Coleman Jonathan: Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill — Second Reading Procedure In Committee 
Coleman Jonathan: Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill — Second Reading Procedure In Committee 
[Volume:657;Page:6372] 
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Immigration) 
: 
 What the heck was that speech all about? All I have learnt from that speech from David Shearer is that Labour has never had a policy on Auckland regional governance. What we have heard today is that Labour members want to have a referendum on this issue. Well that is news to me. I am pretty sure that it is news to Phil Twyford as well. The member David Shearer said that the Government was not listening and now he has said that the Government is listening too much. I think that pretty much sums up the Labour Party’s approach to Auckland governance. 
For those members it has just been a political football. They have not come to the table with anything constructive at all. They have said that there is something wrong with everything that the Government has done. They were against the super-city then they are for it and now tonight we hear that they want a referendum. The fact is they are not interested in getting Auckland moving. But I tell members that Mr Shearer and Mr Twyford had better get with the programme because the Labour Party candidate Len Brown has already declared yet members of the parliamentary Labour Party are saying that they are not sure whether they even want this reform. 
We have to look at why we are having this reform and why we need a unitary authority. The reason is that Auckland governance across the region has not worked for many many years. It needs an assertive Government and an assertive Minister of Local Government to take it by the scruff of the neck and to turn Auckland into the fantastic world-class city that this country needs and the people of Auckland deserve. I can tell members that if we had left it to that mob over there we would not have a decision. We would not have anything happening in time for the local government elections in 2010. There would be no progress. There would be no plan for infrastructure across Auckland. There would be no working together as a city to solve the issues. 
In fact what did Phil Twyford say about this? Phil said: “There was a feeling for quite a long time that the city wasn’t working properly with traffic problems crappy infrastructure”—excuse me—“and a downtown that looked like a bombsite. There was a lot of grumpiness about that. I think our Government was very late in coming to the party and doing something about that.” All we can tell from this is that Labour members are all over the paddock. 
If there was another thing that Phil Goff should have added to his long list of apologies on Sunday then I think it should have been an apology to the people of Auckland for the lack of leadership the indecisiveness and for not having a plan. Thank goodness that we have Rodney Hide and John Carter who have put together a workable plan. They have listened to the people of Auckland. They have listened to the people of Rodney. Those people know that this super-city will be a winner. 
The problem with the Labour Party is that it will go with whatever the polls show. Those members started off thinking that this would be the issue that would bring down the Government. Then they found that Aucklanders want a unitary authority. They want to get the city going. They want this and it is a good plan. This Government supports it that lot over there do not. Aucklanders will not forget that.