Jones Dail: Local Government (Auckland) Amendment Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
Jones Dail: Local Government (Auckland) Amendment Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:618;Page:14063] 
DAIL JONES (NZ First) 
: 
 New Zealand First is of the view that something has to be done for Auckland. We are here in Parliament and we have to deal with what is on the Table. All that is on the Table is this particular bill. New Zealand First has to look at the bill and see whether it can make the best of it and whether it will do at least something to improve the situation in Auckland. We are of the view that it does. Our spokesman Jim Peters has been on the select committee and has made a very valuable contribution to it. That became clear at the meeting held by the Auckland Regional Council about 2 or 3 weeks ago attended by 27 members of Parliament from Auckland. That must be a record and it shows there is a feeling amongst Auckland members of Parliament that something has to be done. 
New Zealand First is willing to take up any plan that might improve situations. We have this plan from Labour. We heard a plan announced by Mr Mapp in this House—I think for the first time by the National Party—in the third reading today. That was an interesting plan. If National were in Government New Zealand First would have to consider that plan and whether it would improve the situation in Auckland. That is the dilemma and it is the role that New Zealand First as the third party in Parliament must face. 
At the moment this plan does seem to improve the situation and New Zealand First will therefore support it. We will support anything that will improve the situation in Auckland. We want the roads built. They should have been built yesterday and the day before yesterday. Mr Williamson talks about roads being built now. He had the chance for 9 years as a Minister of Transport to do something about it between 1990 and 1999 and as every Aucklander knows he did nothing. 
 The evidence was before our very eyes as we drove through Auckland time and time again in those years. New Zealand First will look at Mr Mapp’s plan. However I ask Mr Mapp to have another think about it. His National Party plan seems to mean that everyone would be involved including the Government. Aucklanders want Auckland to resolve Auckland’s problems. They do not want a Wellington solution to Auckland’s problems. Auckland has had that for many years now. I suggest Mr Mapp and the National Party think about that. They would have difficulty selling that plan to Auckland because it is a Wellington plan not an Auckland plan. 
The advantage of this legislation is that it is an Auckland solution worked out by Aucklanders through the Auckland Regional Council and the Auckland Regional Transport Authority. As an Auckland member of Parliament that appeals to me. I put it to the National Party that I do not want some fancy consultants in Wellington or around the world coming up with yet another plan or fancy idea to resolve Auckland’s problems. 
I say to the House and especially to the National Party and the ACT party that we have to do something for Auckland. Auckland members of Parliament should be working together to try to improve the situation in Auckland and not do what was done while Mr Mapp was putting up his proposal. He had an idea but his speech was chipped in on and interjected on time and time again by Labour members. Of course when the Labour Party put up its proposal Mr Williamson constantly nagged and interjected on Labour Party members about that proposal. There should be wide-ranging consensus and agreement amongst members that some proposal must be accepted rather than constant bagging by the National Party against the Labour Party and the Labour Party against the National Party. 
New Zealand First does not want to be part of that. We want to make sure something positive is done for Auckland. We will support any plan that has a possibility of working for Auckland and generally speaking in other areas for New Zealand’s future. New Zealand First wants to see an integrated proposal by rail road and water. We have a wonderful ferry opportunity in Auckland as well. 
As a member of Parliament who has represented West Auckland in the past and who still takes a very strong interest in the Helensville electorate I am delighted that the double rail network is being established in Auckland. The Auckland Regional Council along with the Government I understand is involved with that and they are both to be congratulated on it. Congratulations should be given where they are due. I am disappointed that the National Party fails to do that at every opportunity. The double lines are going in. I want to see that double line going up to Helensville. I have not heard anything from the National Party member for Helensville who has had ample opportunity to speak in this debate to implore the Government and the Auckland Regional Council to make sure that the double link goes up to Helensville. 
I am a New Zealand First member who has represented Helensville I was the first member of Parliament to represent the electorate I have lived in the electorate and I want to see the double line going up to Helensville. I am disappointed that I am getting no support from the National Party in that respect. I take a good interest in Helensville and I am there regularly. 
