Ngaro Alfred: Local Electoral Amendment Bill (No 2) — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Ngaro Alfred: Local Electoral Amendment Bill (No 2) — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 06 November 2012. Volume:685;Page:6338. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
ALFRED NGARO (National) 
: 
 I stand and take a call on the Local Electoral Amendment Bill (No 2). There has been increasing public concern that the Local Electoral Act 2001 does not require candidates for local authority elections to provide the same degree of transparency and accountability in regard to donations as that required of parliamentary candidates. This bill forms part of the Government’s response to the recommendations of the two reports of the Law Commission and recommendations by the previous Regulations Review Committee. 
The Law Commission has rightly said that our statute law as a whole currently lacks coherence is untidy and can be difficult to understand and use. The Legislation Bill supports the efforts of the Parliamentary Counsel Office— 
Charles Chauvel 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I think somebody might point out to the speaker that he is speaking about the Legislation Bill which is yet to be debated. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch) 
: I am listening very closely. 
ALFRED NGARO 
: This bill aims to modernise and improve the law relating to the publication availability reprinting revision and official versions of the legislation. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch) 
: Yes. We are actually talking about the Local Electoral Amendment Bill (No 2). It might pay if the member concentrates on that and spends some time on that. If the member does have this bill in front of him he is way wide of the mark. 
ALFRED NGARO 
: What this bill does do is limit the size of anonymous donations that a candidate can retain requiring any candidate not to retain an anonymous donation of more than $1500. We do realise that this is something that is important to the public giving them confidence and the ability to be able to trust. I know as my first foray into politics was actually in the 2010 Auckland City elections. It was there that what was most important— 
Hon Member 
: Here’s the confession. 
ALFRED NGARO 
: Well not so much a confession but actually just declaring the fact that I was there in those elections. It was about confidence. But the confidence we are talking about is not just in terms of the amount of the donations; most important the bill is actually about declaring that candidates are local candidates and it is about the work that they do. I think if anything the rats are around the donations. The true aspect the public want to see is candidates who are trustworthy and candidates who are actively working in their local community and the provisions of this bill absolutely commend that. I think that is what is going to be absolutely important. 
I commend this bill to the House. I commend the Government for taking this step. I commend the efforts of the Minister of Local Government and also the Justice and Electoral Committee which is ably chaired by my colleague Tim Macindoe and the committee members who are there. I look forward to the debate in the House on this bill. Thank you.