Hayes JoJO HAYES (National): Thank you Madam Chair. I'm pleased because this is my very first contribution to the Land Transport Management (Regional Fuel Tax) Amendment Bill.Chris Bishop: First of many.JO HAYES: First of many—first of many. Thank you. My contribution focuses around clause 10(5) in Part 2 and it is the amendment in the name of Jami-Lee Ross. What it states is: After new section 34B(1)(c) insert new 34B(1)(d); How the RFT scheme has impacted on the cost of living". This is what the bill is saying regional councils of a regional fuel tax region in its annual report must report on.So I'm asking the Minister to add subsection (d) on and the reason being is that in Canterbury we have a Canterbury well-being survey that's done through the Canterbury public health sector. They obviously survey the people of Canterbury to find out how their well-being is going over a period of time. Now I reckon that because of this regional fuel tax this bill—and Christchurch City Council have announced that they will also want to implement a regional fuel tax in the city—is going to have a negative impact on all of those people that live in the area that I help to look after in the electorate of Christchurch East. I think when the Christchurch City Council move on this there are going to be a lot of people that live in that electorate that are going to be severely disadvantaged from it.Not only that; I have just received on my phone right now a media statement stating that the Christchurch City Council will be increasing rates over a three-year period to 17 percent. More money going out of people's pockets and that is not right. A regional fuel tax on top of an increase in rates is going to happen across this country should this bill go ahead. Therefore regional councils have a responsibility—they have a responsibility—to the well-being of the people in their regions to actually report on the impact of what a regional fuel tax will actually do to the well-being of those people.When I look at it I also look at the Māori and Pacific whānau because we all know that in every region of this country Māori and Pacific peoples are the ones you will find that are mainly on the lower-paid incomes. They are always in that area. They do move up some move up but the majority of them work in jobs that pay low wages—CHAIRPERSON (Poto Williams): Order! Look I'm sorry. I don't mean to interrupt the member but the issue of equity has been well traversed throughout this particular part. Does the member have other contributions and other arguments to make in her contribution?JO HAYES: Well actually Madam Chair I think it does need to be hammered in because I don't think that the people—CHAIRPERSON (Poto Williams): Order! I'm asking the member to use other arguments. [Members seek call] No the member is still speaking. I'm actually asking the member to continue her speech but to use other arguments.JO HAYES: So I will continue my speech.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): Thank you.JO HAYES: Anyway yes I do have extra to contribute because in this bill in new section 34B it also says in subsection (1)(b) that the council is also required to report on how the revenue will be applied by the council. Now where I live in Christchurch East the place is becoming like pothole city in all of the roading area going in through Burwood and all around that particular area. So therefore if this bill is to go ahead I would like to see those potholes actually filled up and repaired with not just a little bit of hot mix put in but the whole thing done up properly because if that's what this bill is going to end up doing then that is going to take away—and I can say that now: it is going to impact on the way that people get around the city. It actually does impact on the amount of fuel it costs to actually move around the city and with the regional fuel tax they're going to have to pay more.Lots and lots of people go flying past on Travis Road every morning and every night and this is going to severely impact the number of people that are going to be able to afford to do that. Some people might say "Oh but they might end up biking." Well I don't think so. I think that they are going to be severely hit and it's going to actually show in the way that their living standards will drop.Also new schools are coming in there as well so—[Time expired]CHAIRPERSON (Poto Williams): I think we'll take one more.Stuart Smith: Madam Chair I've asked ever so politely.CHAIRPERSON (Poto Williams): All right then. Stuart Smith."