Halbert ShananSHANAN HALBERT (Labour): Thank you Madam Speaker. This is an important discussion this evening for people that live in Tāmaki-makau-rau Auckland because what we all know is as our city grows to a population of 2 million people by 2030—2 million people by 2030—the way we feel now in congestion compared to the way we'll feel in 2030 when we're still in congestion we're not moving as a city and our GDP and contribution to our economy is severely impacted by the decision that we make today. When we talk to Aucklanders when we talk to any family that is suffering under the cost of living challenges that we experience at the moment and we talk about tax—and today we're talking about the regional fuel tax—and we say Do you want to pay a tax?" everyone says "No." right? We don't want to pay a tax if we don't have to. At the same time Aucklanders feel frustrated at the deep congestion that our city faces.We have discussed this and debated this as a Transport and Infrastructure Committee in the last term. We talked about—agreed on some of—the tools that actually will change the way we get around New Zealand's largest city of Tāmaki-makau-rau what could be used. But while National did campaign on repealing the regional fuel tax the truth is that under the now National-led Government Aucklanders will be paying more and they have had the promise of cost of living relief pulled out from under them. That is the reality. If Aucklanders tonight feel confused—because if I thought about this last week compared to this week I'm quite confused because actually they have absolutely hoodwinked Aucklanders. They've pulled the rug out from under them. They've made them believe in an election that they're going to save on average $2 more a week or $100 a year.But this Minister of Transport is one of the most cynical Ministers ever who is trying to be seen to be giving with one hand but at the same time is actually taking with the other. He is adding costs to Aucklanders when he promised cost of living relief. Every member of Parliament from Auckland that sits across that side of the House tonight you should hang your head in shame because while you campaigned on one thing actually this week you have done another. Because of them Aucklanders are facing a drivers' tax adding a cost of $50 to Auckland families to register their car per year. Do the maths yourself: where is the cost of living relief? In addition to that they're adding 12c a litre to petrol. So when I talk about that they've hoodwinked Aucklanders that is the actual case. They are giving with one hand and they're taking—ripping off Aucklanders—with the other.That's on top of the proposed 23 percent increase to Auckland water rates because they repealed the one thing that was the game-changer for Aucklanders when it comes to water infrastructure. National's transport projects are estimated to cost twice the amount that they initially said. That's a fiscal hole of $24 billion—$24 billion.The reality of people living in Auckland actually is when you see the plans they aren't there. What the Minister has done with this piece of legislation is pulled the rug out from under Mayor Wayne Brown and his ability to deal with critical transport infrastructure for our city. Where we look for a progressive relationship between central government and local government this particular bill obstructs that relationship from working. What it says actually—what it does—is it takes away the localism that our city needs that actually the National Government campaigned on. Auckland Council needs to be fit for purpose and yes I agree there is work to be done around the future of Auckland Transport but what we can't do is have a big three-headed taniwha Government making decisions in isolation. We need a view across Auckland that doesn't have one single view about investing in roads; it needs to invest in our public transport—another thing that has been taken away from Aucklanders.What I've heard this evening I'm quite saddened by and disappointed. When people take the mickey out of the cost to pedestrian crossings and put figures out there that they know aren't accurate and in our local community—and the member of Northcote talked about pedestrian crossings. The question for him is: which pedestrian crossing or transport project would he take away because this regional fuel tax has invested in our community and if he doesn't know that then he probably needs to do his research. But the important part is that we actually want to acknowledge we want people to get around efficiently we want to get out of congestion we want them to be safe we want a progressive city that is as productive as it possibly can be. While actually we talk about what Aucklanders want they are struggling with the cost of living but what they said when Auckland Council commissioned a poll: 44 percent of Aucklanders actually based on this discussion wanted to keep the regional fuel tax; 26 percent were in favour of cancelling the regional fuel tax projects—that's actually not that many. So we know a global city that has a transport infrastructure deficit decades in the making needs investment.But I come back to the point: what this Government campaigned on and what they're delivering this week does not provide the cost of living relief that Aucklanders were promised. It simply tries to give with one hand it takes with the other and it actually doesn't address the issue at hand. It doesn't invest in critical transport infrastructure projects. It doesn't build the relationship with Auckland Council. And there's a really good question: what is the relationship between Minister Simeon Brown and the Mayor of Auckland Wayne Brown?Hon Simeon Brown: Very positive.SHANAN HALBERT: Where does that leave things? I wouldn't be so confident Minister.But this Government will ram through this House as it has done with 16 out of 17 bills in the last few weeks. It's made decisions. It's bypassed the parliamentary process. They cry "democracy" but when they're in power actually it doesn't mean nothing. They've impacted on Māori they've taken away health sovereignty and here today they've taken the rights of Aucklanders to have better transport infrastructure that they damn well deserve.Hon Member: Stick to the bill.SHANAN HALBERT: Every member of Parliament—this is absolutely in the bill—in this House should be reading this bill thinking "I'm going to turn back up to my community and I need to front up and explain how we're resolving congestion." because the plan that the Minister presented this week doesn't provide a solution to addressing Auckland's critical problem which is congestion. Actually Auckland is the region that simply misses out in that plan. It says to Auckland Council "I'm going to put you on the side. You find your own funding that's going to increase rates to Aucklanders."—just like it has done with water rates.So it comes back to this Government and their absolutely false promise in the election. You haven't provided cost of living relief to Aucklanders. This piece of legislation I absolutely do not support."