King Colin: Local Electoral (Maori Representation) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
King Colin: Local Electoral (Maori Representation) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:664;Page:11797] 
COLIN KING (National—Kaikoura) 
: 
 The Local Electoral (Maori Representation) Amendment Bill is in the name of Te Ururoa Flavell. I certainly acknowledge and respect the contribution that that member makes but National will not be supporting the bill. I will tell the Opposition on the other side of the House why I have great respect for the Maori Party. In under 2 years its members have achieved more for Maori than Labour has ever achieved. 
The bill’s gestation was in reaction to the Auckland City legislation and one thing the Opposition will have to acknowledge is that National is being consistent. Local councils are very important and we recognise that it is important to have embodied in them the very essence of that community. Councils are already empowered to be able to decide whether they want specific Maori seats. National’s view is that communities themselves should decide whether they want seats to be provided for Maori. That can still happen under the Auckland City arrangement and it will be something that will play out in the future. 
At the moment National is very very clear on its position. It recognises the importance of good local governance and it also recognises that one size does not fit all. On that basis when I reflect on this bill regardless of what the Opposition says I think about the various councils that I have to deal with in the Kaikoura electorate. I think of the Waimakariri District Council the Hurunui District Council and those in Kaikoura and Marlborough and then of course Environment Canterbury and I see that this legislation is very very complex and very difficult to administer. 
Section 19ZD in clause 9 states that every district council must have at least one constituency seat for Maori. The formula in section 19ZA in clause 9 is very complex and would be most difficult to apply and I would say that that alone—the pure mechanics of the way the bill is structured—makes it very difficult to support. The Government is being consistent. We believe that the communities should decide. We argue that the present system is best. I would ask members on the other side of the House who will actually represent Maori when there is already Maori representation on a local council. At the top of the South Island we have eight iwi so we will put in a person to sit on a council and we would still have to— 
Hon Parekura Horomia 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This is outrageous. Certainly if that is the essence of his analysis then one has to really—[ 
Interruption 
] 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Rick Barker) 
: Let us hear. 
Hon Parekura Horomia 
: The point of order is that he is stretching his rationale in support of this bill. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Rick Barker) 
: Firstly I say to the Hon Parekura Horomia that that is a debatable point. The member knows it full well. It is not a point of order. I say to other members that when a member is raising a point of order the general rule is that there should be silence in the House. I am quite able to make my own judgment of it. I now call on Colin King to finish his speech to the House. 
COLIN KING 
: Effectively the Local Government Act 2002 and the Local Government Act 2001 already provide for local councils to have Maori seats. So let us leave it up to the communities and let them use the mechanisms that they have available such as referendums. It is on that basis that we will vote against this bill. Thank you.