Mallard Trevor: Urgent Debates — Rugby World Cup—Extension to Queens Wharf Fanzone 
Mallard Trevor: Urgent Debates — Rugby World Cup—Extension to Queens Wharf Fanzone 
[Volume:675;Page:21356] 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour—Hutt South) 
: 
 I move  
That the House take note of a matter of urgent public importance 
. National’s sudden decision to take control of the waterfront is in my belief an admission that the Government failed to ensure the security and safe passage of Kiwi fans and international visitors on the Rugby World Cup opening night. It is obvious to all of us that the focus of the Government has been on photo opportunities on smiling on waving and on making speeches that I think even you Mr Speaker would describe as inept to millions of people. It has not focused at all on the details that are important as far as safety security and related matters are concerned. 
I think all of us know that last Friday was a debacle and we will get into the reasons for that as the debate goes on. But what we are seeing now I think can fairly be described as damage control and the covering of some relatively exposed butts. John Key and his Ministers have let down rugby fans. They have damaged our reputation enormously internationally. All around the world we have seen pictures being shown of New Zealand being unable to organise what might be described as a piss-up in a brewery. 
The Prime Minister who gave an absolute guarantee that the event would run smoothly is the one whose butt is most exposed at the moment and he has given Murray McCully the job of trying to cover it up. We have still not had from the Minister of Transport any assurance whatsoever that the transport issues will be resolved. In fact he has reversed the recommendations of the Minister for the Rugby World Cup and recommended to people that they drive their cars to Eden Park in future. He has recommended further use of private vehicles rather than public transport. Therefore we are likely to have a reverse of the situation. 
I think it is fair to say that when I was the Minister in charge probably too many groups were set up but certainly groups were set up that had regard for safety—both international security and the physical safety of people. Groups were set up to do with transport and there were recommendations by the bucket load. 
But what we have heard from the Hon Murray McCully is that he did not deign to read the reports he received on becoming the Minister for the Rugby World Cup. I am sorry to say I am not surprised. Mr McCully on some occasions appears to be a person for detail. He picks the colours of the jacket for the Prime Minister to mince in. He gets down to that level of detail and that level of hands-on control. We could see hands-on control all over the place on Friday night—we could see that on Friday night. But he did not get hands-on as a Minister should have to make sure that policies were in place to ensure the safe running of this cup. 
We have had repeated assurances from the Prime Minister that this event would run smoothly. He said the thing he wanted to be judged on the most after the economy was his ability as the Minister of Tourism and Prime Minister to run a smooth Rugby World Cup. Well the chickens are coming home to roost. What we have is a Prime Minister who did not even ask the Minister for the Rugby World Cup and the Minister of Transport whether they had checked out the relevant policies and the relevant decisions of officials. 
I do not know whether all of us found the approach of the previous Prime Minister particularly comfortable on occasions but we know that her Ministers would be grilled in Cabinet and pre-Cabinet over months in advance of major events. I have a feeling that I was asked more questions in the period leading up to the bid being made for the Rugby World Cup than the present Prime Minister asked his Ministers in the 3 years they have been responsible for this event. That is the role of the Prime Minister. It is the role of the Prime Minister to lead the team and to check that they are doing the work. That is the core of the role of the Prime Minister. It is to show that leadership and to make sure that his Ministers are doing the work they should be doing. 
What has become clear is that dozens of photos have appeared like this one I have here of the Minister for the Rugby World Cup and the Minister of Transport taking credit—taking credit—for the transport. What did they do? They went to the railway station but they did not ask the questions. They went to the railway station they had their photos taken at numerous photo opportunities but the Minister of Transport did not ask whether there would be enough buses scheduled. The Minister of Transport did not ask whether any trains would be coming in from the west other than those scheduled. He did not ask: “Will more trains be coming in from the west other than those that come in every Friday night?”. No he did not ask that question. He did not know that they would fail to provide trains going that way. He did not know what would happen if the same thing happened as had previously occurred at a concert where too many people were on the trains and they got jammed up. 
