Lotu-Iiga Peseta Sam: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
Lotu-Iiga Peseta Sam: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
[Volume:654;Page:3242] 
PESETA SAM LOTU-IIGA (National—Maungakiekie) 
: 
 I rise along with other Government members to support the Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill. My first acknowledgement is to the royal commission: the Hon Peter Salmon Dame Margaret Bazley and David Shand. What a great job they did along with their staff their researchers and the workers that contributed to the commission of inquiry’s report. I also acknowledge the Hon Rodney Hide for the great work that he has done since being appointed Minister of Local Government his leadership and the honourable way he has conducted himself in seeking the opinions of Aucklanders and New Zealanders. He has been ably assisted by the Hon John Carter who is appropriately sitting to my right in the House. His experience in this area is unsurpassed. His work in the area and his dedication to the people of Auckland—although he is not an Aucklander—are fully appreciated by us. I also take this time to acknowledge our leader the Hon John Key. He has led this country he is a breath of fresh air for this country and he has been acting decisively thinking strategically and moving regionally. 
As some members of this House have already indicated reforms of local government are not new. In 1989 the Hon Michael Bassett—a very decent man a very thoughtful man and a very intelligent man although he was a Labour Party Minister—put forward various reforms. Those reforms transformed Auckland City when Onehunga Borough Council One Tree Hill Borough Council and a number of other borough councils within the isthmus were put together to form the current Auckland City Council. At the time there was opposition to such reforms similar to that heard today. In fact one of the opponents lived in the outer suburbs and some of them now form the Auckland City Council. I refer to David Hay who was the Mayor of Mount Roskill Borough and who is now the Deputy Mayor of Auckland. So contrary to the views opposite people can come from the outer suburbs and form part of the council for Greater Auckland. 
We have talked about the composition of the proposed council and some have referred to the eight at-large councillors. I find that strangely ironic and I find it strangely hypocritical that those who are at large in terms of being list MPs within this House are now speaking out against the at-large council membership. It is strangely ironic that those are the loudest voices against such at-large representation. 
I also acknowledge my friends in the Maori Party. I have great sympathy for their views about having Maori representation on the council. I have great empathy for the Maori Party and I have a huge amount of respect for the Maori Party in its desire to have representation on the council. But I have also heard of other groups who would like similar representation. I ask whether we should have an Asian councillor whether we should automatically have a Pasifika councillor and whether we should have a South African councillor. The reason we live in a democracy is that it allows the people to have their say in who runs cities boroughs and the country itself. Indeed I think it is an insult to those who put their hands up for election to the at-large seats to say they are not able and willing to represent their particular city. We know that in this House we have a former Deputy Mayor of Manukau City. He is a man of honour and integrity a man who was elected by the people. I have put up my hand within the Auckland City Council area and have shown that minorities can with the right amount of work and the right amount of talent and gifts represent the people. Minorities represent the people. They do not represent just Pasifika people or just workers; they represent all the peoples within those electorates. 
We have heard members from across the Chamber say there has been no consultation—zero consultation. In that case I do not know why a royal commission of inquiry was set up by the Labour Government in 2007. Why did we have a royal commission of inquiry if there was no consultation? I tell members that I was part of the consultation and over 3500 people took part in it. Members opposite also say there will be no future consultation. That is an absolute lie too. A number of meetings have already been held in Auckland City; a number of meetings are about to be held in Auckland City. In fact I myself have set up meetings throughout my constituency of Maungakiekie—right across the electorate—to see what the people of Maungakiekie have to say. I have already been listening and I have already had meetings with people out there. I have talked to local community board members and found that they are by and large positive. They are positive and they are quite keen to hear what will come out of the legislation and what will come out of the consultation in terms of the powers and the abilities of local community boards to set the direction of their local communities. I have also talked to a number of employees of local city councils and I have found that although they are a little nervous they see that the positive benefits of a single city are the way forward. 
I want to touch on a few examples of why a single city is the way forward. We will have one council one mayor one district plan and one long-term council community plan. There is a project in Auckland called the Auckland-Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative—an infrastructure project that runs between Auckland City and Manukau City. That project is within the long-term plan for Auckland City Council and funds have been set aside in terms of the purchase of houses and infrastructure development. Yet on the other side of the divide Manukau City has not provided for this development in its long-term plan. There is a mismatch here that would be solved by having one council. There is also the Pasifika Festival of which Auckland City Council is very proud. But again one council contributes to this iconic event on our calendar yet the other councils that benefit from such an event do not contribute financially. 
This legislation is about leadership. It is about leading Auckland City into a new era it is about leading Auckland City into becoming an iconic city for the Asia-Pacific region and it is about the leadership that we may have from a mayor with the ability to lead such a city. I support this bill. It really is a new turn in the history of Auckland and also of New Zealand. I acknowledge those who have contributed to this bill and I look forward to putting forward my support for this bill in the coming months and moving Auckland into the future. Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker.