Cunliffe David:  
Cunliffe David:  
[Volume:654;Page:58] 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Labour—New Lynn) 
: 
 I am pleased to report to the Committee that in the case of the Auckland Transition Agency that will be set up under Part 3 of the Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill there has been a little leak. I do not know whether the leak was a Copperfields leak a friendly staffer in a Minister’s office or an Auckland leak because it has come to me second-hand. But I am pleased to be able to tell the Committee a hypothetical list of names of members of the transition agency board. I understand that it will be headed by Christine Rankin ably assisted by Michael Bassett Gareth Morgan Richard Prebble and Douglas Myers who will fly back especially from his chateau in Geneva to sort out the peasants. 
Hon Member 
: What about Melissa? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: Melissa Lee will be providing communications advice on the side. 
I have in my hand another piece of paper leaked from the Labour Party research unit which shows an earlier draft list composed of Professor Bryan Gould; Brian Easton an economist; and Stephen Tindall. The question before the Committee is whether the boards comprised of these two different sets of names would come out with the same decisions. Of course they would not. This board of course is hypothetical. The point is that we do not know who will be on the board but we do know that under the structure of this legislation the board will be responsible for almost every decision that matters. 
Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: We are debating Part 3 of the Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill. Part 3 is the transitional part; it sets up the transitional agency board which comprises a shadowy group of appointed—not elected—individuals. They will be the ones who decide the future structure and shape of Auckland governance. For that reason the Labour Opposition has come up with a number of amendments that will more accurately describe the name of this board such as the “Auckland Regional Politburo” or the “Auckland General Directorate for Government Reorganisation”. 
The point is that whatever we call this body it is not an elected body; it is a body of mates from the Northern Club who will be appointed by the Minister of Local Government. Not only is this body appointed but it in turn appoints a chief executive who appoints staff to make decisions for the people of Auckland. In other words there are three layers of vested interests to get through before we can connect a citizen with a decision. Members can just imagine that group headed up by the new chair Christine Rankin with “Melissa Lee Inc.” providing cut-price media advice on the side having community consultations with the poor people down the hill from the Northern Club at the Auckland Club on Shortland Street—where the poor people gather. Or they will go into the wilds of suburbia to places like Victoria Avenue in Remuera where people who live hundreds of metres from the centre of town reside in ramshackle shacks. That is what I call outreach: taking on the rebels of Remuera—people like Victoria Carter and Christine Caughey or the hotheads of the city like Alex Swney. This politburo will deal to those radical and subversive elements and make a real proper job of Auckland! 
Let us look at the functions of this august group. The group will do what Tau Henare could never do: it will advise the Minister it will report regularly to the Minister and it will inform the public. I love this bit of Part 3 about informing the public because as members will recall—[ 
Interruption 
] I raise a point of order Mr. Chairperson. It is always lovely to see members engaged in the debate but it would be more helpful if the public could hear what is going on. Mr Chairperson you might want to rein in Mr Henare. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Rick Barker) 
: This debate as it was last night is a robust debate. There has been a lot of noise backwards and forwards across the Chamber and I think it adds to the quality of the debate. I would prefer to see the debate flow rather than see ourselves get caught up on points of order. This matter is about robustness. I will not challenge anybody on this because we are all moving down here. This debate is a time when members speak their minds and do not read speeches—debate is from the heart. 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: This body has so far spent half a million dollars of taxpayers’ money on the propaganda machine for Rodney Hide. Rodney Hide had the gall to criticise Waitakere City for spending $100000 on informing its citizens about the super-city proposal yet this group has already spent five times as much. These shadowy bureaucrats—these denizens of the Northern Club—will be the people making the decisions.