Dean Jacqui: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Dean Jacqui: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:649;Page:17706] 
JACQUI DEAN (National—Otago) 
: 
 In her speech to the Local Government New Zealand conference last week the Prime Minister proved that the Government has completely missed the point on local government rating issues. I will quote from that speech in which the Prime Minister said: “The report of the Rates Inquiry concluded that local authority finances were generally healthy reinforcing the conclusion reached earlier by government officials.” That completely and utterly misses the point and the point is that local government finances may be healthy but the finances of the ratepayers—the people who matter to the National Party members—are hurting. It does not take a genius to read that since 1999 during the term of this Labour Government average rates have risen by 64.62 percent. That affects not the council finances but the ratepayers. Does the Prime Minister recognise this in her speech? No she does not. 
What the Prime Minister does is pick winners. Is that not just the way of this Government? Is that not the way that this Government responds to the issues of affordability for local government? The Government has sanitary works schemes. Well that picks favourites. One has to be extremely poor to qualify for the Sanitary Works Subsidy Scheme. I do not think we have had many down in the South Island at all. The Drinking-water Assistance Programme is a joke. Nobody can seem to get any of that pot of money. We have the Rotorua lakes’ pot of gold. That was less about remedial works on Lake Rotorua than it was about saving the seat of the local member which is under threat. I could go on and on—for example there is the Sustainable Management Fund and funding for arts culture and heritage. Well say that in respect of the Auckland amenities. This approach by Government completely misses the point of local government affordability—that is the effect that it has on its ratepayers specifically those ratepayers who are on low-fixed incomes. 
My colleague has mentioned the over 60 pieces of legislation that have been brought down to local government without the cheque attached. It is a tired old story. What does the Government do about it? It does nothing. Let us turn to the Shand report. We had 96 recommendations. Members will see that my copy of the Shand report has been well-thumbed. That is because colleagues on this side of the Chamber take this issue very seriously. What has the Government done about it? It has done nothing. In fact the Minister of Local Government noted to local government—and this quote comes from last month; I do not know which day—“Central government has made its decisions in light of the fact that as the rates inquiry found local authority finances are generally healthy.” Funny that; it is the same thing that the Prime Minister— 
Phil Heatley 
: Generally what? 
JACQUI DEAN 
: Generally healthy. I hand that document over to my colleague John Carter who will no doubt look at it with the same disbelief as I do. 
What does the Government intend to do with the Shand report recommendations most of which are incredibly sound and 13 of which have been picked up by the Society of Local Government Information Managers and Local Government New Zealand? What does the Government intend to do with them? Well from what I can see it intends to do very little because it does not see the problem. 
I will tell members who does see the problem in local government. It is the ratepayer. The ratepayer is now expected to cope with the flow-on effects of the Building Act requirements that have been placed on local government by this Labour-led Government—many many different compliance costs as a result of the Building Act and also the requirement to be accredited as a building consent authority. What a load of nonsense that was. Local authority planners and engineers are tied up for months and months by a Government that simply does not trust them to do their job—a Government that does not trust council building inspectors who are tradesmen of long standing and know what they are doing in carrying out their jobs. Do members know what is happening in the local government sector? Those people are walking away. These building inspectors these professionals who for years and years had great relationships with the local builders in the community have had enough and are walking away. The result is that we have to bring in new building inspectors who perhaps do not have the experience and background to pick up the slack and of course there are more rises in rates. 
I seek leave to table a quote from the Minister of Local Government to councils this year where she notes that central government has made its decisions in light of the fact that as the rates inquiry found local authority finances are generally healthy. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
JACQUI DEAN 
: I seek leave to table the speech made by Helen Clark to the Local Government New Zealand conference in which she notes that the report of the rates inquiry concluded that local authority finances were generally healthy. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Vote agreed to.