Wall Louisa: Crown Entities Reform Bill — Second Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Wall Louisa: Crown Entities Reform Bill — Second Reading 
[Sitting date: 22 May 2012. Volume:680;Page:2245. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
LOUISA WALL (Labour—Manurewa) 
: 
 Kia ora. It is my pleasure to speak on this Crown Entities Reform Bill as Labour’s spokesperson on the community and voluntary sector. It has been interesting meeting with the sector because the sector has been very clear that particularly Part 3 of this bill is something that it completely disagrees with: of the 43 submissions that we received on this bill 20 related directly to Part 3. I continue to receive submissions from the community and voluntary sector about the fact that the Minister is not listening to it that the Government is not listening to it and that it does not want the Charities Commission merged into the Department of Internal Affairs. In fact the Government Administration Committee itself acknowledged the strong concern expressed by submitters in relation to the disestablishment of the Charities Commission.  
One of the other things that were highlighted in the select committee process was that the bill was interrupted with the end of Parliament—it was first introduced on 29 September 2011 and it had its first reading on 4 October—so there were some issues about the carry-over of this bill with the community and voluntary sector. Because at the end of Parliament there was confusion about the status of this bill it was very interesting that this Government has chosen to rush this piece of legislation through and again take no cognisance of what the community is saying.  
When I talk about the community the people I am talking about are ComVoices which is an independent network of tangata whenua and leading national community and voluntary organisations. It has been set up to promote and make visible the enormous contribution of the community and voluntary sector to New Zealand society. The Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector is leaving the House because she does not want to hear— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Order! The member will be seated. Can I just remind members that it is custom and practice in this place that you do not refer to the absence of members. All of us at some time or other cannot be in the House. 
LOUISA WALL 
: Thank you Mr Speaker. It was very interesting for me as the spokesperson— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: She was running faster than the member because she’s a winger. 
LOUISA WALL 
: —oh you reckon Trevor—for the community and voluntary sector that I have had so many people from this community want to meet with me to talk to me. ComVoices was one of the groups I met with. Katherine Noble was the chair. I also met with Dave Henderson who represented the Association of Non-Governmental Organisations of Aotearoa which is an independent network of community sector organisations. I met with Ros Rice who represents the New Zealand Council of Social Services and with Tina Reid who was there on behalf of Social Development Partners.  
One of the organisations that have sent me some communication most recently is an organisation called Te Roopu Waiora Trust which is a national Maori disability advocacy ropu based in Papatoetoe South Auckland. What is interesting from what it says—and what I really want to highlight—is in its communication which I quote from. It has existed for over 22 years as an active network committed to progressing Maori aspirations and outcomes. What it notes is that in those 22 years it has never been invited to participate in policy and planning within the Department of Internal Affairs. However developing a relationship with the Charities Commission has occurred and it is in negotiations with the Charities Commission on behalf of its community to ensure that Maori actively participate in the first-principles review of the Charities Act that has been proposed. What is interesting in this process is that the Charities Commission is actually actively engaging with its stakeholders who are the community and voluntary sector organisations of New Zealand. They have a relationship and the commission is ensuring that those organisations have been well briefed and have an opportunity to participate. I quote: “In view of the principles promoted in the development and implementation of the Kia Tutahi accord we find this move by Government and the lack of consultation with the communities of Aotearoa to be completely contradictory. It is extremely disappointing that our trust in working together as Government and communities in good faith has once again been eroded.”  
The position that we take on this side of the House is that we will listen to our communities when they come to us and say: “Please don’t transfer the Charities Commission into the Department of Internal Affairs. Please let the first-principles review happen.” Once that process is gone through—which ensures that the input of the community and voluntary sector as the most critical stakeholder for the Charities Commission into that process is enabled—then we will know the best outcomes that we want for that sector and we will have a better Charities Commission that is going to meet the needs of the communities of New Zealand.  
One of the other things that I want to highlight is that some of the key themes that emerged from those 20 submissions are that the independence of the Charities Commission and its functions would be compromised by transferring it to the Department of Internal Affairs. This really goes to the heart of what I think the community is worried about. It is about the autonomy and independence of the commission which the community feels it currently has. So we cannot understand on this side of the House why the Government will not just listen to the community and voluntary sector. I will be supporting my colleague Trevor Mallard. I should have acknowledged earlier actually that the chair of the Government Administration Committee the Hon Ruth Dyson has been leading this work on behalf of us. I want to reiterate that we are listening to the community and voluntary sector and we share with it I guess a belief in the process that was in the Charities Act. That process should be enabled and we should go through a process that ensures that the people who are going to be most affected by this change have a say in how their sector will be controlled and a say on the framework within which a lot of the Charity Commission’s work is undertaken—that those people can have a say in the commission’s work really and in the framework of the work that the commission does.  
One of the other key themes that emerged from this submission was that the Charities Commission’s role of educating the charitable sector will be compromised by the transfer of functions to the Department of Internal Affairs. Again this is what the sector is saying and I think that we should be aware of what it thinks. For us that is one of the most important considerations in terms of the position we will be taking. The Charities Commission should be retained in its current form until and after the completion of the review of the Charities Act 2005.  
One of the other points that have been highlighted is that the savings associated with disestablishing the Charities Commission have probably in fact been overstated. There could be a point where it is actually going to cost this Government more money to merge the functions of the Charities Commission into the Department of Internal Affairs. Given that this Government is very quick to use cost savings as one of the rationales for a lot of the work that it is attempting to do maybe it should critically analyse whether or not it could save some money by just letting the first-principles review take place.  
We look forward to working with our fellow Opposition members to ensure that Part 3 of this bill is defeated. That is our primary purpose because once again we are going to listen to what our communities say. For those of you who are listening we will continue to ensure that your voices are heard and have a valid place in this House. I hope that the Minister and the members of that side of the House start listening to what the community and voluntary sector wants. Kia ora.