Dyson Ruth: Resource Management Amendment Bill Local Government (Auckland Transitional Provisions) Amendment Bill (No 2) Local Government Official Information and Meetings Amendment Bill — Third ReadingsText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDyson Ruth: Resource Management Amendment Bill Local Government (Auckland Transitional Provisions) Amendment Bill (No 2) Local Government Official Information and Meetings Amendment Bill — Third Readings[Sitting date: 27 August 2013. Volume:693;Page:12867. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills): That is correct. It is very hard after you hear that member Maggie Barry to think why on earth she would be so poorly liked not only within her own caucus but within her own party and in her own electorate. Let me give myself a minute to figure out why that might be. It does not take long. I love watching the faces of her colleagues as she makes a contribution to the House. They all start wincing and whingeing.I am very pleased to speak to the third reading of the Resource Management Amendment Bill the Local Government (Auckland Transitional Provisions) Amendment Bill (No 2) and the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Amendment Bill to make sure that it is on the record that not only I personally but also the Labour Party opposes this legislation. My colleague the Hon Maryan Street quite correctly pointed out that these bills are not one-off amendments to do anything that the members opposite purport them to do but actually they are part of a series of measures to undermine the principles of the Resource Management Act. The reason that the Resource Management Act was developed over both National and Labour Governments was actually to move from a centralised planning perspective to an effects-based piece of legislation. Around the world that process is envied. It has done New Zealand very well.I also want to put on record that this process is not perfect and that where councils are underperforming they should be called to account and given proper support to improve their processes. This should not be about delaying; this should be about have a regime that looks at the effects of a proposal and ensures that the founding principle of that consideration is the protection of the environment. It should have at its heart consideration of the rights of our citizens to have a say in what is happening in their communities their cities and their regions and indeed in our country. So ensuring that we have environmental protection and the voice of our community is critical to the success of this process. This legislation weakens both of those provisions.My colleagueSu’a William Sio also mentioned two other important provisions. They are to support rather than tie up local authorities and give them the respect and the recognition that they deserve to get on and do their mandated work as efficiently as possible. This legislation pushes aside our democratically elected councillors’ rights to carry out those functions. It is just another reduction in our respect for local authorities. It also fails to recognise and in fact works in the opposite direction of central government recognising the role in local development of a local authority. So there is no logical rationale to these pieces of legislation. They are some of the more ideological pieces of legislation that we have seen in this House for some time.A strong advocate for the environment and indeed often a strong advocate for the National Party Guy Salmon said on national television that this process of reforming the Resource Management Act was the first time we had had a Minister for the Environment in New Zealand since the very first Minister for the Environment who moved away from protecting the standards for the environment and reduced protection and standards for the environment. I do not think that Guy Salmon will be promoting let alone voting for National next year.This is a sad time for this House. This is legislation that is not supported in the way that it should be and in the way that the Resource Management Act was originallydeveloped for across both National and Labour—it was before other parties were in Parliament. I regret that it looks like it will be progressed through this House.