Carter John: Local Government (Tamaki Makaurau Reorganisation) Amendment Bill Local Government (Auckland Council) Amendment Bill Local Government (Auckland Transitional Provisions) Bill — Third Readings 
Carter John: Local Government (Tamaki Makaurau Reorganisation) Amendment Bill Local Government (Auckland Council) Amendment Bill Local Government (Auckland Transitional Provisions) Bill — Third Readings 
[Volume:663;Page:11639] 
Hon JOHN CARTER (Associate Minister of Local Government) 
: 
 It falls to me to make the last contribution on the Local Government (Tamaki Makaurau Reorganisation) Amendment Bill the Local Government (Auckland Council) Amendment Bill and the Local Government (Auckland Transitional Provisions) Bill which started their journey in April of last year. Indeed the legislation goes back prior to that when the previous Labour Government decided to instruct a royal commission to look at the issues around Auckland. Labour considered that in the same way that this Government does issues needed to be addressed that were causing concern to Aucklanders and indeed to all New Zealanders. This Government decided when the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance reported—and it must be remembered that the previous Labour Government postponed the delivery of the royal commission’s report until after the election because it did not want to grapple with it itself—to take up the challenge and lay down the opportunity for Aucklanders to move forward and for Auckland to become a greater city than it already is. This legislation is the structure we now pass on to the people of Auckland. 
Aucklanders wanted a council that actually worked on regional issues. They did not want the present system which as far as I am aware everyone in this House acknowledges causes conflict and disarray. We see that so often with the present structure. They wanted a council that could deliver and make decisions on regional issues. So we have set up a council with a mayor and 20 councillors to focus on those things that matter from a regional perspective. 
Then Aucklanders said that they wanted to make sure their local issues those things that matter to them on a day-to-day basis in their townships their streets and their suburbs would be dealt with. So we set up the local boards and empowered them to ensure that those functions that matter to the people are addressed. At the moment that work is still being concluded by the Auckland Transition Agency because the issues are so complex that it is beyond the ability of Parliament and its select committee to deal with them through legislation. Another thing we were told by Aucklanders was they did not want Wellington to instruct or prescribe. Again we took great care to get the balance right. 
The third area they asked for was an efficient way of delivering the services that Aucklanders require on a day-to-day basis such as their water their roading and those other things that matter to them from a social perspective. So we took great care to ensure that when we set up the council-controlled organisations or CCOs we gave the Auckland people the right to have an input into what happens with those organisations. We have given the Auckland Council more power than any other council in New Zealand. The council sets the general policy of the council-controlled organisations. The council is in charge of its council-controlled organisations. It will set the parameters under which the council-controlled organisations operate. It will set the policy. The board of directors of the council-controlled organisations will then take that policy refine it and administer it. But the Auckland Council will constantly be monitoring it and will have its hands on the policy on behalf of the people of Auckland. Indeed we were so concerned to make sure we listened to the people of Auckland that when a good amendment was put up by the Opposition that we thought improved the legislation we adopted it. 
The point of all of this is we intended to have a structure that allowed the council to look at regional issues we wanted a structure that allowed the local people to have their local voice heard in their local democracy and we wanted a system that was efficient at delivering services for the people of Auckland. So we made sure that all of those connect through the long-term council community plans and that they have to work together and recognise each other. One cannot work without the other. 
I stand here today along with my colleague Rodney Hide and all the rest of the Government to say that we are proud of the structure we have put in place and delivered to Aucklanders. But I make this point: our having put the structure in place it is now over to Aucklanders to make it work. It is up to them to decide who will be their mayor their councillors and their representatives on their local boards. It is up to them to decide who the directors of the council-controlled organisations will be and how they want those organisations to be run. We have given a structure to make sure that from day one Auckland has a local governance system that can work for the people of Auckland but the ultimate responsibility comes down to the people of Auckland to choose who should lead them to make sure that those things are delivered. I am proud to have been part of the Parliament that has made the biggest change in local government history in New Zealand. I am proud to have been part of that. Although we hear some mistruths and misinterpretations deliberately put forward by the Opposition on how all of it will work I am absolutely confident that we will end up with an Auckland that will work for Aucklanders and for New Zealand. 
I conclude by saying some thankyous. First I thank the Clerk’s Office for the work it did for the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee. I will not name any names because to do so would leave others out but I must say the staff were a big part of this whole structure and I think all the members of the select committee would recognise that. I thank the Parliamentary Counsel Office for all the work that it did. We would not be here today without the sterling work that parliamentary counsel gave to the select committee and to Parliament. I thank very much the staff of the Department of Internal Affairs and all the other departmental representatives; they played a huge part in giving us advice and assistance as we worked our way through the submissions and those things that the people of Auckland felt were absolutely necessary. I thank the staff in the office of the Minister of Local Government because they played a big part as did the staff of my office. I thank them for the work and the hours that they have put in on behalf of the people of Auckland. 
We have already acknowledged the work done by Mark Ford and the Auckland Transition Agency but I add my thanks to that gentleman and to the people he has brought around him to make this whole thing function. Quite honestly I do not think we would have got here without the fine leadership that he and his team have given us. 
I also thank all the staff of the councils. It is a difficult time for them. Quite honestly I am pleasantly surprised at the way in which they have responded to the challenge of setting up this change which is the biggest change to local government in New Zealand. I also thank the mayors and the councillors for the work they have done. They could have been very difficult but in the main they have been supportive. Apart from the odd one ducking behind a tree every now and again they have actually been very supportive and very helpful. 
I am proud to have been involved with the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee and all of its members. It has been a great privilege to work with the select committee and to have the opportunity to chair it. 
Finally as I say the last few words in the third readings of this legislation it needs to be acknowledged and recorded that I thank the Minister of Local Government Rodney Hide. I thank Rodney for the energy the thought and the dedication he has put in. Pretty much every day he has been liaising with Mark Ford the Department of Internal Affairs and the people who matter in order to make this reorganisation work. He can stand proud and take a huge bow for the work and for the structure that we have delivered to Auckland on behalf of this Government. I am proud to stand beside Rodney Hide and all the members of this Government to deliver a structure to Auckland that will see it improve in the future and will make sure that the finest city in this country continues to be so. Thank you very much.