"\u003C!DOCTYPE html\u003E\u003Chtml xmlns:xlink=\u0022http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink\u0022 xmlns:xsi=\u0022http://www.w3.org/2007/XMLSchema-instance\u0022 xmlns:mml=\u0022http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Chead\u003E\n    \u003CMETA http-equiv=\u0022Content-Type\u0022 content=\u0022text/html; charset=utf-16\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cmeta name=\u0022viewport\u0022 content=\u0022width=device-width, initial-scale=1\u0022\u003E\n  \u003C/head\u003E\n  \u003Cbody style=\u0022font-family:sans-serif; font-size:100%;\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00229b66cb9cb596427ea3530e66c2ac2a84\u0022\u003EWednesday, 19 August 2009\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000003\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00223c00251e3b604e44a137cda053ee4850\u0022\u003EWednesday, 19 August 2009\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000002\u0022\u003EMr Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000004\u0022\u003EPrayers.\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000005\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00222224b00248754c46b57087fb8724a65c\u0022\u003EEden Park Trust Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000006\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00224708a7e594594bd796b4b20cbc9fbcd2\u0022\u003EProcedure\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u0022db29be0ec94349168082b27fb0000036\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000007\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022db29be0ec94349168082b27fb0000036\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE (Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E Subsequent to discussions and decisions at the Business Committee yesterday, I seek leave for the Eden Park Trust Amendment Bill, following its second reading, to be set down for its third reading forthwith without debate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000008\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220dcfd2b3d028467da3c7ec460b69b861\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Leave has been sought for that course of action. Is there any objection? There is none.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000009\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002258120dcff53f4f0dbd0027c2b72f5146\u0022\u003ETabling of Documents\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000010\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022744e32fb1a9f4e89ad77896801c4db7f\u0022\u003EEnviroschools\u2014Card Addressed to Minister of Education ProtestingFunding Cuts\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00222aa0b524-c38d-45aa-bd5b-99c5927085f4\u0022 data-id=\u00225ba75d1ea995485b9d32bef1d2ef1757\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000011\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222aa0b524-c38d-45aa-bd5b-99c5927085f4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225ba75d1ea995485b9d32bef1d2ef1757\u0022\u003ECLARE CURRAN (Labour\u2014Dunedin South):\u003C/span\u003E I seek leave to table a card signed by dozens of school students in Dunedin and Wellington, calling on the Minister of Education, Anne Tolley, not to cut funding for Enviroschools.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000012\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002245f61993440e4de88e037d4c79bc93cd\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000013\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003EDocument, by leave, laid on the Table of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000014\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022df17ce6141fe44bbb5e7f3772d192c2a\u0022\u003EQuestions for Oral Answer\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000015\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022aae0ac482d7340e5b6f8bb2056b52f99\u0022\u003EQuestions to Ministers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000016\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00227e9ef32fac1a42ad81dc60148beea58a\u0022\u003EMinisters\u2014Confidence\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000017\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002209a5b71a-ca7e-4e7c-9e09-f9e63f18aa12\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ee607cb1a9be4b39b9bcd4f356d85e66\u0022\u003E1. Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader\u2014Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Prime Minister: Does he have confidence in all his Ministers?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022 data-id=\u00226b9b2e40357a4e1ab0f407bca6890489\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000018\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226b9b2e40357a4e1ab0f407bca6890489\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH (Acting Prime Minister):\u003C/span\u003E Yes. They are all hard-working and competent Ministers who understand the large challenges faced by this country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000019\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002209a5b71a-ca7e-4e7c-9e09-f9e63f18aa12\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d84c1eba75cf490abe5b9a5d5ecd76d7\u0022\u003EHon Annette King\u003C/span\u003E: Did he agree with the Minister of Health\u2019s decision to sanitise the report of the independent ministerial review group by removing controversial material from it before he was forced to release it this week and only after the Dominion Post reported some of its contents on the front page?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000020\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002245dc77807ef84d2a96992b2f3fc044e0\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: I think that is a bit of a conspiracy theory. The Minister of Health has set about tidying up the mess left by the previous Government, and of course some of it will be controversial. What does the member expect?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000021\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002209a5b71a-ca7e-4e7c-9e09-f9e63f18aa12\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022476f0055e0ca4802bda7986d3d72f3aa\u0022\u003EHon Annette King\u003C/span\u003E: How can he and the Minister of Health claim to have released an independent report on health when the Minister of Health fiddled with the group\u2019s recommendations and removed some of its independent views from the report in an attempt to hide an emerging National agenda of privatisation and broken promises?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221cb141faf6184aed8a1d20eb2ca6dc4f\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: I am quite sure that the Minister of Health responsibly discussed with the review group what recommendations it was making, but that member needs to understand the size of the mess she has left. It will take a big effort to turn it round.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000023\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002209a5b71a-ca7e-4e7c-9e09-f9e63f18aa12\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221182c578edeb4b6f99a563fe1ea54163\u0022\u003EHon Annette King\u003C/span\u003E: Why did the Minister of Health remove from the independent report comments that stated that spending health dollars on improving life expectancy will be an investment in growth only if people work longer before they draw taxpayer-funded superannuation; and what does his Government have to hide when everyone knows that is its view?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000024\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c5183680bd634d1fb327a084771782c5\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: I would agree with the Minister that the line of questions is rubbish\u2014making it up, probably. The fact is that to deliver better, smarter health services to New Zealanders means we must change the health system that the previous Government left behind, because the system that Government left chewed up money without much result.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000025\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002209a5b71a-ca7e-4e7c-9e09-f9e63f18aa12\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d7a56df538864a4d8791195c867796bd\u0022\u003EHon Annette King\u003C/span\u003E: Will the Prime Minister require the Minister of Health to tell doctors and nurses that he edited out of the independent report comments that wage restraint was needed from them, as well as changes to the industrial relations settings, and when will the Government announce its real agenda of wage freezes on their salaries?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000026\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225be6decfdfe94529a7d2811ab537d56b\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: It is hardly a secret that the Government considers wage restraint to be quite important. In fact, I recall the Minister of Finance making that statement in this House in full view of the public over the last several months.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000027\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00225345350ec16c42829c486939868d29b7\u0022\u003EEconomy\u2014Growth\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000028\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E2. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fd5ebc2f8bbd4646846b7d51275b4ea9\u0022\u003EAMY ADAMS (National\u2014Selwyn)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Finance: What will be required to produce balanced growth in the economy over the next few years?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022 data-id=\u00222fec8bed00f941ac84db1cb0a40478ba\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000029\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222fec8bed00f941ac84db1cb0a40478ba\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance):\u003C/span\u003E A change in policy to correct the economic mismanagement of the last 10 years will be required. Too much growth has been sourced from borrowing and Government spending, and too little from exports and productive investment. The Government is implementing a range of policies to tilt the playing field in favour of investment, saving, working, and exporting, so that we do not go round the same cycle of excessive borrowing and spending.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000030\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225c20af6546cb48c9be0200c6ffbf08ff\u0022\u003EAmy Adams\u003C/span\u003E: Which parts of the economy have shown the weakest and the strongest growth in recent years?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000031\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b368d3f59d174f49ba337fb196dafdde\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: According to GDP statistics, the economy grew by 7 percent in the 5 years to March 2009. The tradable sector\u2014that is, exports, tourism, and anything that competes with overseas production\u2014fell by 10 percent, while the non-tradable sector grew by 15 percent. In particular, over the last 5 years Government administration grew by 32 percent, when the economy grew by 7 percent.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000032\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e0192ed9-5715-4f6c-bd52-8db4f3466087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022edd702e809b54eb8b28f7bd6e3ec4582\u0022\u003EHon David Cunliffe\u003C/span\u003E: Can the Minister explain how cutting research and development tax credits and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise programmes will promote exports and close the external imbalance?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000033\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225973233067de486dac9643db2130dbb9\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: That member and the previous Government spent hundreds of millions of dollars on programmes meant to encourage exports, yet they dropped by 10 percent through one of the strongest periods of growth that the world economy has ever seen.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000034\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e0192ed9-5715-4f6c-bd52-8db4f3466087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ad10b4d8f1f043649ff73ec6ba4cce3b\u0022\u003EHon David Cunliffe\u003C/span\u003E: Can the Minister explain why it is a priority to increase GST to 15 percent in order to pay for cuts to the top tax rates, as was suggested in the media recently by the Treasury appointee to the tax review?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000035\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227cdec4c9016546f4b3e00c3130649b96\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: The tax review has been told to give us its best advice, and we expect to get that advice from it towards the end of this year, or early next year. Unlike the previous Government, we do not stand over our advisers and forbid particular thoughts.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000036\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227f2cf2378de54e119b9c19d852cdff23\u0022\u003EAmy Adams\u003C/span\u003E: What measures will the Government take to ensure that future growth is more sustainable?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000037\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dbe061e07c2843bdb05be47c5be28b89\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: We need to make sure that the Government does not continue to grow its spending at twice the rate of its revenue. There will be no repeat of the 32 percent increase in real Government administration costs that has occurred over the last 5 years. New Zealand\u2019s productive base will benefit from there being increased skills and innovation, better regulation, and more productive infrastructure.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000038\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022aee96a3c7817486da81bf2eeb8e63579\u0022\u003EAmy Adams\u003C/span\u003E: What alternative plans to ensure balanced growth has the Minister seen?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000039\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229127fd226b48419ba1f3a5ab059877c1\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: The proposed solutions I have heard from the Opposition are somewhat confused. On the one hand we have the Leader of the Opposition, Phil Goff, promising to spend more money on everything; on the other hand David Cunliffe was honest enough to acknowledge that the current account deficit had stayed high, savings performance had been poor, and productivity growth had been low under the previous Government. We can add that exports actually shrank, despite the expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars to grow them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000040\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228415e962-886d-47b9-9356-3fdce746891f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b18077c2657e43a8895d597ab3ebb560\u0022\u003EHon Jim Anderton\u003C/span\u003E: As the Minister seems to be very keen on budget cuts for Government departments and administration in general, can he tell the House how much the budget for Treasury\u2014his own department\u2014was cut this year? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000041\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002225a17497c8464a22940a2a8c42e9ad24\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: As it happens, I have looked into that. The Treasury baseline will drop from $65 million last year to $60 million in 2 years\u2019 time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000042\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022ee5d8eec1b1849079a7c0dd3e7bf6a63\u0022\u003EHealth Care\u2014Policy\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E3. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002203fec5fb3b3d401e8c0508b820382a28\u0022\u003EHon RUTH DYSON (Labour\u2014Port Hills)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Health: Does he still stand by his policy to deliver better, sooner, and more convenient health care?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022 data-id=\u002257a24e0b4df345969a5d7c9dd050d505\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000044\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002257a24e0b4df345969a5d7c9dd050d505\u0022\u003EHon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health):\u003C/span\u003E Despite the fact that the previous Government quietly cut $150 million from Vote Health and left district health boards delivering $160 million of unfunded health services, yes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000045\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a1eeb4b5427f4764920943d3bc669dbd\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: On what date did the Minister first receive a draft copy of the Horn report, and what changes did he require the \u201Cindependent\u201D ministerial group to make to that draft? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000046\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022830b39791cc441d4b848bd4a5ec5cd25\u0022\u003EHon TONY RYALL\u003C/span\u003E: I did not receive a draft copy of the independent report, nor did I instruct that any recommendations be changed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000047\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227fedffbf822c44adb7a46cb5ca0f4e6c\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: Will the Minister now release all material associated with the \u201Cindependent\u201D review of the health sector, and allow a transparent and \u201Csooner rather than later\u201D submissions process? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000048\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fe9dd238f4704dc4ac5f2aae45b6275e\u0022\u003EHon TONY RYALL\u003C/span\u003E: This is an independent report that is being carefully considered, and I can assure the member that the Government will not agree to anything that increases bureaucracy or does not improve front-line services. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000049\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002264933a1a981648f984c7bd74d80e74d5\u0022\u003EDr Paul Hutchison\u003C/span\u003E: With regard to better health care for young women, what is the Minister\u2019s response to reports from an American Government study released today, which apparently raises questions about the safety of the cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000050\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228a48792413134173b15a8e538683528b\u0022\u003EHon TONY RYALL\u003C/span\u003E: The safety of the Gardasil vaccine is being continuously monitored in New Zealand by Medsafe and the independent centre for adverse reactions monitoring. Up to 14 August, 162,000 doses of Gardasil were given in New Zealand, and there were 166 reported adverse events. That is 0.1 percent. Of these adverse events, only one is classified as serious. I am advised that it is considered unlikely this event was caused by the vaccine. Authorities are clear: based on our experience in New Zealand, they consider that the benefits of Gardasil in the prevention of cervical cancer clearly outweigh the possible risks of side effects, and they consider it safe for New Zealand girls and women. New Zealand authorities continue to monitor international evidence and our experience here at home. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000051\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281e8ca24-8b1d-4558-9ef9-c9418df2b3c0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d90a314520b440d4b6ab37c88c327010\u0022\u003EKevin Hague\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister now agree that his Government made a tragic mistake in slashing funding for programmes for healthy eating, designed to reduce long-term health needs, without any evidence that they were not working? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000052\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225819940d7e494e7ea0c0a5a90f4a7ffa\u0022\u003EHon TONY RYALL\u003C/span\u003E: The Government has not slashed the budget for healthy eating projects. What the Government has done is sought more balance in the approach between physical activity and nutrition. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000053\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cec0bcdbe933491da84e75ccfdee7b26\u0022\u003EDr Paul Hutchison\u003C/span\u003E: What responses has he seen in relation to the public release of the ministerial group report? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000054\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220bb11af7234c4f52a70a82630174103d\u0022\u003EHon TONY RYALL\u003C/span\u003E: There have been a number of informed responses. New Zealand Doctor says that primary care gives the \u201Cthumbs up\u201D to the report. The New Zealand Herald has said the Government \u201Cmust move fast on health reform\u201D, and the Timaru Herald says \u201Cthe report looks like a good start.\u201D The Health and Disability Commissioner, Ron Paterson, says that all the recommendations in this report need to be considered. He is backing the key recommendation on quality. He says \u201CWe need to do this. There is a strong case for it, but we need to do it in a more effective way than we are doing currently under the quality improvement committee, with different DHBs taking a lead.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000055\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281e8ca24-8b1d-4558-9ef9-c9418df2b3c0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d4475c516dc94a86877317d38849543c\u0022\u003EKevin Hague\u003C/span\u003E: Given that diet is the biggest single influence on lifetime health status, what are the Minister\u2019s programmes to reduce diet-related illness in the long run, given the ministerial review group\u2019s projections for future unaffordable health needs?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000056\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002234140f6eae54498ba35688c35be0e3f4\u0022\u003EHon TONY RYALL\u003C/span\u003E: The programmes that were in place under the previous Government continue in that area. This Government has also announced a number of initiatives, with a particular initiative around sport for young New Zealanders, which will contribute to physical activity. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002264a4e1629178423db40ad0ee97750492\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: What discussions did the Minister or any of his staff have with the chair of the Health Committee, who today voted against the select committee hearing submissions from the public about the Horn report?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000058\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226d73d7db67f1492c95cf85c79d9669a1\u0022\u003EHon TONY RYALL\u003C/span\u003E: I have very regular discussions with the chair of the Health Committee, and I must say that in our last discussion we talked about the rather poor state of the questions asked by the member opposite in the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227f0f58e925694db2a0798304137fed40\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I thought the Minister asked a fairly clear question and did not deserve the last part of that answer. Had the Minister sat down a little earlier, I might have been less concerned, but I invite the member to repeat her question so all the House can hear it and the Minister can answer it again.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000060\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d8bdf1eedecb4bde97943c3ca5584dda\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: What discussions did the Minister or any of his staff have with the chair of the Health Committee, who today voted against the select committee hearing submissions from the public about the Horn report?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000061\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e620dec37b9045f7a0b5ebf83a011e38\u0022\u003EHon TONY RYALL\u003C/span\u003E: I have regular conversations with the chair of the Health Committee. Today\u2019s decision, I am sure, was a decision of the committee. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000062\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b572a263bf564d25a5184fc107e46436\u0022\u003ESchools Sports Funding\u2014Kiwisport\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000063\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022749d97b8-a772-4227-83da-b5e264c37bc0\u0022\u003E4. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222c200adc07cc4717a3d2da167d6a1fa9\u0022\u003EALLAN PEACHEY (National\u2014T\u0101maki)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Education: What recent announcements has the Government made about sport in schools?