Auckland bodies need to get together and they need to speak as one. Auckland members of Parliament need to speak as one. We do not want what Mr Williamson has suggested today perhaps in a humorous vein which is yet another survey of Aucklanders as to what Auckland wants. I know that what Auckland wants and what New Zealand wants is a New Zealand First policy on the roading situation. We want all the money gathered from road taxes to be spent on the roads. That is our policy. When New Zealand First was part of the coalition Government that is what it was starting to achieve. We started to increase the allocation especially for all roading taxes to be spent on roads. After the split-up the National Party got back into the third year of the term and reversed that policy. If National had maintained our policy it would have been possible to do more roading in Auckland and generally. 
\What appears to have happened also between 1990 and 1999 is that more roading money was spent out of Auckland than in Auckland. Clearly the demand was in Auckland but unfortunately for political pot-boiling purposes that money was spent outside that area. New Zealand First and I think all New Zealand now recognises that something has to be done for Auckland and that is why this bill is before this House. But even though this legislation is meant to support Auckland the National Party and the ACT party are opposing it. 
We are seeing the developments currently and New Zealand First commends and supports them. For example in the North Shore area I was invited to a North Shore City Council meeting. I do not seem to have been invited again but I look forward to attending another meeting again. I support the Esmonde Road interchange. I support the development of the Constellation Drive bus depot and the bus depot at Albany at Oteha Valley Road and I am doing all I can to make sure that happens. After the North Shore City Council meeting where the North Shore City Council complained that the Auckland Regional Council was not doing anything about it I went to an Auckland Regional Council meeting and would members believe the Auckland Regional Council suggested that perhaps the North Shore City Council could be doing a bit more. That is typical local body politics. 
Fortunately all that is behind us now because funds have been made available for the Esmonde Road interchange and we will be seeing those developments. I have got back to Parliament in only this last session 2002. However I am seeing roading developments taking place. I have to recognise that that is the case and I commend the North Shore City Council for that happening. I commend the North Shore City Council for developments in that area. I see that the second upper-harbour bridge is being built. That is great news. I have not heard one National Party member even the member whose electorate it is Mr Key mention the second upper-harbour bridge. That is about the only new work that is being done because all the resource consents have been finalised and they are always the problem. I commend that development. I understand that the Mount Roskill development has now been approved. We have read all this. 
Phil Heatley 
: This is a socialist speech. 
DAIL JONES 
: The member for King Country and the member for Whangarei may not like to see Auckland being dealt with. Those National Party members want to attack the new development at Mount Roskill. They can and of course Mr Connell can too. National Party rural members do not want the money being spent in Auckland. That is what it boils down to does it not? Otherwise they would be commending this speech and the developers. 
Brian Connell 
: We just don’t want to pay for it. 
DAIL JONES 
: Those members have told the House that if National gets back into office it will not support development in Auckland. I stand in this House and I hear those rural members say that they will go back to their old ways. Aucklanders and people coming to Auckland from Whangarei do not want to have to go through Auckland to go south. They want to go around Auckland. People who come from Whangarei—Mr Carter’s electorate—do not want to come into Auckland. They are forced to come into Auckland now because in the old days Auckland City people wanted money from the business. I want to see the Mount Roskill interchange and development proceed. People from Whangarei and Hamilton or vice versa can avoid Auckland. When I travel to Auckland I want to avoid Auckland. When I say “travel to Auckland” I mean that if I want to go to Howick I do not want to have to go through Auckland. [ 
Interruption 
] I hate going into Auckland. That is right. I do not like to go to Auckland. I avoid it. I shop at the North Shore Lynnmall and any other place in Auckland. I do not like going into Auckland. That is why I want to see this legislation get under way. I want to avoid travelling into Auckland. I want to go south without all those problems on the interchange and get to the airport without the interchange. 
Brian Connell 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I seek the leave of the House for that Government member to have an extension to his speech. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That member is not a member of the Government. The member should read his  
Hansard 
 sometime.