Turei Metiria: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Turei Metiria: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 19 March 2013. Volume:688;Page:8610. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
9. 
METIRIA TUREI (Co-Leader—Green) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does he stand by his statement that “our plan will allow Auckland’s civic leaders to think regionally plan strategically and act decisively in a way that has not happened for the past six decades”? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) 
: 
 I stand by my April 2009 statement that changes to Auckland governance will allow Auckland civic leaders to think regionally plan strategically and act decisively in a way that was not occurring previously. 
Metiria Turei 
: How does his statement that he wants the Auckland Council to plan strategically and act decisively stand if when it does his Government makes threats to its housing plans attacks its transport plans and refuses to listen to the will of Auckland people? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: I do not actually agree with the statement the member is making. We are not attacking the council; we certainly as a Government engage with it. We will engage with it because the truth is that the Auckland Council would expect the Government to be a large contributor to many of its plans and therefore it is the responsibility of the Government which is doling out those funds to make sure that they are right. 
Metiria Turei 
: Does the Prime Minister support the threats made by Nick Smith and Amy Adams against the Auckland Council because the Government intends to override local communities whenever they make decisions that he does not like? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Neither Minister Adams nor Minister Smith have made threats. They have engaged in dialogue with the Auckland Council. Actually interestingly enough—and this of course is the interesting point is it not—it is the Auckland Council that wants the Government to pass legislation to enact the unitary plan straight away with no input and no opportunity for Aucklanders to express a view yet the member who seems normally to dine out on consultation wants Aucklanders to have no consultation at all. If anything it is the Government that is standing up for consultation with Aucklanders and the Green Party and Labour that are silent as little Lamb Chops. 
Metiria Turei 
: When the Prime Minister said that he believed that the Auckland Council and central government could work together did he actually mean that he expected Auckland to do as Wellington told it and that if it will not his Government is quite happy to steamroll over the democratic rights of Aucklanders from their plan? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: No we work together with the Auckland Council. As I said before steamrolling over Aucklanders would give them no opportunity to express their views which is actually what the Auckland Council is at one level asking for—no opportunity at all for Aucklanders to express their views on their unitary plan. That is what the Government is doing. We work quite collaboratively with the council on many issues. 
Metiria Turei 
: If the Prime Minister is committed to working collaboratively with the council as he has just said why will he not sit down with Len Brown and Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse after their open letters to him to work out a process that better reflects the requirements of Aucklanders who want to be decision makers over their own city? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: I sit down with Len Brown at a formalised meeting every I think—it is either every month or every 6 weeks. I happen to be having dinner with him in Parnell. If the member wants to join us I will let her know what table we are going to.