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022 data-id=\u002289f071560dd74298959ebad86a3d6646\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000064\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002289f071560dd74298959ebad86a3d6646\u0022\u003EHon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education):\u003C/span\u003E Last week the Prime Minister, John Key, announced Kiwisport, a new initiative that sees $82 million invested in young Kiwis over the next 4 years. Kiwisport will provide $45 million in direct funding to schools over the next 4 years\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000065\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e0192ed9-5715-4f6c-bd52-8db4f3466087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229fc66b9ca5c04faaa1b4576881a4597c\u0022\u003EHon David Cunliffe\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s only for private schools.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000066\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fcf89a29099c4e4c91c552fb80b604e3\u0022\u003EHon ANNE TOLLEY\u003C/span\u003E: The member does not like it, does he! A further $37 million is going to a regional partnership fund\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000067\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022525995de18f643d9a1a9f8b2829ab84d\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I apologise to the Minister. I say to members opposite that the Minister is right beside me yet I cannot hear her answer. I am sure that the House, the question having been asked, is interested in hearing the answer. I invite the Minister to go back to the start of her answer. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000068\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002259dbab0ef81b44d2826661d2f09a1a74\u0022\u003EHon ANNE TOLLEY\u003C/span\u003E: Last week the Prime Minister, John Key, announced Kiwisport, a new initiative that sees $82 million invested in young Kiwis over the next 4 years. Kiwisport will provide $45 million in direct funding to schools over the next 4 years, with a further $37 million to go to a regional partnership fund for initiatives involving clubs, schools, and community groups, to support sport for school-age children. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000069\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022749d97b8-a772-4227-83da-b5e264c37bc0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ae5532cb759b44dba21a8d3bdd7212f8\u0022\u003EAllan Peachey\u003C/span\u003E: What reports has the Minister seen about Kiwisport?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000070\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002279c94401564748619272f1fb2b9c08aa\u0022\u003EHon ANNE TOLLEY\u003C/span\u003E: I have seen the reported comments of the College Sport chief executive, who welcomed the announcement, and said that Kiwisport would give secondary schools much more flexibility in how they use their money. I have also seen a rather misguided report from Labour MP Chris Hipkins, who said: \u201CThey\u2019ve slashed funding for things like \u2026 Stage Challenge \u2026\u201D. If he had done a little bit of homework, he would have found that the funding for Stage Challenge does continue. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000071\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226a3b0290ee0c4816b31dc3be758ffb1b\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: Supplementary question\u2014[Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000072\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224bb5d120de01489090c845a2ae8687bf\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Members should listen. A bit of noise in the House is perfectly acceptable, but I ask members to show some courtesy to a member who has done nothing other than seek to ask a supplementary question, and does not deserve that kind of reaction. I ask the backbenchers to show a little courtesy. Chris Hipkins.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000073\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222b0347e0dfe24a67a3523f66927eea87\u0022\u003EHon Members\u003C/span\u003E: Ha, ha! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000074\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b520cef138194f62831e792b5ecaaea3\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I meant what I said, I say to some of the members at the back of the Chamber. I do not expect to be laughed at like that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000075\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f0b02a2d5c5b4459b0eac2c52012dd44\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: Why does the Minister believe that the health and well-being of Kiwi kids will be better served by her allocating the limited amount of funding available on a population basis, rather than targeting funding based on need, particularly given that these changes are likely to take funding away from some of the poorest schools, including those in South Auckland, where the Prime Minister went to launch the initiative; or is this another example of John Key\u2019s \u201CSheriff of Nottingham\u201D approach of robbing from the poor to give to the rich?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000076\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ec2ae960fe494118a3e4615687db0aa7\u0022\u003EHon ANNE TOLLEY\u003C/span\u003E: I suggest that the member does a little bit of maths. Under the previous Labour Government, $5.3 million was allocated to schools to fund sports coordinators\u2014all of it to secondary schools, and not even all secondary schools. Under KiwiSport, a total of $20 million per year will be available to encourage Kiwi kids to play sport, and $20 million is a lot more than $5.3 million.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000077\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b51092d6e79d467e90fc1dd242e05bbc\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: Is the Minister concerned that focusing funding exclusively on sport while cancelling funding for other forms of physical activity, such as Stage Challenge, kapahaka, ASB Polyfest, and the Pasifika Festival, which the Minister for Sport and Recreation has indicated will have fund cuts, and cancelling funding for nutritional programmes that get kids eating healthier food, could actually mean more health problems for Kiwi kids; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000078\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bc4dcc301dd2444e89baf330ded44b0c\u0022\u003EHon ANNE TOLLEY\u003C/span\u003E: I suggest that the member does his homework. The Stage Challenge funding has not been cut, so the entire premise of that question is false. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000079\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b6526f4b5108401f95afa85072e7c356\u0022\u003EImmigration Investigation\u2014Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000080\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003E5. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228db4e42abbb24d73b0c36b5a9ac38cc9\u0022\u003EHon PETE HODGSON (Labour\u2014Dunedin North)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Immigration: On what day was Immigration New Zealand\u2019s investigation file concerning Kanwaljit Bakshi made over to the New Zealand Police?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022 data-id=\u00224a391fac21854bc5b327fbdb854ed311\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000081\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224a391fac21854bc5b327fbdb854ed311\u0022\u003EHon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Immigration):\u003C/span\u003E I am advised that the case was first referred to the police on 20 July 2009. The file was subsequently handed over on 28 July.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000082\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226958cac9f5614a82a67d282b7a5dfce3\u0022\u003EHon Pete Hodgson\u003C/span\u003E: When a copy of the first investigation report was made public, why did the Minister then ask his officials at the Department of Labour to investigate why the Official Information Act request had not gone through his office?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000083\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022601553edf2b74169a82ed0d07216c398\u0022\u003EHon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN\u003C/span\u003E: In my office, as in yours when you were a Minister\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ae0a4f0d5e5341c9ad0818be4bf2fd75\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The Speaker may well have been a Minister, but right now he is not.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000085\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002243c4c40b63e14001876590313908be67\u0022\u003EHon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN\u003C/span\u003E: It is a common approach in Ministers\u2019 offices under this Government, as it was under the previous Government, that Ministers operate under a no-surprises policy with regard to their departments.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000086\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f130416fd12c4dd794f054cc593f4cec\u0022\u003EHon Pete Hodgson\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister accept that the second investigation into Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi arose only because officials released information concerning the first investigation to the New Zealand Herald, and that had that information not been released no second investigation would be under way?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c6d953e046194f4387f79fe787103e5e\u0022\u003EHon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN\u003C/span\u003E: The consistent approach right throughout this matter is that if information comes to light that warrants further investigation, Immigration New Zealand should proceed in that manner. I have made that very clear to the department.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002294a8ebfdec144999b457e472a73ccb4a\u0022\u003EHon Pete Hodgson\u003C/span\u003E: Will any future Official Information Act requests concerning Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi be handled by departmental officials alone, or will the Minister continue to require his officials to pass any such requests to his ministerial office for his personal perusal?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000089\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223037d656891c4946b68a6a622af7c4f5\u0022\u003EHon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN\u003C/span\u003E: All Official Information Act requests that go to the department, apart from those of a very minor statistical nature, come to the attention of the Minister\u2019s office under the no-surprises policy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000090\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002242e66241c2024c459ba46e4c9504bbcd\u0022\u003EHon Pete Hodgson\u003C/span\u003E: Why was a planned interview of Department of Labour officials, arranged in June by the New Zealand Herald, called off by the Minister\u2019s political adviser Mr James Watson?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000091\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bf38866236d8494dad358a8872b892ac\u0022\u003EHon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN\u003C/span\u003E: It was not called off. The department can interview whom it likes, when it likes, with regard to any investigation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000092\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f36e9adaedd144b6b49e27ea2533b85b\u0022\u003EHon Pete Hodgson\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister understand that the more he seeks to vet Official Information Act requests regarding his colleague Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, and the more he interferes with the free access of the media to his officials regarding his colleague Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, the more likely it is that he will be viewed as protecting his colleague Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000093\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221844ae65794c47019427953438ece28a\u0022\u003EHon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN\u003C/span\u003E: The member over there is making an allegation, and I invite him to make it outside the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000094\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00228c61f6a815ae4c7b8886ce51420b5b16\u0022\u003EBenefits and Allowances\u2014Access\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000095\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003E6. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d648604632784303a351e8973896e423\u0022\u003ESUE BRADFORD (Green)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Can she guarantee that access to benefits and allowances will not be reduced in this term of Government?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022 data-id=\u00223f641e31307240dabd1659f9df026164\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000096\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223f641e31307240dabd1659f9df026164\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development and Employment):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, our commitment is to preserve core benefits. However, access to allowances does change, as the member knows. We made changes to the training incentive allowance in the last Budget.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000097\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002203739b81eced40ceb246f8a24244561f\u0022\u003ESue Bradford\u003C/span\u003E: Which allowances, then, is the Minister planning to cut, and when?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000098\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022086cb3ff3b5e46b2afed9654604c966a\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: There are no plans at this stage to cut any of the allowances, but, as I say, they change all the time. We added the ReStart package in December last year and we made changes to training incentive allowances in the Budget. It is all quite open and upfront.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000099\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228a2eaaecc3394b05a4759efa0c14e3e8\u0022\u003ESue Bradford\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister agree with the Prime Minister in his remarks of a couple of weeks ago that restricting the independent youth benefit is an option, despite the fact that this already is a benefit of last resort to help a very small number of 16 and 17-year-olds who need to survive without family support, and the only alternatives for them are things like begging, crime, and prostitution?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000100\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002229a83293421d4513ab00b0cfbaa5e55b\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: With the independent youth benefit we are looking at making sure there are the restrictions that recipients are in education, in work, or are upskilling, so those changes to the independent youth benefit are around those restrictions. A percentage of recipients are already in employment and education, so we are not cutting the benefit from them. We know that it is a benefit they need. The changes are more about insisting that they be in some sort of education, employment, or upskilling.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000101\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a744a9a7-a2e8-401b-abfb-aec22a3818c8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d9be1592bb7d45e28ff591f7cbeeeced\u0022\u003EKatrina Shanks\u003C/span\u003E: What reports has the Minister seen that suggest changes to welfare?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c2c64b5f04b747f69ec7d0710dd4a8e3\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: I have seen reports that suggest that the Government ought to provide welfare for pretty much everyone, including those who are wealthy and millionaires. The big idea from Labour in the report I saw is to put thousands of middle-class people on benefits, which is, quite frankly, impractical, unaffordable, and unfair. In yet another case of \u201CVisa-nomics\u201D, we saw Opposition member Annette King contemplate extending the in-work tax credit to beneficiaries at a cost of around $450 million. Quite frankly, the Opposition wants people on welfare; we want them in jobs.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000103\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002209a5b71a-ca7e-4e7c-9e09-f9e63f18aa12\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c185354d8fe640638995c3a8cdf41b1e\u0022\u003EHon Annette King\u003C/span\u003E: Why should New Zealanders trust the Minister to uphold promises to leave benefit entitlements alone, when she has already broken a number of election promises, putting them in the too-hard basket, including increasing the abatement level from $80 to $100, which would encourage more beneficiaries into part-time work, and not passing a law to adjust benefits by the CPI each year, as promised in National\u2019s policy?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000104\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f811a13ac37440e8a81cbf856a66fd22\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: We absolutely stand by our promises. We have said we will do it before the next election, and that it what we will do. It is called being honest.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000105\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228fb6e4f6f3284ca58a2db631bbf75da4\u0022\u003ESue Bradford\u003C/span\u003E: What is the goal of the Minister\u2019s audit of emergency special-needs grants, and is she planning to limit or restrict access to special-needs grants?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000106\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a0d8f8268bb4456cbbdce171fbf089f1\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: In all fairness, there is no audit of special-needs grants going on. That is what the paper said but that is not what we have said. We have never said that there was an audit of special-needs grants going on. We are constantly reviewing them, as the member is aware. We have more people on the special-needs grants than ever before because of the doubling last year of the access to them. There are no plans to cut that access\u2014particularly for food, which we know is vitally important to those people who need it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000107\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f168646ee07b410b9691a3ed41ca31aa\u0022\u003ESue Bradford\u003C/span\u003E: Will the Minister be ensuring that the Limited Service Volunteers programme for young people remains voluntary, or will Work and Income attempt to force young people on to it, as has happened in the past?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228979e3b8ff084862a6cc37a8e691ae02\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: It will not be compulsory, but we will be suggesting that young people who are on the unemployment benefit look at options that are available to them. Currently there are work testing requirements for them. The Limited Service Volunteers has grown to be just one other element of the options for young people on the benefit.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000109\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002209a5b71a-ca7e-4e7c-9e09-f9e63f18aa12\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224ec2937981d7498791788c0599735e05\u0022\u003EHon Annette King\u003C/span\u003E: Can the Minister tell the House whether there is an audit of 50 beneficiaries taking place, as the Prime Minister said on television this week, or whether she is correct in saying there is not an audit; which one is it?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000110\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002282d4c2d286594c6cbd808155e96311d1\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: The member might have liked to listen to my previous answer. It was an audit around special-needs grants that the member Sue Bradford and I were just talking about. We were talking about special-needs grants. The member is now asking whether an audit is going to be happening on the 50 top beneficiaries. I tell the member that we are looking at the top beneficiaries who get the most amount of money, and we have been for some months.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000111\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229df28370b7774415b5784e92781dcb99\u0022\u003EMethamphetamine\u2014Police Reports\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000112\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228cf0fb6b-0b8f-4327-983d-73e1166c220e\u0022\u003E7. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d4ee53ce26f844e795b9654d8d1253b1\u0022\u003EDr CAM CALDER (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Police: Has she received any reports from the police regarding methamphetamine?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022 data-id=\u00221ed2b2ea53744e0d890da0c267b89441\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000113\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221ed2b2ea53744e0d890da0c267b89441\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Police):\u003C/span\u003E Yes. I have received a report from the police that shows an arrested methamphetamine user earns, on average, $5,623 each month from crime.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000114\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228cf0fb6b-0b8f-4327-983d-73e1166c220e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bc79b6e704fc4cfbadf58356ee30fb58\u0022\u003EDr Cam Calder\u003C/span\u003E: What are the police doing to address the link between drugs and criminal activity?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000115\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002250a7b3dfc56e45e7926db1a0abea2376\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS\u003C/span\u003E: The police are actively seeking to reduce the supply of methamphetamine by targeting dealers and dismantling clan-labs. Police national clandestine laboratory response teams are based in Auckland and Wellington, and they support all police districts to tackle the problem of clandestine methamphetamine laboratories.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000116\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228cf0fb6b-0b8f-4327-983d-73e1166c220e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a020d8d10ae0484f9d13590ffcd0a237\u0022\u003EDr Cam Calder\u003C/span\u003E: Has the Minister seen any reports about the number of clan-labs dismantled recently?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000117\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229e4177006bf04cfd9bec5684986b474c\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS\u003C/span\u003E: Yes. I have received a report that shows that 13 clan-labs were dismantled in June 2009 alone. That was more than double the number dismantled during the same period in 2008.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000118\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002236016fb5aedc4a9c992709a6d392ac91\u0022\u003EHon Clayton Cosgrove\u003C/span\u003E: How does the Minister expect the cuts of $21 million and more than 300 cars from the police fleet to assist police in continuing to battle the methamphetamine problem?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000119\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226001297a723d49d09b97913ac0b4470a\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS\u003C/span\u003E: I am sure that the 600 extra police will do a fantastic job, which is what we always expect from our New Zealand police.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000120\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022006d1b5672754893bb53e14c128baa5a\u0022\u003EHon Clayton Cosgrove\u003C/span\u003E: How does the Minister expect the raiding of other police districts to put police into the Counties-Manukau Police District will help the police in other districts to continue to battle the P problem?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000121\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022280d4ecc6b404206857810a8de464c6d\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS\u003C/span\u003E: Frankly, I do not know why the member insists on making such silly statements. There will be 600 extra police for the whole of New Zealand, and 300 of those police will go to Counties-Manukau. Nobody is being taken out of any other district to police Counties-Manukau. I think it is quite irresponsible of the member to make such silly statements in the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000122\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228415e962-886d-47b9-9356-3fdce746891f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227363b38909474c6ebfa01c6d87cd074f\u0022\u003EHon Jim Anderton\u003C/span\u003E: Has the Minister been advised by the police of the drug abuse that causes the most criminal behaviour in New Zealand; if so, can she confirm that that drug is alcohol, not methamphetamine?