Kedgley Sue: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
Kedgley Sue: Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
[Volume:654;Page:3707] 
SUE KEDGLEY (Green) 
: 
 I have an amendment to the title and I would initially like to speak to that amendment. My amendment states “to omit the words (Auckland Reorganisation) and replace them with (Gutting of Auckland Local Democracy)”. I think that sums up what this bill is about. Another possible suggestion would be to call it “Rogernomics Part 2” because that would also encapsulate what the bill is about. It is almost breathtaking that we could expunge eight democratically elected city councils overnight with the passage of this bill without ever asking one of the almost 1.5 million Aucklanders whom the councils represent whether they wish their councils to be obliterated off the face of the earth as they will be on 1 November next year. 
It is also extraordinary that there is absolutely no mandate for this bill because neither National nor ACT said in its manifesto that it was intending to eliminate the eight city councils of Auckland. Those parties did not tell Aucklanders that and they did not put it in their manifestos. This is shades of Rogernomics 1984. There is no mandate from the royal commission which wanted to retain the eight city councils. The people of Auckland have not been consulted. They are not even allowed consultation on this bill. It is extraordinary. I think it will take a while for Aucklanders to fully understand the implications of what has happened over the last few days—namely that democracy in Auckland has been drastically shrunk. Democracy has been shrunk and eight councils have been obliterated. 
But even worse than that the Government has come up with a completely new type of local democracy in New Zealand. That is why I am glad that people from Wellington have been sitting here watching; they understand what is going on. Everyone else in New Zealand needs to wake up to what is going on because it is going to happen all over New Zealand once this reform has been rammed though. The Government has come up with a new model of local democracy that gives unprecedented powers to the mayor—the so-called strong mayor model. Members opposite are hoping that John Banks will be the mayor. Someone like John Banks could be voted in by a minority—by arguably 30 percent of Aucklanders—take control of the Auckland Council pick his cohorts his inner cabal control the council agenda and ram through his agenda for Auckland. I think some Aucklanders do not realise that that is what will happen. We are trying to warn people about it now. 
The only things to counterbalance the new unprecedented executive powers of the mayor are these pitiful little local boards. The Government is setting up this funny little committee for Auckland but what will it consult on? Everything has been set in motion; everything is done. The only thing that I have heard anyone say we can consult on is the powers of the local boards which are not even set in statute. We are going to have huge consultation but what about? The powers of the local boards. 
In response to my question in the House the Prime Minister assured Aucklanders that every single Aucklander would be able to be heard by the committee that is being set up. I am sure Aucklanders will want to be heard if only to protest at the atrocious way in which this measure is being rammed through Parliament using shock tactics as Naomi Klein called them; the Government is using the blitzkrieg tactics of Rogernomics which are not to give people a minute to breathe but just to keep ramming it through. 
The other thing I want to say is that I am disappointed that the media ignored a very significant clause in this bill that will help to expunge local democracy from Auckland.