Shearer David: Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill — Second Reading Procedure In Committee 
Shearer David: Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill — Second Reading Procedure In Committee 
[Volume:657;Page:6371] 
DAVID SHEARER (Labour—Mt Albert) 
: 
 I will speak on the Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill. I am in a rather unusual position because I became involved in this issue halfway through a by-election. The by-election focused on two key issues. One was the Waterview Connection tunnel or non-tunnel. Unfortunately on Friday the Government announced that a motorway will be constructed right through the middle of a community in my electorate splitting Waterview in two. The other issue was the super-city. The overwhelming number of people whom I spoke to—and I moved around and spoke to probably 4000 or 5000 people—felt that they had not been listened to. 
It is that issue that I will speak on this evening: the process by which the super-city has gone ahead. Most people would agree that Auckland needs a unitary city and a city that can be world class. I think we agree on that point. There are many advantages in having a city that is joined up and much more coherent than it has been. But there is a way of doing that and that way has not been followed in this instance. The Royal Commission on Auckland Governance heard 3500 petitioners and submitters and $4 million was spend on the consultation process. When the National Government came in it more or less put the report to one side within a few days of it being made public. Instead the Government put out its own version of events and of the way that it saw Auckland proceeding. Most of the people in my area received a pamphlet. An entire report was reduced to a pamphlet that bore no real resemblance to the report of the royal commission. People were discouraged. They had been told that they could be heard before a select committee. But in this pamphlet they were told that there would be 20 to 30 local boards that those boards would be toothless and that they would be largely responsible for dog control noise control and graffiti. There would be a number of at-large councillors which meant that only the rich could afford to campaign and Maori seats were to be largely rejected. 
I sat in on only a small number of the hearings of the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee but I believe as my colleagues have said that it was a good select committee process and that it was well chaired. The great weight of the submissions to the select committee wanted to reverse many of the Government’s actions and change the way that it was moving forward. There has been change. The select committee process has created a very different bill from the one we started with but it is still largely insufficient and that is because of the process. This was a process that was done under urgency with very little consultation. It was a rushed process. 
Labour demanded a referendum. It is curious that there has been a push by the Minister of Local Government to have referenda on issues of great importance yet he did not want or expect any referendum on the very issue of whether Auckland should become a super-city. People did not get a real say. The royal commission was ignored and the select committee process left a lot of disquiet and a lot of things unchanged. Maori representation as we have heard was rejected. That was rejected before the select committee even came out with its findings. The number of councillors was increased but we need still more. The assets that Aucklanders overwhelmingly feel are at risk still need protection. Monitoring and accountability the very key aspects of this bill still need to be focused on. 
We were looking for strategic leadership but what we have is the gutted proposal that was first put forward and it has been further nobbled in a process that has been ad hoc and haphazard. It has been a shemozzle as David Shand reported right up to the very end. And now at the eleventh hour of this bill’s progress we find that Rodney which was out is now in. But what about Franklin? Half of Franklin still remains out. My advice to the people of Franklin is to keep pestering this Government because if they make enough noise then their area will be incorporated and they will be involved as well. This Government is not following any strategy. It is simply lifting up its finger and feeling which way the wind blows. That is the process that has been followed on this occasion. 
Labour has put forward a number of amendments. Those amendments will be tabled over the course of the next few hours. I hope very sincerely on behalf of all Aucklanders that this Government will listen to those amendments. Thank you.