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000123\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002218e7dccab99a43a6af52e698f2477f8a\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS\u003C/span\u003E: Certainly, the police advise me that the vast majority of the criminal cases they have to deal with involve the misuse of alcohol. However, many people will be aware that, unfortunately, methamphetamine has taken hold in certain parts of New Zealand, and that gangs in particular have been able to become extremely rich off the proceeds.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000124\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022f479c46a198840f382d59908cf54b80a\u0022\u003ESchools Sports Funding\u2014Kiwisport\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000125\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E8. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224a3ae0c5846843c8a9ad086cd19f5e09\u0022\u003ECHRIS HIPKINS (Labour\u2014Rimutaka)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Sport and Recreation: Will he guarantee that no schools will be financially worse off as a result of the Government\u2019s Kiwisport initiative; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225192f6d3-dca6-43c8-a55e-381e1d7c1225\u0022 data-id=\u00229fd3f22d937546738a1d8944a15e5a27\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225192f6d3-dca6-43c8-a55e-381e1d7c1225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229fd3f22d937546738a1d8944a15e5a27\u0022\u003EHon MURRAY McCULLY (Minister for Sport and Recreation):\u003C/span\u003E Yes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000127\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b3f60af9437a45be843a72de06f78850\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: Will he now guarantee that programmes such as Stage Challenge, kapahaka, the ASB Polyfest, and the Pasifika Festival will receive no less funding next year than they did this year, as the Minister of Education has just indicated; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225192f6d3-dca6-43c8-a55e-381e1d7c1225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022915b0058fffb4a5680c0ab7ab432a8c1\u0022\u003EHon MURRAY McCULLY\u003C/span\u003E: I advise the member to direct questions related to the education budget to the Minister of Education.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000129\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00223743872094bb4b5e8ab672c306f901a6\u0022\u003EGreenhouse Gas Reduction\u2014Emissions Trading Scheme\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003E9. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002238a7967cd4644eb5b69e9225f8585c97\u0022\u003EHon RODNEY HIDE (Leader\u2014ACT)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: How much lower would New Zealand\u2019s net carbon dioxide equivalent emissions be in 2020 as a result of the emissions trading scheme as currently legislated, compared with the business-as-usual case represented by the green line in figure 5 in his ministry\u2019s document New Zealand\u2019s 2020 Emissions Target?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223f670c71-9be5-4a7e-a197-0590da759280\u0022 data-id=\u00223296c03160274e77836ebee807d53cc5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000131\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223f670c71-9be5-4a7e-a197-0590da759280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223296c03160274e77836ebee807d53cc5\u0022\u003EHon TIM GROSER (Associate Minister for Climate Change Issues (International Negotiations))\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Minister for Climate Change Issues: Perhaps I should say that this answer is also on behalf of the previous Labour Government, as it is its scheme to which the member is referring. Clearly, a number of factors need to be taken into account. There is the issue of the price. Of course, the previous Labour Government\u2019s scheme has no cap on the price, so it is an extreme market solution\u2014let the price clear at whatever the economic and social cost may be. There are uncertainties about the extent to which the scheme would stimulate planting, and uncertainties over the harvesting. But if the price were, as the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research and Infometrics study indicates, $100 a tonne, it has been estimated that it could reduce emissions by 15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents. It could also possibly put forward a further 50,000 hectares of planting, which might add a further 10 million tonnes, and, arguably, it might decrease the very rapid deforestation that occurred in the last few years of the previous Labour Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000132\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227f8f85920dea489dabc57e6905f92c7e\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I am on my feet, in case members had not noticed. Before I call the Hon Rodney Hide, I want to say that the question that was asked was a perfectly serious question, and the House deserved to hear the answer. It was a straightforward question. Obviously, the answer was quite complicated. I want the House to be able to hear the answer. I am serious about that. The House deserves to hear the answer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000133\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c437bda8-4741-4ac5-89ab-b0818e1ab9fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224a724cc2d2fe465bb7c11a9b94c06dec\u0022\u003EHon Darren Hughes\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Opposition certainly agrees with you that we need to be able to hear the answer, but I think the two issues were, first, the extraordinary length of the answer, and, second, the political content from the beginning, when the Minister said he was answering on behalf of the previous Labour Government. We will ignore all the other theatrics that went on, but those two points alone meant it was very difficult to maintain order. If the Minister gives a shorter answer, without all the political stuff, I am sure he will find that he will be heard in silence.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000134\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221ae267d425944d19906c8b93dd02adc3\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Speaker\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000135\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220b3b27acf5d74aa3b46a08d6b91ba444\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I do not need further assistance on the matter. I think the Hon Darren Hughes makes a perfectly good point, and I would ask the Minister, in responding further, to avoid unnecessary political content.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000136\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f2491f994e6f49da94d91aca1c11edcd\u0022\u003EHon Rodney Hide\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister agree with the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research and Infometrics report that setting the price of carbon at $100 a tonne will still leave emissions 20 percent above 1990 levels, but will also cost the average New Zealander 9.7 percent of his or her wages?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223f670c71-9be5-4a7e-a197-0590da759280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022632d0b4ace7f49c79d40d9b0b2ef9a24\u0022\u003EHon TIM GROSER\u003C/span\u003E: On behalf of the Minister for Climate Change Issues\u2014and I will stop at that point to avoid introducing ironic humour yet again into Parliament\u2014let me say that the answer to that is very straightforward: yes, that is exactly correct, but it is, of course, the result of modelling. Whether you think it is realistic depends on, first, what you generally think of modelling; second, what you think of this particular general equilibrium modelling; and, third, how realistic you think the assumptions are.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000138\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002202f9bbe3f3b94943aeb5e6ce63cf1dc6\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I remind the Minister that the Speaker should not be involved in his answer, either. Every time he says \u201Cwhat you think about this\u201D or \u201Cwhat you think about that\u201D, he is actually referring to the Speaker. It is not helpful to the order of the House, either.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000139\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002291d6894252404e1c84e90fcc9858c9c7\u0022\u003EHon Rodney Hide\u003C/span\u003E: What is the projected cost to the Government if the price of carbon under the emissions trading scheme is $100 a tonne?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000140\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223f670c71-9be5-4a7e-a197-0590da759280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227535cd801ac14da99523a816fff0ab79\u0022\u003EHon TIM GROSER\u003C/span\u003E: Logically, of course, we should defer answering this question until 2022; I am confident that the then Minister of Finance, the Hon Bill English, will be in a position to answer the question. We do not have an estimate from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research study. It will be driven by a number of issues, including, most obviously, allocation issues. I can assure the member that this Government will take an economy-wide view of that key battle.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000141\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224d0f6358933f4db8abf2ea027ca692fd\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister stand by his answers in question time yesterday, including the one in which he said he would be \u201Cflabbergasted\u201D if New Zealand faced trade barriers as a result of being seen not to take climate change seriously?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000142\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223f670c71-9be5-4a7e-a197-0590da759280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022beaed7d47c9449099393386e2bc927c8\u0022\u003EHon TIM GROSER\u003C/span\u003E: I can assure the member that the Minister sticks by that comment. It is perfectly obvious that we will not face formal trade barriers, because no country currently applies any form of carbon price to agriculture, which is the normal issue of concern. However, we need to take account of our customers. That is a more subtle and important question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000143\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b660354f2e8843e1a33e0d496b30d5b1\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: So does the Minister say that the Prime Minister was wrong to have said in a speech in Gisborne last Wednesday, in respect of climate change: \u201CIf we do nothing there will be trade barriers.\u201D, and \u201CTo do nothing could mean the next generation will not have the family farm.\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000144\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223f670c71-9be5-4a7e-a197-0590da759280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226cd1d8ee5a3a48568db9c5f91cb0b5ec\u0022\u003EHon TIM GROSER\u003C/span\u003E: The Prime Minister is always right, and the Prime Minister knows full well that doing nothing is not an option.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000145\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fb1575b317e842c2b99625eee29d4297\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: I seek leave to table a report of the speech given by the Prime Minister at the Gisborne-Tatapouri Sports Fishing Club in Gisborne on 12 August 2009.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000146\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ff4d517a10ff4b9e9bb92643030e99d9\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Did the member say it is a report of the speech?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000147\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226b3f2938c67e4d07aae53cf1e72ad523\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: It is a report from the Gisborne Herald of the remarks made by the Prime Minister to which I referred in my question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000148\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002267cc8c78792d418ba9becfee8c430bdd\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: It seems to be a press statement. Leave is being sought\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002259e9efe2-6dea-4eeb-869a-ef5b3e48a5b5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223f07fcc956fa443093ee2b44c8549f08\u0022\u003ECharles Chauvel\u003C/span\u003E: No, it is not a press statement. It is a page from a very well-respected newspaper.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000150\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f935c498b67547f7bc293393928610af\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Leave is sought to table the page\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000151\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223f670c71-9be5-4a7e-a197-0590da759280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002209c87448224745cfab553889af7c4b6a\u0022\u003EHon TIM GROSER\u003C/span\u003E: Speaking to the point of order\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000152\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225e733af15db64263b06148792191fd14\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The member will resume his seat while the point of order is being dealt with. Leave is sought to table a page from a newspaper. Is there any objection to that document being tabled? There is objection.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000153\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00223d064b44cc974b4bb63b583cb7b1a5c0\u0022\u003EAuckland, Local Government Reform\u2014Consultation\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000154\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E10. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223da188329af3475ab00b9799c08a463b\u0022\u003EPHIL TWYFORD (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Local Government: Does he support the right of Aucklanders to decide on the future ownership of publicly owned assets under the super-city?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022 data-id=\u0022978aebcfcbca46f593e6ea2aea775005\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000155\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022978aebcfcbca46f593e6ea2aea775005\u0022\u003EHon RODNEY HIDE (Minister of Local Government):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, I believe in local decisions being made at the local level, not only in Auckland but also right across New Zealand. The Local Government Act 2002 already requires councils to consult the public on any plans to buy or sell strategic assets. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000156\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221db18b375fda4f6698b0e5d009911d3e\u0022\u003EPhil Twyford\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister stand by his proposal that councils undertake referenda on decisions that are significant or irreversible; if so, does he believe that the sale of publicly owned assets by the Auckland super-city would be significant or irreversible?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000157\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a129b0a3f0134117997a6d15ffaec696\u0022\u003EHon RODNEY HIDE\u003C/span\u003E: I certainly stand by my statements. That is one of the issues that we have under review and are discussing with Local Government New Zealand, councils, and other stakeholders now.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000158\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002284aaf0c86c484e7ab491c69e60af9199\u0022\u003EPhil Twyford\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister stand by his statement on Campbell Live last night that the Prime Minister has ruled out the sale of Auckland\u2019s publicly owned assets?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225282b47ea6e448f6855662a3abeb2bf9\u0022\u003EHon RODNEY HIDE\u003C/span\u003E: Yes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000160\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00227bbc2c595cdc46819ebad9b82a95c5ed\u0022\u003ETaxation\u2014GST Rate\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000161\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003E11. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b2ede8e80ac74ec4aae567a145e8bb32\u0022\u003ERAHUI KATENE (M\u0101ori Party\u2014Te Tai Tonga)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Finance: What policy solutions are being considered to respond to the comments of the Tax Working Group regarding GST, that \u201CIncreasing the rate could impact on lower-income or vulnerable households, especially in the short run\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022 data-id=\u0022a8a589337fbf4f40b4e884e6d3e3655d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000162\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a8a589337fbf4f40b4e884e6d3e3655d\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance):\u003C/span\u003E The Tax Working Group is deliberating, and will be until later in the year. The Government will not consider any options it proposes until after it reports back in December. I note, however, that Budget 2009 ensured that the most vulnerable in our society were protected despite the change in the economic outlook, and that should be a good guide to the attitude of the Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000163\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223dd187b357b34fbbb7ba536f2af62205\u0022\u003ERahui Katene\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister consider it socially responsible for the group of experts in the Tax Working Group to deliberately design a scheme that discriminates against low-income and vulnerable households; if so, what areas of Government would he expect will need to pick up the discriminatory effects of this scheme?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000164\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c73e636b272b47b0883cc3701ec65e52\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: I would refer the member\u2019s concerns to comments made, I think, by Susan St John, who is well-known for her economic work in this area to do with poverty and income equality. She said publicly that she was impressed with the transparent way in which the working group was dealing with issues of equality and income equity, and I can assure the member that when the Government considers proposals from this group, it will certainly be taking account of equity issues. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000165\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022778818fae2054265bd9ab859004ee82a\u0022\u003ERahui Katene\u003C/span\u003E: What are the implications of removing GST from food and of offsetting the tax take by increasing GST on tobacco and alcohol?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000166\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224459894d01af47ed8912d069ca423bab\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: The member clearly has a proposition here, and I would welcome the working group looking at it. We can signal that generally the Government prefers having a uniform GST with no exemptions. If issues to do with lack of income are to be dealt with, then those can be dealt with by other means, and I know that the member\u2019s party is advocating an increase in GST on tobacco and alcohol as a health-related measure. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000167\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002223d3ebad9915445a9ca8ea40b005281d\u0022\u003EStuart Nash\u003C/span\u003E: Can the Minister guarantee that he will not introduce any further changes to the tax system that will benefit mainly those on high incomes, given that the tax changes he has introduced so far disproportionately benefit those on high incomes, as he has repealed the tax cuts Labour legislated for that would have benefited those on lower incomes?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000168\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bb87d7dbed4d4bc3b466381cc012df0e\u0022\u003EHon BILL ENGLISH\u003C/span\u003E: I do not agree with the member\u2019s analysis, at all, and that analysis has been disputed in this House before. What I can confirm for the member is that the Government, in considering making change, or in fact making no change, would consider issues of fairness.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00221da784094cc240ab9f10c3ac8bf80b20\u0022\u003EHomeownership\u2014Government Assistance\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000170\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E12. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a6cd12c4841745e8a44937b02188b989\u0022\u003ETODD McCLAY (National\u2014Rotorua)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Housing: What is the Government doing to assist people into homeownership?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cbb83aab-9566-44c4-9029-8bda4aaca7f2\u0022 data-id=\u0022c7755d88881f4b7e8a7387e1d0526129\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000171\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbb83aab-9566-44c4-9029-8bda4aaca7f2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c7755d88881f4b7e8a7387e1d0526129\u0022\u003EHon PHIL HEATLEY (Minister of Housing):\u003C/span\u003E A range of initiatives are under way, but I will focus on just one. Cabinet has recently agreed to the extension of the loan cap on the Welcome Home Loan product from $280,000 to $350,000. This means that first-home buyers who want or have to live in higher-value areas, such as Auckland and Wellington, have a great opportunity. This product will also be available to State house tenants, who are very enthusiastic to move out of renting and into homeownership. Those tenants will be eligible to buy their homes, and they can use this product to do that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000172\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228a21e032a84b43219c7fd611cbafeea8\u0022\u003ETodd McClay\u003C/span\u003E: How will the extension of this product assist M\u0101ori?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000173\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbb83aab-9566-44c4-9029-8bda4aaca7f2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002200709d631f0544628554519f53e8e035\u0022\u003EHon PHIL HEATLEY\u003C/span\u003E: We have also extended the loan scheme to M\u0101ori who want to build on multiple-owned land. This fulfils an election promise in which we committed ourselves to give the banks the confidence to support M\u0101ori housing. The banks are reluctant at the moment to give loans because the land cannot be used as security, and this change delivers a solution to that. Members of the previous Government wrung their hands over this problem for 9 years, and we have delivered a solution to it in 9 months. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000174\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229b333785a37a4acdbd980f0c22c2f2c8\u0022\u003ETodd McClay\u003C/span\u003E: How can this product assist with housing supply?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000175\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbb83aab-9566-44c4-9029-8bda4aaca7f2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228c70ae312afc44ac9751b6ec08bd7ded\u0022\u003EHon PHIL HEATLEY\u003C/span\u003E: We gave that a great deal of thought, too, and changes will allow first-home buyers to borrow in order to build a home if they already own land. On the one hand we want to increase the housing supply, and this change will also stimulate the construction sector. If a first-home buyer owns or buys a vacant section, he or she can then borrow in order to build a home, getting the construction industry going and getting a roof over their young heads.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000176\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228689607d2f754d008c02abeb8588604c\u0022\u003EMoana Mackey\u003C/span\u003E: Given that the latest ASB quarterly survey of housing confidence showed the first positive result in 18 months\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000177\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbb83aab-9566-44c4-9029-8bda4aaca7f2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223613ca6c441d4711a97c0ef513d516ef\u0022\u003EHon PHIL HEATLEY\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. If questions addressed to this side of the House could start with a question word, that would be good.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000178\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226cba8205add142098704421b38a98dda\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I have taken an approach that I believe is a little more intelligent than that, as long as the question does come along very quickly. This is not W3, as I think I said once before.