Mahuta Nanaia: Crown Entities Reform Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Mahuta Nanaia: Crown Entities Reform Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 04 October 2011. Volume:676;Page:21663. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Labour—Hauraki-Waikato) 
: 
 That member John Hayes challenged us to be plain-spoken. Well we could not get more plain-spoken than this. The Crown Entities Reform Bill is just a meagre attempt to cost-cut with no reason or demonstration of benefits to the public. Cut public services cut public sector jobs and cut the role of the community and voluntary sector and non-governmental organisations out of the equation. It is as simple as that. 
I want to confine my contribution to this debate to the aspects relating to the Charities Commission because what the bill proposes to do is absorb the Charities Commission into the Department of Internal Affairs. I am a great believer that form follows function and the question that must be asked of members on the other side of the House is why they are absorbing the Charities Commission into the Department of Internal Affairs when the non-government sector itself has raised concerns about that when it has asked the Government to implement the review that was promised under the Charities Act 2005 when the Charities Commission was set up and when it has asked to be consulted on this particular issue because yes although there are concerns in non-governmental organisations about the way in which the Charities Commission is undertaking its role there is time for the review to be implemented to get feedback from the sector and work with the sector just as Labour did when we initiated the Charities Commission to ensure that the progress of legislation and the form and the role of the Charities Commission can work alongside the very important role of the community and voluntary sector and non-governmental organisations. I urge the Maori Party member who spoke before me Rahui Katene to read the letter from the Association of Non-Governmental Organisations of Aotearoa that was sent to Tariana Turia urging her to pause on this particular issue because the association has very real concerns about the lack of autonomy and independence that may eventuate from absorbing the Charities Commission into the Department of Internal Affairs. 
Labour believes that there is a very strong role that the Charities Commission can play in the long term. In fact the education role that it currently plays to upskill volunteers and strengthen the governance and financial management role in our voluntary organisations is a good one. We are concerned that the Government has made no commitment whatsoever in this area to continue this role and we are very sceptical in fact that by absorbing the Charities Commission into the Department of Internal Affairs that arm’s-length independence will be lost. Now we do not believe that the independent role of the Charities Commission should be done because it is a nice thing to do. No. By virtue of the work undertaken by the charitable sector by the community and voluntary sector and by non-governmental organisations in terms of the advocacy that it undertakes which sometimes criticises Government policy it should be at arm’s length and should remain autonomous and independent. That is why. I do not think that the views of the sector have been listened to very well at all by the Government. The sector is certainly listening to this debate and questioning what the go-forward opportunity is with this Government. 
The issue of the  
Kia Tutahi Standing Together Relationship Accord 
 and how that as a working document for the community and voluntary sector is supposed to partner with the community sector is not being upheld by what is being achieved here today. I also wanted to point out that in so far as feedback from community organisations on this matter is concerned it is worth mentioning that they have advocated to a number of Ministers over this year about ways in which constructive opportunities to review the role of the commission and how it can better function as we go forward that feedback has been offered time after time after time. But has the Government listened? No. In this instance it is introducing a measure that is not supported by the sector that does not demonstrate gains back to the community and voluntary sector and that most important fails to recognise that a comprehensive review of the Charities Act could in fact have been reached if the Government had accelerated the review date that is already set down in the Charities Act. 
Although it would be too easy to skim over this particular part of the bill I think we owe it to our community organisations—the 25000 that have already been registered—to provide some type of reason as to why the Government is taking the steps that it has today to absorb the Charities Commission into the Department of Internal Affairs. Nobody can really understand the reasons for that and that is the least that could be done for those 25000 organisations throughout the country. They play an important role especially in tough times when families are struggling and every member in this House knows who picks up the slack: our community organisations the community and voluntary sector and our non-governmental organisations. In fact what they will be telling a number of members in this House—and certainly the members in the Labour team—is that they are picking up far more slack with less putea than ever before. So while the Government is washing its hands of any responsibility to fund the capacity of the community and voluntary sector and non-governmental organisations to do their job well and to be able to respond to the needs of vulnerable families out there what is the Government doing? It is hiding all its commitments by making this meagre change which is not supported by the sector and may continue to erode the very important role community organisations are actually taking up in our communities. 
Without prolonging my contribution I can quite confidently say that a number of organisations in the community and voluntary sector will be making submissions on this part of the bill. I look forward to that. We will not be supporting the bill because we do not believe that cost-cutting measures that aim to cut public services and jobs in the public sector will indeed deliver the benefits that the Government thinks they will. 
One last thing: here is a little example of an organisation that was deregistered that is making a particular contribution in the area of social housing. Labour was particularly concerned that Minister Phil Heatley refused last year to intervene to restore charitable status to Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust. The trust plays a very important role in the area of social housing and providing community housing. At a time when the Minister could have shown leadership about the important role that organisations like that have in our communities to put a high urgency and obligation on providing community housing emergency housing and social housing in our communities to respond to those very important needs the Government did nothing. The Minister did nothing and he could have intervened to turn that situation round. We cannot see situations where the Government or the Minister fail to take leadership on important obligations and roles that are being undertaken by the charitable sector. That is just not good enough and we will not tolerate it. 
I believe this bill has enormous implications for other organisations that are undertaking these types of charitable obligations and we do not want to see that trend continue. I hope that that becomes the subject of the submissions that are raised in the select committee and I especially invite those organisations that have been deregistered to present their views to the select committee so that they can be heard in full. 
Having outlined quite specifically the nature of our concerns I am pleased to say Labour will not support this bill. We do not believe it will deliver any benefits. In so far as the community and voluntary sector goes I back it but the Government does not; Labour backs it but the Government does not. 
Debate interrupted.