What we have is the same situation after a series of warnings. At the Minister of Transport’s meeting 99 days out from the Rugby World Cup with the Auckland Council and the transport officials he got a warning—in fact the Minister of Transport got a long list of warnings. But did he ensure that those warnings were followed through and that proper contingency arrangements were put in place? No he did not and we saw the results of his laziness last Friday night. We saw the results of having two Ministers who are more concerned about the optics than the facts. Well in the end if they do not care about what actually happens it comes back to bite them on the backsides. It bites the Minister of Transport on the backside and his bench mate the Minister for the Rugby World Cup who has been savaged in his butt as a result of the exposure that has been made clear on this occasion. 
What of the Prime Minister? Who was the leading person inviting people to come to party central? Who was the person who for 18 months said: “Come down to party central and have a great time. Come from around the world to party central come from around New Zealand to party central and come from around Auckland to party central.”? Then he was surprised when more than 12000 people came. Maybe he has never been to Christmas in the Park. Maybe he has never been to an event in Auckland that has more than 200000 people there. Maybe he was not down at the Viaduct Basin in 2003 when we won the America’s Cup. Maybe before he was Prime Minister he did not go to test matches where Eden Park was full. I do not know what sort of different world the Prime Minister lives in but when Kiwis are told there is a party on they come. He told Kiwis there was a party on and they came and he said he was surprised. I think that is exceptionally sad and it was sadder still to see that he was gobsmacked that they took his advice. Well every now and again people will take the Prime Minister’s advice when he invites them to come to a party. 
Overall I say to Martin Snedden and his team—and to Jock Hobbs who was there on Friday night but unacknowledged by the Prime Minister; he was at the ground but not mentioned by the Prime Minister—congratulations on the job they have done. They have done a damn fine job putting together things around the cup the rugby and the related things for the teams. It has gone exceptionally smoothly. I say to the people who have been associated with the cultural festival associated with the Rugby World Cup that they too have been doing a damn fine job and I congratulate them. 
I say though to the people in charge—particularly the Minister for the Rugby World Cup and the Minister for Economic Development Mr Brownlee and his team—that the business programme around the Rugby World Cup is shocking. It is much much weaker than the programme around the America’s Cup in 2003 notwithstanding their having a lot longer to plan for it. 
But I will get back to saying that in the end we will be judged by this event and it is very very clear that the Prime Minister is a Prime Minister who is happy to pose for photos and is happy to take credit. I have heard no acknowledgment from the Prime Minister crediting Helen Clark for going to Korea via Dublin to get this event. I have not heard a word from him giving credit to the previous Government for getting the event. He was taking all of the credit but when it turned to custard where did he go? He hid away and left it for the hapless Minister Murray McCully to front on the issue. 
Members opposite said they were not into finger-pointing. How does Len Brown feel now? John Key said he was not into finger-pointing. He pointed the finger directly at Len Brown. What about the poor people who were sick and needed to get off the trains? The Prime Minister called them drunks. He called the pregnant woman who needed to get off the train to go to the toilet a drunk. That is what he did. That is the sort of approach the Prime Minister has been taking. 
This weekend will not be quite so big but the following weekend we will have the All Blacks versus France game at Eden Park. That will be big. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: That’ll be over in the first 10 minutes. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: That member who knows more about rugby league than rugby says it will be over in the first 10 minutes. I hope he is right—I hope he is right. There will be eight teams in Auckland for the quarter-finals and four teams in Auckland for the semi-finals. I hope those games involve the All Blacks. They almost certainly will. Those games will almost certainly involve Australians and there are quite a few of those. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: No. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Tau Henare says that they will not involve the Australians. He is the expert. He says that the Australians will not make it through to the semi-finals. I would not want to wager on that one. The semi-finals are also likely to involve the South Africans and are likely to involve the English. The four biggest crowds will be in Auckland for those semi-finals. Actually I think that will be a bigger weekend than the finals weekend as far as international visitors are concerned because a lot of them will go home. The peak time will be during the quarter-finals and semi-finals. We will be tested. 
I conclude by reiterating an offer I have made privately three times to the Minister for the Rugby World Cup. Over the period before I blotted my copybook with my friend Tau Henare I had accumulated quite a lot of knowledge as to what could be done and what should be done. I offered when he became the Minister I offered subsequent to that when the legislation was going through and I have offered again privately my assistance to make this thing work if we can because Kiwis want to make it work but it has become clear that the Government does not want us to be involved.