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000179\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270dd644d-8bcf-40dc-998a-887d62d24a76\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002293e2898713464cfeb8f0b1755cfddc23\u0022\u003EMoana Mackey\u003C/span\u003E: Given that the latest ASB quarterly survey of housing confidence showed the first positive result in 18 months and described it as \u201Csimilar to that seen when the last housing boom was just getting started\u201D, when will we finally see any new ideas on affordable housing from this Minister, who, in the 10 months since becoming the Minister of Housing, has done nothing other than claim Labour initiatives as his own?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000180\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbb83aab-9566-44c4-9029-8bda4aaca7f2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c4a5adece57b4d6689b2a8453b9f2c95\u0022\u003EHon PHIL HEATLEY\u003C/span\u003E: The previous Government ignored the problems under the Resource Management Act for builders; we have worked on that. The previous Government ignored the problems under the Building Act; we have worked on that. The previous Government refused to lower taxes; we have worked on that. Interest rates have stabilised\u2014we have done that\u2014and what is more, we have solved the problem in M\u0101ori housing that the previous Government wrung its hands over for 9 years. And we have solved it in 9 months.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000181\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002212bb45149ac74c3fa7ac4690c2770853\u0022\u003EQuestions to Members\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000182\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e53e1fc436b1470392183846242a3cd4\u0022\u003EEmployment Relations (Statutory Minimum Redundancy Entitlements) Amendment Bill\u2014Status\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000183\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223facbb72-b3b0-464b-b24d-e6de0616f323\u0022\u003E1. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002243940863c65a417387ef58510b3f02b9\u0022\u003ECAROL BEAUMONT (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Member in charge of the Employment Relations (Statutory Minimum Redundancy Entitlements) Amendment Bill: What is the current status of the Employment Relations (Statutory Minimum Redundancy Entitlements) Amendment Bill?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a40f5af7-f9b0-4b44-9669-9e63be1c3ced\u0022 data-id=\u0022e55266595e2b47b7b1bd51fc8f5c98f0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000184\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a40f5af7-f9b0-4b44-9669-9e63be1c3ced\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e55266595e2b47b7b1bd51fc8f5c98f0\u0022\u003EDARIEN FENTON (Member in charge of the Employment Relations (Statutory Minimum Redundancy Entitlements) Amendment Bill):\u003C/span\u003E The bill has been introduced in the House and is awaiting its first reading.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000185\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223facbb72-b3b0-464b-b24d-e6de0616f323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002237f17ea2e4e149f19b232e4adb45373b\u0022\u003ECarol Beaumont\u003C/span\u003E: Has the member delayed the first reading of the bill?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000186\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a40f5af7-f9b0-4b44-9669-9e63be1c3ced\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220c9d0e4c328f460b9b37ee62c87ec731\u0022\u003EDARIEN FENTON\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, I have delayed the first reading to give all political parties, including National, time to consider whether they will support this important bill\u2019s referral to the select committee, where the issues of redundancy protection to tide workers over during hard times can be properly debated.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000187\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c49721e5b4fd4e4f92a82d4b13b5d75e\u0022\u003ELocal Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill\u2014Status\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000188\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dfa851f0-ef7b-4834-bc41-1b3b645a3495\u0022\u003E2. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022543bd6ad1b8548ac97141fedcac763f6\u0022\u003EDAVID SHEARER (Labour\u2014Mt Albert)\u003C/span\u003E to the Member in charge of the Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill: What is the current status of the Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022 data-id=\u0022c5e18ca87a304079af573cebc1475792\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000189\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c5e18ca87a304079af573cebc1475792\u0022\u003EPHIL TWYFORD (Member in charge of the Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill):\u003C/span\u003E My member\u2019s bill is due for its first reading. The bill would require the approval of a majority of Aucklanders in a referendum before the new super-city could sell off publicly owned assets. I look forward to the Minister of Local Government and his ACT colleagues voting for it\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000190\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022959d991823ed4567a455d280508fd6ab\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The member was asked what the status of the bill is. He does not need to go on to that material.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000191\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dfa851f0-ef7b-4834-bc41-1b3b645a3495\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b2532f764c9a49da845dc65a062c0d5f\u0022\u003EDavid Shearer\u003C/span\u003E: What further processes is the member expecting the bill to go through?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c87195b6311a43c79cd7a220c7b2e00c\u0022\u003EPHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: I sincerely hope that the bill will be referred to a select committee this afternoon, and it will be if ACT or National vote for it. ACT members are very keen on referenda, and it would seem that this bill is an obvious candidate\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000193\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d1d562dac21f4dc0b2866395bde577ea\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The member has answered the question. That is sufficient.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000194\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022da871e94c3874b88832df6c7618d031f\u0022\u003EUrgent Debates Declined\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000195\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002287c2ff0edc214003a2dfedc54bebfbf9\u0022\u003EGreenhouse Gas Reduction\u20142020 Target\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022 data-id=\u0022b8abd0dbca0c49b3a7d37d4325ad109e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000196\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b8abd0dbca0c49b3a7d37d4325ad109e\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I have received a letter from Jeanette Fitzsimons seeking to debate under Standing Order 380 the Government\u2019s decision to commit to an emissions reduction target range of 10 percent to 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. This is a particular case of recent occurrence involving ministerial responsibility. Yesterday I considered a similar application from Charles Chauvel. It was declined in favour of another application of more immediate significance\u2014the decision to commit SAS personnel to Afghanistan. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000197\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003EAn application for an urgent debate that is set aside under Standing Order 382 may be submitted on the following day. However, there is no guarantee that it will be accepted for debate on that day. The target is a conditional one. Yesterday there were two questions for oral answer on the matter. There is a select committee inquiry under way. As I said yesterday, there will be further opportunities to debate the matter. In these circumstances I am not persuaded that the business of the House should be set aside today. The matter is one that can be considered over a longer time frame. The application is therefore declined.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000198\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c5b01b9e6bd445e89094ab7f9b8bf28f\u0022\u003EGeneral Debate\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000200\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b08cf2127177488cbecbdf465a25ed34\u0022\u003EGeneral Debate\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u00229c541462605a4edb89da2e25e2469767\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000199\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229c541462605a4edb89da2e25e2469767\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE (Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the House take note of miscellaneous business. How does one know the Labour Party is about to change its leader? It is simple: its members start to talk about having barbecues. Do members remember 1999? Phil Goff got 12 of his mates around to his place to have a barbecue to talk about chopping Helen Clark out and replacing her as Labour leader. Helen Clark was on 23 percent when Phil Goff thought that was a good idea; this week, Phil Goff is on 6.5 percent. How did the Labour members react? They have put on their website a massive series of barbecues from one end of the country to the other over Labour weekend\u2014not just one, but a series of barbecues\u2014where they will discuss whether Mr Goff should go or stay. I want to make a plea for Mr Goff to stay. I point out to the Labour Party that in the recent poll he made a bit of progress, and at that rate of progress he will overtake John Key in the year 2024. So Labour should stick with him. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000201\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EWhen they have those barbecues, one person I can guarantee will not be on the invitation list is Dover Samuels. He might have turned up with a bit of snapper, but it would not have been fresh and there would have been a bit more lip. He said to Phil Goff and Annette King that it is time to step aside, as the retreads have gone past their use-by date. He said they have a fundamental problem: right now the leadership does not resonate with ordinary people. He is not alone in thinking that. Mr Hipkins has put a piece of opinion on the blog site.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000202\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002270122b1079f14e748ddbfe71f05f6fc3\u0022\u003EHon Tau Henare\u003C/span\u003E: Who? Master Hipkins?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000203\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002212d1b7e7f9f541eaa57084fcc3d809e1\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE\u003C/span\u003E: Some people might want to call him Master Hipkins, but he is a member of this House. His name is Chris Hipkins. He is C Hipkins, and the C, of course, stands for \u201CChippy\u201D. Anyway, he has put on his website that he expects that the high poll ratings for the National Party will continue for some time right throughout this parliamentary term. He said: \u201CI would be very surprised if we make much of a dent in the poll gap before election year.\u201D He has given up. He has bailed out. He is gone. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003ESo perhaps we have to take it seriously. Labour members have called for the nationwide barbecues. They are going to change the leader, so where do they turn? Well, there is Annette King. I want to say what a competent person Annette King is. She is perfectly capable of doing the job. Any old time they want to replace Phil Goff with Annette King, that would be brilliant. Then, of course, there are the up-and-comers. We know David Cunliffe is not ready yet. He has to wait a little bit, but I tell members that right across the blog sites they are confirming that David Cunliffe has one vote in the Labour caucus. We have spoken of Annette King. Then there is the extraordinary range of other people whom they are talking about. There is, of course, David Shearer, the new man in the team. He has now asked one question in Parliament and has given one speech in Parliament, and he has the same poll rating as Phil Goff. I say congratulations to David Shearer on doing a brilliant job. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EThe other thing, of course, is that Laila Harr\u00E9 is out there as a potential leader. She is not even part of the Labour Party. She is one of the Alliance people who almost brought Labour down in 2002, but now Labour wants her back as leader. Then there is Andrew Little. He is not in Parliament yet. The sad thing is that Clayton Cosgrove is not there. I ask what is wrong with Clayton Cosgrove. But I have to say that I am not the first person to ask what is wrong with Clayton Cosgrove. He has said that the great thing now is that there is no factionalism in the Labour Party these days. He would know. In fact, he is so committed to this \u201Cno factionalism in the Labour Party\u201D that he has insisted the barbecues have a vegetarian option so that the lefties do not feel left out. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000206\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EThis party is completely failing to get under the skin of the Government and to represent the people of New Zealand who would like a little bit of opposition to their Government. It is clinging to the idea that Phil Goff will somehow lift himself out of the fire he is currently in. I look forward to the barbecue season.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022 data-id=\u00225d712d8fcedd4b6abcfe8f239650071d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000207\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225d712d8fcedd4b6abcfe8f239650071d\u0022\u003EHon PETE HODGSON (Labour\u2014Dunedin North):\u003C/span\u003E In April this year a journalist sought a copy of the report into the first investigation into allegations against Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi. This request was granted, without reference to Minister Coleman, and I am told that an official is in trouble for that. The subsequent story, printed on 15 May, did not add up for me. I therefore began a series of meetings with Baljinder Singh of Tauranga and Mr Darshan Singh Saran, usually of the Punjab. I have a sworn document from the latter that tells precisely why the first investigation failed. The reason is that the original complainant, Kuldip Singh, was silenced. So was Baljinder Singh. They are no longer silent. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000208\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003EDarshan Singh Saran swears as follows: \u201CIn November 2008 my friend Baljinder Singh telephoned me from New Zealand. He told me that Superintendent of Police in Jagwaran Punjab, Mr Pritam Singh, [was] harassing and threatening Kuldip Singh of his village. Superintendent Pritam Singh had asked Kuldip Singh to come to the Police Station.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003E\u2026 Kuldip \u2026 told me that in 2003 he paid for a job offer for his wife from Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi. Payment was made through an agent Mr Darshan Singh Bains. The job offer was not genuine so the residence application was declined. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000210\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003EOver the next two years, Kuldip Singh advised me that Mr Darshan Singh Bains kept promising to return the money \u2026 Then suddenly he could not contact [him]. He seemed to have gone underground. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000211\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003EDuring this time Kuldip spoke twice with Mr Bakshi and told him about the money he had paid for the job. Mr Bakshi told Kuldip not to worry about the money as he would solve the problem \u2026\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000212\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003EHowever, as time passed and nothing happened Kuldip became annoyed with Mr Bakshi as well. \u2026\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000213\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003EKuldip then told me that \u2026 he spoke with his friend Baljinder Singh by telephone in New Zealand \u2026 he \u2026 asked Baljinder if he could not get help from them. \u2026\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000214\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003EWhen Kuldip\u2019s story was published many political people started to contact him. At first they asked very politely to stop what he was saying. When he refused to do that they started to threaten him. \u2026\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000215\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003EIn order to help Kuldip Singh I took him to meet Superintendent of Police Pritam Singh at Jagwaran. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000216\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003ESuperintendent Pritam Singh told Kuldip and me that he had had a great deal of pressure from the highest authorities. When we explained Kuldip\u2019s story in depth to him Superintendent Pritam Singh telephoned Mr Rajinder Singh in Chandigarh. \u2026\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000217\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003EMr Rajinder Singh asked me to ask Kuldip Singh not to speak against Mr Bakshi because he was going to be the first Sikh MP in New Zealand. Mr Rajinder Singh also assured me that he would try to resolve Kuldip\u2019s matter with Mr Bakshi \u2026 \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000218\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003EA few days later I received a call from Bhavdeep Singh Dhillon. \u2026 He made quite a few calls \u2026 Every time he would say that I should ask Kuldip to speak in favour of Mr Bakshi otherwise he should be ready to pay the price. He also threatened to harm Baljinder Singh in New Zealand as we doubted that this was only happening because of Baljinder. \u2026\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000219\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003EAfter this, I was in hospital and a number of people who are politically influential pressurised Kuldip to get his signature on a blank piece of paper. Baljinder Singh in New Zealand also advised me that a few people had threatened him and told him that they were friends of Mr Bakshi. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000220\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003EI am very worried about what has happened with Kuldip Singh. I want the authorities to go into this case. Those who are willing to come forward need an assurance that nothing will happen to them or against them. They need protection.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022 data-id=\u0022682885326afb457c974bd7ee1b98d0ae\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000221\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022682885326afb457c974bd7ee1b98d0ae\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Police):\u003C/span\u003E Anyone watching question time today would wonder why the Opposition asks questions about things that people are not concerned about. What they are concerned about is a Government that is actually delivering on things that matter to people. For instance, the other day my colleague Gerry Brownlee announced the huge uptake in the number of people opting for the home insulation package. For 9 years we heard from the previous Labour Government that it purported to represent the people of New Zealand who needed a fair deal. Did it deliver that deal in terms of home insulation? No, it did not. This Government, in working with the Green Party, has delivered on time and more than we ever thought we would in terms of the number of people adopting the home insulation measures. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000222\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EWith my colleague Paula Bennett we have been able to do something about creating job and youth opportunities for the people who are most at risk in the very tough economic times we inherited. We have also seen jobs created by the increased infrastructure spending on roading and State houses. After years of talking about roads and public transport, the previous Labour Government never quite worked out that buses run on roads and that we just cannot have a public transport system without roads, because they go together. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000223\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EHere we see an Opposition that is so worried about leadership. I think it is just amazing that David Shearer, who has been in Parliament for a matter of weeks, already has a poll rating that is at least the same as Phil Goff\u2019s, who has been in Parliament \u201Csince Adam was a cowboy\u201D, to quote the Prime Minister. That tells us that even those people who will always vote Labour because their parents and grandparents did, and they have not worked out that they do not need to, want to see some fresh faces in Labour. Of course, we like to see Phil Goff and Annette King over there in the Opposition benches. They are very nice people and they should be given a fair go. They have been in Parliament for only about 30 years, so it is really too soon to tell! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000224\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EWe find that the Labour Party is all at sixes and sevens. Its members are running around trying to find out who will be the next leader when they should be backing Phil Goff, who we heard from Claire Curran is \u201Ca real man\u201D, whatever that means in the Labour Party. I thought that was quite an interesting comment. We also heard from Clayton Cosgrove that there is no factional infighting in the Labour Party. I have another suggestion to add to my colleague Mr Brownlee\u2019s comments: maybe Clayton Cosgrove is not part of any faction, and no one has told him yet. Perhaps he has not been put in touch with the barbecue\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f8c55023392c48d7bcd271bd83b01b7d\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: Me, too! I\u2019m on the outside as well!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000226\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002202fdc8b069dc466098178bfbbd98f12b\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Mallard says that he is not part of any faction, too; we can understand that he would not want to be part of any faction, because no faction would want him. We heard from Phil Twyford, Labour\u2019s Auckland spokesperson, that Labour was punished in Auckland because \u201CThe city wasn\u2019t working properly, with traffic problems, crappy infrastructure\u201D\u2014\u201Ccrappy\u201D is not a word we would normally use in the National Party\u2014\u201Cand a downtown that looks like a bomb site.\u201D He concludes: \u201CI think our Government was very late in coming to the party and doing something about it.\u201D Well, I say to Mr Twyford that never a truer word has been spoken. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003ELabour wasted 9 years of some of the best overseas economic conditions we have seen. One of the awful things about being in the National Opposition was watching the previous Labour Government spend money hand over fist. We watched it pay out money, buy off groups, and get people happy for a few dollars, and for that entire time the economy was tanking. Labour knew it but refused to do anything about it. All we heard, time and time again, was \u201CNo, no, we\u2019ll just pay out more money. Let\u2019s tax the rich.\u201D Labour said all those sorts of things. Yet under the previous Labour Government, any ordinary Kiwi earning $60,000 per year was considered to be rich. That shows the extent of its meanness and its absolute politics of envy that it wanted to promote. Many ordinary Kiwis, the working people, ended up having to take the Working for Families package because the tax system was so rorted against them. Unfortunately, the Labour Government never quite understood that people\u2014the very people Labour wanted to keep dependent on the Government\u2014would eventually realise what was going on because they simply could not get ahead. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000228\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EUnder this National Government, despite the tough economic times, we are seeing action. That is what people like. They voted National in to do things, and, boy, we really are doing things. We have a Prime Minister who is relentlessly positive and is the best we have ever seen. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022 data-id=\u00221def6abe2aa148279ed53a12f159100b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000229\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221def6abe2aa148279ed53a12f159100b\u0022\u003EDr KENNEDY GRAHAM (Green):\u003C/span\u003E I rise to address the decision of the Government last week to commit the SAS to Afghanistan. The decision to commit our armed forces has both a political and a legal dimension. The Government\u2019s political explanation is that if Afghanistan remains a haven for terrorists, the US-led operation is essential to contain the spread and we must play our part. In respect of the legal dimension, the Government is coy. We are told that New Zealand always makes decisions consistent with international law, so we must trust in that. Such bland patronisation of members of this House conveys a contempt that I am sure is not intended. