Jones Dail: Local Government (Auckland) Amendment Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee 
Jones Dail: Local Government (Auckland) Amendment Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:618;Page:14011] 
DAIL JONES (NZ First) 
: 
 New Zealand First’s policy on roading in Auckland or elsewhere is very clear. We want to make sure that all money raised by taxing the motorist for the building of roads is used to build roads. We do not support the policies of this minority Labour Government or the National Party which say that some of that money—$700 million or $800 million—can be siphoned off into other areas. 
I was in the House in 1977-78 when we introduced the hubodometer tax. It was made absolutely clear by Sir Robert Muldoon and Colin McLachlan the Minister of Transport that that tax was to be spent on roads. We said that every truck could do as much damage as 40000 cars and that the taxes raised from the hubodometer tax on trucks had to be spent on the roads. New Zealand First follows that view—[ 
Interruption 
] Mr Williamson can interject on me all the time if he likes but that is our policy and that is where we differ from the National Party and the Labour Party. 
I stood up in a meeting with Don Brash on the North Shore when I put this proposal forward and I got no support from him. He wanted to make sure that that money was still spent on hospitals and suchlike. That is fair enough but we want to make sure that every cent of the New Zealand Roads Board money—all road-user taxes—is spent on the roads unlike the National Party as Dr Brash said on the North Shore. 
This bill is like the old saying: half a loaf is better than no bread. We take the view that something has to be done for Auckland. This bill at least approaches the problem and gives some consideration to it and it amalgamates many of the diverse local authorities and local institutions that govern Auckland roads and tries to put them together towards one solution—one body looking at the problem and one body trying to solve it. We could wait 18 months for the National Party to come up with some dream idea but we know that all Maurice Williamson ever did in Government was produce reports. We in New Zealand First cannot wait for reports. We are willing to give a proposal a try. As I say it is half a loaf not the full loaf but we will give it a go because we believe that something positive has to be done for Auckland. We will not be like the National Party—we will not rub our hands say that this is a dreadful state of affairs and then spend another 18 months saying how dreadful it is. We want some action. This offers us some action in Auckland. 
As an Auckland member of Parliament and someone who helped to unchain the north-western motorway in 1979-80—I was there when Sir Robert Muldoon and I opened the Western Springs link in 1982-83 and really nothing happened after that under the Labour Government or the National Government—I am pleased that the north-western motorway will swing into the Auckland Harbour Bridge. I congratulate the Labour Party on in this term at least approaching that problem and doing something about it. If one drives on the city motorways today there does seem to be something happening. It did not happen much between 1984 and virtually 2002. There was scant work being done. I congratulate the Minister and this Government because something is happening at least and it is not the hand-wringing moaning groaning and whingeing that we constantly get from Maurice Williamson in yet another report. 
I am also very pleased that there is an extension of the rail link with one line going up as far as Morningside. I hope it will go to Henderson. I wanted to see it go to Helensville—there is no reason why that double rail link should not go there. I am looking forward to that double rail link going all the way to Helensville at the very least because there is a growing population in that area. The Auckland Regional Council—and that is part of what we are talking about today—has plans for the growth of that area. Rail link is one of the ways in which the transport of that area can be improved. Also I cannot see how people getting off a plane at Whenuapai at 8 o’clock in the morning or 6 o’clock in the morning will ever get to Auckland on the north-western motorway. They cannot do it today and they will not be able to do it in the future as things stand. That is something that really has to be re-examined by those people who support the Infratil plan for Whenuapai. 
I congratulate our member Jim Peters on all the amendments the Minister will put forward in discussion with Jim Peters and New Zealand First. We believe that cooperation with the Government is very important if something positive can be achieved. We were at the Auckland Regional Council. The council was critical of this bill Jim Peters was critical of this bill but now we have worked through to a solution in this bill which can only be a better result for the people of Auckland. That is very important especially in an MMP situation. If there is a problem it is no use just wringing one’s hands and moaning about it; one tries to work towards a good solution to that problem. What we are getting in this bill is an improvement. It is half a loaf but it is better than no bread.