Sepuloni Carmel:  
Sepuloni Carmel:  
[Volume:654;Page:89] 
CARMEL SEPULONI (Labour) 
: 
 I want to go back to what I was discussing previously in relation to clauses 11 12 and 13 of Part 3 and carry on from there. Mr Peachey said earlier that Labour was playing games with regard to the transition agency. I can assure Mr Peachey that Labour is not playing games with regard to Part 3; it is representing the view of Aucklanders. That is why it is taking us so long. It is a view that is felt all across Auckland. The issue is who is going to be on the Auckland Transition Agency. I return to that point because that is a concern that Aucklanders have. They are worried that they will not be represented and of course they have that concern because who is appointing the members of the board? It is Mr Rodney Hide. As a Pacific person would I trust Mr Rodney Hide to reflect my community’s interests or to represent my community? I do not think so. Mr Rodney Hide cannot represent my community. He will appoint people to that board who are of like mind—like minds such as Christine Rankin and fellow National MPs people of that nature; Bill Birch even. 
If we reflect on the people who are of like mind with Mr Rodney Hide we can see a recent example of why that is not a good representation of Pacific people. They are people like Miss Melissa Lee who says that all people from South Auckland are criminals who stop by in Mt Albert to rob homes and commit crimes. She says also that people do not commit crimes in their own neighbourhoods; they go elsewhere—from South Auckland all the way to Mt Albert. With that in mind as a side note if that is the case—that people leave their own neighbourhoods to commit crimes elsewhere—then I ask Mr Hide to tell those people from Epsom to stop going to South Auckland and committing crimes there. 
I will get back to the transition agency. The concern in the community—especially the Pacific community which we consulted with on Monday night—is that they will not be heard with regard to the legislation that National is trying to push through and with regard to the transitional agency that it is setting up. As I asked before why would they be heard when they cannot even be consulted? National cannot even get out there and consult them. National is saying now—I saw an advertisement in the paper—that it is going to have public meetings with the community to talk about this issue. It will have public meetings but let us just reflect on where those public meetings will be. There will be eight public meetings in Auckland City but only one in Manukau. I thank National! There will be only one in Waitakere. I thank National! Let us just talk again about that Pacific regional fono on Monday night. Mr Lotu-Iiga where were you on the night of that Pacific regional fono? You were holding a 10-year funding plan— 
Nathan Guy 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. The member is bringing you into the debate and I suggest that you ask her to refrain from bringing you into the debate. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Rick Barker) 
: In response to that point of order I say that the sentence started off by naming a member: “Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga where were you on the night …”. The “you” was quite obviously tied in the same sentence to the name; it was not directed at the Chair. To be fair “you” is not totally excluded from members’ usage. If the member had been directing that comment at me I certainly would have taken offence but she was not. I invite the member to continue. 
CARMEL SEPULONI 
: Thank you Mr Chair. Where was Mr Lotu-Iiga on the night of that Pacific regional fono on the super-city? He was holding a fono in Auckland City on Auckland City’s 10-year funding plan when that Auckland City will soon cease to exist. What was the point of that? While there were several hundred Pacific people at the regional Pacific fono on the super-city I heard there were about 10 people at Mr Lotu-Iiga’s meeting and they were all his family members. 
The issue with the transition agency is that our people will not be reflected. Members of the agency will be people of like mind with Mr Rodney Hide. They will supposedly be there to make decisions for our future as Aucklanders. I say “our future” because I live in Auckland too. Personally I am quite fearful when I think of the fact that Mr Rodney Hide and people who think like him will be making decisions on my behalf and on behalf of our Pacific community which makes up 14 percent of the region and our Maori community which makes up 11 percent of the region.