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000230\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003EThe Minister of Foreign Affairs tells us the decision is in the national interest. But in formulating its policy, the Government accords undue importance to political considerations, and insufficient weight to the legal basis on which it rests. It therefore sees through a glass darkly, unable to draw the subtle distinctions required in contemporary national security policy. The difference in approach is clear. The Government first formulates its political case, and then dresses it in loose legal garb as a fashion statement. The Green Party judges the legal basis as a necessary condition, and if that is met, it considers the political wisdom of deployment. The difference reflects contrasting world views. We believe ours to be relevant to the 21st century. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000231\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003EAfghanistan generates special confusion because it involves the vexed relationship between terrorism and armed conflict. In the 20th century terrorism was correctly perceived as a matter of criminality. But following 9/11, the world has been led to agree that it is matter of international security. Terrorism and security thus conflate into a single composite issue, causing a loss of clarity and strategic vision by the superpower, and, therefore, by the rest of us. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000232\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003EThe distinction still needs to be drawn between the International Security Assistance Force and Operation Enduring Freedom. For reasons I set out on 17 June, we judge the International Security Assistance Force, which is a peace-building mission authorised by the United Nations Security Council, to be legal in international law; Operation Enduring Freedom, which is a counter-terrorism campaign, is not. The UN has never explicitly authorised Operation Enduring Freedom. The Minister of Defence cited Resolution 1368 and Resolution 1373. But once the question of restoring peace to Afghanistan came under the operational purview of the Security Council, as it did in December 2001, the right to continue military action in self-defence lapsed. Yet Operation Enduring Freedom continues to be prosecuted today by NATO, beyond the strategic direction of the UN, increasingly veiled in the twilight world between law and power. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000233\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003EThe trend of the last decade away from multilateral to hegemonic control of global security is evidenced in the fact that this latest request to New Zealand came not from the UN Secretary-General but the US Secretary of State. Yet New Zealand obediently responds to this 19th century call to arms. So where is the legal validation from the United Nations of this latest New Zealand deployment? Is an American request to deploy anywhere on the planet sufficient? Operation Enduring Freedom has recently been brought under the single hat of the US commander in Afghanistan, along with the International Security Assistance Force. So in the name of peace-building, we are now engaging in counter-insurgency, and sliding into what is now a civil war, retaining counter-terrorism to justify it. It is no wonder this Government is confused. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000234\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003EI advance these comments more in sorrow than anger. I wish our SAS well, and may they return home safely. The decision has been made. But let us draw a lesson for the future. The executive is obliged to show greater respect to this House. I therefore request the Government to confirm that henceforth all decisions of this kind will be prefaced with a legal advisory opinion that is tabled in this House. The executive, no matter which party is in power, owes the legislature this much. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002225f8c78b-f301-4aca-a936-366f00a26bc9\u0022 data-id=\u0022a820b2a6e5f340fcbdd1d733ab23b7e2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000235\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002225f8c78b-f301-4aca-a936-366f00a26bc9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a820b2a6e5f340fcbdd1d733ab23b7e2\u0022\u003ESANDRA GOUDIE (National\u2014Coromandel):\u003C/span\u003E Here we are in the worst global recession since the 1930s with a Government working hard to ensure the most effective use of taxpayers\u2019 money, and what do Opposition members do? They hop on a bus and, just like the polls, head south. All 30-plus members headed out to the masses for a series of \u201Clove-ins\u201D. If the Otago Daily Times is anything to go by, the \u201Clove-ins\u201D were essentially with themselves, because barely anybody turned up. One has only to look at the article where it states that a community forum in the evening in Wanganui ended up being largely dominated by Labour Party members. One of the Labour Party stalwarts said: \u201CI did hope to hear more definite decisions from the Labour Party,\u201D but it couldn\u2019t do it in Government so it is hardly going to do it in Opposition. In fact, the Labour Party even had a bit of an identity crisis, because the colour of the bus was green. Oh my goodness me, the bus was green! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000236\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002225f8c78b-f301-4aca-a936-366f00a26bc9\u0022\u003EThe Opposition leader, Goff, says how conscious Labour is of cost at this time. What a pity Labour did not think about that while it was in Government. What else did Goff say? He said: \u201CThe great thing about New Zealand politics is it can be intimate, you can get to talk to your elected representatives in a way that\u2019s not possible in many other countries.\u201D No wonder he said that; he had to go on a bus trip with 30-plus colleagues just so he could have a conversation with them. Nobody else was turning up to the meetings. What did the blog say? Danyl McLauchlan, a left-wing blogger, I might add, has made some criticisms of \u201Csome half-witted re-branding exercise with pictures of Goff riding around on horseback and a bus trip to Whanganui.\u201D And of course the bus was green. Mr Martin Kay says about Mr Goff: \u201CThe normal boyish, chatty style is replaced with a grave monotone that would make a promise of free icecream and lollies sound like a robot reading a telephone book.\u201D The bloggers were also saying that the wheels had actually fallen off the bus before it had even left Auckland. That is what the bloggers are saying. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000237\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002225f8c78b-f301-4aca-a936-366f00a26bc9\u0022\u003EMeanwhile, back in the engine room, Ministers continue to work for efficient and effective outcomes for all New Zealanders. We have had a huge uptake for our voluntary bonding scheme, which will see more health professionals working in our rural and provincial communities. A number of jobs have been created through increased infrastructure spending on roading and State houses.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000238\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227df975cd-93d2-4f55-9bc5-d2790e28e043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228d2d8db6f9f543369741be4ac6748c6e\u0022\u003EHon Maryan Street\u003C/span\u003E: Except in Wanganui. You can\u2019t get doctors in Wanganui. And why not? Ask Chester.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000239\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002225f8c78b-f301-4aca-a936-366f00a26bc9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022545c0a4f71e64de49abc119673d8f8b1\u0022\u003ESANDRA GOUDIE\u003C/span\u003E: Members should listen to that member. She is raving on about Wanganui. Clearly, it did not happen for her on the bus. Even more jobs have been created through the youth opportunities package and the assistance being given through the Restart package. There is also the huge uptake in people taking advantage of our home insulation package. Of all the initiatives, the home insulation package was a huge winner. I have to say, we were swamped with young professional doctors wanting to take advantage of the voluntary bonding scheme. One has only to read today\u2019s Dominion Post editorial to see an excellent example of the leadership of the Ministers of this National Government. One has only to read New Zealand Herald articles to see that it is quite clear that there is leadership throughout this Government. There certainly was not leadership in the previous Labour Government for 9 long years. We just cannot get over the duration of that period under the nanny State. Old Mother Hubbard emptied the cupboard. There was nothing left in the coffers. I would not put those people in charge of a piggy bank. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000240\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002225f8c78b-f301-4aca-a936-366f00a26bc9\u0022\u003EThe Hon Judith Collins is a fine example of outstanding leadership, engendering confidence and support from people throughout New Zealand. I exhort those members of Parliament opposite to read those editorials and they actually might learn something. They need to listen to the Minister of Education, who said they need some literacy and numeracy training. By crikey! They could not manage a piggy bank. If there is one thing the Opposition members are in desperate need of it is some expertise. They need to go back to school. They need to learn how to do their sums. They need to know what they are doing, in terms of what they are reading. In actual fact, they need to start listening and start doing some homework.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022 data-id=\u00226c73654498794fe48d34148d11e4d44e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000241\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226c73654498794fe48d34148d11e4d44e\u0022\u003ERAHUI KATENE (M\u0101ori Party\u2014Te Tai Tonga):\u003C/span\u003E I will continue on the theme of what is happening on the blog sites. The name Bob Buckle rarely featured in the bloggers\u2019 forums until a mere 3 months ago, when the Minister of Finance, Bill English, and the Minister of Revenue, Peter Dunne, named him as the chair of the Tax Working Group, charged with the simple task of guiding the fiscal outlook over the medium term. This week Bob Buckle is the name on every website, as the debate intensifies about the relationship between GST and the drive to increase the efficiency of the economy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000242\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003EThe figures all look pretty seductive. Lifting GST to 15 percent would raise an extra $2.1 billion a year. If the tax was set at 20 percent, the figure would jump to $6.2 billion. That sure looks fine until we see the fine print. Bob Buckle\u2019s panel of 14 private sector and academic experts noted that there may be fairness issues: \u201CIncreasing the rate could impact on lower-income or vulnerable households, especially in the short run,\u201D. Those are probably the same lower-income or vulnerable households who featured in the Ministry of Social Development households report that reported in 2008 that one in six New Zealand children still lived in a household below the very lowest poverty levels. They are probably the same lower-income or vulnerable households who have caused the cost of emergency food grants to jump by a massive 75 percent since the maximum limits were doubled a year ago. They will be the same households that the Salvation Army has seen reporting in greater numbers than before for food parcels. In the 3 months to June there was a colossal jump in the supply of food parcels\u2014a 40 percent leap to an average of over 4,000 parcels a month. Within that group will be the beneficiary families with children who missed out on the in-work tax credit. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003EIt was fascinating to read the reflections of former Minister Annette King about the policy crisis that emerged in the previous Government regarding Working for Families. In a Listener article she said \u201CWe\u2019ve got another group of kids who haven\u2019t benefited from that at all. And that\u2019s people who are on benefits. We\u2019ve got to rethink our policy in terms of how do we have an element of universality for our children in the way we give it to our old people. It\u2019s unfinished business.\u201D That is a very important concession by the former Minister, and I think we must pay attention to it. I want to commend Mrs King for taking note of the policy priorities we have been promoting within the M\u0101ori Party, including the proposal of universal tax cuts for very low-income families and a universal benefit for parents who are raising children. The question is one of how we look after our lower-income or vulnerable households, not when we should do so. The urgency is surely obvious to all in this House; we must do it now. The issue is about meeting the basic needs of New Zealand families: food on the table, a roof over their head, warm clothes, security, stability, and, hopefully, even happiness. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000244\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003EOne solution I have been considering is to put before the House a bill to remove the GST on food. We know that such a move would mean cost savings on food, at a time when food costs have increased exponentially and are continuing to do so. Although all consumers would benefit from lower food costs, people on lower incomes tend to spend a greater share of their income on food, so they would reap a greater benefit as a portion of their income. In putting this bill forward, the M\u0101ori Party is conscious that neither Australia nor the United Kingdom charges GST on food. The approach of those countries has been to exempt most foods from GST, except for restaurant and take-out foods in Australia, and lollies, chips, ice cream, and chocolate biscuits in the UK. There is another agenda: although we are saving the pennies, we are also saving lives by promoting healthy eating with food choices such as fresh fruit and vegetables. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000245\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003EFinally, I acknowledge the efforts of the people\u2019s procession to Parliament that resulted in a 23,000-strong petition being presented to my colleague Hone Harawira and me last October. The M\u0101ori Party has taken up the call of those people, and we will do our utmost to remind everyone in this House that a responsible Parliament is also a caring Parliament. The taking of GST off food would provide us with a golden opportunity to make the difference. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022 data-id=\u0022ba7c16c7f0eb478babaabc8cf8b62cbf\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000246\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ba7c16c7f0eb478babaabc8cf8b62cbf\u0022\u003EHon RUTH DYSON (Labour\u2014Port Hills):\u003C/span\u003E Before the last election John Key and Tony Ryall paraded around the country, listening to what people said they wanted in their health system and then telling people what they wanted to hear\u2014the Steven Joyce model of connecting with the public. They said they would give New Zealanders better, sooner, more convenient health care. They promised no restructuring and they promised reduced bureaucracy\u2014I beg your pardon; their exact term was \u201Cless bureaucrats\u201D. Let us leave aside the grammatical error, but note that they promised there would be no restructuring, and they categorically promised there would be no cuts to front-line health services. Yet now, on an almost daily basis, we see those promises being broken. In town after town and in city after city all across our country, we see Tony Ryall\u2019s and John Key\u2019s broken promises.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000247\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EThere is now proposed a massive restructuring, the biggest restructuring in health, in fact, since Crown health enterprises were introduced by the then National Government. Under National we used to have a huge bureaucratic structure with 23 Crown health enterprises. I remember that when we went into the 1999 election we said we did not want to keep the 23 Crown health enterprises, which by then had been renamed hospital and health services. We wanted to devolve decision making and funding to district health boards; Tony Ryall said it was an outrage that we were threatening to gut the then health and hospital services. Now, he is doing exactly what he railed against. He is threatening to gut the Ministry of Health, to set up a new, very strong bureaucracy called the National Health Board, and to take all local decision-making and innovation away from district health boards. We will see more bureaucracy rather than less, we will see massive restructuring, and we are already seeing cuts to front-line health services. The core promises that John Key and Tony Ryall made to the New Zealand public have been shown to be lies. Their promises are broken and their reputations are in tatters.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000248\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EWhat is worse, though, is that revealed to us now is the documentation behind the Horn report that Tony Ryall refuses to release. He would not even answer a question in the House today about what information he has received, what instructions he has given to doctor that information, and what he will allow to be released as the draft report. The documentation that accompanies the Horn report talks about wage freezes for doctors and nurses, and we know that in the current economic climate a wage freeze is a wage cut. That is from the party that promised to narrow the wage gap between New Zealand and Australia, and promised to support our front-line health workers. That party is now hiding documentation that says we will have wage freezes for nurses and doctors.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000249\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EThe report says that in order to make more money out of our health system, we should import a few foreign people, put them in our beds in public hospitals, and charge them big money. How will that give New Zealanders better, sooner, more convenient health services? How will that help the people in my electorate who have been told that their home support services are being cut? What will happen when an elderly woman from my electorate wants to go to Christchurch Hospital for an urgently needed surgical procedure and finds that someone from Holland is paying very good money for the bed she wants? Unless that woman is prepared to top and tail, she will miss out. Low-income people, and New Zealanders who have worked hard all their lives paying taxes and raising their families, will have to wait, while somebody from overseas, who has never done a day\u2019s work in our country but who has a lot of money, can buy our public health services. That is a disgrace. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000250\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EAnd the big secret\u2014and I am not at all surprised that Bill English wanted to hide this\u2014is the increase in the age of superannuation. That is on the secret agenda.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022 data-id=\u0022dc6bfc61a91b4ba4a65a874ace6154a9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000251\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022dc6bfc61a91b4ba4a65a874ace6154a9\u0022\u003EHon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education):\u003C/span\u003E Talk about parading around the countryside! We had the spectacle of Labour members taking a bus trip. They flew into Wellington from all around the country, and then climbed on a bus so that they would look as though they were trying to conserve carbon. What happened? They headed west. From the time they left, they were going downhill. What was their first port of call on this big reconnect with their electorate? Their first point of a call was with a business. When has a business been Labour\u2019s traditional electorate? In fact, when National came back into Government, business confidence went up! So Labour did not even start by reconnecting with its own electorate. When we look at that business and at what it was\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000252\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220bfa5b74-8933-458a-99d4-bbd75d9898d0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b99eb514be904e93b30aab87b26406fd\u0022\u003EChris Auchinvole\u003C/span\u003E: What was it?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000253\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220a8feccc2909418794f59fb3c3f1d70a\u0022\u003EHon ANNE TOLLEY\u003C/span\u003E:\u2014we see that it was a family business of one of the Labour members. It was the business of Darren Hughes\u2019 uncle. It was not any random business; no one else would have them. There was some strange sort of business with stuffed animals on the wall, which had remarkably similar smiles to Labour leader Phil Goff. But that is another question. This first stop tells us that Labour members are so offside with the public of New Zealand that they have to convince their own family members to host them on their tour to reconnect with the electorate. Quite frankly, by the looks of Darren Hughes\u2019 uncle, he was not too pleased about it, either\u2014so there we go. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000254\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003EI say to Labour members sitting over there on the Opposition benches that the days are getting longer. Have they not noticed it? The days are getting longer and the nights are getting shorter. That tells us that spring is coming. What happens in spring? Well, there is Labour weekend. Guess what! This Labour weekend the Labour Party is hosting a variety of BBQs, I hear. It cannot use taxpayers\u2019 money to fund its pledge cards any more so its members have had to dip into their own pockets and try to convince family members, probably, to host parties to raise funds for the Labour Party. Apparently if they hold one of these BBQs, Labour will send them a party pack. In the party pack there will be pre-printed invitations and envelopes\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000255\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222bc76d1cb1e240669e6bcb7285f6790d\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s exciting!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000256\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dc017a95c91b4f4284b352775aacc7fa\u0022\u003EHon ANNE TOLLEY\u003C/span\u003E: That is exciting! Also in the party pack there will be menu ideas for BBQ sausages, and probably a few chops. There will also be Labour Day fridge magnets. I suggest to Labour members that there are probably a few \u201CWassup!\u201D badges lying around schools that they could go round and gather up to wear, instead of giving out fridge magnets\u2014it could save a bit of money. There will also be balloons, serviettes, etc. The pi\u00E8ce de r\u00E9sistance is a DVD of Phil Goff. I can tell members that recent reviews suggest that the DVD is best described as a C-grade horror, and Phil Goff is killing off support faster than \u201CNorman Bates\u201D. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000257\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003EI want to talk about why it is that Labour has to reconnect. Why is it? Let us remind ourselves. Why did Labour members lose touch? When we talk about KiwiSport, what do these guys say? I ask that member with the red hair who is sitting up there in the front seat: what did he say about giving money to schools so that they would help kids into sport? He said \u201CYou can\u2019t trust schools. How do you know they will spend the money on the right things?\u201D. Well, members on this side of the House understand these people are professionals. We trust schools because we know that they will use the money wisely to get more kids into schools. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000258\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003EWhat else did the previous Government do? It regulated school tuck shops. It was absolutely oblivious to the fact that dairies across the road from schools were ordering in hundreds of pies a day for the kids, who were eating more pies than if they had been able to have them as a Friday treat. That is why Labour lost touch with its electorate. Labour had expensive advertising campaigns telling parents to make sure their children eat vegetables, among other things. That is how Labour addressed obesity. