Sio Su'a William: Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill — In Committee 
Sio Su'a William: Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:663;Page:11468] 
Hon TAU HENARE (National) 
: 
 Lau Afioga i le Fofoga Fetalai. Talofa Mr Chair. [ 
Interruption 
] Manuia fa‘afetai lava. [ 
Interruption 
] Yes I was born and raised in the hood. He did not know that did our Ross Robertson but never mind members on the other side do not know a hell of a lot. 
I want to concentrate a little bit on local board plans. I am over the moon that one of the powers of the board— 
Su’a William Sio 
: Can he understand it? 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: We will get there soon. One of the default levels of service for local activities is that it has to include an explanation of each of the variations if there are any to that level of service for local activities. It has to include an estimate of additional cost or even savings associated with each variation. It has to include a budget. This is all part of the local board plan which is the plan that right down at the grassroots level those local boards have to submit along the way to the Auckland Council. It is more than just an agreement with the council; it is a contract between the council and the local board. When it comes time for the council to make its decisions the council has to reflect the priorities and preferences in the board’s plan. 
I want to say two things to the people of Auckland—firstly merry Christmas because the Auckland Council has been a long time coming. Do members know why it has taken so long? It is because of the little fiefdoms that have been perpetuated by none other than those people across the way in this Chamber— 
Simon Bridges 
: George Hawkins. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: —the little fiefdom out in South Auckland the little fiefdom over on the Shore the little fiefdom in west Auckland— 
Hon Steve Chadwick 
: Oh they’re worried. Oh they’re very worried. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Oh no I tell the member we are not worried. We are not worried because the people of Auckland are going to get a shot in the arm to bring Auckland into the 21st century. How do I know that? In my hand I have a typed amendment from none other than Shane Jones. He worked so hard on the select committee day in day out. It was a slog-fest. But all those members could come up with after the rhetoric on Maori seats was an amendment to clause 45 to state: “The Auckland Transition Agency must ensure that Auckland is divided into two Maori electoral districts for the purposes of electing councillors to represent the Maori people.” How did those members come up with that brilliant idea after all the submissions from everybody—even from those against Maori seats? All they could do was come up with that; all they could do was to divide Auckland. 
Well here is one question that I would like to put to the Hon Shane Jones: because the only people who are allowed under this amendment to vote on the Maori electoral seats are Maori who are registered on the Maori roll what happens to the thousands upon thousands of people who live in Auckland but who are not on the Maori roll? Mr Jones believes that in one fell swoop he has given the vote to everybody but he has not— 
H V Ross Robertson 
: Disenfranchised. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: —he has disenfranchised a large proportion of Maori who live in Auckland. It is nothing to do with Ngati Whatua; there is no word about mana whenua or Ngati Whatua in there. We know for a fact that Mr Jones hates—hates with a vengeance—anything to do with iwi like iwi power and iwi representation. There is absolutely nothing there in that amendment that mentions Ngati Whatua or any other tribe. 
I want to make mention of the spatial plan and how such a plan— 
Phil Twyford 
: Nikki’s the spatial plan one. Don’t steal Nikki’s issue. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Oh I see. I know it gets tough when a member is under pressure and does not have a seat—does not even have a nomination. It is all good when a member has a nomination but—[ 
Interruption 
] At least I have lived in my electorate for 25 years unlike some people who have moved into Grey Lynn in the last couple of weeks. But that is OK that is all right; I lived in Grey Lynn once too. I rented in Grey Lynn in Ariki Street. 
Hon Steve Chadwick 
: He’s the face of Auckland. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: The face of Auckland—well there we go. The face of Auckland in the future will be one of an economic powerhouse that tackles the problems in Auckland in a holistic way rather than just having Manukau for Manukau North Shore for North Shore and west Auckland for west Auckland. David Shearer in his speech likened Maori political groups to the environmentalists and said that for the first time all those disparate groups were getting together—as if Maori were not environmentalists and environmentalists were not Maori. What a speech from the former captain of the first eleven at Papatoetoe High School! 
To get back to spatial plans I tell the Committee that the spatial plan is crucial because it has at its core the social economic— 
Hon Shane Jones 
: It’s in your head. It’s empty space. 
Phil Twyford 
: The member’s a spatial cadet. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: —oh members are getting personal now; there is no need to get personal there is no need for that—environmental and cultural well-being of the city— 
Phil Twyford 
: I withdraw and apologise for calling the member a spatial cadet. I am sorry. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: I will not get in the gutter. I will not get in the gutter with that member. The spatial plan is a long-term strategy and Labour members will know what a long-term strategy is because they will be sitting over there for a very long time. They will be sitting over there for a very very long time. The spatial plan actually becomes the aspirational note of the city—the aspirational note of the city. Let me say in winding up that if we get it right for Auckland the whole of the country will be right. You know it is all right for the members across the way to think that economic development in this country starts and begins in Timbuctoo but it actually starts with getting Auckland right. If we get Auckland right as have or as we will attempt to do— 
H V Ross Robertson 
: Yes that’s better. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: —as we had—what we will do for the nation is get us on the road to a better future. 
I finish by saying that last night in that great suburb of west Auckland Te Atatu the peninsula—and I know that Phil Twyford is after the nomination—the Te Atatu Residents and Ratepayers Association had a meeting. I thought is would be a bit of a set-up job with lefties all pouring out. But it was not. There were people there like Elizabeth Grimmer who has been a stalwart for west Auckland local government. She got up and said “Nobody gets everything they want but at the end of the day what we’ve got is a good deal.” She is not a hard-core Tory; she is not a hard-core lefty. She is a hard-core community person and we cannot say she is wedded to any philosophy other than that of local government and community input. I take off my hat to the likes of Elizabeth Grimmer and to those who have worked hard to make sure their voices are heard. And they have been heard in this bill.