Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) - New Zealand Parliament

16 May 2009 Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill 3679
will vote them in. We have heard this line of argument since 1800—that if the citizens
at large want the Māori seats they will vote for them, and that there is no need to
recognise mana whenua—let alone anyone else. Sadly, this argument flies in the face of
everything we know about the history of political representation, Parliament being a
case in point until MMP. Even since then the Māori seats have been essential to allow
Māori voters self-determination, albeit in a Westminster-Pākehā hybrid framework,
which is not exactly the tangata whenua or Pacific way.
Yes, we could go to the citizens of Auckland and hold a referendum and ask them
whether they would like to have the three Māori seats.
COLIN KING (National—Kaikōura): I move that the question be—
Hon Member: No, no. Take a call.
COLIN KING: The time we are spending in the Chamber today is very important. It
is significant from the point of view that we need to be very conscious about what we
are actually here for. We are here at this time to be conscious of the importance of every
citizen in New Zealand, but, more important, to be concerned that we do what is right
and fair for the future of New Zealand.
Many an amendment has been proposed from the Opposition today. When we look at
the title of this particular proposed new Part 5, “The mechanisms to ensure
representation of Māori, Pacific, and ethnic groups in the reorganisation of the
Auckland Council”, we start to understand the future vision that the other side of the
Chamber is proposing. The Government of New Zealand is proposing to do away with
those impediments that are holding back New Zealand, and have done for the last 9
years under the previous Labour Government, which is now a very bewildered and
confused Opposition.
Those members continually try to divert people’s attentions away from the main
issues, like ensuring that we have a united focus as a country and that we build up a
future for this nation that we and our grandchildren can be proud of. We can form such
a future by way of a combined city of Auckland that reaches its potential. We must all
acknowledge that at the moment it is the young generations whose potential we want to
realise, whether they are Māori, Pasifika, or people who come to New Zealand in the
future.
The proposed configuration of Auckland governance is presently being obstructed by
a very distracted Opposition. It is an Opposition that had 9 years to do something
positive for this country when it was Government, but, unfortunately, the Labour
Government will be remembered for its wasteful 9 years in office. We now have a
Government that is determined to make the very most of a situation, yet we tend to trifle
around the edges at a time when we should be pulling together as a nation. I believe that
we are at a stage here with the Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill that is
certainly significant. The debate around the bill is hugely significant from our point of
view because it is a contest of ideas. It is about the future and representation of the
people. It is not about ideologies and contests to bewilder, confuse, and distract, which
we hear from the Opposition.
We have had some interesting debates and some very broad debates. Some have been
well off the mark and have not concentrated on those things that will make a significant
improvement not only to Auckland but also to the nation of New Zealand. Auckland is a
shop window to the world, a capital city in the context of the largest city of New
Zealand with 1.4 million people. It is very important that those citizens are comfortable
in the knowledge that they have an overarching arrangement in Auckland that ensures
we do not have the dislocation that there has been for many, many years.
Every other New Zealander who looks at Auckland is bewildered that it does not
have the cohesion that one would expect. The situation we find ourselves in today can