Hughes Darren: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
Hughes Darren: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
[Volume:654;Page:3789] 
Hon DARREN HUGHES (Labour) 
: 
 The Committee is debating the Land Transport New Zealand financial review which alongside Transit New Zealand—as it was—now makes up the New Zealand Transport Agency for which the Minister of Transport the Hon Steven Joyce has full and sweeping authority and power. 
One of the things that the Opposition would like to question the Minister on today is the attitude he has taken to important transport projects in New Zealand. My colleague Darien Fenton will raise some public transport matters with the Minister but I am particularly interested in— 
Hon Shane Jones 
: Ask him about Melissa Lee. 
Hon DARREN HUGHES 
: I will get to Melissa Lee. Mr Jones should not worry. Labour is happy to talk about her; National never mentioned her at all. In fact all through question time today I listened for her supplementary questions and I waited for her primary questions but they never came along. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: What are you going to do when you get there? 
Hon DARREN HUGHES 
: No doubt Tau Henare will be giving a lot of advice to Melissa Lee as to how to run a stellar political career. I think “TAU101” is the advice that will be given in that particular regard. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Tau just went up the list in Auckland. 
Hon DARREN HUGHES 
: No nothing could get Tau up the list in Auckland; I think he is flatlining in that respect. 
Coming back to this transport matter I will talk about the No. 1 roading project for New Zealand—that is of course the Waterview Connection which completes the western ring route. We want to know whether the Minister has had a chance over the adjournment to reflect on the attitude he has taken towards this decision and on the way he has described the debate on this issue. Today in question time the Minister allowed the Prime Minister to describe the Waterview project as a $3.2 billion project. The cost of this project keeps going up and up every time National mentions it. In fact I understand that Mr Joyce is now asking the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to do the costing for the Waterview Connection—if we could build the road via a trip to the moon and back—because he is so keen to try to discredit this most important roading project for the people of the Waterview and Mount Albert communities. We know that Mr Joyce is now able to fund a project at a cost of $1.4 billion which apparently can all come from the National Land Transport Fund but a tunnel option—at $1.98 billion—requires $550 million financing costs to go alongside it. So if the Minister could once again try to succinctly explain to the country why he has cooked the books with regard to the Waterview Connection that would be much appreciated because I think that has been a disgraceful way to handle it. 
The Minister is now presiding over the loss of 365 homes in that community and appears to be quite cavalier about that. The Minister colluded in the last sitting week to ensure that that announcement was made after parliamentary question time had been held so that the Opposition could not ask questions about it. The Government denied the Opposition leave to ask an urgent question about the announcement and in what I regard as a continued abuse of parliamentary procedure it made the announcement from the Minister’s office the very second that the Speaker resumed his seat after having declined an urgent debate on that topic. That action goes along with the abuse of process we have seen over the Auckland super-city legislation in terms of getting a Minister in charge of a bill to chair the parliamentary select committee. That is a theme we are seeing and I want the Minister to reassure the Committee that he is not allowing this cavalier and highly political attitude to pervade his decision around Waterview and around the completion of the western ring route. 
I am particularly interested in what the Minister thinks the impact of losing the Alan Wood Reserve would be for the people of that community. I have had a chance to talk to people who live there— 
Hon Tau Henare 
: The member would not know where it is. 
Hon DARREN HUGHES 
: Sorry Mr Henare? I will just indulge the member briefly. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: You haven’t even been on the select committee. 
Hon DARREN HUGHES 
: Who has not been on the select committee? 
Hon Members 
: You. 
Hon DARREN HUGHES 
: The Waterview proposal has not been to the select committee—that is actually the point about this issue. The Waterview Connection has not been to the select committee but the agency responsible for it has been. Tau Henare in his fifth and final term in Parliament cannot work out how the review of Crown entities works. I used to feel sorry for that member but every time he opens his waha nui he proves why he sits over there. In fact Mr Henare has been over-promoted by sitting there; he should be sitting at the back with his whanaunga Paul Quinn to whom Mr Henare has taught all the parliamentary procedure. Tau Henare is a very very interesting man. 
I want the Minister of Transport to provide an explanation to the Committee and to the people whom I have met in Waterview who have lived there for 70 years and who were told that they would not lose their homes—now that he has reversed that decision and they will lose those homes. Three hundred and sixty-five families will be affected by what the Minister is doing. I want to know from him why the National Land Transport Fund can fully fund a $1.4 billion project with no borrowing but $550 million would be required in financing costs if the twin tunnels had to be built. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Will the member answer a question? 
Hon DARREN HUGHES 
: I am happy to answer a question. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: How come “Cougar Bait” can beat Peters but Quinn can’t beat Peters? 
Hon DARREN HUGHES 
: I say to Mr Mallard that that is a question for another day that we will happily come back to. 
Paul Quinn 
: Darren who’s the real shadow leader? Tell me! 
Hon DARREN HUGHES 
: Well I will tell the member— 
Paul Quinn 
: You have to take instructions do you? 
Hon DARREN HUGHES 
: Let me give the member some advice: if only he took instruction he might be doing a whole lot better in Parliament right now. If he listened to the advice that his own colleagues give him about his performance he would be in much better shape.