Eagle PaulPAUL EAGLE (Labour—Rongotai): Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. It is certainly a pleasure to have the final speaking slot for the Local Electoral Matters Bill this evening and can I just start by acknowledging the Minister of Local Government the Hon Nanaia Mahuta for her passion in the sector but also for the start of I guess a suite of reforms minor or otherwise that are focused on assisting local government. It's certainly a pleasure to know that this is the second piece of work after the four well-beings that have been amended. However small I believe this will have far-reaching positive outcomes.I want to thank members of the Opposition—first and foremost those who have been a part of developing this but also for their speeches even though right at the beginning I was bit nervous. I've seen all of the speeches and I was bit nervous that the member for Nelson was getting a little hysterical around what this bill was about so it was a pleasure to see those who were in local government speaking this afternoon and this evening on the bill saying Yes we're going to support it." We're going to acknowledge them and some of the work they did and this Government will certainly finish off. I want to acknowledge also Local Government New Zealand and SOLGM the Society of Local Government Managers who really are the interface between central and local government. It's always hard hauling together local government into a room and saying "Hey what do you think?" because that view isn't a unified voice at all times.I just want to start by reflecting on the legislation itself. When you look carefully it certainly does talk about postal voting and for those who have—look we've heard it this evening when several members have talked about their personal experiences about that: everything from not having I guess a postbox in your local street or neighbourhood any more to be able to post the form to others who reflected on possible fraud about people being able to take the voting papers out of the letterbox sign them away for the candidate they'd like to see in and find the post office or postbox to be able to post the form off. One of the improvements that I thought was great at the last local government elections was the ability to do some advance voting. Sometimes the practice defies the legislation and produces something that's decent and practical.The legislation also talks about polling booth voting and this is where others have talked about the experiences that they have had when they're in the local government elections and piling through that handbook of biographies—the best-written biographies you'll ever read because I know that candidates take a long long time to put them together. But when it comes to central government you're back to the advance voting yes but you're looking for the orange person to find your polling booth and away you go. Many still treasure the experience of being able to really practise their democratic right to be able to vote and they save up their big moment and still physically walk into the polling booth and make their vote. They did reduce. I know when I stood I was not struggling to find them but I certainly noticed a reduction in polling booths around too.So I think really the legislation envisaged and made provision for other methods so it's really only natural that methods such as electronic or online voting were always going to arrive for people to consider. I think it really picks up on those councils—there are several—who put their hand up to trial it and that didn't go ahead. I actually put my hand up to say no to the trial that the Wellington City Council put before elected members because I was not confident that the trial would be robust enough and several of you have talked about the great thing with what's being proposed being that this trial will be able to develop regulations from that. We will be able to address the security issues but also we will be able to ensure that those local bodies who choose to implement it can bring that work back and say "Hey this is what worked and this is what didn't work."I was saying to the Hon Ron Mark that one of my nervousnesses about the trial and the reason I voted no then was that if it went wrong I was very nervous that the capital city of this country would be known and googled away and that despite the great things in this city and region it would be known for one thing only and that was the corrupt or failed local council election of 2016. So look it didn't go ahead. I won't say the techies were right but they certainly had their voice heard to say "Hey not right now." The time is right now because the process for doing this has changed and therefore I think we will see the learnings implemented.I love hearing stats and we heard the previous speaker Maureen Pugh talk them through. Those are reality because it is 41 percent here in the capital city. You would have thought that the political arousal that this place gives its residents and visitors would mean that more people would vote but actually no it's no better. But can I say I admire that little pocket of the Rongotai electorate which stands tall and thanks to the member who said it's got the highest voting population. There are only 600 people on that little wee island but none the less those voters are important. I'd just like them to swing a little more to me next time but there are still a few more years and a few more votes—Hon Member: They will.PAUL EAGLE: —thank you—that I will be able to woo from them in my several trips down and I will bring back not only fish and other seafood but votes as well hopefully. [Looks at clock] I'm still ticking here—there we are.One of the things that I do pick up from the trial is a real enthusiasm because it's tinged with that comment that lots of people have made too—that there's no silver bullet. Part of this is not only about modernising the voting system; it's also about improving civic participation and that democratic right. Minister Mahuta made that clear in her opening speech right at the start. That's what underpins this piece of work and is driving the outcome from this bill going through the House.I think it's really key to note actually that this may spark a suite of initiatives through our education system that I think is needed and that should complement the actual experience of voting. Once we see that and the successes I think we'll see this become the norm. I'm certainly looking forward to my local council maybe even using the ward that I live in. It is full of controversy and residents that love speaking out about everything from I don't know cycleways and anything else that they can get their teeth into.Hon Member: Don't mention the war.PAUL EAGLE: Don't mention the "c" word. But look it certainly would be a tool and in fact they have used that tool now in other projects—such as cycleways—to get a steer on where to go.This will be a piece of work that when implemented at the next local government elections will really define the future of how I think Kiwis will vote. It's a pleasure to commend the bill. Kia ora.Bill read a first time. Bill referred to the Justice Committee."