King Annette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
King Annette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 19 July 2012. Volume:681;Page:3756. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
9. 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Labour—Rongotai) 
 to the  
Minister of Local Government 
: Were the local authority financial statistics provided in the  
Better Local Government 
 paper released by the Government on 19 March 2012 accurate; if not how were they inaccurate? 
Hon DAVID CARTER (Minister of Local Government) 
: 
 As the member was advised in answer to written question No. 4531 and in a letter of mine to her on 16 July this year a booklet was published that contained a table showing average rate increases from 2002 to 2010 for each council. This data became incorrectly correlated in the production of the table resulting in incorrect rating increases being shown for some councils. This did not affect the reported figure of an average annual 7 percent rate increase by councils over the previous decade. 
Hon Annette King 
: When were the then Minister of Local Government and the Prime Minister who released the figures at a press conference on 19 March informed that there were issues with the data both in terms of the accuracy and in terms of the picture that was being given for some councils? 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: I am unaware of when the previous Minister and the Prime Minister became aware of when the information was known to be inaccurate. When I became aware I wrote individually to every council apologising for the fact that the information was not correct. 
Hon Annette King 
: Why did not the Minister of Local Government or the Prime Minister inform the public local government and the media that the data being used by the Government to justify local government reform was inaccurate instead choosing to keep quiet and let the media report the misinformation to the detriment of local government? 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: The reason driving the Better Local Government reforms is fundamentally that the rate of council rate increases over the last decade has been more than twice the rate of rate increases over the previous decade. That is why this Government believes that the Better Local Government reform is necessary. 
Hon Annette King 
: Can he confirm that his department in a recent briefing to him and in two recent inquiries found no evidence that councils had broadened their functions since 2002 and has he been informed by Local Government New Zealand as to what the cost of forcing councils to amend their long-term plans would be? 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: To the first question yes; to the second question no. 
Hon Annette King 
: I have a number of documents I wish to table. The first one is a letter to me from David Carter dated 16 July telling me that the incorrect figures will not be replaced because the correct figures would detract from the focus of the reform. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Hon Annette King 
: The second document is the 19 March  
Better Local Government 
 paper which has the inaccurate figures— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! That document is available to all members. 
Hon Annette King 
: No it is important that you hear both of these. I will do them together if you want me to but it does show something. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The document though is available—[ 
Interruption 
] Order! A point of order—[ 
Interruption 
] Order! There should not be interjections. The member is as I understand it seeking leave to table the  
Better Local Government 
 document which I understood has been released publicly. If I am wrong I apologise. 
Hon Annette King 
: I am seeking to table a document that is now no longer available. [ 
Interruption 
] It is now no longer— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Well I will leave that up to the House. I invite the honourable member to continue.  
Hon Annette King 
: Thank you. I seek leave to table the 19March  
Better Local Government 
 paper which has the inaccurate figures in it and then I seek leave to table the March—around 24 March— 
Better Local Government 
 paper which has the figures removed from it.  
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table those two—[ 
Interruption 
] Order! There are two documents so leave is sought to table the 19 March document. Is there any objection? There is objection. Leave is now sought to table the second document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Hon Annette King 
: I seek leave to table a letter to me from the previous Minister Nick Smith dated 29 February with a spreadsheet containing the data that was later called inaccurate.  
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Hon Annette King 
: Finally I seek leave to table a briefing to David Carter from Local Government New Zealand which I received under the Official Information Act stating that the estimated cost of forcing local government to alter its long-term plans would be in excess of $20 million. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.