Mark RonHon RON MARK (Minister of Defence): Thank you Madam Assistant Speaker. It's a privilege to be able to stand and speak on behalf of New Zealand First on this the Local Government Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill. I want to start by acknowledging the Hon Nanaia Mahuta Minister of Local Government for bringing the bill to the House. I also want to recognise previous speakers who have local government experience in particular—and I see a few more on the Opposition benches lining up to take calls—just to pay recognition for the service of some of those members. They have long deep experience. I acknowledge member Lawrence Yule as a former president of Local Government New Zealand. I enjoyed the time working with that member and local government and being part of the local government family.It's no secret that for years now there have been numerous inconsistencies in the Act. And it's when the previous speaker Jacqui Dean spoke on the bill and made it clear that it was the previous Government that put this legislation together and therefore the previous Government and the Opposition benches deserve the credit for this bill being here—I guess what they must also accept is the criticism for it taking so long to get here. Nine years they had to tidy up some of these matters and instead of dealing in some of these technical issues that were costly cost productivity were difficult to interpret and in fact in some cases just simply out of date—instead of dealing with those simple matters which would have reduced compliance costs reduced red tape reduced rates for the ratepayers or costs on the ratepayer something that the previous Government promoted itself as being a champion of—they instead got diverted by other nonsensical local government amendments such as the 2013 legislation which I assume that the Hon Jacqui Dean was taking credit for as well along with that erstwhile former minister Nick Smith.You see it's pieces of legislation like this bill that come in and they're quite technical—they're sort of a technocrat's tidy up. It's long overdue and it's work that has to be done. I don't anticipate there'll be a lot of opposition. In fact I would anticipate that given that the previous Government who sits in Opposition apparently produced this perfect bill there wouldn't be a lot of discussion in select committee and it'll be all over and dusted and reported back tout de suite back to the House and we will be able to enact it in a very efficient manner as well—in a very expeditious manner. So I look forward to seeing that because I do not anticipate on the back of the Hon Jacqui Dean's speech that there's much that they're going to criticise in select committee that there's much they're going to change because apparently they wrote it and they wrote it perfectly and therefore it should stand on its own and just move straight through that select committee process very very swiftly indeed. So I look forward to an early report back possibly if that's what they could possibly manage for the Hon Nanaia Mahuta and thus allow us to get the changes through swiftly. But I'm not anticipating that'll happen for some funny reason.In my time in local government it was often frustrating for a small council to be required to churn out large documents in volumes at great expense to the ratepayer like the long-term plan and being expected at the drop of a hat to give everybody who asked for a copy a copy—a very expensive exercise. So it's understandable that we change the law so that these documents and all documents including minutes of all council meetings should be available online so everyone can see exactly what their councillors did and didn't say in those meetings that took place. And if we reduce this cost to the ratepayers that'd be a very very good thing.There's only the one caution and I would ask members to pay a little bit of attention to it because I'm anticipating that mayors councillors from rural and provincial New Zealand will say That's all very well and fine if you're online." And we know that there are parts of New Zealand who have not had the pleasure the enjoyment the privilege of rapidly rolled out broadband initiatives that John Key promised them into their hinterland. I can tell you that you can't even make a phone call from Gladstone let alone get broadband. So this provision in Part 4 Amendments to Local Government Act 2002 I'm anticipating some discussion at select committee around whether or not there might still be an obligation in some parts of the country to provide where necessary. So I'll look forward to seeing the report back and seeing if—based on the submissions based on the evidence—that is an issue and if it's an issue that needs addressing at all in the committee stage.The other areas—electoral participation; this is a real doozy. I'm looking forward to hearing the discussion and debate around this post the select committee hearings because we all know that turnouts in local government elections are appallingly low. Again it's interesting that in rural and provincial districts it tends to be high. There tends to be something about those districts those territorial authorities that drives their constituents to take a higher level of interest indeed responsibility as citizens as ratepayers in making those decisions. And so they do fill out those voting forms and they do post them—not in wonderful numbers but in far better numbers from all the evidence that I've seen. So to have finally the Electoral Act amended so that there is focus and mandate to facilitate and foster representative and substantial electoral participation in the legislation is a welcome addition. It will be interesting to see how this rolls out in different parts of the country—what it is that people determine is the cause of the low turnout the low expressions of interest the low participation levels and what it is they choose to do to try and change that because believe you me we need to change that. There is nothing more frustrating I think for many of us who have served in local government than to go through all of the hoopla of consulting producing a draft annual plan a draft long-term plan putting it out for consultation and then sitting there patiently late into the evening waiting for people to come in and make their oral submissions. And at 10.30 or 11 o'clock at night one finally packs up their notebooks and pads and walks out having had only two people walk in the door both of them friends of a councillor who just wanted to come and see who was going to be there—and then post the publication of the annual plan or the long-term plan to be bailed up when you're trying to have a beer in a pub by someone who doesn't like the long-term plan who doesn't like the rates increase who doesn't like the plan to modernise or improve the playground or the park or whatever. And I would always find myself saying to these people "Did you make a submission?" Did that person vote? And it was always frustrating to find that in far too many cases they didn't even vote. Anything that we can do to increase participation in local government has to be a win. So empowering those in the position to actually promote and foster representation and increase participation and increase voter turnout has got to be a jolly good thing.Like I said right at the start I think unanimity is breaking out across the House. Consensus is having its way in the final hours of this evening. Unlike the previous bill the overseas investment bill—I wish I'd been able to debate this bill with the same degree of passion that I would have debated that one but I certainly recommend this bill to the House."