Kaye Nikki: Rugby World Cup 2011 (Empowering) Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
Kaye Nikki: Rugby World Cup 2011 (Empowering) Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:668;Page:14883] 
NIKKI KAYE (National—Auckland Central) 
: 
 I am pleased to take a call on the Rugby World Cup 2011 (Empowering) Bill. Firstly I think we have seen Labour’s true colours in regard to this legislation. We are seeing that those members are clearly trying to undermine good legislation going through the House in support of what will be the largest sporting event that New Zealand has ever held. It will be a time when 4 billion people will be watching us with 2000 media. Frankly it is quite embarrassing because members opposite sat in the select committee and went through a reasonable process—and members on this side of the Chamber have talked about that process—but then those members did not put in a minority report. They have far too much time on their hands and Mr Mallard has stirred them up taking them down a little garden path. My concern is that we have had a very very clear process there but there was no minority report. My colleague said it very well by saying that we need to call members opposite for exactly what they are doing. They are filibustering and they are showing a lack of support for New Zealand by not supporting this legislation. 
We are very clear that this Part 2 of the legislation is about setting up the Rugby World Cup Authority but we are hearing a lot of contradictions coming from the other side as well. Yesterday those members said that they supported the process for the establishment of the authority. In fact Mr Mallard even said yesterday that he supported the fact that Mr McCully was consulting members opposite regarding that membership. But we just heard from Mr Lees-Galloway that—actually no—because of the provisions about urgent consents it is Labour’s position that it does not support the legislation at all. Complete contradictions are coming from the other side of the Chamber. We know what is happening here. We know that this is about wasting New Zealand taxpayers’ money and we have just seen it via an hour of filibustering. That is not good for New Zealand particularly when we have had pretty hard economic times. 
I come back again to Part 2 of the legislation. We on this side of the Chamber want to be very clear that we are supportive of the authority that is being set up. A very reasonable process has been undertaken in relation to Part 2. There is a very clear process about the membership of the authority in terms of consulting the Minister of Justice the Minister for Economic Development and the Minister for the Environment. They are all elected people. Again it comes back to some of the arguments that have been raised by the Opposition in regard to not having an urgent consent process whereby there is a power of veto by the Minister. We on this side of the Chamber would prefer to have elected representatives rather than unelected people accountable. That goes to the core and heart of a number of the discussions that have happened so far. 
I say that we on this side of the Chamber support New Zealand support the Rugby World Cup and support this legislation going through compared with a Labour Opposition that is filibustering that is wasting the Committee’s time and that does not support the Rugby World Cup. Those members show a lot of contradictions in terms of what they are saying. We are supportive of the Rugby World Cup and I commend this legislation.