Watts SimonSIMON WATTS (National—North Shore): Well thank you very much Mr Chair. It's difficult not to reflect on some of the comments that the Minister for Local Government has just made in regards to Part 3 and particularly around the privatisation aspects. This is cynical political spin. Right from the outset the Labour Party have used every opportunity to bring up this concept of privatisation. And do you know what? The only ones talking about privatisation are those members on the other side of the House. At no stage throughout this process has this even been a conversation or a topic in which the National Party has entertained. Categorically to that cynical spin that was being pushed into the market by whoever we were very categorical and continue to be categorical in that there is no intention around nationalisation of such assets.So the Minister's playing out this conversation around Well you're not supporting this." Well how the heck can you support it when it's bound up inside of a bill that is fundamentally structured to fail? Well you can't. It's not a bill standing out by itself or anything like that. So it is what it is: cynical political spin and Kiwis can see through that.The clauses I want to get into in regards to Part 3 relate in particular to the contracting out of services. The Minister made some throwaway comments in her opening introduction around changes—and that's great. She actually sent quite an interesting signal to the market just in her statement there particularly to those private entities that have strong and long-lasting relationships with councils across this country. If you come from overseas you're not welcome in this country—that's what the Minister has just said in regards to those organisations that may be based overseas or have head offices overseas that have been contributing and delivering water services in this country for decades and decades. The Minister has said "You are not welcome and things are going to change we're bringing it home." Well that's interesting. It's interesting in a couple of facets. But it very much I think fundamentally goes to the heart of an ideological reform agenda driven by this Government that is not based on trying to get a bill that is going to be sustaining and outlast this term of this Government but a bill that is actually going to deal with the problems that we face in this country.Every major party in this House acknowledges that reform and change and improvement and water infrastructure across this country is required. We're all at that point even though there's a cynical political spin that comes in and says that we don't. It is absolute rubbish to have any other position around that.But the point around this contracting out in regards to clauses 117 and 118 in particular relate to the comments—and I'm interested around the comments from the Minister in regards to can any organisation that isn't New Zealand headquartered or a multinational that's currently working in water services in New Zealand can those organisations take from what the Minister has just said that your lifespan in this country is not going to last longer than 15 years? It's all over you might as well actually just pack up and head home with all of those skill sets and capabilities and values that you bring to this country to try and improve our infrastructure. Is the message that you're sending to all of those private multinational companies that are currently consulting and spending a huge amount of money on consultants who spend on this reform that we're paying through the nose for—is the message to them "Go home"? That is in effect the statement that has been made around this Chamber.If that is the case my question to other Kiwis around this country is that what we need in this country in regards to achieving an optimal future State where we have best-in-class infrastructure we have fresh and clean drinking water is that what you're saying? That is a market signal that couldn't be much more categorical than what we've heard today.So the question there—clauses 117 and 118; I'm interested in the Minister's perspective on that. Also the comments obviously around privatisation—115. And I'll come back in another call in regards to some questions I have in regards to the employment matters in regards to the bill. Thank you."