Brown Simeon; O'Connor GregLOCAL GOVERNMENT (ELECTORAL LEGISLATION AND MĀORI WARDS AND MĀORI CONSTITUENCIES) AMENDMENT BILLSecond ReadingHon SIMEON BROWN (Minister of Local Government): I move That the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill be now read a second time. This bill strengthens our local democracy by reinstating polls on Māori wards and Māori constituencies. It requires councils to hold a binding poll at the 2025 local elections if they did not hold a poll when establishing Māori wards and it adjusts the statutory time frames for local elections to give more time for the postal delivery of voting papers.I want to thank the members of the Justice Committee for their consideration of this bill over the last couple of months and the work that they've done in a relatively short period of time considering thousands of submissions hearing from multiple individuals groups organisations and councils. I want to acknowledge everyone who submitted on the bill whether it was in writing or in person taking the time to exercise their democratic right as part of the parliamentary process. And as you'd expect in a healthy democracy there was a range of views on this particular piece of legislation. I want to acknowledge the particular points of view that have been raised—Shanan Halbert: Hobson's Pledge—acknowledge them.Hon SIMEON BROWN: I hear members opposite already discounting individuals and views and organisations and they'll have their turn soon to be able to have their say on this particular piece of legislation.Ultimately people in support highlighted that the bill will restore democratic rights that were removed by the 2021 amendment Act passed by the last Government. Submitters said that reinstating the poll provisions increased democracy by returning decision-making to communities on issues of constitutional and representative significance. Several submitters supported the requirement for council to hold a poll if they established Māori wards without one previously because it would give communities more say on their recent decisions.Now I would make the point that there are lots of people on the other side of the House and there were a number of who submitters came through who talk a lot about localism but what they then reject is giving local people the opportunity to have their say. So it's all about localism to a point. That is actually what the people on the other side of this House stand for. They think it's localism to the point that they get to have control over an issue. On this side of the House in the National Party the ACT Party and the New Zealand First Party we acknowledge that on issues like this ultimately local people should be able to actually vote on these issues. On the other side they are anti-democratic—anti-democratic—and we are actually upholding the principles of democracy. That is fundamentally what this bill comes down to.The committee heard a range of views on it which is completely understandable. ltimately this Government is standing though on the principle that ultimately local communities should be able to have their say when it comes to the establishment of Māori wards where those wards are being determined on the basis of ethnicity. Ultimately we think that local communities should be able to have their say as to whether or not that should happen. And ultimately what the last Government did was take away the ability for those local communities to have their say. They talk about local communities having their say but what they think there is that the council should ultimately be able to determine it. That's where they think local democracy should stop. Well ultimately if you go out there and talk to New Zealanders there is a number of key issues which should be able to be determined by all New Zealanders.The committee has provided several technical amendments on the transitional provisions of the bill that deal with the requirement for councils to hold a poll. There has been a number of small technical tidy-ups to make sure that the intent of the legislation is clear for the public and for councils to implement. I thank the committee members for their consideration of these matters and their suggestions. During the committee of the whole House stage I do intend to table an Amendment Paper to deal with some additional matters. The Amendment Paper will require councils either to resolve to reverse their previous decision to establish Māori wards or to resolve to hold a poll at the 2025 local elections by 6 September 2024.The bill as currently drafted implies that councils only need to make an active decision if they choose to disestablish or rescind. The bill does not specify the process for councils to make the decision to hold a poll. This change is made to reflect that the choice to hold a poll is subject to the same requirements as the choice to disestablish or rescind including that the use of a special consultative procedure is not required for this decision. This change will give more certainty for councils about the process and requirements for either course of action. Lastly the Amendment Paper will also confirm that the electoral officer is responsible for holding the poll if the council resolves to hold a poll in accordance with the changes mentioned earlier.These are some sensible changes that effectively will be proposed during the committee of the whole House. Effectively it will clarify that councils need to make an active decision one way or another by 6 September for all those councils which set up Māori wards where local communities were not able to have their say through the ability to have a vote.Hūhana Lyndon: Anti-localism.Hon SIMEON BROWN: I hear the comment again: anti-localism. Localism is about actually letting local people have their say. This is the fundamentally different belief on this side of the House. If a local community decides such as what Wairoa did where they had a referendum and they voted to have a Māori ward and they have that Māori ward we will respect that. If the local community votes and says We don't want to have a Māori ward." we'll respect that too. On that side of the House though they want to force their opinion on to communities up and down New Zealand. That is not localism. That is not democracy. That is not democratic. We live in a democracy. We believe in democratic principles in New Zealand and that is what this piece of legislation is doing.This bill is about restoring local democracy by giving powers back to electors: the right to decide on their local electoral arrangements. These rights were hastily taken away by the previous Government and now it is the time to do the right thing and give local communities their voice once again. We live in a representative democracy and as such local voices need to be heard loud and clear. I commend this bill to the House.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O'Connor): The question is that the motion be agreed to."