Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) - New Zealand Parliament

3698 Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill 16 May 2009
There is another amendment in the name of Sue Kedgley to insert a new Part 4,
“Transition Agency and Environmental Rights”. That amendment has been ruled out of
order as it is outside the scope of the bill. The bill deals with governance, and not
operational matters. There is another amendment in the name of Sue Kedgley to insert a
new Part 4, “Transition Agency Economic, Social and Cultural Rights”. This is ruled
out of order as it is beyond the scope of the bill, as the bill deals with governance, and
not operational matters. I have ruled that those amendments are out of order as they are
outside the scope of the bill.
KELVIN DAVIS (Labour): I raise a point of order, Mr Chairperson. Ka mōtinihia
ahau kia whai rīpoata mō tō tātou kōkiri whakamua.
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[I move that we report progress.]
The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): Progress cannot be reported on a point of
order.
Schedules
The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): The question is that the schedules stand
part. [Interruption] There is no debate on schedules. The schedules are not debatable.
We will go to the vote.
Hon DARREN HUGHES (Senior Whip—Labour): I raise a point of order, Mr
Chairperson. Because we are now moving to consideration of the schedules, I take it
that all the additional parts that have been submitted by way of amendment have been
ruled out of order by you—that the series that you have just ruled out were all the
remaining parts that there were to be amendments.
The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): That is correct.
Hon DARREN HUGHES: I also seek a second assurance. It was not while you
were in the Chair, but there was an outburst from the Leader of the House directed at the
Clerk’s Office. I just want an assurance that that outburst is not linked to the fact that,
all of a sudden, every single amendment that created a new part has been ruled out. The
convenience of that for the Government is not lost on the Opposition.
The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): Thank you. I am the sole judge of that. I
can assure the member of the integrity of the Clerk’s Office and the hard work it has
done over the last few days. I will be here to protect the Clerk’s Office at every
opportunity, and I am the sole judge of such things. I heard that comment. I was not
here, but I did hear that comment. Any criticism of the Clerk’s Office goes through the
Chair, but I want to give you the assurance that I have full faith in the integrity of the
way that the Clerk’s Office has been operating.
Hon DARREN HUGHES (Senior Whip—Labour): I want to absolutely endorse
those remarks. I think you would find that absolutely everyone in the Chamber shares
those views. The Clerk’s Office has worked remarkably hard, and it has people of
integrity and professionalism. That is why the Opposition objected so strongly to the
way it was addressed by National’s Gerry Brownlee.
My next point of order relates to the suspended amendment to insert a new Part 5,
“Mechanisms to ensure representation of Maori, Pacific and Ethnic groups in the
reorganisation of the Auckland Council”, which also deals with Asian representation in
the Auckland super-city. That part was suspended by the Minister in charge of the bill,
the Hon Rodney Hide. We have to take that before the preliminary clauses. I am just
checking that you will do that after the schedules have been voted on. Is that your
intention?