Henare Tau: Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill — First Reading 
Henare Tau: Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:659;Page:8555] 
Hon TAU HENARE (National) 
: 
 Prior to the dinner break Shane Jones who wants to be the leader of the Labour Party one day—and that may come sooner rather than later—talked about how National had ruined any chance of Auckland City moving ahead in a progressive way because of National’s wish not to have Maori seats. He sounded like the drag queen of the Labour Party because 2 or 3 months ago outside in the lobby and in front of not one but two members of the National caucus Mr Shane Jones said that not only was he thankful that that issue was not before Labour but he did not agree with it. He flatly said he did not agree with having Maori seats. So I think it was a bit rich of the Hon Shane Jones to get up in the House and say what a bad move National made. 
Hon Member 
: When did he say that? 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: He said it a couple of months ago out in the lobby. 
The Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill is the third bill in what has been a very interesting process. I can sum it up by saying on one side we have the philosophical differences between National and Labour. On the Labour side we have the accusations by the likes of Shane Jones who say National is the cheerleader for some sort of privatisation-business conglomerate. On the other side we have the real people the mums and dads of Auckland who are concerned only with rates rubbish and roads. 
Carol Beaumont 
: Who are being disenfranchised by you. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: “Who are being disenfranchised” says Carol Beaumont. If they were being disenfranchised they would not be able to vote. That is the emotive language we get from Labour members but the mums and dads the people on Struggle Street want to know only about rates rubbish and roads. The issue is not about identity. The western districts will always be the west. It does not matter what sort of model we have. The people of east Auckland will always be east Aucklanders. Andrew Williams will always be Andrew Williams across on the North Shore and the south side will always be the south side regardless of which model we have. 
This issue is not about the workers the unions or the left wing; it is about getting the biggest city in New Zealand moving along at a pace that will take the rest of the country with it. It is about development. It is about opportunity. It is about hope. 
Phil Twyford 
: Never mind about democracy! 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Never mind about democracy. After the cards have all fallen on the table— 
Phil Twyford 
: I’ve given you all your lines! 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I know that the member has not been in the House very long but he is not allowed to use that term in this House. I ask you to ask him to withdraw and apologise. He used the word “lying”. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy) 
: No he did not. [ 
Interruption 
] No I do not need any assistance. I heard what the member said; he did not use that word. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: I am sorry. I did not hear correctly; I must have a hearing problem. 
Phil Twyford 
: You’ve definitely got a speaking problem too. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: No I do not have a speaking problem. I know where I am standing at the next election. It is not for the North Shore it is not for Waitakere it is not for Auckland Central and it is not for wherever—[ 
Interruption 
] That is right; Phil Twyford will be the super-city candidate—the super-silly candidate is more like it. For goodness’ sake these changes are the final step in getting Auckland going. It is left to National—it always has been—to get things moving and to get the country moving. 
For 9 years Auckland was a cesspool of inter-area politics where Bob Harvey Andrew Williams Len Brown John Banks and others were all protecting their own patches. It is time they thought—and we thought—about the whole of Auckland and how to get that engine room of New Zealand going for the betterment— 
Phil Twyford 
: Are you going to talk about the bill? 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: That is what the bill is about I say to “Mr No Seat Man”. I wish Carmel well by the way. This is about the opportunity. 
I want to talk about the Maori seats which my learned colleague Te Ururoa Flavell has spoken about. I have said on many occasions inside and outside my caucus that I was supportive and a proponent of some form of Maori representation in terms of seats and I make no bones about that. But I believe in democracy and that if one is outvoted then one falls in behind the team. I pose this question to my colleague from the Maori Party: if one knows that one has already lost the argument in terms of getting the Maori seats should one not go for the best alternative option— 
Hon George Hawkins 
: Why did you cross the floor? 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: I am just telling members I say to that fool. Why would one not go for the next-best option? And the next-best option is to get some form of representation through the advisory committee. It is not the best option in my mind but my caucus colleagues—and I support them 100 percent—have decided that the best option is to have Maori representation and issues pertaining to Maori worked out in that advisory committee. 
So I am absolutely happy about how this whole thing has progressed. It is about having strong representation it is about moving forward the biggest city in this country— 
Phil Twyford 
: Have you read the bill? 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: I tell the member to go and find a seat—anywhere in New Zealand. There must be 16 of them— 
Hon Gerry Brownlee 
: They’ll come up with another excuse to keep him out. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: That is right. The Labour Party will come up with another excuse to keep him out of that seat—wherever he is. I feel sorry for that member. He was supposed to get the Mt Albert seat but he was kicked out from there. He stood in North Shore; he stood all over the place. In fact I am reminded of that song “I’ve Been Everywhere Man.” I am sorry to say that Labour members have the problem not Auckland. Mums and dads in Auckland want this city to go ahead and they will get what they want.