Willis NicolaNICOLA WILLIS (Deputy Leader—National): Has there ever been a bill so misleadingly named? The Water Services Entities Bill as if nothing is going on here tonight under urgency in Parliament. When in fact what's going on is a megamerger of ratepayer-funded assets against the will of those who currently govern those assets squeezing them into a burgeoning bureaucracy with layers upon layers of new management and a Byzantine governance structure that takes accountability away from the people and divorces democracy from the management of these assets.And what do they call it? What do the Labour Ministers call it? They call it the Water Services Entities Bill. Well they should front up and be clear what this is. This is the Three Waters Confiscation Bill. That's what it is. What we have here is a piece of legislation that says Oh look we'll start doing this at some time." That's what the commencement date says. But make no mistake they've put a deadline in New Zealand. The deadline is July 2024—that's when they say come whatever may if Labour's in power they will be forcing your ratepayer assets into these four mega-entities. That's why this bill cannot stand. That is why National will oppose it and why we will look forward to repealing it.This is the kind of legislation which I think has Labour taking the New Zealand public for fools because the arguments we've had in recent days from Ministers and from members have been that this is somehow necessary because it's going to save money. What I want to know is: how can that possibly be the case when what they're planning to do is create mega-bureaucracy more and more layers of management and no actual accountability back to the people who we're meant to serve?How can that be the case when there are ratepayers up and down the country who have paid rates for years and who are happy with the way the water services are being managed right now? And yes there are some of them who say "Look there should be some more accountability in terms of the way that we have to report on what's happening; where people aren't meeting standards they should have to." All of that's good. None of that requires taking all of the entities that exist and shoving them into four mega-merged bureaucracy entities.It's not something that New Zealanders support but it's something that this Government seems intent on pushing ahead with. The question you have to ask is: if you've got New Zealanders up and down the country saying "We don't want this this isn't the way it should be done."; if you have submitters from across the country in their tens of thousands saying "We don't want this it shouldn't be done." then why is it that the members opposite are so intent on pressing ahead with it pressing ahead with it against the will of the people that they are meant to serve pressing ahead with it against the judgment of many of those who've submitted who've called into account the fact that this will not have the accountability mechanisms that democratic entities will have who've said "Actually this Byzantine governance structure that you're proposing may well not lead to the outcomes you are hoping for."?So here on this side of the House we say "What a misnamed bill." What a frightening idea that it will ever commence. We will continue to fight against it. Labour can try urgency on us; they can try and do this sort of thing in the sneaky depths of the night but we National will oppose it. And come 2023 we look forward to repealing it."