Hawkins George: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
Hawkins George: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
[Volume:654;Page:3249] 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS (Labour—Manurewa) 
: 
 The Labour Party supports new governance in Auckland. We do not support the way the process has been hijacked. Members talk about a select committee going out and getting Aucklanders’ opinions but Aucklanders are not being asked what they think about the setting up of a unitary council. They will not have a say about that. I understand that things must progress fairly rapidly but this Government could have allowed a select committee to hear the concerns of the Auckland councils. That process would not have had to be long. The select committee could have then reported back to the House. That would have been a far better process. 
Paul Quinn 
: We’ve already had 18 months of it George. 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: Mr Quinn has not read the report of the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance. All he reads is the menu at Bellamy’s. That is the absolute truth: he has not read the report. Sitting next to him is Nikki Kaye who has read only 80 percent of it. That is not acceptable nowadays. 
The member for Maungakiekie is a councillor and a member of Parliament. The trouble is that he does not attend council meetings so he does not have any idea. We have to be better than this in this Committee. We should make sure that the Government is prepared to listen to the Auckland councils’ views on the transition. But no—it has decided to pass the Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill in urgency and not give them that chance. That is quite a pity. I say that when members do not listen they lose their seats. I think we should talk to the Hon Richard Worth. What happened to him? He did not listen. 
Paul Quinn 
: Ha ha! 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: The member may laugh at that but it is very true. He lost the Epsom seat. 
This legislation also deals with the jobs of Aucklanders. Six thousand Aucklanders will have to put their faith in the Auckland Transition Agency. Those workers are not getting a say either. Councils are not getting a say; the workers are not getting a say. The process is being hijacked by the Government. I have seen the situation. I have been around here for some time and I see what Governments do from time to time. But this is the most important thing that has happened to local government in Auckland for 50 years or more. It is very important. 
I was Mayor of Papakura at the time of the last reorganisation of local governance. Papakura survived and its people quite like it now. But they will not be able to have a say. The other day the Mayor of Papakura was at Mansell Senior School a decile 1 school. Just over 200 pupils go to the school. One kid asked whether they were going to have a mayor any more. They will not. But that is a part of the second bill that is coming up—the Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill. 
In respect of the first bill it is very important that we make sure things are under control. Everything is not sweet at the moment. Chief executives in the Auckland area are getting pay rises of $60000 per year. That is $1100 per week. I think that is disgusting. It has been reported in the media that people like Jarrod Moyle who works for Sheffield Consulting Group have said that chief executives should get $1 million salaries. There was no comment about the workers at the coalface; this is all about looking after the big rich fat friends of the National Government. It is disturbing that ordinary people who clean toilets empty rubbish bins and get playing fields right will not be able to have a say on the transition. I think that matter is very important.