Simpson Scott: Local Government (Auckland Transitional Provisions) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSimpson Scott: Local Government (Auckland Transitional Provisions) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading[Sitting date: 17 November 2015. Volume:710;Page:8253. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel): Well there we have it. The contrast could not have been more apparent tonight. After the careful deliberate measured introductory speech from the Minister we had the first version of the campaign speech for the Auckland mayoralty by the member for Mt Roskill who has suddenly rediscovered his Auckland roots and is in full-blown Auckland campaign mode. He has ditched the Labour Party red tie. He has got his new campaign tie on. It has that sort of bluish greenish tinge and there he is practising his speech for the 22nd this coming Sunday and he is going to be into it.There he was about to desert the Labour Party’s ship about to leave all that he has been practising for 30 years in this House and all for this speech tonight on this new bill which is being introduced as I say after the careful deliberate and measured contribution from the Minister who did such a good job in setting out why it is that this House is considering this bill at this time on this night. It is an important piece of technical legislation that needs to be passed before Christmas.The legislation needs to be put in place so that as the member for Mt Roskill so rightly said Auckland can continue to succeed. Even in the provinces even in the beautiful Coromandel electorate it is important that Auckland succeeds because when Auckland succeeds the rest of the country succeeds and so too do the provinces. That is why I am very pleased to be able to stand in this first reading debate and support the introduction of this bill.Effectively when the principal Act was introduced in 2010 the Auckland Unitary Plan Independent Hearings Panel was established. It was established to hear submissions on the proposed Auckland Unitary Plan. This plan is a very big piece of work. It is a huge undertaking. The submissions that have been received on the plan have been many and varied and it is important that they get due hearing and that they are well considered by the hearings panel.So this piece of legislation proposes to amend the principal Act to essentially do three things. First of all it will reduce the quorum required for the hearing sessions from three members to two members. I want to spend a minute or two just going over some of these points a little later in my contribution. The second thing that this bill does is it increases the maximum number of members of the hearings panel from seven to 10. The third part of this bill is to enable the hearings panel to make its recommendations in stages after hearings are completed on a particular topic rather than having to wait for the complete submission process to have taken place.So what will reducing the quorum of the hearing sessions do? Well it will reduce the number of members required to be a quorum from three to two. Currently the three panel members have to be present at every hearing session so reducing this will mean that a flexibility can be applied that will enable up to four hearings to take place at the same time. That will speed up the process. It will speed it up and improve the efficiency.Although three members could well be present for some of the more complex and controversial hearing topics the panel can be relied upon to exercise its discretion. I have faith and I am confident that they will be able to exercise that discretion easily and well and without fear of concern about that process.The second major point is that the increase in the size of the panel increases the membership from seven to 10. This will help ensure that that process of concurrent hearings can occur in a seemly and timely way. The third major change enables the panel to make its recommendations in stages. That has not been the case until now. So this is a good little technical adjustment that will help this unitary plan hearings process; it will help Auckland succeed.I want to be the first in this House to wish the member for Mt Roskill Phil Goff well in his campaigning intentions. I am pleased that he has delivered the opening campaign address tonight here in this Chamber. The few of us who are here have been privileged to hear that speech. No doubt we will hear it again on Sunday afternoon. I commend this bill to the House.