Curran Clare: Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
Curran Clare: Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:661;Page:10057] 
CLARE CURRAN (Labour—Dunedin South) 
: 
 I rise to speak on Part 3 of the Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Bill. I think there is a very important question to be asked: who is next? I know that a number of my colleagues have asked that question. The provisions in Part 3 are around the moratoria and water conservation orders and I want to touch on water conservation orders in my speech. 
Before I do that I want to refer to a written question that Dr Russel Norman asked of the Prime Minister on 9 February this year in which he asked: “In what regions of the South Island does he expect to see new water storage schemes built next year?”. The answer from the Prime Minister was: “Canterbury and potentially Otago.” I think that gives me the right to stand here today and ask who is next. Are the people of Otago about to have a local authority shake-up as well; and if so will they be consulted? 
Last year on 13 May I spoke in this House on an amendment to Part 3 of the Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill and I said to this House that I take democracy seriously. I said that what this Government was doing was not democratic and that many of the people of New Zealand who were watching and listening were thinking the same thing. They are thinking that as we speak today. In May last year I gave the Auckland super-city bill the title “Local Government (We’ll do whatever we like because we can and we’ll be doing it to the rest of the country) Bill”. 
Colin King 
: That’s a long title. 
CLARE CURRAN 
: It is a long title but I think it is a correct title and it seems that I was right about the Auckland bill and I am about this bill. I ask the Minister to reassure the people of Otago that they will not be next. I stand here as the member for Dunedin South representing 59442 constituents of whom I am very proud. I welcome the fact that in my electorate there is a strong and active local authority the Dunedin City Council with 14 elected councillors. The Otago Regional Council has 11 councillors and it is a strong council. Dunedin South is a long way from Auckland but we are not so far from Christchurch. 
I believe that my constituents are united on this issue in what they want and expect from their elected representatives. They want to be listened to consulted and to have a voice. The people of Canterbury do not have a voice in this process. The question is whether the abolition of more councils is on the agenda. Will there be a merger of councils with no consultation with the people of New Zealand to create super-councils that remove people’s rights to local representation? Is the Otago Regional Council for the chop? 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: No. 
CLARE CURRAN 
: I am pleased to hear that that is on the record. 
I want to repeat what I said 10 months ago in this Chamber when I painted a picture in the minds of members and in the minds of all the good New Zealanders who were listening and watching Parliament with a sense of increasing horror. Those people are contacting me in my electorate office and in my office in Parliament about the trampling of the rights of all New Zealanders. That picture is of a bulldozer—a big bulldozer—because this Government is bulldozing the rights of Aucklanders and ultimately the rights of all New Zealanders. If the Minister has given the answer “No” to Otago will the Minister given the answer “No” to Wellington and to other regions around New Zealand? 
From time to time central government may be required to step in and remove recalcitrant councillors and I think that members on this side of the Chamber would agree with that but no one would expect that the people of Canterbury would not have the opportunity to re-elect their representatives at the earliest available opportunity. One would think that the local body elections that are scheduled in 6 months’ time would be a fair and reasonable time for the people of Canterbury to elect representatives.