Sio William: Local Government Act 2002 (Greater Local Democracy) Amendment Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSio William: Local Government Act 2002 (Greater Local Democracy) Amendment Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 12 August 2015. Volume:707;Page:5757. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Su’a WILLIAM SIO (Labour—Māngere): For the past 7 long dark and dreary years the Government has set out to systematically remove and strip the democratic rights of all New Zealanders. It has—Joanne Hayes: No.Su’a WILLIAM SIO: Yes—when I hear those members oppose my colleague Stuart Nash’s bill that is what they have gone out and done to systematically deliberately and determinedly strip local communities of their democratic right to participate and have a say. That is what democracy is about: allowing New Zealanders to participate instead of being dictated to by that grubby National Government. Democracy is about allowing New Zealanders to have a say in the future of their local communities not about the way that this Government has determinedly set itself up as the dictator of local government.Once the National Party became the Government it deliberately went out and started undermining local government beginning with the Auckland region. That is what it did. The Auckland region said that this was a hostile takeover and that is exactly what has happened. The Minister of Local Government even announced in the early stages when the Government forced the amalgamation in Auckland that the ratepayers would save on rates. For goodness’ sake! That is what the Government promised—that under this structure Aucklanders would save on rates. Then it attempted to drag down Northland. It dragged Wellington to try to force the amalgamation and what did the people do? They rebelled. They rebelled against this grubby National Government. They did not want this Government. In fact that is the only reason that the Government has now changed the local government commissioner—because its determination to undermine local democracy has failed.The Government has failed and it knows that all the mayors some of whom once used to be National Party members no longer have confidence in that Government. They do not. The Government is afraid that come 2017 the mayors are going to rally against it and vote it out because instead of doing a cost-benefit analysis in Auckland it did not do anything. It did not do a cost-benefit analysis in Wellington. It was just determined that instead of local government and mayors and councillors having a say it thought it was smart enough to dictate to all local government that it knew best. Well it does not. It does not know best and Wellington rightly so opposed its amalgamation despite the fact that the Government tried to drag it over the coals and drag down Northland.I am so grateful that those people knew better and that is what this bill is about. It is about trusting the people of New Zealand. It is about recognising that they have every right to have a say in the amalgamation of their particular region. That is what this is about and if this Government trusted New Zealanders enough it would know that the collective view of the people is far better than its members’ collective view. I say that with every confidence because that is what the mayors are saying.This grubby National Government thinks it knows it all but it does not. It does not know about local government. It talks about partnership but it has sheer contempt towards the councils and mayors. I would say this lot is going to be turned out—turned out—come 2017.Hon Members: Ha ha!Su’a WILLIAM SIO: Those members laugh about it. They laugh about it. And do you know what? The mayors and the councillors who are part of the National Party cannot stand them. When we visit the regions these mayors cannot help wanting to download about how angry they are with this lot.Nobody is taking any notice of regional economic development. Nobody is taking any notice of the housing crisis. Nobody is taking any notice of the unemployment situation. Yet we have $100 million of national debt which this Government does not give a damn about. That is why this lot is going to be turfed out in 2017. The fact that those members cannot trust New Zealanders is the reason they will not vote in support of my colleague’s bill. The Government does not trust New Zealanders and I believe that New Zealanders have cottoned on to this grubby lot. New Zealanders do not trust them either. In 2017—bye-bye guys.