Barry Maggie: Local Government (Auckland Council) Amendment Bill (No 2) — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBarry Maggie: Local Government (Auckland Council) Amendment Bill (No 2) — First Reading[Sitting date: 06 June 2013. Volume:690;Page:10896. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MAGGIE BARRY (National—North Shore): I rise to speak in favour of the Local Government (Auckland Council) Amendment Bill (No 2). It was introduced last night by the Minister of Local Government Chris Tremain. It is a very straightforward piece of legislation with a very clear purpose. It is a bill that amends the Local Government Act so that Auckland’s local boards can delegate various functions and powers to a committee of the local board or a council officer. This is needed of course because on 31 October this year those transitional powers will expire. This is a piece of legislation that absolutely replicates the current provisions and does not add any new policy.The Greens have just said that they support it. Well is that not a surprise? This from a member Denise Roche who is clearly confused: “Local government is messy and even if it goes badly that is democracy.” Well that is the kind of sensible solution that really characterises the Greens. They talk against it they talk down to it but wow actually they support it. Goodness me! It is a rare thing indeed to have them support anything.Let me remind this House that ratepayers in this country absolutely have to know that their council is spending their money wisely on services that matter to them. New Zealand’s 78 councils spend a lot of money—some $7.5 billion of public money each year. Since 2002 council debt has quadrupled from $2 billion to $8 billion and on average rates costs have increased by 7 percent per annum. There are some spectacular failings—absolutely spectacular—so it seems to me it is a very prudent form of the management that this Government is taking over the Resource Management Act reforms. This piece of legislation—a necessary piece of legislation—dovetails perfectly into our wider purpose and actually gives this Government some say over the less able councils. We feel strongly that ratepayers need good representation and we are not about to sit back on our hands and let things like Kaipara happen.This piece of legislation is all part of what we need to do as a Government to ensure that the regulations that went through in 2010 after Cabinet agreed that local boards should have the power to delegate actually do allow them that power. To talk about local boards representing local communities and not to speak in favour of this legislation would be truly illogical. The Greens just skirted that in their funny little planet way. But it is apparent even to them and to others in this Chamber even though they try to grandstand around the fact that they not happy with the wider reforms and use that as an opportunity to criticise us. Even they appreciate that the Local Government (Auckland Council) Amendment Bill (No 2) needs to go through so there is not a lot more to be said. I will not take up any more time of the House on this piece of legislation that pretty much everyone agrees on. I commend it to the House.