Carter John: Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill — In Committee 
Carter John: Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:657;Page:6519] 
Hon JOHN CARTER (Associate Minister of Local Government) 
: 
 I want to respond to the point George Hawkins just made about costs. One of the things the Government has been careful about is the whole issue of costs so I will talk about that issue for a minute. I know it is very easy to go around and say that if we add this up it will cost this much and if we do away with that we will save that much. But we actually end up with misinformation. We end up misleading people. 
I believe and the Government believes that as we make this change we will drive efficiencies into Auckland. One of our objectives for example is to get on top of the traffic congestion in Auckland which is estimated to cost up to $2 billion a year. That is $10 per week for every person in New Zealand. Goodness knows what it costs the average person in Auckland but it is a huge amount. If we decrease that by only half we will make significant savings. But for anyone to say we will do this or that or say that this or that will be a consequence quite honestly is misleading. The way in which it needs to be addressed I say to Mr Hawkins—and I know that he knows this—is to look to drive efficiencies and better decision-making and as a consequence better results. 
I recall in 1989 the then Labour Government went around and told New Zealanders there would be huge savings in rates as a consequence of the changes it made. They never eventuated. We are making changes that are likely to—indeed will—result in better efficiencies. The changes will result in efficiencies of delivery efficiencies in transportation and efficiencies in the way in which we make decisions. There will be all sorts of efficiencies. Of course there are also costs. There are costs with the Auckland Transition Agency at the moment. There will be some changes in terms of ways in which staff are redeployed. There will be changes to office structures. George Hawkins mentioned computers. Of course there will be costs. If we try to quantify one against the other we come up with an answer that quite honestly we cannot defend or express. 
I say to the Opposition that one of things we have been careful to say is that we are looking to make efficiencies. There is no question that there will be gains but to try to quantify those in dollar terms at this stage would be stupid. We are not doing that; we will be making sure that we have an efficient structure. We will be making sure we have an authority that can deliver efficiencies and look after the regional issues that matter to Aucklanders and to New Zealand. We will have a structure that makes sure that the services that local communities want are delivered in an efficient way. We will end up with a better result as a consequence of these changes. I know that funnily enough the Opposition actually believes that as well because it supports the general principle. That is one of the things that this Parliament seriously needs to note. At the end of the day it is the efficiency gains that we make out of these changes that will benefit all New Zealanders particularly Aucklanders.