Street Maryan: Kaipara District Council (Validation of Rates and Other Matters) Bill — Second ReadingText is subject to correctionStreet Maryan: Kaipara District Council (Validation of Rates and Other Matters) Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 13 November 2013. Volume:694;Page:53. Text is subject to correction.]Hon MARYAN STREET (Labour): It does not give me a great deal of pleasure to rise to speak to this bill the Kaipara District Council (Validation of Rates and Other Matters) Bill. I have spoken vehemently about it in the past. I was on the Local Government and Environment Committee for most of the consideration of this bill although I have not been most latterly as my portfolio responsibilities have altered and I am no longer on this committee. However I was there as I said for the consideration of this bill. I was there at Maungatūroto for the hearing of submissions.This has been a hornets’ nest quite frankly where every time something was addressed or another submission was heard another layer of less than stellar behaviour was revealed. I do not think that there is anybody who comes out of the consideration of this bill with everything they want. First of all I wish to add my objections to those of others about passing retrospective legislation. It is a truism to say that we do not like to do it in this House but it seems that we have had a number of these bills to deal with in recent times. I hope that the resolution of this issue although not pleasing everybody will in the course of its being heard have raised a number of red flags to those involved in local government around the country. It is not good enough to make mistakes apologise for them and then get Parliament to address them. That is not good enough.In addition to that my colleague Moana Mackey referred to various degrees of dissatisfaction ranging from genuine errors through to potential corruption. I hope that there has been enough exposure of the behaviour of a range of parties here to ensure that those engaged in local government—and I do not mean just elected officials though always elected officials but also those appointed to positions—are working to the highest ethical standards that a community would expect their local council to adhere to.I want to deviate a little because it is important and it is relevant to this as of yesterday. I am very hopeful that this is the end of this matter—albeit to many people’s dissatisfaction—in Kaipara. I hope that they are looking forward from here because just yesterday there was a joint statement from Northland authorities commending the Local Government Commission for its recommendation for one super-council in the north. So a joint statement on behalf of the Far North District Council Kaipara District Council Whangarei District Council and Northland Regional Council said that they were prepared to work together to put issues of the past behind them and to make sure that the new legislation which would be introduced to Parliament soon could work. I hope that is the case for the people in the Kaipara District.This would be a really significant move forward if this piece of legislation can be the end of this unpleasant episode. It is not about rich versus poor not about inhabitants versus visitors and not about those who pay and those who use. We can look forward to one large council working with one mayor and a range of geographically spread boards to represent the issues. I hope that will be a more permanent fix for the people of Kaipara than this bill will be. Thank you.