Goudie Sandra: Third Readings 
Goudie Sandra: Third Readings 
[Volume:632;Page:3879] 
SANDRA GOUDIE (National—Coromandel) 
: 
 I would just like to commend the sterling efforts from my colleagues in this House to blow the whistle on a Government that the people of New Zealand are rapidly concluding has gone stark barking raving mad. David Carter and Kate Wilkinson have done a magnificent job to highlight microchipping—a ludicrous part of the legislation which is a glaring symptom of a Government forcing more control over people and dumping ever more costs and work on to local authorities. That was referred to by my most excellent colleagues John Carter Mark Blumsky and Eric Roy. 
We are being inundated with reports of escalating local authority rates yet in spite of that we have the Government courtesy of the arch - cash-grabber Cullen telling Aucklanders to cough up more money for roads. Waiheke Island residents are promising a rates boycott if they are forced to pay recommended increases of at least 50 percent. Another group is saying that rates increases are unsustainable when looking at a 9 percent rate increase with more in years to come. A Federated Farmers survey revealed huge rate increases throughout the country. One council chief executive has even resigned citing mounting frustration at the increasing financial burden being put on councils by central government. 
This Government is one of the arch-villains as I have already said through the call by Michael Cullen for councils to start increasing their rates to pay for roads. Throughout the country there has been the suggestion that councils raise rates to fund State highways. We will not support that. Yet the Government thinks that is OK. No wonder with the Government continuing to shift responsibilities on to local government resulting in increased workloads increased compliance costs and no alternative for them but to pass those costs on to ratepayers. 
Councils have faced costs associated with the prostitution law gambling and microchipping but by far the greatest cost has been long-term council community plans. A scoping survey by a group from Lincoln University found that some councils specifically budgeted for the cost of long-term council community planning but some did not. Many councils had to put aside more money in their budgets at the request of staff to help pay for that whole round of community planning courtesy of this Government. Five main areas presented difficulties—that is funding staffing direction guidance meaning interpretation capability and buy-in. Actually that is more than five. But all those areas were really difficult to deal with in terms of long-term council community plans which were foisted on communities by the Government. No wonder when the process cost which many councils have to face was $500000 - plus. 
All of that just gets dumped on to ratepayers but the Government is saying: “They’re doing very well thank you very much.” But they are not. Even Tim Shadbolt Mayor of Invercargill has described the process as complex and bureaucratic and of course costly. Then there is the cost arising from the Government forcing councils to meet compulsory water quality standards which impose unbearable costs on communities instead of the Government allowing communities to determine their own needs. Microchipping is just another cost to ratepayers and the Government does not care. 
The Government loves the idea of developing joint ventures with local authorities because that keeps authorities busy and too busy to fight back. How many central government departments do members know of that are working with local government? I tell members there are heaps. They are all trying to develop these partnerships but all that does is keep councils busy—too busy to fight back. But they will fight back and they are fighting back. The Christchurch City Council has said it will leave the governance of gambling to central government—to this Labour Government—because it brought in the legislation it is the Government’s job and the council will let the market decide. 
As for microchipping of dogs councils may well decide to class all dogs as “working dogs” and not do any microchipping. The fact is they can. That will be a signal to the Government that it is failing the people of New Zealand.