Sepuloni Carmel: Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill — In Committee 
Sepuloni Carmel: Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:663;Page:11482] 
CARMEL SEPULONI (Labour) 
: 
 Someone recently likened three of the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee members to the family members of  
The Beverly Hillbillies  
programme. Jethro is Simon Bridges Elly May is Nikki Kaye and John Carter is Jed Clampett. I thought that was wonderful. 
I point out to Mr Bridges the arrogance that we experienced on that select committee. Having to endure the National and ACT members was quite horrific. I will point out one of the snide remarks that were made. I think at one point there were a thousand submissions or near enough to a thousand submissions. I remember saying to Simon Bridges that a lot of the submissions were against the bill and that he had to listen to them. Mr Bridges said that although there were a thousand submissions against the bill all the people who did not make submissions were obviously for it. I say to Mr Bridges that I do not think that is the case but I clearly remember him saying it. 
The other thing that I have to point out to Mr Bridges which came up over and over again was that so many of the submissions were pro Maori representation. They were pro having Maori seats. So many of the people who made submissions were pro having a strong Pacific voice and pro having a strong ethnic voice on the council. I recall Mr Bridges quite clearly saying to a number of the submitters: “If there are enough of you why do you need special seats? Why can’t those groups just get elected on their merits?” Mr Bridges seems to think that that is possible because he is Maori and the member for Tauranga. I remind Mr Bridges that there was someone else there who broke the ground for him; there was a Maori member before him in Tauranga and that was Mr Winston Peters. He is a person whom I know Mr Bridges looks up to very much—he very much looks up to Mr Winston Peters. So Mr Bridges did not break the ground there. Mr Peters paved the way for Mr Bridges to come through as a Maori member of Parliament for Tauranga. So let us remind Mr Bridges about that. He forgets that he stands on the shoulders of giants; he forgets that. 
I also point out that I was not a full-time member of that select committee but when I did sit in on its deliberations there were times when I felt rather nauseous watching Miss Nikki Kaye drooling over the submitters when they came through promising them the world like Mr Hawkins said previously and telling them that she is listening to them—“I am on your side and I am listening; I am listening.” But then what happened? Did they get youth representation on the Auckland super-city? No. How does she respond now? She says that youth will have a voice of some sort but they will not have the voice they wanted. If she is to be the conduit for youth then I would be very concerned because she did not represent them very well. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: She’s the renegade! 
CARMEL SEPULONI 
: I know. She is the renegade! She is the renegade of the National Government but my goodness that did not work very well did it? 
Nanaia Mahuta brought up this issue previously with regard to Maori Pacific and ethnic representation. Our Pacific community has been upset that they are now looking at the fact that the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs will appoint their people to the Pacific Islands Advisory Board. Effectively they are seeing that they may as well be Government appointees. It is the ministry that is appointing the people; it is not the Pacific community that has a say on selecting the candidates whom they think are the best fit for those positions. The Government needs to have so much control over everything that it cannot hand over even a small thing like allowing the Pacific community to decide who will represent it on a small scale. These are not council seats; this is an advisory board. But it is the one little thing that the Government could not even give to the Pacific community. 
I would like to know from the Minister of Local Government what the problem was with that. The current boards are elected. We recently had elections for the Pacific people who will go on the Pacific Islands Board Auckland City even though it is for only a few months. They had a successful election. So I ask the Minister what the problem was with allowing our communities to select the representatives. Is the Minister so concerned that they might choose people who do not fit with the Government’s thinking and who may challenge some of the Government’s thinking? Is that what the concern is? I would really like to have an answer from the Minister on that. 
The other issue in relation to this legislation is the time frame that has been put around these boards.