Norman Russel William: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Norman Russel William: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:675;Page:21265] 
1. 
Dr RUSSEL NORMAN (Co-Leader—Green) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does he have confidence in his Minister for the Rugby World Cup; and in his Minister’s handling of the Government’s relationship with the Auckland Council? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes and yes. 
Dr Russel Norman 
: Is it acceptable that the Minister for the Rugby World Cup failed to tell Mayor Len Brown that the Government was about to seize extended control of the waterfront in an unprecedented takeover? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: My understanding is that the officials had been working together on this—from the Auckland Council and from the Minister for the Rugby World Cup’s office—from the weekend. There was an assumption that Neville Harris had spoken to Len Brown’s chief of staff Doug McKay and an assumption that the mayor knew. Obviously it turns out that that was not the case. My understanding is that it is a shame that that phone call did not take place but as soon as the Minister understood that that was not the case he rang quickly. 
Dr Russel Norman 
: Then what is his response to Brian Rudman who wrote in the  
New Zealand Herald 
: “Mr McCully and Mr Key have not just demonstrated their contempt for the city’s leadership they have deliberately humiliated the mayor and shown how hollow their talk of partnership was.”? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: I do not believe that to be a correct assessment by Mr Rudman. I would say that what was demonstrated on Friday night was a situation where an enormous number of people went down to the waterfront or attempted to use Auckland transport and at some point for some people that failed. It is unacceptable and it has to be fixed. 
Dr Russel Norman 
: Does he agree that the best outcome for the Rugby World Cup celebrations will be achieved— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I apologise to the member. I say to the National Party backbench on this occasion please Dr Russel Norman has every right to ask his question. 
Dr Russel Norman 
: Does he agree that the best outcome for the Rugby World Cup celebrations will be achieved by a collaborative approach by all parties involved and that the constructive partnership with Auckland is being sabotaged by his Minister’s unilateral approach? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: No I do not agree with that last point. 
Dr Russel Norman 
: Is it not common courtesy when throwing a party in someone else’s home to work closely and constructively with the hosts which in this case are the people of Auckland represented by their democratically elected council? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: I believe that is happening. As I said the officials from the Minister for the Rugby World Cup’s office and the Auckland officials have been working collaboratively on this project not only for a long period of time but actually over the weekend. 
Dr Russel Norman 
: What specific action did Auckland Council not agree to that justifies this unprecedented Government takeover? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Well with all due respect I do not think that the member actually understands the empowering legislation. The legislation and the use of the Government’s place in that legislation is required in order to get those consents in a time frame that would allow Captain Cook Wharf to be used as a back-up facility by Friday night. 
Dr Russel Norman 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I was asking specifically what actions did the council not agree to. I appreciate the Prime Minister’s framing of the issue but the question was what actions the Auckland Council did not agree to that justified the action. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: As I understood the Prime Minister’s answer he indicated that it was not a matter of specific actions not being agreed to. A matter of some urgency I think the Prime Minister indicated in his answer was the relevant issue and I think he is entitled to do that—to indicate that what was implied in the question is not in his view the relevant issue. 
Dr Russel Norman 
: How can this Government or any other lay the blame for the failure of public transport on the Auckland Council when Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse said this morning on Radio New Zealand National: “6 years ago every single mayor in Auckland flew down to Wellington” to try to get central government to increase investment in public transport but were ignored by both that Government and this Government who delayed further electrification— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I must be able to hear Dr Norman’s question. 
Dr Russel Norman 
: How can he lay the blame for the failure of public transport on the Auckland Council when Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse said on Radio New Zealand National this morning: “6 years ago every single mayor in Auckland flew down to Wellington” to try to get central government to increase investment in public transport but were ignored by both that Government and this Government; and is it not time that this Government called a truce in the war on Auckland— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I apologise to the member but I just cannot hear the last part of the question. When we get to a certain point in the question the interjections on my left mean that I just cannot hear the last part of the question. I will invite Dr Norman to start again and I hope that the House is sufficiently sick of hearing the question to be sufficiently quiet for the Prime Minister to hear the question. 
Dr Russel Norman 
: How can he lay the blame for the failure of public transport on the Auckland Council when Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse said this morning on Radio New Zealand National: “6 years ago every single mayor in Auckland flew down to Wellington” to try to get central government to increase investment in public transport but were ignored by both that Government and this Government who delayed further electrification; and when will his Government end the war on Auckland and get on with building a decent public transport system? 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I invite you to rule whether there was any irony in that question and if there was to rule it out. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The question as far as I am concerned meets the Standing Orders. I cannot be a judge of the accuracy in any question. I did not detect any undue irony in it. 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: I find myself in an incredible position that I never thought I would find myself in and that is that I am in total agreement with Trevor Mallard. What nonsense! 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Question No. 2 the honourable Leader of the Opposition. [ 
Interruption 
] I have called the honourable Leader of the Opposition and he has every right to ask his question.