Jackson WillieLOCAL GOVERNMENT REGULATORY SYSTEMS AMENDMENT BILLThird ReadingHon WILLIE JACKSON (Minister of Employment): I move that the local government regulatory amendment bill now be read a third time. I'm pleased to bring this bill before the House for its third reading. The bill is of a minor and technical nature—essentially a repairs and maintenance bill for seven local—ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): Order! Sorry to interrupt the member. I don't believe the member has read the name of the bill correctly. Can you read the motion once more.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: Mr Assistant Speaker the Local Electoral Matters Bill.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): No. You need to move it. I move …" and it is the Local Government Regulatory—Hon WILLIE JACKSON: Systems Amendment Bill.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): Yes. So if you can—Hon WILLIE JACKSON: Go from the top? OK. Kia ora Mr Assistant Speaker. I thought I'd said that at the top. So Mr Assistant Speaker I move that the Local Government Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill now be read a third time.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): Be now read a third time.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: Kei te pai? I move That the Local Government Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill be now read a third time.Kia ora. Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. I'm pleased to bring this bill before the House for its third reading. The bill is of a minor and technical nature—essentially a repairs and maintenance bill for seven local government Acts. As such it can be hard to find time in the parliamentary calendar for such bills as there are always grander and more urgent matters to attend to than legislative maintenance. This was noted by the Productivity Commission in their 2014 report Regulatory institutions and practices. They also noted however the importance of keeping regulatory systems up to date and fit for purpose. Many of the changes in the bill will make local government more accessible to the public and make operation of the legislation by local authorities more efficient. I'd like to again acknowledge and thank the Governance and Administration Committee for their constructive work on this bill. The requirement for local authorities to ensure public notices are published online will make these notices more accessible. Many of us look online in the first instance when we want information. This requirement will reflect the reality of living in a digital world. We have retained the requirement for newspaper notices as this is still an important medium for many of our citizens to find public notices. We've also removed the requirements for a local authority to send hard copies of various documents to the Secretary for Local Government the Auditor-General and the Parliamentary Library. These documents include a local authority's long-term and annual plans their annual report and summary and ratings resolutions. These documents will still be publicly available online but the cost of producing and sending the hard copies is reduced.The new power for the Secretary for Local Government to create rules for the form of documents will ensure digital documents are made in accessible and consistent formats. This will make documents more accessible generally but particularly for those with visual impairments. The consistency of format will also make it easier for comparison and analysis between documents.We've aligned the definition of "working day" in the Local Government Act 2002 and the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 with the definition of "working day" in the Building Act 2004—another minor change but for those navigating the processes governed by working days it will make it easier to calculate and more efficient for the local authorities running processes with working day timing requirements.One amendment that has garnered interest in the House is the principle to foster substantial and representative participation in local elections. We have inserted the principle into the Local Electoral Act 2001. Local authority chief executives will now be responsible for ensuring this principle is supported leading up to and throughout the electoral cycle. Substantial representation means that the level of participation in a local election is significant enough to be considered reflective of the public will.Representative participation means that the electoral participation should reflect that diversity and make-up of the electorate in characteristics such as age cultural background ethnicity and economic status. Achieving substantial and representative participation in local elections is a worthy goal given the impact of local government on everyday life for New Zealanders.This bill is not the largest or most complex bill before the House but it's still an important and necessary bill and so for the final time I commend this bill to the House."