Bennett Paula: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — First Reading Second Reading 
Bennett Paula: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — First Reading Second Reading 
[Advance Copy - Subject to minor change before inclusion in Bound Volume.] 
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 Auckland is a city that I like many love. Auckland is a city that I like many do not think has reached its full potential. Auckland is a city that can grow be dynamic and take on any other city in the world. We are taking the first step towards making that a reality. Like many Aucklanders I feel the frustration at times when I am in my city and trying to get around it and see that disjointedness between the areas of our city. 
The royal commission itself put it in the best way possible when it stated: “Auckland’s regional council and seven territorial authorities lack the collective sense of purpose constitutional ability and momentum to address issues effectively for the overall good of Auckland. Disputes are regular amongst councils over urban growth and the development and sharing of key infrastructure including roads water and waste facilities and cultural and sporting amenities. Councils cannot agree on or apply consistent standards and plans. Sharing of services among councils is limited yet there is a scope for so much more activity in this area.” That is the Auckland that we are striving for—one that joins together is dynamic and gets the things done that it needs to get done. 
We have heard from the Labour Party that it now supports “One Auckland”; it now supports the unitary authority. But Labour members have stood up and orated against the establishment of the Auckland Council as a legal entity which is what this Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill is actually doing. The bill we are putting through the House at the moment will establish the Auckland Council as a legal entity will establish the Auckland Transition Agency to oversee the move to the new structure and will define how the region’s existing councils should work during the transition period. These are all things that I am sure we agree need to be done at this time. 
Then we will have an important job to do. We will have the job of working out exactly what happens to that second tier and how we actually make sure that that representation is there and where those powers are. Time and time again from previous speakers from the Opposition we have heard that local boards will have no power. Well we have not decided the powers of the local boards so how can we say they will have no power? We simply cannot say that. Ideas are going around and we will hear many many more through the select committee process. We will hear what those powers should be how we make sure those voices are there and what that representation will truly look like. We need to see people standing up having their say and having their voices heard through the select committee process in the next part of the development of the boards. 
I have put a few ideas forward and I make no apologies for that. As Minister for Social Development and Employment and as a proud proud Westie I have ideas on how I think we can look after those community interests in order to have a voice heard there and to make sure that local stuff is being done locally. We like to do stuff a little differently at times in the west and that actually gives us strength makes us unique and gives us a flavour within such a fine city. I know that in the electorate of my colleague Judith Collins people like to do things a little differently out that way as well. They have different interests different flavours and different things within their own community that will address the needs there. We have to step up make sure those voices are heard make sure we keep local flavour and make sure we support those organisations that are working at the grassroots. We know when we look at social well-being in how a city works and how a region can be at its best that it is a matter of place coming together as well as people and that that happens through a sense of community. We have a responsibility through these local boards to make sure that that will be happening. 
Some of the suggestions that we have thrown out there have included the one that maybe this new unitary council should establish a ring-fenced fund for local initiatives to be distributed to local boards to use at their discretion. It is an idea we can throw out there; it is something that I hope gets discussed. How much should that fund cost? What should that fund look like and how should it be distributed? Who should be on the local boards how should they be elected and what sorts of powers would we give them? They are all questions that we will be putting through in the second bill and allowing Aucklanders to step up and have their say about them. 
Another option for social well-being and for making sure that those communities have their voice is a fund to be distributed perhaps from the council almost as we do in Government now. The local boards could actually “do a bilateral” to that council and the social services committee serving underneath it and say “This is what is needed in our area; this is what we want to do in Waitakere.”—in Papakura or in Auckland Central—“This is how we want to spend that local money.”; then put forward that budget to them. Those decisions will be made and it will be distributed through that way. That is another idea. We could actually do a combination of both to address those issues as well. 
Another challenge I would like to put out there—and I certainly know that it will get discussed in the second bill to go through; Aucklanders of course will have a fine say a big say in how this actually looks—is that perhaps we need to ring-fence a fund as well for those larger items for communities to think about. So something we need to talk about as we get into that second bill is what happens if people wish to build a community hall in their area—if they need some assistance from the council to do that if they think it is a good use of spending and if it is something that is really needed in their local community. People should be able to present that need to the council put a case forward have it considered against the other options there—in my opinion—and actually have it looked at. That is something that will happen through the second bill. 
We hear that we agree now on the unitary council which is vitally important will move Auckland forward unite us as one and make us a dynamic world-class city that can make a real difference. We actually hear that the Opposition agrees with that so we are presenting a bill tonight that can work toward making that happen for us. We need a transition authority to make that happen. It is not rocket science to work that out yet somehow the Opposition—Labour members—are really really struggling to grasp that. This is not about sneaking through those powers and doing all those sneaky things that we are hearing about. We are quite upfront in what we are accomplishing. What we are doing is setting up the authority to make sure that that one council can happen. From there we have heard that a second bill will be coming through; that is where Aucklanders will get to step up stand up and have their voices heard. I think that is vitally important as do my colleagues and certainly as does the Minister of Local Government. 
The commission said that failure to take action will result in citizens and businesses continuing to incur high transaction costs in dealing with councils in important decisions either not being made or being made too late and in central government being unable to develop an effective partnership with Auckland local government. This bill is the first step towards a unified governance structure to bring unity and progress to Auckland for the benefit of its citizens for the next 50 60 100 years. It is certainly something that I stand up and celebrate. But it does not mean that we have to lose the local flavour of what makes Auckland so unique. Westies wish to be westies and they will stay that. They need a voice; they need to have that say. Their local voice will be kept. It will be protected and it is vital that it is there. I can tell members that plenty of people in this party will be fighting for that. 
Who asked for the royal commission and how much was spent on that? I think it was a bit of a lobby coming across from Labour members who said: “We know we’ve got no shot of winning the next election. This is too big and too difficult for us to manage; let’s call in the royal commission and hope.”—yes? That was it pretty much. We have heard a lot about democracy at the moment and what that means. In fact one of the previous speakers who did not get a chance to stand for the seat that he had been hoping to stand for was given a pretty sharp lesson on what democracy was not about when people are in the Labour Party—back in your box Mr Twyford! We saw what happened with democracy when the Electoral Finance Act was put through. It actually destroyed democracy and the chance for New Zealanders to have their say during an election period. How long was it I ask my colleagues before Labour members stood up and said “Whoops we got it wrong.”? And the public spoke to them quite clearly at the election last year. 
Let us be really really clear about what we are trying to do. This is about taking notice of the royal commission. This is about having a unitary council. This is about one voice for Auckland that can pull together the very infrastructure and dynamism that will make this city great. I support it; I encourage Aucklanders to have their say in the second bill.