Mapp Wayne: Local Government (Auckland) Amendment Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee 
Mapp Wayne: Local Government (Auckland) Amendment Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:618;Page:14015] 
Dr WAYNE MAPP (National—North Shore) 
: 
 I note that clause 5 states: “This Act binds the Crown.” What a noble gesture that is. It implies does it not that the Crown the Government of New Zealand has some grand design for the Auckland region in relation to transport. Unfortunately that is not true and this bill fails in its basic objective. Members should look at clause 3 “Purpose” which states: “The purpose of this Act is—(a) to improve the integration of—(i) the Auckland regional land transport system;”. It actually does not do that because we will still have the multiplicity of authorities and accountabilities. Certainly it aggregates some stuff within the Auckland region. It gives some additional powers to the Auckland Regional Council and it deals with Auckland Regional Network Transport Ltd but it does not deal with the big issue which as the Minister well knows is the completion of the motorway network. Where in this bill do I find the inclusion and integration of Transit or Transfund— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: Or TrackCo. 
Dr WAYNE MAPP 
: —or TrackCo. The big spending items are not here so when I see the words: “This Act binds the Crown.” I realise that they are there purely as window-dressing. The Crown to all intents and purposes is doing absolutely nothing. 
I am appalled that after 7½ years I have to stand here and say that the busway for the North Shore is yet to start. It is a project that has been thought about in our city progressively planned during the 3 years I was a Government back-bencher and now 5 years later is yet to start. Certainly there are all sorts of honeyed words from the Government with fine intentions and so forth but our city is waiting for the bulldozers. I do not mean just on the Esmonde Road interchange; I mean on the entire network. 
In fact the speaker for the Greens takes direct and personal accountability aided and abetted by the Minister in the chair Chris Carter for stopping the work entirely for the last 12 months by a review. It was an unnecessary review of something that would have significant advantages for public transport which I presume the Greens actually support and the city desires. It was an integration of public transport through buses and high-density vehicles—that is motor vehicles carrying three or more people. It was something that surely everyone would have supported; yet a review lasting 12 months effectively put the project back. So a project that should have been in operation no later than 2003 if the Government had taken a meaningful and serious approach to this issue will I suggest not now operate until 2008 at the earliest. That is a whole decade for a very simple straightforward project. 
So when Auckland people look at the actions of this Government and measure them they will say: “Gosh it took 10 years just to do a simple project like the North Shore busway. How on earth will the Government be able to complete its alleged programme in a meaningful sort of way?”. There are much tougher decisions ahead. Has this Government made a single statement of serious funding intent in relation to the Eastern highway for instance? It has not made even one. 
The reality is that the city will wait until the Government is thrown out because that is the only possible solution to this problem. We need to change the Government and get a clear and coherent policy in place.