Hide Rodney: Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill — First Reading 
Hide Rodney: Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:659;Page:8543] 
Hon RODNEY HIDE (Minister of Local Government) 
: 
 I move  
That the Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill be now read a first time. 
 At the appropriate time I intend to move that the bill be referred to the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee for consideration and that the committee present its final report on or before 4 May 2010. 
A lot of work has been undertaken on the governance of Auckland and I believe that the rest of the country has seen Auckland at its best. I would particularly like to thank the Auckland Transition Agency Mr Mark Ford and also the legal counsel for the transition agency Mr Rob Fisher for the outstanding work they are doing on behalf of Auckland and indeed the country. 
This bill completes the legislative framework for implementing the Government’s decisions on governance arrangements for a Greater Auckland. It builds on the two previous Auckland governance bills considered by the House this year. The governance of the Auckland region has been cause for concern for at least the past 50 years with all attempts at reform during that period failing to provide enduring solutions. These problems and the lack of workable solutions were amply demonstrated in the report of the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance. That report released in March 2009 found that Auckland’s regional council and seven territorial authorities lacked the collective sense of purpose constitutional ability and momentum to address issues effectively for the overall good of Auckland. 
This Government has addressed the urgent need for change expressed in the royal commission’s report. Change is essential to allow Auckland to develop into the world-class city that it is capable of being and must be for the future of both Auckland and New Zealand. The importance of local government to the growth and prosperity of Auckland should not be underestimated. Good governance enables civic leaders to think regionally plan strategically and act decisively. Governance arrangements affect the ability to solve the larger and longer-term challenges effectively. The Auckland region needs decisive leadership robust infrastructure and facilities and services to cater for its people. The provisions of the two previous Acts and the proposals in this bill will deliver a united Auckland governance structure strong regional governance integrated decision-making greater community engagement and improved value for money. 
We have also been and remain committed to making these decisions in a timely manner so that Auckland can get on and start reaping the rewards of the reforms. This bill will give the new Auckland Council the tools to be up and running effectively in November next year following voters electing their new representatives in the October 2010 local government elections. 
The previous two Acts set out the Government’s key ideas for Auckland. The Local Government (Tamaki Makaurau Reorganisation) Act 2009 and the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009 provided for the creation of one Auckland Council with one mayor and the disestablishment of the existing local authorities on 1 November 2010; the establishment of local boards to ensure the participation of local communities in council decision-making; the establishment of the Auckland Transition Agency as the body responsible for the transition to the new core Auckland local governance arrangements; the high-level framework for the structure of the new Auckland Council; and the direction and provision of powers for the Local Government Commission to determine the boundaries and the wards of the Auckland Council and the number and boundaries of the Auckland Council’s local boards and their membership. 
This is an omnibus bill that develops and enhances the two earlier Auckland Acts and amends many other pieces of legislation. The scope of the change to be achieved is significant and it is complex. Multiple organisations are to be disestablished and their staff and assets moved into new or different organisations. The planning and rating systems of eight councils are to be integrated into one unified system by 2012. Local boards which are a new and exciting concept for local government in New Zealand are to be established and integrated into the council’s planning and decision-making systems. The key provisions of the bill are to make further provision for the Auckland Transition Agency to undertake the establishment of the new local governance arrangements in Auckland to effectively and fairly manage the transition of staff and assets to the new structures and to prepare for local elections in October 2010; to provide the substantial detail for the Auckland Council to be able to operate effectively upon its establishment on 1 November 2010; to provide a structure and governance framework for council-controlled organisations to achieve the regional effectiveness of operation that underpins the Government’s reforms; to establish Auckland Transport and make further provision for Watercare Services Ltd; to provide further detail of the relationship between the council’s governing body and the local boards; to provide mechanisms to enhance Maori Pacific and ethnic participation in council processes; and to provide transitional planning funding and rating arrangements through to July 2012 including details of how Auckland will move from eight planning and rating processes to just one. 
Although the Government is committed to having the legislation enacted as soon as practicable we are also mindful of the need to provide the citizens of Auckland and other interested parties with the opportunity to submit their views on the Government’s proposals through the select committee process. This bill is comprehensive and complex and it is only proper that it receives such scrutiny. As the bill will make changes to existing councils’ planning decisions in June 2010 it must be passed by the end of May 2010. To achieve this I propose that the select committee reports back to the House by 4 May 2010. 
I conclude this speech with a quotation from the  
New Zealand Herald 
 which has done a good but not always uncritical job of reporting the progress towards a Greater Auckland. The  
New Zealand Herald  
stated: “For more than 50 years civic reformers have tried to introduce some type of unified metropolitan government into Auckland local body affairs. Their attempts to replace the structure of small static local bodies have been bitterly opposed and nearly always failed.” That comment was made in the  
New Zealand Herald  
in 1959—50 years ago. Until this Government resolved to act there had been no reason to be confident in the future of Auckland. This legislation when enacted will complete the process of providing that confidence. 
I would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleague the Associate Minister of Local Government John Carter whose work on behalf of Auckland has been outstanding. I think that two Ministers could not have been better served than we have been by the Department of Internal Affairs headed up by Brendan Boyle. The department’s officials have gone beyond the call of duty to assist us and to make this bill and the changes in Auckland a reality. I cannot believe the job that the Parliamentary Counsel Office did in preparing this legislation. Its officials literally worked around the clock. It was a truly amazing piece of work. 
I am proud to introduce this bill and I look forward to one Auckland finally after all these years becoming a reality. Thank you.