Halbert ShananSHANAN HALBERT (Labour): Kaupeka ki runga kaupeka ki raro kui kui whiti ora e. [A branch above a branch below the shining cuckoo celebrates its successful crossing of the ocean.]Tēnā koe Mr Speaker and thank you very much for giving me the honour to rejoin the House yesterday. Can I acknowledge all of my colleagues across the House in this 54th Parliament.It hasn't been long since I was speaking in this House last time. An election's gone by but in fact actually for a Government that did big talk that says We'll get back in the New Year and we'll get things going."—actually you didn't get back so fast. It's only four weeks on my attendance register that I've missed. But I'm pleased to be here and pleased to make a contribution in this general debate today.It hasn't been easy though sitting on the sidelines at home watching this House over those mere four weeks give an assault on vulnerable workers in Aotearoa in this country an assault on Māori—indigenous people of Aotearoa—and an assault and broken promises to our Aucklanders and ratepayers of Tāmaki-makau-rau. This Government was elected on what I call the three Cs: addressing congestion cost of living and addressing crime in our biggest city in this country. But where it counts—and the days are numbered for this Government's 100-day plan; they haven't got much longer to go to fulfil the promises that they made and the big speeches the big talk that they made in this election. Tom Rutherford: Talk about congestion.SHANAN HALBERT: I will talk about congestion. The people of Auckland suffer from congestion the most in this country. And anyone who knows anything about infrastructure and transport in this country actually knows the investment under the previous Government: $77 billion pipeline planned for the next five years. But actually what's important is the investment that's required in this country: $177 billion actually is what the infrastructure sector is asking us for. Politics aside we know we say that we need to invest in infrastructure in this country to get us to the place that we need to go.But we are going backwards and we have seen that in the last couple of days in the legislation that has been pushed through this House. Yes I will use the word "outrageous" because as I stood on that side of the House last time people on this side of the House said it was outrageous that it was an assault on democracy that we were pushing things through urgency in this House. Well ana here you are an assault on democracy.As we talk about three waters and repeal that piece of legislation I heard in the general debate today one two three speakers from the Government side actually talk about water infrastructure. They talked about issues in their local electorates but what we saw today was actually a repeal of a plan. Politics aside we can disagree with each other's plan but that was a plan in place to address the issues that this country faces. My biggest concern—and I'll come back to Auckland here—is that the repeal of this legislation will increase water rates in Auckland. Last year we saw an increase of 9 percent. Without three waters without water infrastructure legislation we can see that rise up to 25 percent that Aucklanders will be paying in their water rates in the coming years. I won't stand here for that.Alongside that we see the impact of transport projects being cut by the Minister for Auckland and the Minister of Transport the Hon Simeon Brown—the $1.7 billion hole that is left in transport infrastructure in Tāmaki-makau-rau Auckland. The question is—and the people of Muriwai asked this question—where is the Minister for Auckland at a time of need? Who is advocating for us? I'll say it again: where's the Minister for Auckland? Who is advocating for Auckland in this shocking repeal no plan Government that's in front of us. The debate having concluded the motion lapsed."