Robertson H V Ross: Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill — Second Reading Procedure In Committee 
Robertson H V Ross: Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill — Second Reading Procedure In Committee 
[Volume:657;Page:6392] 
H V ROSS ROBERTSON (Labour—Manukau East) 
: 
 Kia ora tatou no reira Mr Chairman. Thank you for the opportunity to make a contribution in this debate. What a sham it has been. The Government talked about consultation and then did exactly what it wanted to do. So much for consultation! We have just heard from the Hon John Carter who said that the Government consulted. Well I say to Mr Carter the plan has stripped democracy from residents. That is still the case because the Auckland Council has all the power. It will decide the plans it will own everything and it will employ the staff. That is exactly what the real situation is. The Minister in the chair the Hon Rodney Hide can cloud it and do what he likes but the reality is that we know otherwise. 
But what has happened to Franklin? Better still I ask what has happened to the hapless member for Franklin Dr Paul Hutchison. He spoke out strongly against the boundary changes but he has been ignored by the Prime Minister he has been ignored by Rodney Hide he has been ignored by the Hon John Carter he has been ignored by his local mayor and he has been ignored by his colleagues. What has happened to the honourable member Paul Hutchison is that he has learnt that loyalty is expendable in politics. He has been shafted by his own colleagues who have their own political agenda. Penny Webster the Mayor of Rodney District and a former ACT member of Parliament and the local member for that area Dr Lockwood Smith spoke out strongly and they were listened to. The people of Rodney will be thankful for their action because of what it has achieved. But the people of Franklin will be asking what Dr Paul Hutchison did. The answer appears to be very very little because Franklin has been gutted and Rodney is intact. There is a message in that for the people of Franklin. 
What we see with this legislation is a constitutional outrage. The Government is rushing it through in the dead of night under urgency. That is what is happening. The Hon Rodney Hide should get off his hind legs take a call and justify what he has done in this Chamber tonight. The Hon John Carter should get off his hind legs and defend what his Government has done to Franklin. 
Chris Tremain 
: He’s been up for the last 10 minutes. 
H V ROSS ROBERTSON 
: He did not touch on Franklin. He should defend what has happened to Franklin. We have seen an abuse of democracy. The Government has ignored the Mayor of Franklin District Mark Ball and the local National MP Dr Paul Hutchison and even the good people of Franklin have been ignored over the boundaries. Waiuku has been cut in half Tuakau has been sold out to the Waikato and the southern rim of the Pukekohe race track is now in the Waikato region. So when the cars race around there half of the time they will be racing in Auckland and on the lap right at the end they will be in the Waikato. What we are seeing is absolutely illogical and it is an abuse of executive power. Where is the transparency? Where is the accountability? Where is the good governance demanded by the people of Franklin? It is a shameful act of jackboot democracy. That is exactly what we are seeing here. 
The front page of the  
Manukau Courier 
 says it all. It has a photograph of the Minister of Local Government the Hon Rodney Hide with his hand up saying: “Do it my way.” That is what is happening. It is jackboot democracy: “Do it my way.” We have a Minister who is out of control and who is imposing his rule on the faithful loyal good people of the Franklin district. Mark Ball—whom you will know Mr Chairman from your dealings when you were in the Opposition—is a decent mayor. He is a vocal critic of the hatchet job done to Franklin and he has every reason to feel aggrieved. He is a good loyal servant of the people. He was there to serve others and he carried the same values and ethics into that job that he had when he was a police officer— 
The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch) 
: I am sorry to interrupt the member. I say to the members sitting near the member who is speaking that there is too much noise. Could they please show the member some courtesy. 
Hon Parekura Horomia 
: He’s harassing us Mr Chairman. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch) 
: The member is not to interrupt while I am on my feet. 
H V ROSS ROBERTSON 
: Thank you Mr Chairman. We have a former police officer now the Mayor of Franklin District who is standing up for the rights of the people in his area and we have a Government that is steamrolling legislation through and cutting Franklin in half. For this mayor’s efforts he has been left out to dry. He has been hung drawn and quartered. It is a shameful act of betrayal.