Whaitiri MekaMEKA WHAITIRI (Labour—Ikaroa-Rāwhiti): E Te Māngai o Te Whare tēnā koe. E ngā mema o Te Whare tēnā tātou katoa. Is it not interesting? Is it not interesting that when we come to a bill like this we talk about the intention and then the reality—where the reality hits the road. We have just had both Minister Tolley and that member who has just resumed his seat Andrew Bayly talk about the virtues of this bill. This side absolutely wants to support a modern local government sector. We absolutely want to support it but not at the expense of taking away control from our duly elected local officials and that is what this bill is doing. It is actually saying to every council around New Zealand: You actually don't know how to run your affairs." When it comes to water—Hon Member: No it doesn't.MEKA WHAITIRI: Yes it does. When it comes to water and transport the message this Government is sending to every council around this country is: "It's all right. We're going to come and rescue you because we don't think you know how to operate at the local level. We actually don't think you're making good sound judgments on your locally owned assets be they transport or water." But do not worry—do not worry—because this National Government with its one-vote advantage from Mr Todd Barclay will get this bill over the line!The question I pose to this Government is: what is the problem that this bill is attempting to solve? I listened to the Minister. I listened to the chair of the Local Government and Environment Committee. I was listening for what the problem is that this bill is trying to address. I could not hear it—could not hear it.The next question I ask is: does this bill promote local democracy? It does not because it empowers the Local Government Commission which we all know is unelected to make decisions on where we may reorganise. Where does it get its riding instructions? Not from the councils; it gets them from the Minister under this bill. The Minister will actually lay out where the commission will go hunting to reconfigure the way our councils should be. This goes to the opening point I made about this being the bill that is going to determine how councils around the country are going to organise themselves around water and transport assets—assets that we as ratepayers own but this Government believes it knows best what to do with.The second question I want to ask is: why is the Government promoting a non-elected body to determine how councils organise themselves? We do not have to go very far to look at the botch-ups of the recent amalgamations. And is this bill an attempt to address that? Is it an attempt to address the botched-up forced amalgamations that thank goodness local people particularly in our electorates—my good colleague Napier MP Stuart Nash and I have stood up and said: "No way. No way do we want forced amalgamation." That was in only one of many areas and this bill is attempting to do it again.But in the time I have got left I want to talk about Local Government New Zealand. I want to talk about its concerns as expressed at the select committee. There were five concerns that it identified. It talked about the lowering of the threshold required to initiate a reorganisation investigation and the powers of the Minister of Local Government effectively to direct the Local Government Commission to undertake an investigation and I have touched on that in my previous comments. Secondly there is the ability of the Local Government Commission to shift activities into council-controlled organisations (CCOs) and away from the direct control of local authorities without first securing the agreement of local authorities. Thirdly there are the provisions that will allow substantively and multiple-owned CCOs to require their shareholding councils to amend their development contribution policies. Fourthly there is a lack of mechanisms such as the individual shareholder's agreement to ensure that multiple-owned CCOs act in accordance with each shareholding council's policies priorities and service levels. Fifthly there is the ability of the Minister of Local Government to set performance measures for council activities including substantive CCOs.I want to acknowledge that the select committee worked really hard to address these five concerns put up by Local Government New Zealand and that member Andrew Bayly saying that it supports the bill is debatable. That is why we are debating this important piece of legislation here in its second reading.I would say that with those five issues raised by Local Government New Zealand it has not gone deep enough. That is my proposition to this House. Those five fundamental concerns raised by Local Government New Zealand have not been adequately addressed in the bill that we are debating in the House in this second reading. That is something that this Government needs to take on board. It is why Labour is standing up for local councils democracy and the control of our elected officials making decisions. Kia ora tātou."