Jones Shane: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — First Reading Second Reading 
Jones Shane: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — First Reading Second Reading 
[Volume:654;Page:3198] 
Hon SHANE JONES (Labour) 
: 
 Kia ora ano tatou. Tonight we are witnessing an outrage. There is twittering and laughing on the other side of the Chamber but the reality is that we are going to change the governance of $28 billion worth of assets and of one-third of the country’s population. We do not exploit the arcane rules of this House to ram through legislation that the majority of Aucklanders do not want or legislation that has a sign at the front door saying “Maori representatives not welcome. Only blue and white apply.” That is what we are seeing in this House. The rules are being exploited. 
There are many examples where this Government is afraid to consult the garden variety salt of the earth ratepayers and citizens of Auckland. They did not ask for much. They agreed with the very sensible and cogent arguments expressed in the community newspapers. It was good enough for the royal commission to come up with a set of proposals requiring engagement so that the new system is legitimised through the people speaking and having an opportunity to give informed consent. They had all of that but none of that will be witnessed this evening. That is why this is evidence that the Government has failed to consult. It is trying to get away with it by stigmatising and demonising the mayors—with the exception of John Banks who is capable of doing that to himself anyhow. The Government is picking on Mr Len Brown the man of Waitakere and the erratic man from the North Shore. The Government has taken this chance to stigmatise and insult them because it knows that they are closer to the ratepayers. 
Three things are happening today but this is the most egregious of them all. The second is the Waterview Connection. There will be no tunnel motorway through the neighbourhoods but in order to get away with that the Government needs to strip those people of their democratic right to have a say. That is what is intended. In addition to top it off they have been given an indication of the quality of person who will be appointed to the Auckland Transition Agency. It will be in this foul legislation in the form of Christine Rankin. We have had the female form doing damage in the social arena and we will have the male form no doubt doing damage in the civic arena. 
Why do John Carter and Rodney Hide—I am saying this for the benefit of Mr Carter who is a long-term member of the House—fear scrutiny? They use weasel words: “Oh there’s a sense of urgency. Oh Aucklanders are doing this to us.” They should read their own poll results. Aucklanders are not requiring those members to race off and do this. Unfortunately they mistakenly believed the words in National’s manifesto. National said it would go out and consult. There will be no consultation over this issue—none whatsoever. It is an example of arrogance an example of how that has gone to their heads and an example of a false sense of importance. The Government is ramming through its agenda. 
As my colleagues said earlier John Key went out there and buttered up the ratepayers. He said he was listening. He met with Dr Pita Sharples and a variety of others at Orakei and said “You know we’re still listening but if I agree with you guys from the Maori Party I will lose my core vote.” He is out there but Rodney Hide despite him agreeing that they are listening has not changed a single thing in this bill in terms of what he has said will happen. John Key has legitimised him to spread that falsehood. That is why this is a terrible example of arrogance. That is not to say that Labour is not positive about this. Labour had the foresight to establish a royal commission. It chose a highly skilled jurist and two others and they came back with a proposal. The proposal required a judicious approach in its implementation. It did not say “Do it in the parliamentary equivalent time of a rugby match.” That is why we are hearing so much from Mr Quinn but Wayne Peters unfortunately showed him the door. 
Labour supports the existence of a unitary authority but it does not support the legislation being rammed through or the rejection of the people’s will. It is very sad that the party that sought to campaign on letting people speak is denying them the shortest and most modest of opportunities to comment on who will be the new tsars running this committee and who will be on the governance board. This is the committee that will now control all the councils. This is the committee that Mr Hide is sneaking through in the dead of night and it will have more power than those councils elected by the ratepayers. Aucklanders are not being given an opportunity to make even the most modest of contributions. They will not forget this; in fact this is the night when the paint began to be chipped from the National waka. People are not worried about Rodney Hide because there is nothing really secretive about him. He is pro-privatisation he is anti-democratic and he is into a personality cult which is why his ilk will never control the council of Auckland. The people are really dedicating their anger and disappointment at John Key. 
How many people as a consequence of having no submissions process will know that there will still be councillors—eight at large—but no full ward system? Those things aside all the organisational decisions about the stewardship of the capital assets—the stewardship of the new system the protocols etc.—will be in place as a consequence of this circuitous exercise this evening. By the time the second bill eventually gets back to the House the council will already be in place. We cannot agree with this type of urgency; not only is it an abuse of this House but also it makes a mockery of the proud heritage that surrounds us—the names encircled by these wreaths. 
Mr Hide says he is implementing what the royal commission stated but he is not. I have said enough about the Maori side. The Maori side will take care of itself; I have no doubt about that. But most important there is no opportunity for those like for example the man who came from a community board on to national television this evening and made a plaintive call: “Can our neighbourhood be saved? Is there no end to the thumping of the jackboots and the bulldozers destroying our homes ruining our parks and now worsening our lives with this bill?” That poor man does not even know that his democratic rights—the rights he is struggling to uphold as a consequence of being a community board member—will be redundant as a consequence of this bill. 
Of course those Government members do not care because they believe that this legislation can be rammed through before any opposing forces can organise themselves. Well in actual fact the biggest organisational response will come in the future when Aucklanders have a chance to vote against the party that did not tell the truth in relation to its own manifesto. Its members have spent a great deal of time spreading a falsehood: “We’re listening”. But they have changed nothing. Then because National cannot trust its own members on the existing Local Government and Environment Committee it will create a special committee and will put someone from whichever section in the National Party represents the Stasi on to that committee. National’s influence will be moderated by that of Mr Twyford and one or three others from our side. When Aucklanders go to that committee at least they will have a modest opportunity to see friendly civil and democratic faces. Tonight they see stony arrogant uninterested people— 
Hon Members 
: Oh! 
Hon SHANE JONES 
: They do not like it! The reason they do not like it is that they are receiving that information in their own feedback loops. In addition to that the Auckland MPs are running scared. Kia ora tatou.