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000259\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003EThe previous Prime Minister launched the Mission-On website that was supposed to get kids active. It had a game called Cool Moves. Do members remember that? Six keys moved a character around the screen, through a series of hip-hop moves, while the kids sat in their chairs. That is why Labour lost touch with the electorate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022 data-id=\u0022f4d2146c43054c75b5cd86065e4c2de1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000260\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f4d2146c43054c75b5cd86065e4c2de1\u0022\u003EHon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Labour\u2014Waimakariri):\u003C/span\u003E Before the election, National pledged to look after the most vulnerable people. It is a great pleasure to follow that Minister, Anne Tolley, who talked about nothing to do with her education portfolio. Last week the Government spent $2.5 million reinstating conductive education funding\u2014why? It was not because it thought it had done the wrong thing; it was done to get it off the front page of the newspapers. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000261\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003EI want to talk about\u2014as the Minister of Education scuttles somewhere within this Chamber\u2014Julie Baker and Brittany Graham. I know there are some members over there who do not like us talking about them, but a very interesting thing happened last week. A few minutes before the funding was reinstated, Julie Baker got a phone call. She received the call a few minutes before the announcement was made publicly. It was from a person whom she had never met, whom she had never spoken to, and who up until that time had never bothered to get in touch with her to try to help her or plead her case with the Minister, even though it was in most newspapers around the country and in the local news. It was from a person called Kate Wilkinson\u2014a Cabinet Minister who occasionally resides in my electorate. In the ultimate act of political cynicism Ms Wilkinson rang up Julie Baker and said \u201CGood news!\u201D in a self-congratulatory tone, as if she had done it herself. She told Julie Baker that the Government had done a U-turn and reinstated $2.5 million of funding that it was going to steal from her daughter and other kids who have intensive special needs. She did not apologise for putting Julie Baker through hell over the last few months or stressing out her daughter as she worried she might not get the therapy. She did not apologise, because she was like a scared possum, scared of the electorate in which she occasionally resides\u2014my electorate. When she was challenged last week\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000262\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022136da8c4-afc7-483e-a39c-c66812f71774\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224851662e4c634f60b14d2f5ad1f1d066\u0022\u003EHon Kate Wilkinson\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. That member knows very well that he is not allowed to accuse another member of a lack of courage.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000263\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222407392409504673b4d1038ce1def336\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I apologise to the honourable member. I was listening quite carefully to the member and I did not pick that up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000264\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022136da8c4-afc7-483e-a39c-c66812f71774\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002268f812e93d224b90b21d287242878867\u0022\u003EHon Kate Wilkinson\u003C/span\u003E: \u201CScared possum\u201D, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000265\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022283d373c200a419d84a0090efb515aa4\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I ask members to be a little careful in making such accusations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000266\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f2a4ce711aee4db58d74b408302ee5e3\u0022\u003EHon CLAYTON COSGROVE\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I ask if my time was stopped for that interjection.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000267\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b33b3b3c0fbc4df8bfc92a7d4b5b936c\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: It was stopped for that point of order.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000268\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a85ae338f0904345be06505df5854657\u0022\u003EHon CLAYTON COSGROVE\u003C/span\u003E: Let me put it this way. She ran like a brave possum with huge courage, the courage of her convictions! She had the courage not to ring Julie Baker; she had the courage not to do anything for her! She had the courage not to make one representation to the Minister! She put that woman through hell. Yet she stands up at every election and says that she wants to be the member for Waimakariri because she wants to help people. I say to that Minister that she ran like a brave possum. But she never said to Julie Baker that she would explain what her Government was not going to do. She never said to Julie Baker that if her child moves to another school\u2014because perhaps the family have to move for employment reasons, or whatever\u2014Brittany Graham loses her funding. If her parents have to take her out of Addington School\u2014her family might be transferred to do a job somewhere else\u2014she loses the funding. Is her cerebral palsy cured? No. Is it cured because she moves schools? I doubt it. The brave Cabinet Minister never said that to Julie Baker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000269\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003EShe also never said to Julie Baker that a letter that Anne Tolley never referred to in her speech to Trudy Heath, the principal of Addington School, stated that if there is a 4-year-old in Waimakariri who has cerebral palsy or intensive special needs and he or she is about to enter school, that child will get nothing. Oh no, that brave member never explained that! Yet in the ultimate act of political cynicism, Ms Wilkinson rang Julie Baker just before the public announcement. I know that because I rang Julie after the public announcement to tell her the so-called good news. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000270\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003EI say to Kate Wilkinson she should get off her chuff and do her job. She purports to be a Cabinet Minister so she should front up and show that courage and that intense bravery that she says she has, and maybe try to help the most vulnerable people. These kids will keep coming. To quote from Trudy Heath, the principal of Addington School: \u201CThese children are still coming. There are lots at preschool on our site, and their parents are saying, \u2018What happens when they arrive at school?\u2019 With all the medical technology available these children are being saved at birth. They will keep coming.\u201D Oh, no! Did she say that? In response to the great U-turn, which Kate Wilkinson takes credit for, I have here an article that quotes Julie Baker: \u201CMs Baker said that her heart went out to parents of children who had not been guaranteed funding\u201D\u2014members opposite laugh\u2014\u201Cbut they had time to fight it, and they should keep the issue on the public agenda.\u201D I say to Paul Quinn, and other members opposite, who laughed\u2014we have it in Hansard\u2014at my colleague Ruth Dyson when she was explaining the stress that Brittany Graham has been under that they can laugh, but the laugh is on them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022 data-id=\u002284c726bf08f6425f943daf29b3cfbe28\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000271\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002284c726bf08f6425f943daf29b3cfbe28\u0022\u003ESIMON BRIDGES (National\u2014Tauranga):\u003C/span\u003E It is good to follow the previous speaker, the Hon Clayton Cosgrove, who clearly has been to the \u201CTrevor Mallard School of Anger Management\u201D. It is very good, indeed. I want to say how good it is\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000272\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221503cd587fcd4035b689b0f0badaa15f\u0022\u003EHon Clayton Cosgrove\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I need to ask an unusual question and I would be indebted if you would provide the answer. Is it possible to ask a member to send his Hansard to Julie Baker, given he belittled her in that way?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000273\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ac169d29-4849-42c2-a4a7-f344fd416503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b2c893d82cc34f5aa9af04a48993ed3e\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: That is not a point of order. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000274\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225c86118caa1648c1bba248d91bb6ee8b\u0022\u003ESIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: How good is it to be part of a National Government that\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000275\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224eabe7bb7d524457b46da0cab42a6fa3\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: The member has the Gerry Brownlee collar attached.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d7e06a19ee2d4b9f9ab941ea86c102aa\u0022\u003ESIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: I do; I am missing the wing-collar, I am sorry. I tried to find some at lunchtime, and could not. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000277\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003EI wanted to say how good it is to be part of the National Government, which is incredibly popular. It has a fantastic Prime Minister in John Key, a great Deputy Prime Minister in Bill English, and from tomorrow at 4 p.m. it will have a wonderful Acting Prime Minister from Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty\u2014the Hon Tony Ryall. He is a safe pair of hands and, I say to Mr Darren Hughes, could he be the best-dressed Acting Prime Minister we have ever had. It is just possible. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000278\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003EOf course, in Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty we do have some safe pairs of hands, and we are lucky to have popular members of Parliament who are incredibly liked by the people. So things are going well for National in the provinces, but how many seats did Labour get at the last election between the area of Auckland and Wellington? Could we hazard a guess? Labour won one seat. It won Palmerston North by the thinnest of majorities, and because of that Labour members put down their lattes\u2014in the case of Chris Hipkins, I think it was a Pepsi Max or something; he likes his Pepsi Max\u2014and went out into the provinces.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000279\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022949eba37a8ef4f6e9939b728715f71be\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: A fluffy!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225996eabe668c484fbf199eccd650b4c1\u0022\u003ESIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: That is a good point; he had a fluffy. His mum paid. Actually it was free, because she bought a coffee and a slice of cake\u2014it was ginger crunch, I hear. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000281\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003ELabour members put down their lattes and their Pepsi Max and they went out into the provinces, because, as we know, they hold one seat in the provinces. Annette King commented on the ginger crunch, and they went to Wanganui and New Plymouth. I want to know why they did not come to Tauranga. We would have loved to have them in Tauranga. You see, by my count at election time I had a majority of something like 11,700, and I reckon the bus tour will make it 12,700. So I ask Labour members to please come to Tauranga. It will be the impetus I need. It would remind the good people of the provinces just what they were voting against. Perhaps they did not realise at that time, but they will this time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003EThe people of Wanganui said they thought Pete Hodgson had gone. They thought they had got rid of him. People also thought they had got rid of Trevor Mallard, but those members are still here. People have been asking what those members are doing still here. So I am very confident that the bus tour, if it continues, will remind people of just what they left behind. Of course, there will be some good things about the bus tour. It will mean that the Labour Party members will not have to meet in a phone box. That was Darren Hughes and his uncle in the phone box, but they have the bus now.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000283\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003ENational, by way of distinction, has the health reviews, and we have just put out an excellent and comprehensive transport discussion document. But there is something that the transport document should have had but did not have, and I will take up this point with Steven Joyce. It is quite clear that he should have made the practice of singing in buses illegal. I do not know why that was not on the list. Singing in buses should have been made illegal. What were those Labour members singing? They were singing: \u201CTake me home to the place I belong.\u201D Well, it is quite clear that they do not belong in the provinces. It is quite clear they do not belong in Wanganui or New Plymouth, and it is certainly clear that they do not belong in Tauranga. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000284\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003EAs I said, it is good to be in the National Party. It is good to be in a party that is popular, a party that people like, and a party that was voted for by people in the provinces. They voted for us and will continue to vote for us, and from Thursday at 4 p.m. the party will be in the safe hands of Tony Ryall. Labour members\u2019 bus-singing is interesting, because they could have sung other songs. \u201CSlip Sliding Away\u201D would have been a good one, as the words include: \u201CSlip out the back, Jack; make a new plan, Stan\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022 data-id=\u002266e1a159c4844d568316a2ac99568fe9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000285\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002266e1a159c4844d568316a2ac99568fe9\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON (Labour\u2014Wellington Central):\u003C/span\u003E It is a pleasure to follow the modest member from Tauranga, Simon Bridges. Members on this side of the House have heard that when he goes home each night, the song that he sings on the bus is: \u201CYou\u2019re So Vain\u201D by Carly Simon. We have seen him playing squash, and we know that he greatly enjoys being in Tauranga. After he had been thinking about Christine Rankin he said: \u201CI know the place I want to run in\u2014it\u2019s Tauranga.\u201D Tauranga is populated by older women; that is where Simon Bridges wants to be. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000286\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c186d0a2-99f4-408b-9b4d-d484cf19724d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022239bbdbc261f4ab5990852992620ddfd\u0022\u003EHon Lianne Dalziel\u003C/span\u003E: Cougar territory!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000287\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f3998fe6004c480ca75705034b84c118\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, it is cougar territory in Tauranga. The other member from the Bay of Plenty who has already been mentioned today is Tony Ryall, and on 12 May 2009, to some fanfare and a blaze of tangerine shirts and orange ties, he announced a redeployment pool for jobless public servants. He said that this redeployment pool would be \u201Cestablished to retain and redistribute talent. \u2026 It will also look after the taxpayers\u2019 interests by reducing the cost of redundancy payments.\u201D Well, we have seen a large number of job losses in the Public Service. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000288\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f5ecf5f93adb4d049f88dd068045b313\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: How many?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000289\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229393c98173ad4f54a067de91eb90d30f\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: There have been 1,500, and up to 2,000 in the wider State sector. Forty-five thousand public servants\u2014a lot of people\u2014need to be redeployed, so Tony Ryall has put in place a redeployment scheme and has set the Public Service in motion, clear in his instruction that there will be redeployment. But I ask my colleagues how many people they think have been redeployed under Tony Ryall\u2019s scheme.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000290\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002274ccc36bfca040a0add41bb08ef2940f\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: 500?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000291\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022624155ea7bcb4f0da8262b66f118a4ef\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: Ruth Dyson says \u201C500?\u201D. Do we have any others?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000292\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c437bda8-4741-4ac5-89ab-b0818e1ab9fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002285bc623748644011aaeb877acaf973ef\u0022\u003EHon Darren Hughes\u003C/span\u003E: 1,000?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000293\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a2243f104ffd4f21bce0cdbe02115b84\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: A thousand from Darren Hughes\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000294\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c186d0a2-99f4-408b-9b4d-d484cf19724d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002260ebead7feb5433aacc363f39cf5ed72\u0022\u003EHon Lianne Dalziel\u003C/span\u003E: 1,500?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000295\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002276052b73f458440f99bf7f2aa0628c7d\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: There is 1,500 from Lianne Dalziel, but\u2014sadly\u2014no, my colleagues are wrong. Two people have been redeployed through Tony Ryall\u2019s public servant redeployment pool.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000296\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229f609216bc9943fbbe13d583a92bc5de\u0022\u003EHon Members\u003C/span\u003E: What!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000297\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002207b65c54d9e14cc6b9b27e1e06e2c5b2\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: No, only two public servants across the entire Public Service have been redeployed as a result of Tony Ryall\u2019s redeployment scheme, and it has to be said that Tony Ryall, in his tangerine shirt, is not a happy camper. He is very upset that only two public servants, across the whole of the Public Service, have been redeployed as a result of his scheme. That is a sad indictment on a Government that said that jobs was its priority, and that that was where it would be, but only two public servants, across the whole Public Service, have been redeployed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000298\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003ESadly, we have seen time and time again from this Government the wrong choices and the wrong priorities. We have seen it with tax cuts, where 3 percent of income earners received 30 percent of the benefit of tax cuts. We have seen that happen time and time again, and now we hear of it with the GST proposals coming through. Those are the wrong choices and the wrong priorities.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000299\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EBut the place where we have seen it the most is in education. I was appalled to be in the House today and hear Anne Tolley deliver a speech but not mention once her portfolio of education. Not once did she mention the number of people who have contacted her to say: \u201CTurn around those cuts to night classes.\u201D How many postcards has Anne Tolley received? How many members of her own caucus have come to her and said: \u201CTurn around these cuts.\u201D? Night classes are part of the fabric of our education system; they are part of lifelong learning. Dozens of constituents in my electorate have come to me to tell me how night classes have changed their lives. People have been able to set up small businesses as a result of getting back into learning. People have been able to improve their life skills. For example, when they have lost a partner and have not known how to cook, they have gone to night school to learn, and that has given them social interaction. There are also the new migrants to New Zealand who have been looking to learn English, meet people, and have social interaction. But those opportunities have been taken away by Anne Tolley. That was a choice. It was a priority for National; National had an option. Thirty five million dollars has gone into private schools. That has been a choice by the National Government. It has chosen not to fund adult and community education. Mrs Tolley must now listen to the people of New Zealand; she must now turn round those cuts. We have seen a partial turn-round on the cuts to funding for people with physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy, and so on. We now need a full turn-round on adult and community education. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000300\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EIt is time for this Government to start listening. We have had a lot of bullying behaviour and put-downs from this Government. Now is the time to get rid of the wrong choices and wrong priorities in adult and community education and to turn round and start listening to the people of New Zealand. We have seen broken promises, a lack of listening, and cuts throughout the education sector. Today primary school students from my electorate came to the forecourt of Parliament to say \u201CWe don\u2019t want Enviroschools cut.\u201D The Enviroschools programme, the Artists in Schools programme, and professional development for teachers have all been cut by this Government. It is time the Government started listening and changed its priorities.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022 data-id=\u002213c1b69f0d2248aa8876435997e89efb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000301\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002213c1b69f0d2248aa8876435997e89efb\u0022\u003EPAUL QUINN (National):\u003C/span\u003E It gives me a great deal of pleasure to take this call from the whips\u2019 office. I want to reflect on what we have heard during the adjournment, and that is that the highlight for Labour members was their magical mystery bus tour to nowhere. I take this opportunity to share with members my highlight during the adjournment. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000302\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022\u003EMy highlight was when I was invited by the Mayor of Hutt City, Mayor Ogden, to attend a meeting of local community leaders in his office to talk about local issues on Friday afternoon at 4 o\u2019clock. I duly turned up in response to his very polite invitation. Everyone else was there, but we had to wait for the last two stragglers to turn up\u2014namely, Trevor Mallard and Chris Hipkins. What happened? The Hon Trevor Mallard walked in and went straight up to Mayor Ogden and asked what I was doing there. Mayor Ogden said it was because he had invited me. What did the Hon Trevor Mallard say to Mayor Ogden? He said that if I was at the next meeting he would not be coming, as that meeting was not for me. That member is so self-indulgent that he puts his own self-importance ahead of the interests of the community. I was asked to attend the meeting to discuss progressing the interests of the community, but Trevor Mallard got his nose out of joint. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000303\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022\u003EHe does not realise, of course, that Labour is no longer in Government, and that if the community is to make progress it needs to speak to the Government. That is why Mayor Ogden wants Government members to attend these meetings. But it has not got through to Trevor Mallard that he is no longer in Government. We can now see why, as a retread, he will not be the next leader of the Labour Party. It is simply because he is interested only in himself and not in the wider interests of the community. