Carter John: Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
Carter John: Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:657;Page:6604] 
Hon JOHN CARTER (Associate Minister of Local Government) 
: 
 I guess those last few paragraphs from Phil Twyford exemplified why the last Labour Government just could not get on with the job. It could not make decisions; it was always wondering and testing. 
I thank the Minister of Local Government Rodney Hide and congratulate him for the good job that he has done on this issue. He has given outstanding leadership and can be very proud of the fact that the Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill has moved a lot because of the work that he has done and the leadership that he has shown. I acknowledge the work that he is doing in local government generally and also in regulatory reform. I thank the Prime Minister and Cabinet for the work that they did and the leadership that they have given on many of the issues. Some were challenging and some were a bit difficult but nevertheless decisions were made and we have moved through it. I particularly thank the members of the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee and my colleagues on this side of the House very much for the contribution that they have made; I also thank all the members of the select committee. Of all the select committees I have worked on in my time at Parliament this one was probably the most satisfying and the most productive I have been involved with. I also acknowledge all the staff that were involved from the Office of the Clerk the Department of Internal Affairs and the Parliamentary Counsel Office. They were outstanding in their contributions and we cannot acknowledge them enough. Finally I thank the Aucklanders who took so much time and interest and delivered their contributions with great passion and great heart. They are to be commended for their input. 
This bill is one of the few bills that we can claim—even though parts of it are obviously not supported by different parties in this House—is a Parliament bill. It is a bill of this Parliament. The members of this House support and agree with much of this bill. I think we can say it is one of the few bills that has gone through and has changed and is better for it because there has been input from Parliament into it. That is important for us to remember. We must remember that this bill is not just the Prime Minister’s bill nor is it Rodney Hide’s bill as some people have claimed. It is not the right-wing agenda’s bill; it is Parliament’s bill and it is Auckland’s bill. It is the better for the debate and for the contribution by all members who have been involved in this bill. 
If there is one thing that I am still disappointed in it is that I am uncertain of exactly what Labour’s vision is. We have had the second reading 16 hours of debate in the Committee stage and the third reading yet I am still unclear of the vision that Labour has in respect of where it wants to take Auckland other than it thinks there should be a referendum which does not give a lot of vision and leadership. 
Let me clearly set out what the Government’s vision for Auckland is. It is to have an authority that ensures that the regional issues that Aucklanders have constantly wanted to be addressed—for at least 50 years if not the last 100 years—will be addressed on a regional basis. Such regional issues include planning spatial plans roads and water. For those sorts of things we will set up a structure that allows them to be addressed. To me that is absolutely vital. Without achieving that we achieve nothing. We will achieve that because the select committee and Parliament have set it in motion. 
Alongside that and probably at least as important if not more important was the issue of the local boards. There has been much discussion about what that means and what we endeavour to do. The whole purpose of where the select committee report got to and what Parliament addressed is to ensure that we empower the local boards. We have certainly ensured that the Auckland Transition Agency will set out the functions of the local boards once they have the report from the Local Government Commission. The Auckland Transition Agency will then ensure that the funding is provided. That sets the foundations for those boards that the unitary authority cannot interfere in. It gives the power to the local boards. It gives the funding to the local boards. It allows the local voice. It allows local democracy. It allows that local heartbeat. This bill is about ensuring that the voice of Aucklanders gets recognised gets heard and most important gets implemented. That is what this bill will do. 
As I have said before as we move forward this is work in progress. It is not just one step or two steps; ongoing work will need to be done. We will address things in the third bill that bring this work together. We will for example address the establishment of the new Auckland Council and the disestablishment of the existing local authorities. That will provide an orderly transfer of assets and liabilities and associated matters. We will provide an optimal environment for the new Auckland Council to work in. We will provide in the third bill for an appropriate legislative framework for the Auckland Council. We will also address things that actually matter. A lot of local legislation currently affects Auckland—for example the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act and the Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Act which was discussed by the Opposition. How we transfer through the local legislation that affects Auckland will be considered in the third bill. 
In the third bill we will consider the disestablishment of the Auckland Regional Transport Authority and setting up the provisions for the new transport entity. We will provide temporary legislation under which the new Auckland Council will operate including how things such as the district plans translate and move forward. The long-term council community plans will all be part of the third bill. We will create a dispute resolution mechanism so that any disagreement between the unitary authority and the local boards will be addressed. We will address the matter of the transfer of assets under the Local Government Act 2002 which was put in place by the previous Government to ensure that those assets continue with the protection that is afforded to them by that legislation. We will also make sure that if the funding and the powers of the local boards issues need to be addressed or further tweaked they will be considered in the third bill. The third bill is the nuts and bolts of the work we have done. It is important legislation to bring all this work together. 
I am satisfied as the chairman of the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee and as the Associate Minister of Local Government that the legislation we are putting in place today and the ongoing legislation that will follow will ensure that a structure is put in place for Aucklanders that will allow them to realise their ambitions and the things that they aspire to and at the same time take away those costs that Auckland currently imposes on New Zealanders. Not just Auckland but all of New Zealand will benefit as a consequence of this legislation. It is a proud day for this Parliament and for this country.