Wong Pansy: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
Wong Pansy: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
[Volume:654;Page:3234] 
Hon PANSY WONG (Minister for Ethnic Affairs) 
: 
 It is a pleasure to take a call on the Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill as part of the team on this side of the House that is for Auckland. We want Auckland to have the opportunity to move ahead and be an international city. That opportunity has been denied Auckland for the past 50 years. For far too long time has been spent discussing and debating what the manner of governance in Auckland should be. But the team under the leadership of the Prime Minister the Hon John Key will give Auckland that opportunity. 
There used to be a few Labour MPs—not many—who were passionate for Auckland and wanted Auckland to go ahead. What did Labour do to them? It got rid of them. Let me give members some examples. One is the Rt Hon Helen Clark the previous Prime Minister. On 4 November 2007 Ms Helen Clark spoke to the Labour Party conference and she said that Auckland “has to be a major driver of New Zealand’s economic development. But it can’t drive if it’s gridlocked and dysfunctional. That’s why we want a fresh look taken at Auckland’s governance. That’s an idea whose time has come too.” and “Labour has led by setting up the serious and weighty Royal Commission on Auckland Governance. … I look forward to their report—and to change which can be implemented before the 2010 local elections to help make Auckland a truly great international city.” Ms Clark cared and New Zealanders realised she cared which is why in the opinion polls New Zealanders still put her ahead of the current leader of Labour—what is his name? She is still ahead because Aucklanders know that Ms Clark cared for Auckland. At least she cared for Auckland in wanting to give Auckland that opportunity. 
Another one of the few Labour MPs who used to be here who cared for Auckland and who wanted to give Auckland that opportunity was the Hon Mark Burton. He used to be the local government Minister for Labour. 
Phil Twyford 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I was under the impression that we were speaking to the Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill and I am unable to discern any of that from the current member’s— 
Hon Gerry Brownlee 
: Mr Speaker— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy) 
: I am not sure I need your help Mr Brownlee but I will take your point of order. 
Hon Gerry Brownlee 
: I was also of the view that we were talking about a bill to set up a transition committee but then I heard the speech of Su’a William Sio and realised that we must be on something entirely different. This is a broad and wide-ranging debate; if it is not then Labour members will have very little to say. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy) 
: All right. I think it is probably time that we have a little think about the process of this bill. Debate has by its nature from both sides been a little more wide-ranging. We also accept from time to time a broader argument and sometimes that is brought back into the debate as well. But a second reading is a little broader than a confined one. 
Hon PANSY WONG 
: I was giving the history of why we are here and the royal commission. That member Phil Twyford was denied an opportunity to stand for Mt Albert; his leader did not believe that he was good enough to stand for Mt Albert. Wow! If the member can give a passionate speech for this bill he should take a call. I was just reminding people that another of the few Labour MPs who used to care for Auckland was the Hon Mark Burton and this is what he had to say: “Transforming New Zealand into an economically successful and sustainable nation is a high priority for the Labour-led Government.” 
During the recent reshuffle the mini-reshuffle of Labour’s Opposition party one of the fresh new faces brought back to be the spokesperson for local government was the Hon George Hawkins. He certainly has some fresh ideas. We know he is at least passionate for Auckland because he supports the unitary Auckland Council. But what did they do to him? Was he allowed to take a call under the first or second readings of this bill? No. Anybody who is passionate for Auckland who cares for Auckland and who wants to give Auckland an opportunity to go ahead has been denied an opportunity to speak for the bill. They have been sidelined got rid of and that is why Labour will continue to take a bloodbath in Auckland when the general election comes around. 
For far too long for the last 50 years there has been too much debate and discussion on the governance of Auckland. It is holding Auckland back—a city of 1.3 million people. This hard-working MP has been poring through the royal commission’s inquiry—800 pages—which said that the commission received 3564 submissions from various organisations and individuals who are passionate about Auckland. The ones who supplied addresses amounted to 3080. There were standard forms of submission—1475—and 450 submitters or groups took the trouble to front up and speak to the royal commission. They were well consulted. In the royal commission’s report the summary of submissions talks about leadership. Many submitters chose to comment in person or in writing about leadership. They want decisive strong leadership to take Auckland ahead. Eventually the royal commission recommended the unitary council and we agree with that. We agree with one Auckland one plan and one mayor supported by one council with strongly contested local body elections. We agree with one council that will not hold back Auckland because at the moment we have local bodies disagreeing with each other. 
Aucklanders have spoken out. They have had that opportunity since 2007. In addition they have the very hard-working local government team the Minister of Local Government and the Associate Minister of Local Government going around the country and listening to people. As the hard-working MP for Botany I continue to knock on doors in my electorate and I listen to the people at their homes and on their doorsteps. Most people agree with the idea of one Auckland but they want to have further say. Individuals want to have a further say as to how those councillors are going to be elected. This Government is listening to them and a special Auckland select committee will be set up because it is important that the public has a voice. That select committee will listen to the people and to how they want to elect their councillors. More than that the National-led Government believes in local democracy. We say that six councils are not adequate. The people can have a say on how many local boards they want. 
This is the day that separates the team that is for Auckland and wants to give it opportunity and Labour members who want to continue to hold back Auckland. Those members do not support Auckland and Aucklanders will remember this day as the demise of the once-great Labour Party for good.