Robertson H V Ross: Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill — In Committee 
Robertson H V Ross: Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:663;Page:11472] 
H V ROSS ROBERTSON (Labour—Manukau East) 
: 
 Kia ora tatou no reira e te Whare. Given that it is Samoan Language Week this week malo le soifua and talofa lava and in expectation fa’afetai lava for the opportunity to address the Committee this evening. The Hon Tau Henare made the point that Auckland would be a powerhouse under this legislation. I say to the Committee that that is yet to be seen. Of course much will depend on the quality and calibre of those individuals who offer themselves for the leadership roles in Auckland. At the moment we have two mayoral aspirants—Len Brown from our city of Manukau and the Hon John Banks from Auckland. Much of whether this will be successful will come down to the calibre not only of the mayoral aspirants but also of those who offer themselves as ward councillors and as board members. This is representation without accountability. 
The Minister of Local Government can say what he likes but Aucklanders will be the losers in this restructuring because bigger is not necessarily better. I have seen from my own experience that although it may be true that we get economies of scale and more efficiencies—and that is the argument that the Government is progressing—it is true only if each individual unit of local government is efficient in its own right. Smaller can actually be better because it would be more effective and more efficient with the controls that can be put in place. We want to see increased efficiency. We think that is very very important. Members on this side of the Chamber are not opposed to progress. In fact Labour is the party of progress. It has always been known as a party that promotes fresh ideas. If we look at some of the major social reforms in this country we see they have come from Labour. We are not opposed to the changes taking place but we are opposed to the manner in which it has been done to the appointment of the council-controlled organisations and to how this will be structured. 
I ask the Minister where the accountability is. Where is the transparency? Where can the general public have a say on how Auckland will be run? Members on this side of the Chamber are concerned that their voices will be lost. We know that this will cost around $200 million. Who will pay? The ratepayers of Auckland will pay—so much for the tax cuts and the GST increase. The costs will continue to go up and up. The challenge is on the Minister to bring in the budget under the figure that has been set. That is the challenge for the Minister. I ask the Minister what initiatives he has taken to ensure that the overall cost of the restructuring will be lower than forecast. The last thing that people in Auckland want is to find their rates increased because the cost of the restructuring is more than was envisaged. That is the challenge for this Minister and I know that he is competent enough to know that. 
I want to know what the Minister has done. What controls has he put in place to ensure that there is feedback to those people who will control Auckland so they will be able to run it in a most effective and efficient manner? Two of the things that members on this side of the Chamber are concerned about are the transparency and the accountability of those people who will run Auckland. The big thing is the way in which the council-controlled organisations will be run and the appointments and how they will be done. When people ask me what council-controlled organisations are I tell them. But they want to know from the Minister exactly what that will mean for them as individuals and as ratepayers because they are concerned.