices. 
Grant Robertson 
: Who said that? 
DARIEN FENTON 
: It was John Key the now Prime Minister. Dr Wayne Mapp who has joined us tonight said in his online report of 30 December that it is necessary to have a more independent review that will also give the people of Auckland an opportunity to choose their preferred system of local government. As we know the National Party also made a promise in its manifesto. Tonight with the passing of this bill those promises are dead and buried. We know that they are hollow words but are we surprised? No I do not think we are. The people of Auckland have been silenced and it is a shameful day. 
I am proud that the Labour members have put up such a fierce fight. Labour members and the broader Opposition have been the last line of defence against the determination of an arrogant Government to ram through this legislation to get its way and to set a new path for Auckland that is divisive unfair and unjust. 
Throughout this debate over the last 3½ days every Labour MP has received texts and emails from Aucklanders who have been following this debate. I thought I would give some examples from my in-box. The first one says: “Thanks for your team’s great effort. At least if this Government gets it wrong Aucklanders will toss them out at the next election.” And I received this one from a National Party supporter: “We’re hacked off with National. Keep it up because this is about democracy for Aucklanders.” This one is from a Helensville resident: “I notice that National MPs are meeting but not in the Helensville electorate. Why does our MP not wish to meet the public in his own electorate?”. Who is the MP for Helensville? Oh it is Prime Minister John Key. This one is from a Chinese resident on the North Shore: “I put in a submission to the royal commission and presented it at a North Shore meeting. It asked that ethnic communities have a voice in the new plan. John Key is running the Government the way that he wants—i.e. big money and ignore the people.” Another really nice one says: “Sorry you have to work today but what you guys are doing is vitally important as far as democratic principles are concerned.” There are many many more. 
This debate has been very enlightening and I am looking forward to telling the people of North Shore City of Rodney of Waitakere of Auckland City of Manukau of Papakura and of Franklin all about how little National thinks of them. We now know with certainty from the debate over the last 3½ days what National thinks because of the raft of amendments from Labour and the Greens that have just been tossed out without genuine consideration. Not even one amendment got through. The National Government dumped many amendments that would have improved this bill and may have restored some certainty and confidence for Aucklanders. 
Hon Christopher Finlayson 
: Name one. 
DARIEN FENTON 
: I am about to I say to Mr Finlayson. Amendments in proposed new Part 10 for example related to good-employer provisions for the Auckland Transition Authority and the Auckland Council. The other amendments proposed to the transitional provisions in Part 3 would have given certainty and protection to the 6300 workers in local government in Auckland but those amendments were dumped. Those workers have been given their cards. They have been given the sack and they have been given their dismissal notices. National’s message to existing council workers is: “Do not apply. Don’t bother.” If the face does not fit people should not bother to apply because with this set-up—the jack-up that this Government has engineered—the chances of getting a job with fairness let alone getting any respect at work are gone. 
Then there were the very very important amendments put up by my colleague Charles Chauvel that would have stopped the transitional authority from privatising the $28 billion worth of ratepayers’ assets that it will have charge off. Let me talk about those—[ 
Interruption 
] The member looks a bit lost. Rodney’s $1.5 billion of assets will be down the tubes. North Shore’s $4 billion worth of assets will be down the tubes. Waitakere’s $2.5 billion worth will be down the tubes as will Auckland City’s $8.7 billion Manukau’s hard-earned $6 billion Papakura’s $457 million Franklin’s $1 billion and the Auckland Regional Council’s $1.4 million. That is $28 billion worth of assets built up over generations that will go from communities into the hands of the “Rodney Hide Transition Authority” ready to be handed over to a mayor with extreme powers. Also the voice of local people will be seriously diluted. 
We had the extraordinary sight of National and ACT voting down a further amendment that would have made sure that the paid parental leave entitlements of 6300 workers were not affected by the legislation. What a shocking message to workers that was! We on this side of the Chamber heard loud and clear National’s views about Maori representation. They showed their contempt for the tangata whenua and for the Pasifika people in the largest Pacific city in the world. [ 
Interruption 
] I am proud to be speaking. I was particularly interested in the amendments moved by my colleague Carol Beaumont which were blocked by National and ACT. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: By that nasty man. 
DARIEN FENTON 
: Yes; he is a nasty nasty little man. He is a nasty piece of work. He is spiteful. 
The amendments moved by Carol Beaumont sought to cap the salary of the chief executive of the transition agency. These are very interesting amendments. I thought it was interesting that they were all voted down. I think that sends a great message to people who are at the moment dealing with the impact of the economic downturn. While ordinary New Zealanders are being told to pull in their belts this Government is not prepared to exercise fiscal restraint and rein in the power grab that this bill will allow. 
I saw Bill English come into the House last night and pretend to be the friend of workers. He pretended to be concerned about the Lane Walker Rudkin workers and the Bright Wood workers. I look forward to passing on to those workers the message that National does not think that a chief executive in these economic hard times should have to have a salary cap. Why not? What is wrong with that? While the Bright Wood workers are being dumped with no redundancy entitlements and while the Minister of Labour sits on her hands and does nothing about redundancy pay and redundancy notices this Government thinks it is OK for chief executives to have extraordinary pay and not have any restraint on it. 
I want to honour my colleagues tonight. I think they are a fantastic team. This has not been a game for any of us. We have been doing our job. Each of us who has put forward amendments has done so with care and thoughtfulness. We have debated passionately and we have done so with one thing on our minds—and that is to have the voice of Aucklanders heard loud and clear because there is simply no other way for them to be heard. This Government has excluded Aucklanders from having a say and a voice on how the restructuring of their local government will affect them. 
It is clear that National is in a bit of a panic. There has been a direction that National MPs should get out in their electorates and hold some public meetings. But it is a bit late for that. I do not think it will fix anything for them now because this bill makes it too late. I know that those National MPs are in for a really hard time when they front up to their electorates because Auckland people are mad. They are really angry. They remember the promises those members made like John Key’s promise for a referendum and the manifesto promise. The last 3 days of putting a stake in the heart of local communities and of rights and democracy will not go without a response. 
I say to National members that when they get out there they should take their tin helmets and put them on. This is the biggest merger in New Zealand’s history and I would have expected the Government to be much more careful. There was no need to rush and there was no need for urgency. I tell the National-ACT Government that Aucklanders are watching and Aucklanders are mobilising. 
Hon Gerry Brownlee 
: They’re watching and they’re saying: “What on earth are those guys up to?”. 
DARIEN FENTON 
: Why does that member not listen for a moment? Finally I want to acknowledge the workers in Auckland City tonight who because of this bill face an uncertain future. I say to them that the Labour Party is with them. We stand beside them and we will continue to fight alongside them. In closing I want to acknowledge the workers in this place: the food service workers who feed us the cleaners who cleaned our offices the messengers and the staff from the Clerk’s Office. Thank you for supporting the important work of this House in these extraordinary times.