Cunliffe David: Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill — In Committee 
Cunliffe David: Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:663;Page:11577] 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Labour—New Lynn) 
: 
 Soifua. The Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act is hugely important legislation for my constituents in west Auckland and I support the very very well put speeches of Carmel Sepuloni and Lynne Pillay. The legislation has achieved a strong stand against death by a thousand cuts—the cumulative undermining of the bush country of west Auckland. Every section on the boundary of that city is worth developing unless the Resource Management Act takes those cumulative effects into account. 
Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill repeals section 77(1) of the Local Government Amendment Act 1992 which provides the opportunity for the super-city spatial plan to override the provisions of the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act—to take precedence. That is wrong. This provision highlights a dangerous and progressive disease that seems to be sweeping through the National caucus. We might call it “Paula Bennett - itis”. It is the disease that occurs when a member rages vociferously against the policy of his or her own party. She goes around the electorate saying that she knows it is wrong that it is terrible and that she will fight it from within. She says she will lay down her body to prevent this outrage from occurring to her electorate. But when it comes to a decision suddenly there is no paper trail of any moves to do the work. If that member had been a Minister at the time the Waitakere Ranges legislation was debated I doubt that that would have changed. 
In an advanced stage of that disease is Nikki Kaye. She has the same bug. It was first observed in the case of the tree provisions of the Resource Management Act. She told constituents that she really did not like the amendment and that it was another Rodney Hide special. She told them it was expendable and it was not their idea; it was that terrible ACT Party. She said ACT was out of line with the liberals in the National Party and she would fight it all the way. There is a paper trail for that one. It is the letter that went to Gerry Brownlee and Bill English. At the bottom of that letter it said that as long as it was OK with them she would fight that amendment. 
West Aucklanders and Aucklanders generally need better than that. They do not trust this bill because they do not trust a system that puts the power back in the hands of Wellington politicians and bureaucrats appointed by Wellington politicians that absorbs their assets and that undermines local democracy. It means we will have more issues like the repeal of section 77 which undermines the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act. 
Of course the most advanced stage of the disease is “John Key - itis”. It is defined as a disease that manifests itself as a progressive inability to tell the truth while continuously smiling and pretending that one either has not told a porky or does not care if one has. It occurs in things like advertising vineyards. One looks at a camera and says: “This is such a great vineyard I own. I like it so much I’m even going to send you a bottle for Christmas.” Later he said: “I don’t know if it’s really mine because it’s in a blind trust that anybody can look up.” 
How about this one? I give full credit to Jim Anderton for today recalling the pledge that Mr Key made 3 days before the last election in the debate on  
Campbell Live 
. He looked at John Campbell and he said that he would never ever ever no way ever sell Kiwibank. What did we hear in the Chamber today? We heard him say that National would not sell it unless it decides to before its second term. 
New Zealanders have had enough broken promises and enough double-talk from this National-ACT Government. They have had enough undermining of what real people want to do. They have had enough of Wellington’s steamrollers all over Auckland. They have had enough of government by Rodney Hide’s fiats and they have had enough of being told untruths by people from the Prime Minister down. Is it any wonder that the standards of veracity on that side of the House have slipped so far when their leader does not even hold himself accountable to the provision of the  
Cabinet Manual 
 even though he is charged with holding his Cabinet to account? If that is where ministerial accountability has come to it is no wonder this Government’s poll ratings are starting to mimic those of the ACT Party. The trend is down.