Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) - New Zealand Parliament

3714 Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill 16 May 2009
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Rick Barker): Well, I am sure that the quality of the
debate has been such that the member will take the oral record and replay it on a
continuous loop to himself when he is home at the weekends.
Hon DAVID PARKER (Labour): I raise a point of order, Mr Chairperson. Am I to
take your ruling to mean, then, that you are reflecting Speaker’s ruling 110/7, which
says: “members should have some latitude to summarise, and make concluding remarks
about, the issues they have raised during the committee’s consideration of the bill.”? Of
course, this bill has been considered for 3 days, and although none of the Opposition’s
amendments have been accepted, a very wide range of issues have been raised, many of
which deserve to be touched on in this debate.
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Rick Barker): The member can be assured that the
Chair has that very point weightily in his mind, and will consider it very carefully.
JO GOODHEW (National—Rangitata): I move, That the question be now put.
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Labour—Waimakariri): I think the Local
Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill could be quite properly named the
“Rodney Hide - ACT Party Double-cross Their Constituents Bill”. If members recall,
some time ago in an earlier debate Mr Hide said that he would come into this
Parliament and, if he was a Minister, he would listen to people. Mr Boscawen, of
course, led marches all over the country—
Hon Steve Chadwick: Only Mt Albert.
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE: Yes, in Mt Albert. He was calling for people to be
listened to over various issues. Yet when those members get into Government, no one is
listened to. The people of Epsom—Mr Hide’s electorate—apparently are not intelligent
enough to be listened to. The people in Heather Roy’s part of the world that she
purports to represent—she does not have any constituents—apparently are not
intelligent enough to be listened to.
Hon Steve Chadwick: Or to bother.
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE: Or to bother. As other speakers have said, it is
interesting that once the bill is passed, National will take out half-page ads in the paper
and have public meetings in order to consult with folk—after the horse has bolted. I
think that is pretty reprehensible. This is one of the biggest changes to the biggest city in
our country, and it will have huge commercial, social, and logistical impacts for a whole
host of New Zealanders. I believe that that is absolutely wrong, and I invite Mr Hide
and others to reflect on their conduct and on that of the Government throughout this
debate.
Dr JACKIE BLUE (National): I move, That the question be now put.
A party vote was called for on the question, That the question be now put.
Ayes 68
New Zealand National 58; ACT New Zealand 5; Māori Party 4; United Future 1.
Noes 32
New Zealand Labour 25; Green Party 7.
Motion agreed to.
The question was put that the following amendment in the name of the Hon Rodney
Hide to clause 1 be agreed to:
to omit “Auckland Reorganisation” and substitute “Tamaki Makaurau Reorganisation”.