Sio Su'a William: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
Sio Su'a William: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
[Volume:654;Page:3692] 
SU’A WILLIAM SIO (Labour—Mangere) 
: 
 I appreciate having the opportunity to continue the debate. At every step of this debate while the Opposition members have demanded their say on bits and pieces of the Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill the Government on the other hand has moved closure motions to put an end to the debate. I say to the Government that Labour is determined to have its say and is determined to recognise that Aucklanders’ views are important. For that reason I rise to speak on proposed new Part 12 about the paid parental leave entitlement—to ensure that the voices of our women throughout Auckland and especially those in Manukau City are recognised and heard. The proposed amendment has two purposes: to give confidence to the women in Manukau City and the other seven local and territorial authorities throughout Auckland that their paid parental leave will be protected and to provide protection and confidence to the close to 7000 workers who are effected by the restructuring and reorganisation of Auckland councils. 
When I look across to the other side of the Chamber I see the member Dr Jackie Blue. I notice that she has been angry and frustrated throughout this debate. No doubt as a member from the Auckland region she is reflecting the anger and frustration that the people of Auckland are feeling about this particular debate. She is sitting on her own away from the rest of her colleagues. She is the member who should have been the Minister of Health. Her anger and frustration are a reflection of the way that people throughout the Auckland region are feeling; they are angry and frustrated that this Government is not prepared to allow public consultation on the bill by sending it to a select committee. That is all that the Government has to do. I invite Dr Jackie Blue to take a call. She should not worry about what the whips are telling her to do; she should take a call on this amendment and stand up for women in the Auckland region. Close to 7000 workers will be affected by the reorganised structure. It would not be so bad if just young single people were involved but probably 50 to 60 percent of the workforce is women—married middle-aged women with children—and if they have mortgages they have a real sense of fear about what will happen. 
It is also important that the Committee votes in support of the proposed new Part 12 because earlier the Government voted down a motion moved by Charles Chauvel—one of my colleagues—that the Government put in place a code of practice that honours and delivers the principle of protecting the workers affected. I have a concern about the workers for the various council-controlled organisations such as Manukau Water. I have been given a secret document which states: “It is worth noting that barely 24 hours after the Government announced its decision—which expressly didn’t mention Watercare as the provider—the Minister of Local Government sent out a media release which effectively reversed that position and said Watercare would be the provider … there is a secret transition plan [that] is beneficial to private sector companies supported by that Minister. This plan will see more than 500 people currently employed in the water industry lose their jobs in favour of private sector contractors.” Those workers are additional to the close to 7000 workers I mentioned. It is an outrage that Aucklanders who are listening to this debate and who want their views on it to be heard are finding that it is being shut down by the closure motions that members of the Government keep moving. The Government needs to listen to Aucklanders and to allow their views on this debate and on this particular bill to be heard. 
The disturbing thing throughout the debate is that the Minister of Local Government Rodney Hide and Mr Key have been promoting the bill as simply a technical bill but the reality is that the bill changes everything. The bill takes away the powers and rights of councillors and mayors elected in 2007 because with the setting up of the Auckland Transition Agency the powers are given to three or four people handpicked by Rodney Hide who are then given the power to decide what happens within the local councils. I say again that all that this Government needs to do is send this bill to a select committee.