Hipkins Chris: Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Hipkins Chris: Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:656;Page:5723] 
CHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka) 
: 
 I actually agree with one of the things Simon Bridges just said. He said that the privatisation of assets is a tired old debate. It is a tired old debate but it is a tired old debate that simply will not die because National and the ACT Party fundamentally still believe in the privatisation of State assets and would privatise them if it were not for the fact that the New Zealand public prevents them from doing so. 
History is repeating itself because the sale of local government assets split the previous National Government away from its New Zealand First coalition. It split New Zealand First down the middle. Tau Henare and half of his colleagues in New Zealand First walked away from their leader because they wanted to support the sale of Wellington International Airport. They thought that protecting their ministerial seats was more important than sticking up for the principles they were elected on. 
New Zealand First campaigned in 1996 on opposing the sale of State assets yet when National decided to sell Wellington International Airport Tau Henare and his mates—[ 
Interruption 
] 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy) 
: Order! 
CHRIS HIPKINS 
: —left New Zealand First to prop up Jenny Shipley’s National Government. 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I know that this is a robust debate but one member has the call. There is constant screaming—and it is screaming—by Mr Henare and Mr Quinn at the top of their voices. I suggest that you might want to bring some members to order. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy) 
: I will uphold that point of order. I was calling for order. I understand that there is a bit of passion around this matter. The member on his feet though has been a little bit more political than probably was necessary. We will have just a little bit of caution from either side. Let us get on with the debate. 
CHRIS HIPKINS 
: I am just getting started. The sale of Wellington International Airport split New Zealand First in half. It split it in half— 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Rubbish! You weren’t even born then. 
CHRIS HIPKINS 
: Well maybe the numbers might not be quite right but certainly Tau Henare and his mates split away from New Zealand First so they could prop up Jenny Shipley and help her to sell Wellington International Airport. The local government reorganisation in Auckland is splitting this National Government as well. The reorganisation of local government in Auckland is splitting National ACT and the Maori Party. 
I have to say that I support the Maori Party’s position on this— 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Oh you do now. 
CHRIS HIPKINS 
: I do support the Maori Party’s position on this issue as does the Labour Party. I want to know who was the senior member of the National Party who sent around the memorandum to all caucus colleagues about the fact that this issue is “too far-reaching and too important for a party currently sitting at 1 percent in the polls to decide alone.” Yet the entire local government agenda of the National Government is in fact being driven by Rodney Hide Roger Douglas and the ACT Party a party that at its core believes in the sale of State assets. 
Those members would love to get their hands on the local government assets in Auckland and sell them off. Those members are quite crafty. They know that National went around the country at the last election and promised not to sell State-owned enterprises and State assets—in its first term mind you. There was the qualifier that National would not do it in its first term. ACT members knew they would not get their hands on those assets this term. So what would they focus on this term? They would focus on the assets under the control of local government. 
The issue is one of the things that are splitting apart the coalition of ACT National and the Maori Party. According to the memorandum sent around the caucus: “Clearly we are at a crossroads. The ACT Party has threatened to end its relationship with National if we allow Maori seats on the super city. Despite multiple arguments in support its mind cannot be changed.” But that situation is not unusual for ACT members because they do not really tend to listen to other people’s arguments. Once they have made up their minds they know best. They know what is good for New Zealanders and they will just give it to them. It is the Roger Douglas “never waste a good crisis” theory. They want to sell State assets which is why National and ACT will vote en bloc against the Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill which would ensure that Aucklanders get a say in the sale of any assets owned by local government bodies in Auckland. 
I say in conclusion that I have only one objection to this bill which is that it does not apply to the assets of all local government bodies around the country because I do not want those members to get their hands on Wellington’s assets either.