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3720 Local Government (Tamaki Makaurau Reorganisation) Bill 16 May 2009 sleepiness into the heart of this very key part of our legislature. I want it noted that we appreciate the services of those in the Clerk’s Office. It is necessary for us to rehearse ever so briefly why we have taken umbrage with the style and agenda shown by the Prime Minister and Mr Hide. This is what the jurist, the Hon Peter Salmon and his assistants, came back with—it deserves more than 1 day of sitting time of this House. We did not actually imagine that weeks and months would be tied up as the House debated and sent the bill to a select committee, because the royal commission settled upon a model that a huge number of parliamentarians saw some merit in. We took a great deal of exception to the undemocratic, unconstitutional, reckless, and dangerous style with which the rights of Aucklanders, families, workers, and community members have been trampled on, as a consequence of there being no opportunity for the public to comment on this reorganisation bill. The bill posits inordinate power with a small, shadowy group of people. We have no idea what they will cost us, broadly imagining that the ratepayers of Auckland will be left with the bill. They are a small group of people whom we fear will rack up inordinate expenses and then provide an opportunity for others not far away from them to use that as a chance to drive ahead with a privatisation agenda. We have been concerned that, and we have recited reasons why, this reorganisation bill will actually weaken the ability of Auckland to achieve mega-city status. There have been ill-informed remarks from members on the other side of the House, because, I understand, they believe that entertainment opportunities have been squandered as a consequence of the Pasifika, Māori, and Asians—who deserved an opportunity to come forward and simply tell their story. So it fell to Labour to ensure that the cloak of democracy sits easily on this House—not ruffled, wrapped up, and thrown aside like unwanted chip paper; that is not for us. That is why we have taken the time to try to explore every opportunity to ensure that the ratepayers of Auckland remember that it was the National Government that showed arrogant, uncaring, profitdriven, narrow, and divisive zealotry. That was what we sought to show the entirety of Auckland. I must continue on this rather baneful subject of the costs. The royal commission did not come up with exclusive costings. Rodney Hide stood in this House and said he did not know how much it will cost. John Key is not interested in how much it will cost. Bill English is already busily working out how he can claw it back after Treasury has had to fund it. It will fall on a whole bunch of people in Auckland who can hardly cope with the cost structure they are living with at the moment. There is a small reliance on the Māori language, as this bill gets to its fateful, fitful end. You know, the name Tāmaki-makau-rau is emblematic of what we have been through here. “Tāmaki” means either “ancestor” or “object of desire”; “makau” means “sweetheart”, and it also means “low tide”. This is definitely where the tide has begun to ebb for this uncaring, reckless, agenda-driven, and ideologically driven Government. The people of Auckland can see when the tide starts to go out, and it is definitely going out in particular on those Auckland MPs in the Government. Let them go out and explain to the Auckland communities why, from now on, every council decision will have to be reinforced or mandated by a small shadowy cabal of tsars. That is very, very dangerous. Let those MPs go out and tell them. Let them tell them in Onehunga. Of course, “hunga” means “people”, and “one” means “soil”. That is where the people who supported this madness of the National Government will be buried. Māngere in South Auckland—well it is unfortunate that those members’ colleague, who could not be here, has decided that the entirety of South Auckland should be written off with a glib remark about criminality. Of course we know that in Māngere they will remember that, because “māngere” means “lazy”,
16 May 2009 Local Government (Tamaki Makaurau Reorganisation) Bill 3721 “māngere” means “idle”, and if there has ever been an example of a lazy approach to good governance, this Government has given it. Paul Quinn: You’d know! You’re the laziest of everyone! Hon SHANE JONES: Then there is Waitakere, as members will remember. It is important that I educate Mr Quinn. He has so much time on his hands as a consequence of Wayne Peters showing how Māori rugby ought to be run—showing how Māori rugby in Auckland, covered by the transitional authority, will be in better shape for the Rugby World Cup. In fact, I fear that the preparations for the Rugby World Cup may begin to rumble and shake in Auckland. But let us come back to Waitakere. “Waitakere” means “the bottom of the waka has been holed”. It means that the bottom of the waka is taking on water, not only because of the Waterview Connection, not only because they have criminalised every South Aucklander. They have criminalised them all, and then they want Christine Rankin to offer them counselling. There are some people who come to the House boasting how clever they are. Simon Bridges was one of them, but time will sort out why he never offered one constructive remark. But let us be positive, because our side has provided commentary and ideas that have been a wellspring of positive contributions. We want democratic standards and accountability to reign. I shall now, for the benefit of Mr Quinn, make a 2-minute speech in te reo Māori that will require a very careful translation. Nā reira, ko tāku ki a tātou mō Tāmaki-makau-rau, nui ngā rōimata mō te mahi koretake o te Kāwanatanga. Ka takahia ki raro te mana o te iwi Māori. Ka takahia te mana o tātou whanaunga, huānga, manuhiri mai i Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. Ka whakatahangia te hunga mai i Āhia. Nā rātou i mahi, nā te Kāwanatanga me wāna hoa i tītaritari tēnei taonga te tuku pōti kia mana ai ngā whakatau i roto i te tāone me te kaunihera hou o Tāmaki-makau-rau. Me tētahi atu take, kei hea ngā whenua, kei hea ngā taonga hei hokohoko i te tuatahi hei muru i ngā nama o tēnei mahi ka oti i a rātou i tēnei wā. Ka ahu mai wēnā moni, tēnā pūtea, i hea? Ka ahu mai mā te tauhokohoko, mā te hoko ki rāwāhi ki wā rātou hoa. Me tētahi atu take e te Speaker. Nui ngā mihi ki ngā pononga a te Whare. Nui ngā mihi ki ngā āpiha, ki ngā pūkenga, ki ngā wāhine me ngā tāne i whakawerawera ai, i whakamomori ai kia oti pai ai ngā mahi. Ko tā mātou he āwhina atu i a rātou. Horekau ō mātou hiahia te whakataimaha i wā rātou mahi engari, he āwhina atu i a rātou. [An interpretation in English was given to the House.] [And so my comment about Auckland to us is that many tears have been shed over work of no consequence by the Government. The authority of Māoridom has been trampled under. The authority of our relatives, kin, and visitors from the Great Ocean of Kiwa, from the Pacific, has been abused. Those from Asia are marginalised. They did it: the Government and its cronies distributed precious votes to ensure that decisions relating to Auckland City and the new council are passed. And besides, there is another matter. Where are the properties, the means to sell in the first instance, to wipe out costs that will be incurred currently for carrying out this task? Where will those moneys, the budget, come from? It will come through a trade-off by selling to their cronies offshore. There is another matter, Mr Speaker. There is much admiration for those who serve the House—officials, experts, women and men who have sweated and toiled in their attempts to ensure that the tasks are completed well. Our part is merely to assist them. We do not wish to add to their workload.] So, Mr Speaker, as a final gesture, as a consequence of your coming back, and our having achieved a single day of sitting on Wednesday, democracy is much richer. To the translators, greetings—small room for improvement. Kia ora tātou.
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