Cosgrove Clayton: Land Transport (Enforcement Powers) Amendment Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
Cosgrove Clayton: Land Transport (Enforcement Powers) Amendment Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:658;Page:7213] 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Labour—Waimakariri) 
: 
 I want to pick up from where Mr Burns left off because he and I and other colleagues from Christchurch—Lianne Dalziel and Ruth Dyson—face the issue of noise to a huge extent every night in our electorates. I think that Mr Burns in his own diplomatic way was being very generous and diplomatic in respect of Nicky Wagner. I can recall that Kate Wilkinson Gerry Brownlee David Carter and latterly Aaron Gilmore stomped the streets of Christchurch and greater Canterbury held public meetings and had petitions on this issue. I say that Mr Burns is a generous soul but he was far too generous to Nicky Wagner. She pledged damn near in blood that change would occur. She lambasted the previous Government saying that nothing had occurred that the noise level had not been addressed and that when she got into Government this would all change. Nicky Wagner presented the petition from her and 435 others to her own party’s majority-run committee—I am advised that the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee has a majority of National members on it. 
Mr Burns has referred to Noise Off. I cannot recall the names of the individuals in Noise Off— 
Brendon Burns 
: Jonathan? 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I am not sure of the surname but a number of people from Christchurch in a group called Noise Off have campaigned vigorously for a 90-decibel rating and Ms Wagner was very very happy to lend her political weight such as it is to that group and any other group. Like bees around the honeypot they clustered around her in support of her position and I mean no disrespect to those people because we now know that they were hoodwinked— 
Hon Steve Chadwick 
: They had hope. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: My colleague says that they had hope. They were hoodwinked. I would be grateful if the Minister could tell us or maybe Ms Wagner could tell us as I am sure she wants to take a call on this issue. She is here somewhere. As a list member from Christchurch who campaigned vociferously on this issue she will want to question the Minister— 
Hon Steve Chadwick 
: It was a crusade. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: —it was a crusade—vigorously as to why she was rolled by him and as to why when National has a majority on the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee her colleagues rolled her on this issue. 
Now it is accountability time. What was said before the election is now being revisited after the election on those who said it. We have people coming to us in our electorate offices saying: “Hang on wasn’t this Government going to do something and bring the noise down to a 90-decibel level? Wasn’t it Nicky Wagner and Kate Wilkinson who said that?”. Ms Wilkinson got up in front of the people of Mandeville in my electorate a couple of weeks after the election and said: “It will all be taken care of. We’re in Government now. This mob is out. We’re going to sort it.” Gerry Brownlee David Carter and Aaron Gilmore said the same. Their words have now come back to haunt them and it would be helpful if those members would tell the people of Christchurch why they let them down why they promised to do it and why they pledged to do it. If it was not National Party policy it makes it worse because those pledges were then made under false pretences. 
The Canterbury members on this side of the Chamber are making contributions. I invite the National members from Canterbury to ask the Minister why he rolled them and why the majority National members on the select committee rolled them. Why did they not come clean? They were still promising this days and weeks after the election. But when the rubber hit the road excuse the pun and we got the legislation in why then did the majority of National select committee members—and for those who are listening I tell them that the majority rules in this place; the party that has the majority on a select committee rules the day—roll their colleagues Nicky Wagner Kate Wilkinson Gerry Brownlee David Carter and Aaron Gilmore? Why did this Minister basically brush them aside and say “We aren’t going to have a bar of it.” 
I think to not acknowledge that noise is a huge part of the problem is to dismiss thousands of people and residents around New Zealand. We heard of St George’s Hospital I think it was— 
Brendon Burns 
: Southern Cross. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: Southern Cross I am sorry a hospital on Bealey Avenue which has had to move patients from one side of the hospital to the other. In fact speeches were made about this particular issue by National MPs before the election. They were wringing their hands and saying how awful it was—and it is—and how the Government should do something about it and that if it did not they would. Well they have the opportunity here tonight.