Pillay Lynne: Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill — In Committee 
Pillay Lynne: Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:657;Page:6469] 
LYNNE PILLAY (Labour) 
: 
 I comment firstly on the words of the previous speaker Nikki Kaye. The principles that she espouses are so dear to her heart; I have no doubt about that. I sat in on the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee a number of times and I acknowledge that Nikki Kaye participated very fully. She asked a lot of questions but the reality is that what she wanted to achieve and what she believed that she had achieved simply did not happen. The process was made a mockery of and so was Nikki Kaye’s contribution to the process and that of the other National members on the select committee. I congratulate certainly my colleagues on this side of the Chamber but also the Green Party on the quality of its contribution to the debate on the Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill. I acknowledge Catherine Delahunty who was at the select committee and Sue Bradford because they both listened really hard and agreed with us about the basic principles of democracy. 
We talk about grassroots but the proposal that National is saying is so absolutely fantastic—to break up 30 local boards—will turn into the competitive tendering model that is exactly the way the National Party is renowned for acting. I will name a few local projects within Waitakere. My colleague Darien Fenton has talked to me about the North Shore and the projects there. I want to talk about Project Twin Streams which is absolutely renowned and came second in an international prize; the parenting day that is run in Waitakere; Trees for Babies; Violence Free Waitakere; EcoMatters Environment Trust; WeedFree Trust; and all the projects that support our children. I ask Nikki Kaye to take another call. I really congratulate her on getting on her feet because that is a bit of a first for National members. I would like her to take a call and explain very clearly how—with this many boards and the competitive approach—we will see funding for really worthwhile projects like those I mentioned which encapsulate a whole city if not several different areas. The Government simply says that these local boards will be able to deliver those projects with a minimal budget and with no support at all but we know what will happen and what they will actually be given. 
We note that the Government has absolutely ignored the recommendation from the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance about a Social Issues Board. We on this side of the Chamber would be very keen for Nikki Kaye to take another call and explain how youth will be represented on the Auckland Council. The member who is gesturing at me Paul Quinn may also like to take a call on the issue of Maori seats. Never mind the rhetoric about what happened how the Government listened and how the community groups were great; I think Government members should front up and explain really clearly how this bill will deliver for community and minority groups in the greater region of our city. It simply will not and the National Government knows that. It has no interest in seeing delivery for those groups. 
The people who are giving the Government advice and who are saying how wonderful this bill is are the business people of Auckland. Theirs are the only positive comments I have seen about this bill from any group throughout the region. I would like National members to justify their actions which we on this side of the Chamber—and I know the Green Party—see as absolutely immoral. 
I acknowledge again all those submitters because the common sense that came from those submissions at the select committee and the unity of purpose was absolutely second to none. But it all fell on the deaf ears of National Party members. They simply did not listen including on the issue of their multi-member wards which we know are just a sham because of the size of those wards. My colleague Phil Twyford talked about that issue. It is a ratio of one councillor to almost 50000 people.