King Annette: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — In Committee 
King Annette: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:654;Page:3409] 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) 
: 
 It is important that I take a call on Part 2 of the Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill because this part mentions the Chatham Islands—a very important part of my electorate. I am absolutely delighted that with the establishment of the Auckland Council it will be on the same footing as the Chatham Islands Council which is part of the Rongotai electorate. The Chatham Islands Council is already a territorial authority and Auckland will now be a similar authority but there has not been the same consultation or representation in Auckland that the Chatham Islands have had over decades in this country. I thank the Minister of Local Government for remembering the Chatham Islands. 
I listened to the Minister’s dulcet tones this morning as I woke up at the early hour of 6 o’clock. I heard Mr Hide tell the people of New Zealand how outrageous it is that we are wasting taxpayers’ money by debating this bill. I have a message for Mr Hide: if he had referred the bill to a select committee we would not be wasting Parliament’s time; we would be giving the people of New Zealand the opportunity to have a say. This is the man who when in Opposition would rail against anything the previous Labour Government did. He would say that it was not democratic that it was not long enough that it was too fast and that we should be sitting longer. I ask Mr Hide what happened. I think that what happened is that he now has a very thick hide. He is now able to pretend—or perhaps he always believed—that when he gets his hands on the lever of power anything is possible. 
This bill proves that anything is possible under a National-ACT Government. That Government is ramming this bill through under urgency on a Friday and moaning about the time it is taking and about the Opposition debating it. 
Hon Rodney Hide 
: No. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Oh yes he is. I do not know what time of night Mr Hide gave his interview but I assure him that he was moaning about the time it is taking to get through this bill. I ask whether the Minister could not just pause take a little breath and allow democracy to work at least in Parliament given that he has denied it to the people of New Zealand. 
This bill is very typical of the arrogance that we now get from the National Government. The Ministers think that they are bulletproof. They think that nothing will happen to them. I have to share with the Committee evidence of just how arrogant the National Government has become as is portrayed in this bill. The “Diary” section of the  
Dominion Post 
 of 15 May states that the National Government’s Ministers do not seem to be able to grasp the concept of political correctness. It says that at an award ceremony just recently Minister Maurice Williamson decided to present an award to himself. He started off by giving himself a Mother’s Day award suggesting that Mr Key calls members of the party “mother-somethings”. He then went on to attempt a joke by talking about disabled people stealing— 
The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch) 
: Order! 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I am talking about the arrogance of this Government in ramming through this bill. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch) 
: We are actually on Part 2 “Auckland Council”. The member has had a fair go on that subject; I ask her to come back to Part 2 for her remaining time. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. The Government has chosen to start moving closure motions. I think the deputy leader of the Labour Party is well within her rights to cover the fact that the Government has made that choice and why she wants to see the debate continue. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch) 
: That is not a point of order. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I think you should draw the attention of the Hon Sir Roger Douglas to the fact that his cellphone has been going off during the course of the morning. I do not think he is aware of what the little machine is that is making the noise. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch) 
: Cellphones are not allowed to be rung in the Chamber so if that is what is happening I ask the member to turn it off. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: This part of the bill is a demonstration of the arrogance of a Government that does not believe it needs to consult. It is an example of the arrogance of a Government that thinks it can go out in public and say anything and do anything and of the arrogance of a Government that gets rid of a city that the Minister in the chair actually represents. This process has been done with no recourse to the people of New Zealand at all. They have no opportunity to have a say. It is not good enough. We oppose this whole process.