Hide Rodney: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Hide Rodney: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:610;Page:7559] 
5. RODNEY HIDE (ACT NZ) 
 to the  
Minister of Local Government 
: Has he given consideration to capping the increase in rates that a council can impose in any one year; if so what does he see as the advantages of such an approach? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER (Minister of Local Government) 
: 
 No I have not given that idea any consideration. However the member’s bill on that issue will be given due consideration by the Labour caucus as is the case with all members’ bills. 
Rodney Hide 
: Is the Minister prepared to hear from the public by at least supporting my bill going to the select committee; if he is not prepared to support its referral to a select committee why is he not prepared to hear from the public? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: I can assure the member that I do regularly hear from the public—not least of all on rating issues. 
Jim Peters 
: Has Mr Hide or any other member made written comment to the Hon Mr Carter’s ministry seeking an urgent review of the council’s processes for striking rates in the year 2003-04 under the Local Government Act 2002 and the Local Government (Rating) Act; if not why not? 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Whether I have written to the Minister might be very interesting but he cannot explain whether I have written. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Perhaps the member might like to rephrase the question so that it involves the Minister’s responsibility. He can say: “Has the Minister received it” or something like that. 
Jim Peters 
: Has the Minister received any written comment regarding a review of the council’s processes in striking rates for the 2003-04 year under the Local Government Act 2002 and the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002; if not why not a review? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: To reiterate what I said earlier I have received a number of letters and emails requesting a review of rates from a number of territorial authorities. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The question was: “Has the Minister received any written”— 
Rodney Hide 
: Oh you are going to help your brother out. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: And you too sunshine. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Mr Hide you will please leave the Chamber. I am not having any interjection on points of order. 
Rodney Hide withdrew from the Chamber. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: The Minister was asked whether his ministry had received any correspondence on two critical pieces of local government legislation from Mr Hide and we are still waiting to know what the answer is—yes or no. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: It would greatly help the House if the younger brother would listen to the older brother because in fact if you look at the question that was approved Mr Hide’s name was not mentioned in the second question. Indeed if the Minister wants to know what Mr Hide and the ACT party think all that he has to do is read the  
Hansard 
 where we predicted that most of these things would happen. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Let me just say that the member did not listen to the second question and Mr Prebble is exactly correct. 
Nanaia Mahuta 
: Who is accountable for local authority rates increases and does that accountability include public participation? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: Local authorities are accountable to their own communities for the activities they undertake the costs of those activities and the level of rates required to fund them. All of those matters are required to be explicitly identified in council planning documents which are subject to formal public consultation requirements. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Has the Minister asked his officials to assess how much of the considerable rate rise across the country can be attributed to the impositions upon local authorities that come from the policies of Helen Clark’s Government; if not why not? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: My officials are constantly scoping out costs to local authorities. We are of course very aware that the primary cost to local authorities is infrastructure costs and no Government has delivered more to local government in funding on infrastructure than this Government. 
Paul Adams 
: Does the Minister agree that if instead of capping rates which sounds a lot like the Muldoon price and wage freezes that never worked the Auckland Regional Council revenue was paid by all Aucklanders over the age of 18 years then the cost would be only $2 per week each instead of individual property owners facing rate increases of several hundred percent? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: Yes I do feel that it is a simplistic response to rate rises to suggest a process of just capping them. It would of course remove the ability of local communities to fund important projects. Actually it would appear that ACT members are becoming advocates for central control. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No the last sentence is out of order. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It is worse than that. We have a situation where a member has put down a question on notice and is now unable to ask supplementary questions because you have thrown him out. The Government has now decided to take free hits at the ACT party. The member should be required to— 
Hon Annette King 
: Ha! 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: We now see that the Minister is allowed to laugh during points of order but I guess the rules are different for Labour members. She should be thrown out as well. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No the rules are not different for Labour members. The member is perfectly correct that Mr Hide was asked to leave. That was for nothing to do with the question or answer session. It was through disobeying the rule about interjecting on points of order and every member knows that. As far as taking potshots at ACT is concerned first of all the last sentence was out of order and I have ruled it out of order. Secondly the member is probably the most experienced member in the House ensuring that that will not occur and it will not. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: Is it fair in the Minister’s mind that ratepayers face an average rate increase in the order of 34 percent—yes or no—and if he thinks that it is fair could he explain why; if not what will he do about it? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: In reply to that question I repeat the reply I gave last week on this subject. Local authorities set their own rates and they are accountable for them.