Muller Todd: Christchurch City Council (Rates Validation) Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMuller Todd: Christchurch City Council (Rates Validation) Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 06 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3291. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]TODD MULLER (National—Bay of Plenty):I rise just to spend a few moments actually talking on the Christchurch City Council (Rates Validation) Bill. I find what we have watched as we have gone through this debate absolutely extraordinary. We have had a conversation earlier where everyone contributed to the debate and now we are on to something that is actually perhaps just a little bit more uncomfortable for the members of the Opposition particularly those from Canterbury. They do not want to participate in the debate. They walk out. They say that they do not like local bills. Well local bills deserve the respect of actually being debated. When councils have delivered us something that we have to do retrospectively it deserves our attention. It deserves us identifying areas that need to be improved so we do not do this again. The flippant disregard from half of that lot over there who have disappeared saying that they do not want to continue the debate is I think a disgrace.Specifically I would like to talk about some of the components and particularly the clauses in this short and focused but important bill. In particular I would like to talk about the changes that are included around naming the due dates and the penalties validating the annual general charge and particularly the seven other targeted rates—the Church Bay sewer loan rate the Church Bay water loan rate the Governors Bay sewer loan rate the Governors Bay water loan rate the restricted water targeted rate the waste minimisation rate the water fire service connection rate and the uniform annual general charge which were included specifically in clause 4 of the bill. It was raised as a particular question earlier.We have had quite a lot of debate today particularly around the process. We heard the Minister answer one question in particular in her immediate comments when introducing tonight’s conversation around how the process has improved particularly with the Christchurch City Council in terms of how it manages its processes internally to ensure that it is at best practice in respect of notifying and setting rates and the process around that.I just want to echo the importance of this bill sending a message not only to Christchurch but also to other councils around the country around the Government’s expectation that best practice is followed at all times. We heard from the member Mr Mark in a very considered and impassioned contribution earlier to this debate around the provision of run sheets and the importance specifically of councils following those. His experience was that this is relatively easy to do and he was surprised that in this case this city council missed that. Yes of course there is Audit New Zealand which can provide a double-check in terms of further confidence. But quite frankly this should be picked up in an internal process check that the chief executive officer should oversee and there should be their own internal controls to make sure that this does not happen.We should not be put in the position quite frankly of having to do this revalidation bill. The council should have had the internal controls in there from day one particularly when you reflect that this was a changing approach. This was a council that was trying to simplify a process. When you try to simplify a process you change from the status quo. You would assume therefore that there was some focus put on the fact that the council was changing what it had done compared with what it used to do and would say: “Let us ensure that we have got our ducks lined up and we are doing this correctly in terms of the due process expected of us.” It did not happen it should happen and our expectation is that we would not have to be put into this position again.I do acknowledge the speed with which the Christchurch City Council reacted when this was brought to its attention in the last couple of years. But as has been raised tonight I was left wanting in respect of the attitude at the submission process by the Christchurch City Council. Maybe I am being a bit harsh but process improvement can take an organisation only so far. Attitude and culture are important too. I think that in the context of this bill and particularly for the Christchurch City Council this is a point just to reflect on. Yes you can turn up to a submission process and talk relatively obliquely to the process changes that you have brought in to ensure that it will not happen again. The Christchurch City Council officers can talk to a process improvement but it is very important that those same officers reflect on the importance of culture in their organisation to be able to ensure that they do not allow this sort of thing to happen again. We never got the sense of that. We never got the sense that actually the Christchurch City Council saw this as an appalling indictment on its own collective approach to managing issues like this. It was seen as: “Well you know sometimes these things happen and sometimes the Government or Parliament needs to fix them up for us.” It has been raised earlier and I just want to reinforce that it is something that we were not impressed with.In closing I want to acknowledge the Minister in the chair the Hon Nicky Wagner. She has brought forward two really important local bills and has managed them through with élan and compassion and focus for her community. Of course I will echo the support that our chairman Mr Scott Simpson has received. He is a great chair and it is a pleasure to be part of a normally collegial Local Government and Environment Committee although perhaps there have been cracks tonight. I look forward to seeing this bill pass. Thank you.Preamble Parts 1 and 2 schedule and clauses 1 and 2 agreed to.Bill to be reported without amendment presently.House resumed.The Chairperson reported the Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill without amendment and the Christchurch City Council (Rates Validation) Bill without amendment.Report adopted.