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000304\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022\u003EWho else might we consider as an alternative leader? Perhaps we could have Shane Jones. He is a chap who purports to represent good, decent, hard-working New Zealanders and to champion workers as the backbone of the economy. The only problem with Shane Jones is that he does not know what hard work is. His other problem is that he is fighting with David Cunliffe for the right-hand side of the scrum, and at the moment they cannot select between them who gets to go forward. Unfortunately, they could not sort that out on the bus. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000305\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224b398ccbdd494dbd8e892113f6141e93\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: If this member was 2 inches taller he would have been an All Black.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000306\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f1514bfc730543dd95c15047f8fa2237\u0022\u003EPAUL QUINN\u003C/span\u003E: We are now hearing from someone who is an expert on the All Blacks. As a result of his inferiority complex he never got anywhere in rugby past liniment rubbing in the changing sheds. Unfortunately, he has never been good enough at sport. He sits there and pontificates on everything. The best he ever did was go around and pick the gear up off the floor and put it into the laundry bags. That is the closest he ever got to anything. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000307\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022\u003ELet us look at Darren Hughes. I have always thought that Darren Hughes shows good leadership potential. He is reasonably bright. He lost his constituency, so there may be a bit of a problem because the next time round he may not be high enough on the list to get back into Parliament. The problem with Darren Hughes is that he is such a good talker that not only does he talk himself into the job but also he talks himself back out of the job. Of course, he has had an opportunity in the publicly announced position of shadow Leader of the House, but unfortunately one would never know it, because Trevor Mallard keeps overriding him.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000308\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022\u003EThe debate having concluded, the motion lapsed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000309\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022362cfda1e1b84d048f6f59927079ce21\u0022\u003EEden Park Trust Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000310\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c51c0bdc06514bb8b8f5d25622d615f8\u0022\u003ESecond Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225192f6d3-dca6-43c8-a55e-381e1d7c1225\u0022 data-id=\u002202752f0cc286403d8b9d63601886d46d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000311\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225192f6d3-dca6-43c8-a55e-381e1d7c1225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002202752f0cc286403d8b9d63601886d46d\u0022\u003EHon MURRAY McCULLY (National\u2014East Coast Bays):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the Eden Park Trust Amendment Bill be now read a second time. I am pleased to have this opportunity to say a few words about this bill, which stands in my name. It is a private bill promoted by the Eden Park Trust Board. I say at the outset that I am grateful for the support of members on both sides of the House in ensuring that this bill has had a speedy passage so far, and for the assistance of members in ensuring that we should be able to bring these proceedings to a smooth conclusion, hopefully today. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000312\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225192f6d3-dca6-43c8-a55e-381e1d7c1225\u0022\u003EThe redevelopment of Eden Park into a world-class venue was one of the core commitments in New Zealand\u2019s bid to host the Rugby World Cup in 2011. The previous Government was, of course, the key player in making that commitment and investing $190 million in an underwrite for the development project. I and the then Opposition were pleased to support that project and those undertakings. The current trustees, representatives of the Auckland Cricket Association and Auckland Rugby Football Union, recognised the significant financial contribution that was being made through the Government\u2019s underwrite, and they agreed to changes to the governance arrangements that recognise the public contribution being made by New Zealand taxpayers. The bill makes amendments accordingly to the Eden Park Trust Act 1955 to implement those new governance arrangements and to ensure that there is indeed recognition of the public ownership interest in the park. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000313\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225192f6d3-dca6-43c8-a55e-381e1d7c1225\u0022\u003EThis bill will allow for a transition from the current rather cumbersome governance arrangements, with a trust board and a separate redevelopment board, to a new Eden Park Trust Board, and I know that the various stakeholders will be keen for that transition to occur quickly. I will explain briefly to the House that currently we have the ultimate owners, the Eden Park Trust Board, sitting in a governance arrangement whilst the redevelopment board undertakes the redevelopment work alongside it. I think it is agreed by both those parties that the sooner we can move to a single governance structure, which is what this bill will permit, the better it will suffice in meeting the interests of all concerned. I know that all of the stakeholders are quite keen to see us make those changes quickly. I am pleased to be able to tell the House that the redevelopment of Eden Park is on schedule to be completed by October 2010. It makes sense for the new trust board to be in place as early as possible, so that the appropriate governance and management operations can be put in place before the completion of the redevelopment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000314\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225192f6d3-dca6-43c8-a55e-381e1d7c1225\u0022\u003EThe Government Administration Committee has proposed that the bill should come into force 30 days after it receives the Royal assent. That is an amendment that I support, and an amendment that will proceed, hopefully, as a consequence of this discussion today. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000315\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225192f6d3-dca6-43c8-a55e-381e1d7c1225\u0022\u003EFinally, I thank a number of parties who have rendered service in the past and in relation to these proceedings today. I pay tribute to the current trustees of the Eden Park Trust Board and to the members of both Auckland cricket and Auckland rugby, who over nearly a century have given their time unselfishly and have been responsible for the development of the park to the asset that it was prior to this redevelopment programme being undertaken. Through their endeavours and commitment, Auckland has a sporting stadium that is internationally recognised. I look forward to seeing the redeveloped park play a critical role in the hosting of an outstanding tournament in 2011. In relation to this particular bill, I thank the Hon Trevor Mallard, who was the Minister who initiated the redevelopment process, for his ongoing assistance in relation to the passing of this legislation. I acknowledge the work of his colleague the Hon David Parker, who chaired the select committee in an expeditious fashion and in, I might say, a very constructive fashion, which has seen the bill emerge from the committee in this form. It is my pleasure to commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022b0e57809bf6645f7a74931f5e40d01f4\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000316\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b0e57809bf6645f7a74931f5e40d01f4\u0022\u003EHon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour\u2014Hutt South):\u003C/span\u003E When speaking on the Eden Park Trust Amendment Bill, there is still a degree of bitter-sweetness, as far as I am concerned, whenever the question of Eden Park comes up. When I hear the numbers, I think back to a particular misjudgment on the part of my former colleague Dr Cullen, who, while Acting Prime Minister, made an equal commitment to Eden Park and to the waterfront stadium. He said that we would back them both on the same basis. At that point, the major leverage for economic development in central Auckland disappeared and history won. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000317\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003EThe side I was on in that debate is clear, but the conservatism of the Auckland Regional Council in particular\u2014the fact that it likes to get $30 a week for having cars parked on their wharf, the site where the stadium would have been\u2014is something that won on the day, and, I might say, won in a way that I thought was fair. I have said on a number of occasions to Rob Fisher that I thought he did brilliantly in employing Linda Clark to convince the Auckland Regional Council that black was white and white was black, because they were convinced. I would be very careful about using expressions to describe public relations people. I used a particular expression about Crosby/Textor that resulted in a wonderful legal letter. They do not like being called paid liars\u2014that is for sure. I must say that in this particular case Linda Clark led a very good campaign that resulted in the decision to retain Eden Park as a centre for rugby and, to a certain extent, cricket in Auckland. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000318\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003EThat being the case, the previous Government\u2019s commitment was honoured and it is continuing to be honoured by the member Murray McCully and his team. I might say that, probably as with members on this side of the House, there was division during the debate. I welcomed the private support from John Key for the waterfront stadium. I was a little unhappy that the decision was in the same week that the National leader coup was occurring. He decided it was better to keep quiet publicly about that support in order to get the numbers to become the leader of the National Opposition. It was an interesting approach, but that is politics, I suppose; that is the way it breaks.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000319\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003EOver many, many years a lot of people, originally from cricket but in more recent years from rugby as well in a more leading way, have been involved in the development of the park. It has been, and will continue to be, a massive community asset for the people in Auckland. The ASB has put a lot of money into it over many, many years. I am not absolutely certain that it has put enough into this redevelopment yet, but I understand that some naming rights are still around. It would be good if the trust and the bank were able to line up, because they are logical long-term sponsors. I think one can accept that the naming rights for the period of the Rugby World Cup might be a little bit rich for the ASB, although if the economic recovery that the Minister of Finance is promising actually takes off then that could just well be pocket money for the ASB as it goes forward. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000320\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003EI also thank colleagues who have been involved in the Government Administration Committee; David Parker has consulted with me on a couple of occasions. I chose not to sit on the select committee. I had confidence that it could do its work, and it has. Sometimes it is better to have people with too much history and intimate knowledge a little bit further away from the actual discussion, and I thought that that was the case. My successor as spokesperson on sport, Chris Hipkins, also made a contribution and did a couple of checks, although I think it is fair to say that there was absolute unanimity around the changes. I thought one was pretty pedantic, but we accept that and will keep on moving forward. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000321\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003EI am looking forward to other members of the select committee contributing. I see that Nikki Kaye, who was a member of the committee from 24 June, is champing at the bit to have a go in the debate. I notice that a person even higher on the list of select committee members than her is Mr Bakshi, and I am very much looking forward to his contribution in this debate this afternoon. In fact, seeing that I think from the National Party\u2019s perspective and certainly on an alphabetical basis of those in the House he is the senior member of that committee, I am sure that he will take precedence in this discussion this afternoon. I will try to keep my discussion going in order for that to happen as I am sure he is on his way to the House. I will work hard to ensure that he can fulfil the opportunity that has been presented to him to join in these discussions today. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000322\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003EThis bill is of quite an unusual shape, in that it is pretty rare for the schedules of a bill to be so long. In this case, the bill itself goes to only five pages in length, but the schedules then run through for another 26 pages. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227c824c650fb04060a29ff18441387ced\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s got to get better.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000324\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cb66cc1108f04acab956d8df94303dfa\u0022\u003EHon TREVOR MALLARD\u003C/span\u003E: Well, not to write the actual trustee right in there is an interesting approach to legislation, but that is something I accept; it is over a period of time. I think it is also fair to say that a number of us have seen much more of the work going on at Eden Park than we wanted to over the last 6 months or so. The retirement of the previous member for Mt Albert caused one or two visits. Whenever we are coming or going through Auckland, we seemed to go pretty close to Eden Park on the way. For that reason I am also looking forward to the contribution of Melissa Lee to this debate. She is someone who has spent much more time\u2014much more time than she wanted, in the end\u2014in the vicinity of Eden Park.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000325\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c437bda8-4741-4ac5-89ab-b0818e1ab9fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022576d296db80d43539d9afd0d82d3becf\u0022\u003EHon Darren Hughes\u003C/span\u003E: And what was the score there?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000326\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022aa24f456460b4b0cb6f08300b930fa5f\u0022\u003EHon TREVOR MALLARD\u003C/span\u003E: I am happy to remind the member of the score. It started in sixes, did it not, and it was more like cricket than rugby. It was the sort of score we have in a 20/20 match when the bowlers are dominating, and I think that at that stage the maiden was certainly bowled over. I will be interested in David Shearer\u2019s contribution to this debate, as well. [Interruption] Thank goodness, I have only 2 more minutes! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000327\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003EIt is interesting to see Parliament working in a cooperative way.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000328\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c437bda8-4741-4ac5-89ab-b0818e1ab9fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002240aa0bc484cd442892ee866c2d435ef6\u0022\u003EHon Darren Hughes\u003C/span\u003E: The great unifier!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000329\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022258564239fb847b3ac93812e2cbd72d3\u0022\u003EHon TREVOR MALLARD\u003C/span\u003E: I think it is fair to say that Mr McCully and I have a history of working together on issues, dating back to 1995. It has been great to have another one where Mr McCully and I can have discussions, now that I have long retired from the Parliamentary Rugby Team. I can have a discussion on an issue that might have nothing to do with this bill and no one knows the difference. It is very good.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000330\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c437bda8-4741-4ac5-89ab-b0818e1ab9fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002221d565e95dff41abb877cb1db82e5779\u0022\u003EHon Darren Hughes\u003C/span\u003E: Two old boozers together.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000331\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022284fcb23efda478c8d38bccbb4776b83\u0022\u003EHon TREVOR MALLARD\u003C/span\u003E: I would not describe Mr McCully as an old boozer. There are one or two other words that could possibly be used, but that would be a matter of bringing up things that should stay on tour. Was Georgetown the place? I am trying to remember the place just up the road from Cape Town that the member and Mr O\u2019Connor had quite an acquaintance with. I think that at this point I should sit down.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022 data-id=\u0022e023565bb772482295ef96902bfee904\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000332\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e023565bb772482295ef96902bfee904\u0022\u003ENIKKI KAYE (National\u2014Auckland Central):\u003C/span\u003E I am very pleased to be supporting this private bill, the Eden Park Trust Amendment Bill. In fact, I have been champing at the bit to get up and speak on it. The Rugby World Cup will be the largest sporting event ever held in New Zealand. The estimated contribution is, I think, about $500 million in additional GDP to the New Zealand economy, including $240 million to the Auckland economy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000333\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003EI start by acknowledging a few people. The Hon Murray McCully has already acknowledged Mr Mallard\u2019s contribution over a number of years to debate about the stadium, and I also acknowledge his contribution. I acknowledge the contributions from a number of entities, such as the New Zealand Rugby Union and the ASB Community Trust, to this redevelopment. The redevelopment is about having a world-class venue for Auckland. The venue has a capacity of 60,000, and I think it is important to acknowledge that it is not about just the Rugby World Cup. This stadium will be around for many generations of New Zealanders, so we will have a world-class venue for other cultural events. So I am very pleased to support this legislation. It is good legislation. The select committee recommended a change to the commencement date so that the Act will come into force 30 days after it receives the Royal assent. The real purpose of that change was to ensure that as early as possible we allow appropriate governance and management operations to be sorted out prior to the completion of the redevelopment. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000334\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003EI do not intend to give a very large contribution, but I want to acknowledge that the development is about more than just the Rugby World Cup, although a huge benefit to the New Zealand economy will come from the Rugby World Cup. The bill is good legislation that is supported across the House. The benefits are massive, not only to Auckland but also to New Zealand. I am very pleased to support this bill, not only for the people of Auckland Central, who will have the benefit of many rugby fans walking the streets of Ponsonby down to party central, which I know members opposite are so supportive of, but also for the local community of Mount Eden. I know that there will be improved integration for the local community through enhancements in transport, landscaping, urban design, and other park amenities. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000335\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003ESo I commend this bill to the House, and I congratulate the Hon Murray McCully on this private bill. I congratulate all other members who have been involved in this. I look forward to the Rugby World Cup and I look forward to the massive contribution it will make to the New Zealand economy, and I look forward to the contribution the new stadium will make for generations to come.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022 data-id=\u0022a5676475bbcb4c3b95e43e8877ac5d99\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000336\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a5676475bbcb4c3b95e43e8877ac5d99\u0022\u003ECHRIS HIPKINS (Labour\u2014Rimutaka):\u003C/span\u003E It is nice to have an opportunity to speak on a bill that is receiving more or less unanimous support around the House. Peace and love appear to have broken out, and I am happy to contribute my 10 minutes to that effort.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000337\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b66cf3aea28b4aedbb00d3da90bec41c\u0022\u003EPaul Quinn\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s because you want to be on the sidelines.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000338\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002225d66e01a8c94749a873fcce6328abb0\u0022\u003ECHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: Well, actually, I am not sure I will be able to afford the tickets, so I might be more likely to be on the sidelines. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000339\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EI recall very fondly the trip that Helen Clark, the former Prime Minister, made with Tana Umaga, Colin Meads, and various others to Dublin in order to help secure the rights to host the Rugby World Cup in 2011. I watched from home the progress of that. I was told a few moments ago by my colleague Darren Hughes that he was consulted extensively on Helen Clark\u2019s speaking notes when she went to the International Rugby Board, and he wanted to claim a little bit of credit for New Zealand winning the hosting rights to the Rugby World Cup in 2011. I suspect, however, that my colleague Trevor Mallard would argue that he had a little bit more to do with New Zealand winning the rights to host the cup. So I congratulate him on the considerable efforts he put in.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000340\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022795bc6ebad774bde98e1425072064d2c\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s right. They left me at home to make sure we won!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000341\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223191e6b892a64444848fd2bc27086a08\u0022\u003ECHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: I am told by him that he was left at home to ensure that the bid would be successful and that nothing would go wrong on the trip. I suspect that showed exceptionally good judgment on the part of those who organised the trip. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000342\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EAs we talk about the Eden Park Trust Amendment Bill, which, of course, primarily has come into being because of the hosting of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, I thought it might be useful to talk a little about the history. In 1912 the Auckland Cricket Association purchased land, comprising most of Eden Park, from the Eden Cricket Club, through the support of a number of cricket enthusiasts who acted as guarantors for the necessary loan and became trustees of Eden Park. The land was then leased to the Auckland Rugby Union for the winter period, from 1 January 1914, and the Auckland Rugby Union financed the grandstand that was built in 1913. The Auckland Cricket Association financed the members\u2019 stand, which was built in 1914. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000343\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EIn 1926 a deed of agreement vested control of Eden Park in a board of control comprising three members, each from the trustees of Eden Park, the Auckland Cricket Association, and the Auckland Rugby Union. In 1955 the Eden Park Trust Act was enacted. It set down the legal ownership of Eden Park and the rules by which it was to be administered. In 2007 an agreement was made between the Crown, the Eden Park Trust Board, and the Eden Park Board of Control whereby the Crown undertook to underwrite an amount not exceeding $190 million for the redevelopment of Eden Park, with the proviso that the redevelopment be under the control of a redevelopment board and that new governance arrangements be agreed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000344\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003ENow, we have to keep the agreement that was made in 2007 in mind when we consider this bill. It was one of the things that the Government Administration Committee had to give considerable thought to because some of the suggestions that came forward for amendments potentially could have undermined the discussions that took place between those parties. We were very mindful of that, and I will talk a little bit about some of the technical issues that were raised during the select committee process, in particular, issues raised by the Attorney-General and by the Regulations Review Committee. In this particular instance, the select committee chose not to follow the recommendations of the Regulations Review Committee. That is actually quite an unusual thing, I think, for a select committee to do, so it is probably quite important that I spend a considerable amount of time outlining the reasons that we did not follow its recommendations. