Hide Rodney: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Hide Rodney: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:631;Page:3635] 
10.  
RODNEY HIDE (Leader—ACT) 
 to the  
Minister with responsibility for Auckland Issues 
: What responsibility does she accept if any for Monday’s power blackout in Auckland and what steps is she taking to ensure it does not happen again? 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD (Minister with responsibility for Auckland Issues) 
: 
 Like the Minister of Energy I am deeply concerned about the power outage and I will keeping in close contact with the report he is seeking to make sure that this matter is fully investigated and that all possible steps are taken to ensure that it does not happen again. 
Rodney Hide 
: As the Minister responsible for Auckland issues what issues exactly does she take responsibility for? 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD 
: This Government is determined that Auckland will have infrastructure so that it can be internationally competitive. I do not intend to duplicate the work of other Ministers but to enable Auckland’s messages to get through to Wellington and to work with this Government which wants to support Auckland. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The Minister’s title is “Minister with responsibility for Auckland Issues”. It is not an unreasonable question in the House to ask her what issues she is actually responsible for. We just heard the Minister completely miss the question not address the question and leave the House wondering why we have this Minister. I say to you Madam Speaker that if we are to have a question time Ministers do have to address the question. I cannot imagine a question more to the heart of the business of this Minister than simply asking her what issues she is responsible for because that is her title. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The Minister addressed the question as to how she saw the responsibility so the question has been addressed. 
H V Ross Robertson 
: What is the Government spending on the national grid in the Auckland area and how does that compare with spending under a previous administration? 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD 
: This year in the Auckland area we spent $83 million on grid projects. In comparison the previous National Government spent just $52 million on the entire national grid in the 1998-99 year. 
Paula Bennett 
: Does the Minister remember producing a glossy booklet entitled  
Growing an Innovative Auckland  
in 2003 with her mate the Prime Minister which states: “We’re carefully managing electricity and energy supply risks.” and if she does remember is the Government going to take responsibility for Monday’s power blackout or is 7 years not long enough and was it just another of her vacuous promises? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The Hon Judith Tizard. [ 
Interruption 
] I ask the member to be seated until the barracking has stopped. As members know interjections are permitted; barracking is not. Would the member now please address the question. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I think it is important to note for the record that the barracking was from Government MPs who I think were supporting Paula Bennett in her question. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Another non - point of order. 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD 
: The booklet was put out to explain to Aucklanders what this Government is doing and I am happy to table this document later. It describes the cross-Government work on the strategic direction of Auckland sustainable development infrastructure particularly relating to transport and other infrastructure including energy social policy economic development and regional and local governance. This Government is extremely busy on working for Auckland and is starting to deliver infrastructure that will make Auckland internationally sustainable. 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: Did the Minister find any time within her onerous schedule or any respite in her back-breaking workload over the last 7 years to advise the Minister of Transport that building the biggest shopping complex in the country at Sylvia Park without building any extra roading was a recipe for chaos; and if so could this House have a copy of those reports? 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD 
: The Minister of Transport did not of course build the shopping complex. But the situation at Sylvia Park does demonstrate how the Ministry of Transport and Transit New Zealand need to work with developers rather than just having to deal with the consequences of developments. Otherwise taxpayers—particularly petrol-tax payers—bear all the costs. 
Rodney Hide 
: In light of Auckland’s recent power blackout can the Minister give an assurance to the House that there are no known risks the Government is aware of to other major Auckland infrastructure such as that for gas and water supply; if not what are those risks? 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD 
: No Government and no Minister can give that assurance. The idea that there are no risks— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: What do you do? 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD 
: I do not have a magic wand. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Would the House please settle. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I am well aware that the Minister does not have a magic wand but my question was about whether the Minister was aware of any known risks to Auckland’s gas and water supply. Once again this Minister chose not to address the question. 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD 
: Of course there are known risks. 
Rodney Hide 
: Now she wants to try to speak on a point of order. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Perhaps we could ask the Minister to add to her answer. 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD 
: Of course there are known risks. How can any system not have known risks? What this Government is doing is undertaking to evaluate those risks and try to avoid them causing a collapse of Auckland’s power or gas system as happened under the National Government for 5 weeks. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. That was excellent because we got the first part— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I ask you Mr Hide to make it a point of order and not a statement. 
Rodney Hide 
: I am going to because we are making progress. We got the first part of the question addressed; now we need the second part of the question to be addressed. That is: what are they? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I am sorry the question has been addressed. 
Paula Bennett 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I seek leave to table a booklet that states: “We’re carefully managing electricity and energy supply risks.” That was written by the Minister in 2003. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: Does the Minister take an interest in occupational safety and health issues in Auckland; if so what is she going to do to stop attractive young women being dropped head first by podgy middle-aged men who have lost their grip? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: That is not a legitimate question. Can we move now to [ 
Interruption 
] Order please. We have a point of order. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I feel obliged to tell the House that I have not lost my grip. I was asked to appear on  
Dancing with the Stars 
 with Beatrice but the Earthquake Commission had a few objections. 
What reports has the Minister received on known risks to infrastructure in Auckland? 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD 
: The Minister of Energy has received reports on this issue. I have discussed these with him— 
Hon Member 
: What about you? What are you? 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD 
: I am part of the Government. Actually we work quite collaboratively. I would like to point out that having been a member of the Auckland Electric Power Board from 1977 to 1983 I have seen innumerable reports about the risk to Auckland infrastructure. Unlike members opposite I take them seriously. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Can the Minister confirm that the 12 known risks for which Transpower sought approval and funding consent in Auckland last year have all been approved and work is scheduled to fix all of them? 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD 
: I am delighted to confirm that. 
Paula Bennett 
: I seek leave to table a document prepared by Treasury which is a stocktake of Auckland policy work streams as at 15 June 2006—a monthly report. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection.