Cosgrove Clayton: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
Cosgrove Clayton: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
[Volume:654;Page:3656] 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Labour—Waimakariri) 
: 
 My colleague Maryan Street has noted that new Part 9 is a temporary measure if you will in respect of the Auckland Transition Agency. But I just point out a couple of things as well. The National Party pledged in its election campaign that it would not sell any public assets at least in its first term. The Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill sets up a transition agency of which all assets—including those that Manukau for instance retained—fall under the purview and the power. Effectively then those assets have been nationalised to the Government because that agency is appointed by and reports directly to the tsar of local government Mr Hide. Mr Hide will appoint his asset-stripping villainous mates to that agency so one could quite logically say that Mr Hide—and therefore since he is a Government Minister the Government—will control all assets brought into the agency from Greater Auckland. Yet not one clause in this bill guarantees that any of those assets will not be sold. 
I ask the Minister—or perhaps a National member because it was National’s promise—to get up today. If National is not prepared to accept Mr Chauvel’s new part that would guarantee that those assets would be retained at least during the transition then I invite a National Minister perhaps Mr Brownlee to get up and provide us with that guarantee therefore fulfilling his and his Government’s election promise. 
Hon Member 
: An Auckland member. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: Yes an Auckland member as my colleague says; an Auckland member would do. I look around. Maybe an Auckland member is hovering around here—Mr Hide is the Minister in the chair. 
This is important. We have to ask what the motivation is for not giving such a guarantee. We know that Mr Hide’s whole life has been one of attempting to strip out public assets and public ownership. His whole purpose for being he tells us is to asset-strip from the public purse. There is no guarantee in this legislation that he will not appoint his villainous mates to this agency—because he will. He will appoint those people who have a motivation to strip out assets. I know I am right and do members know why? Why would Rodney Hide appoint people who did not agree with him? Of course he would appoint those who agree with his philosophy— 
Hon Shane Jones 
: And they’ll get a gong! 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: And as my colleague says they will probably get a gong. Mr Hide is on record many times as saying in respect of this super-city proposal—and I am sure he will not disagree with me—that he wants more private enterprise in local government. We know what “private enterprise in local government” is code for. The good people of Manukau—and of other places in other local authorities—who chose to keep their assets build them up retain them and gain revenue from them will now have those assets completely stripped away under an agency that Mr Hide will appoint his mates to and that is absolutely answerable in all ways to him. His policy is to sell off assets. 
I ask Mr Brownlee whether he will take a call. Will he respond perhaps by interjection and say that he will guarantee that Mr Hide will not be able to strip through his mates on this agency the assets of the super-city? Or perhaps Georgina te Heuheu will respond. There is silence. Silence means they have answered the question. I say to those who ask why we are sitting here today that today if this bill passes the Government will have nationalised unto itself—yea nationalised to Mr Hide—all the assets of the Greater Auckland region. Then I tell those people who are listening to hold their breath. 
Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga 
: New Zealand’s not listening. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: What an arrogant little new member that member is. He said: “New Zealand’s not listening.” I suspect that in that member’s electorate and in Epsom and in other places they are listening and they will be listening if asset stripping takes place. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Rick Barker) 
: I call Michael Woodhouse. 
Michael Woodhouse 
: Mr Chairperson—