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000345\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EBut first I will talk about the need for the bill. Due to the redevelopment of Eden Park for the Rugby World Cup 2011 it is necessary to vary the terms set out, and to set out new terms, upon which the Eden Park Trust Board will hold this property on trust. The bill considerably simplifies the statutory regime relating to the trust. It repeals several definitions in the Act, and it repeals at least 10 sections. The import of the bill-repealed sections is transferred to the new trustee, which forms part of the bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000346\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EThe issue that the Regulations Review Committee raised with the select committee was to do with the trust deed being incorporated in the legislation and the legislation then giving the Governor-General power to amend the trust deed in the legislation without having to come back to Parliament for any subsequent amendment to be ratified. It is known, I believe, as a \u201CHenry VIII\u201D clause; it empowers the Governor-General to make changes to primary legislation without it coming before Parliament. That, of course, is very unusual and a very big no-no.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000347\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c186d0a2-99f4-408b-9b4d-d484cf19724d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022467e39676acb43458d891643c54dc98c\u0022\u003EHon Lianne Dalziel\u003C/span\u003E: A constitutional outrage is what it is.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000348\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b578b974853f425299bd388f4959fc26\u0022\u003ECHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: It is a constitutional outrage, as my colleague Lianne Dalziel is saying. We considered that matter very carefully, and I am just looking through my notes to find the piece of paper where I noted what we talked about. The Government Administration Committee actually went to the degree of writing back to the Regulations Review Committee, setting out the reasons why we did not want to follow that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000349\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EI thought it would probably be quite useful for me to share with the House what we said to the Regulations Review Committee in regard to that particular \u201CHenry VIII\u201D clause. We said: \u201CThe trust deed is a legal document which is separate from the bill.\u201D I think we need to keep in mind that important point. Although it is in the bill, the trust deed itself is separate from the bill. \u201CThe words of the trust deed are repeated in the Schedule solely to make the terms of the trust deed accessible to the public in the most robust manner possible.\u201D This is reflected in the wording of paragraph (a) of the definition of \u201Ctrust deed\u201D in clause 4(2) of the bill. \u201CThe trustees can amend the trust deed regardless of whether or not it is set out in the bill. Doing so would change the terms upon which the trust operates,\u201D but would not change the substantive provisions of the enabling legislation. The ability to amend the schedule by Order in Council has been provided for simply to ensure that the copy of the text of the trust deed set out in the schedule of the Act continues to accurately reflect the wording of the actual trust deed if the trust deed is amended in the future. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000350\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003ETo put that in plain English, basically it means that if the Eden Park Trust Board amends its trust deed, it would actually effectively amend the legislation. Unless the Governor-General has the power by Order in Council to reflect that change in the legislation, the trust deed contained in the legislation would not reflect the actual trust deed as in existence. So we decided as a committee that it would be ludicrous to remove the ability of the Governor-General simply to make sure that the trust deed contained in the legislation actually reflected the trust deed that was in force. It was the subject of quite a bit of backwards and forwards discussion around the committee because, as my colleague Lianne Dalziel said, the Regulations Review Committee has written entire reports on the \u201CHenry VIII\u201D clause. The decision of the Government Administration Committee not to take note of the concerns raised by the Regulations Review Committee was not taken lightly, but, as Lianne Dalziel said, I think, given the deliberation and the thought it put into it, it probably reached the right decision in deciding not to follow its recommendation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000351\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EA number of issues were raised by the Attorney-General, but in particular he raised some issues regarding potential incapacitation of trustees, and the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act considerations around that. We addressed those considerations in the bill, and we were very pleased to be able to do that. So I think the bill is reported back to the House with the Attorney-General\u2019s concerns dealt with. Concerns were also raised during the process about the ability for the bill to be enacted by Order in Council rather than a specific date being put in the bill. That is another issue that the Regulations Review Committee has been particularly sceptical about: the idea that the Governor-General, by Order in Council, can have the power to enact legislation at a certain point in time. Parliament could pass a bill that may not ever come into force, or it could be done completely randomly several years down the track. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000352\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EThe Regulations Review Committee was very unsupportive of that, so we amended it in the actual bill. Members will see that now in clause 2 of the bill there is a specific date: \u201CThis Act comes into force on the 30th day after the date on which it receives the Royal assent.\u201D We did not determine that date completely randomly; we determined that 30 days was probably about the right amount of time that the trustees and others would need to deal with the routine implementation and the administrative process of putting everything in place after the bill was passed. They will have the surety of knowing what the law is going to be, and they then get 30 days in which to get everything all together so that they can put the law in place.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b8383f38-c78c-4e5d-8324-677d91e95c49\u0022 data-id=\u0022e7d7ce4b53ac4b3d9782bae19f8d5986\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000353\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8383f38-c78c-4e5d-8324-677d91e95c49\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e7d7ce4b53ac4b3d9782bae19f8d5986\u0022\u003EKEITH LOCKE (Green):\u003C/span\u003E The Green Party will be supporting the Eden Park Trust Amendment Bill. The Green Party is supportive of the redevelopment of Eden Park and is looking forward to a very successful 2011 Rugby World Cup. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000354\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8383f38-c78c-4e5d-8324-677d91e95c49\u0022\u003EPerhaps the Government could give some reassurance to Labour, or at least to Labour in the form of Trevor Mallard. He seemed to be concerned before that the waterfront stadium did not go ahead. He wanted a better use of that waterfront area, other than for parking a lot of cars on certain wharves in the vicinity of the planned stadium. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000355\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8383f38-c78c-4e5d-8324-677d91e95c49\u0022\u003EThe Government has given support to the development of Queen\u2019s Wharf. It is called party central, but hopefully it will be much more than that. Hopefully, the Government will reassure Trevor Mallard by giving some indication of assistance to further development east of Queen\u2019s Wharf so that we really have something a bit more like the Wellington waterfront, which is a pleasure to walk along each morning on the way to Parliament. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000356\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a11ce4e-9fb3-4738-b0be-5a9f81d975da\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002271ac1826caf34af083b86ca98f219918\u0022\u003EHon Maurice Williamson\u003C/span\u003E: What? Are you going to walk around the Auckland waterfront on the way to Parliament? I am confused.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000357\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8383f38-c78c-4e5d-8324-677d91e95c49\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002252eec6326c1f4b78b8864ac98bd4900a\u0022\u003EKEITH LOCKE\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, that is right; perhaps we will move Parliament up to Auckland once we have a good waterfront there! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000358\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8383f38-c78c-4e5d-8324-677d91e95c49\u0022\u003EI raise three points about the way we could help the Eden Park Trust Board financially. One of those points\u2014I think it has been touched on a little bit previously by Nikki Kaye\u2014is public transport. We are concerned that the Government is not moving ahead quickly enough with Auckland public transport, particularly rail. One of the things that inhibit people going to Eden Park and helping its receipts is that if people go to Eden Park they are often forced by the lack of public transport to go by car, and for a big event they have to park a long way away. I live a fair way away from Eden Park, but people park outside my place on the day of a big game. Once the stadium is expanded to 60,000 seats, people will be parking a very long way away, and perhaps not even bothering to go to the game if there is no decent public transport. So we are trying to give a push to the Government to move ahead, particularly with the electrification project. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000359\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8383f38-c78c-4e5d-8324-677d91e95c49\u0022\u003EThe second point is that perhaps there could be some little suggestion to the Rugby Union to not keep extending the rugby season. We are getting viewer fatigue; audiences have been declining. That decline reflects on the receipts of the New Zealand Rugby Union and its payments to the Auckland Rugby Football Union and Eden Park Trust Board. There will not be fewer games at Eden Park, because the extension is really putting extra games in Dunedin and places like that. Making that suggestion is one thing that can be done. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000360\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8383f38-c78c-4e5d-8324-677d91e95c49\u0022\u003EAnother thing comes out of some of the discussion of late around the game between Kelston Boys High School and Auckland Grammar School. I take the point of Richard Boock, the leading sports columnist in New Zealand, who was on the radio this morning talking about how we have to get back to the way we thought about sport traditionally as being a game, and think in terms of how in every game of cricket or rugby there has to be a winner and there has to be a loser, and not to bank everything on the winner and nothing on the loser. I think that view is reflected in audiences. If audiences say they will not go to the game because their team is losing\u2014and Auckland has been losing a bit recently\u2014then it is not good for the receipts of the Eden Park Trust Board. If we can get back to the more traditional concept\u2014hopefully reflected in amateur sport, although it was not reflected in the game between Auckland Grammar School and Kelston Boys High School the other day\u2014that winning is not the be-all and end-all but playing one\u2019s best is what counts, then I think that will mean that people will come to the game regardless of whether their team is likely to win or lose, and they will respect the achievements of the other side if it happens to beat the home team. The receipts of Eden Park would go up. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000361\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8383f38-c78c-4e5d-8324-677d91e95c49\u0022\u003EThose are just a few little suggestions to help the new trust board on its merry way. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022 data-id=\u00228e2901a2bd944fbfb8d9f3f6a6e21153\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000362\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228e2901a2bd944fbfb8d9f3f6a6e21153\u0022\u003ERAHUI KATENE (M\u0101ori Party\u2014Te Tai Tonga):\u003C/span\u003E It made for great food for the soul today to learn about the gardening initiative at Manurewa Marae. It will teach locals how to grow their own vegetable gardens while gaining a nationally recognised qualification. It is an initiative being pioneered by Let\u2019s Beat Diabetes programme director Chad Paraone, and it does a whole lot of things at once. The marae gardening programme is about creating self-sufficiency, good eating, and exercise, while at the same time\u2014wait for it\u2014fostering education and nurturing workforce development. It is community development at its very best. It is an initiative with the full support of those involved with the marae, who have a vision of their marae being a hub within the community. That is what I call a good news story. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000363\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003EWhat is happening at Manurewa could just as easily have happened at Eden Park. The evidence from Ng\u0101ti Wh\u0101tua o \u014Cr\u0101kei M\u0101ori Trust Board is that Eden Park was traditionally a wetland used for the harvesting of kai. Rather than having goalposts and spectator stands, the whenua could have been turned to a different end, creating produce for healthy family meals, building community unity, and developing tertiary training skills. Instead, we are now considering a venue that has an internationally recognised name and brand as a major sports stadium. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000364\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003EThe Eden Park Trust Amendment Bill is, of course, associated with the urgent imperative to till the soil for the Rugby World Cup 2011, but before the World Cup took over, Eden Park already had a distinguished heritage history as a significant rugby and cricketing venue. This is the place where the All Blacks achieved victory in the 1987 Rugby World Cup final\u2014they won at least one final, anyway. It was the site of the 1950 British Empire Games. It has also hosted international rugby league, international soccer, international hockey, gymnastics, and athletics. The Queen Mother paid a visit in 1966, the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1983, and the Dalai Lama in 2002. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000365\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003EIt is evident that significant events and personalities will for ever be linked with Eden Park, but we wonder how frequently people would also associate this land with the volcano Maungawhau, the Waikato warrior K\u0101wharu, Ng\u0101ti P\u0101oa of the Hauraki tribes, the Waiohua chief Kiwi T\u0101maki, or, indeed, Ng\u0101ti Wh\u0101tua as mana whenua. There is a rich history associated with Eden Park, and that history is also a history laden with the legacy of tangata whenua. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000366\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003EWe are pleased that Ng\u0101ti Wh\u0101tua support this bill, and we are also interested in the proposal they have mooted that Eden Park should be developed as a venue for M\u0101ori events, such as Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival. I am sure that my colleague Dr Pita Sharples would be extremely enthusiastic about taking Manut\u016Bk\u0113 on to the stage at Eden Park, as the local member for T\u0101maki Makaurau. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000367\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003EThere is just one issue that I hope the Minister will clarify, and that is the recommendation from the Government Administration Committee that the bill should be amended to allow people with disabilities to serve as trustees. We absolutely support the intent of this recommendation, and we hope to see it actioned to ensure that disabled persons have every right to participate in decision making. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000368\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003EThe committee also noted in its report that a significant responsibility of trustees will be to hire the facilities at a fair and reasonable rate to community groups whose events generate little revenue. Again, this is an excellent suggestion, which we fully support in order to respect the obligation upon local bodies to support the wider community. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000369\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003EFinally, I come back to the proud cultural heritage of Eden Park. The M\u0101ori Party recommends to the Eden Park Trust Board that it gives strong consideration to the relationship with mana whenua as the Treaty partner. We hope that the Eden Park Trust Board will work with iwi, and to this end the Maori Party has promoted the opportunity for the Minister of Local Government to ensure that when selecting the five Crown trustees to the board, a seat is specifically reserved for tangata whenua. This would seem a pretty good model for other Ministers to follow. Kia ora. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022 data-id=\u00220183cc9afa2a4edaaa7e8ad910b45f5b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000370\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220183cc9afa2a4edaaa7e8ad910b45f5b\u0022\u003EMELISSA LEE (National):\u003C/span\u003E It is a pleasure to rise to support the Eden Park Trust Amendment Bill. Although I was not involved in the first reading in May or the select committee process, it is nice for me to note the multiparty support across the House for this bill\u2019s introduction and second reading today. This member\u2019s bill\u2014introduced by the Minister for the Rugby World Cup, the Hon Murray McCully, who is a fantastic Minister\u2014amends the 1955 Eden Park Trust Act to provide new governance agreements and flexibility to make the 2011 Rugby World Cup at Eden Park a reality. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000371\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003EI have driven past Eden Park on many occasions\u2014some members alluded to the fact that I have probably done so more than other members in this House\u2014and I have noticed huge changes already. Those changes are part of what this bill intends to facilitate, which is the creation of a redeveloped stadium with a capacity of 60,000 people. Obviously this stadium is earmarked for the Rugby World Cup, but the flow-on effects of the redeveloped stadium will be huge, and they will benefit the people of Auckland and, ultimately, the people of New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000372\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003EOne of the things that used to fascinate and frustrate me, having lived only a few minutes from Eden Park for more than a decade, was the sheer number of people who used to park in my street to walk to the park whenever there was a game. I used to laugh at the colourfully painted faces, the team jerseys, and all the rugby paraphernalia. On occasion I joined them to watch either rugby or cricket, as a good Kiwi girl should. As a resident of Mount Eden, I used to avoid Sandringham Road and Dominion Road on game days, simply because of the sheer number of cars. The traffic jams that used to frustrate even the most patient drivers will hopefully get better as a result of this bill; it is a catalyst for investment in regional transport and infrastructure. I know that already the Auckland City Council is investing in the widening of roads and fixing of walkways to facilitate the movement of the large numbers of spectators who will turn out for the Rugby World Cup. The improvement of pedestrian access to and from the park is essential, and so is the establishment of transport centres for public transport. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000373\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003EAlready, the shopping precinct in Kingsland has changed tremendously. Over the years the sad-looking Kingsland shops have improved out of sight, and now are home to many wonderful cafes and bars, and some of my favourite restaurants and dress shops. The Kingsland Train Station is tops, too. I remember when it used to look very run down, and a bit of a shack. Now it is clean and modern, and it will be a great asset for those wanting to get to the game without the worry of having to drive or find a park. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000374\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003EI have just returned from Korea, having been invited there as a keynote speaker for a conference. I had an opportunity to have a quick look at Seoul, and I was very impressed. They have beautified their city to make it people-friendly. I saw families having picnics along the stream that runs through the city, and I saw children run through a water fountain specially made for them to play in. Eden Park may not quite match up in those people-friendly stakes, but the recognition it will gain overseas through the Rugby World Cup and its promotion will benefit New Zealand as a whole. Auckland City will get world recognition, and as the world moves in a more global network, with cities competing against other cities around the world, it can only add value to Auckland. That value is not just for rugby. It will be great not only for sporting events but also for other recreational, musical, and cultural events that will benefit the people of Mt Albert, the region, and the nation as a whole. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000375\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003ETo do all this, the bill gives the trustees the teeth to do their job and meet their objectives. There will be a minimum of five and a maximum of nine trustees, five of whom will be appointed by the Crown, and they will hold at least six meetings each financial year. The Rugby World Cup is one of the world\u2019s premier sports events, second to the Olympic Games and the international football events. It will be the largest sporting event ever held in New Zealand, and it comes at no small cost, but the benefits will outweigh the cost. As the mother of a 10-year-old boy who cannot wait for the Rugby World Cup\u2014and, more important, for the All Blacks to win the Rugby World Cup\u2014I can only support this bill. Go the All Blacks! I commend this bill to the House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022 data-id=\u0022628e1367c9cb44478d596ba0193d75d9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000376\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022628e1367c9cb44478d596ba0193d75d9\u0022\u003EIAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Labour\u2014Palmerston North):\u003C/span\u003E It is a privilege to follow such a comprehensive and well-thought-through speech from the former next MP for Mt Albert, Melissa Lee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000377\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229793fbbd9a814ca9ade7503e4a978c6e\u0022\u003EHon Tau Henare\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, you\u2019re funny. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000378\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f61681691dee42ef9651716fc2f41bfc\u0022\u003EIAIN LEES-GALLOWAY\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you. Perhaps if she had made more speeches like that, and if she had had a little bit more time in the by-election campaign, she would have garnered a few more votes. But that is all in the past now, so we will move on.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000379\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EThe aim of the Eden Park Trust Amendment Bill is to amend the governance arrangements so that the Eden Park Trust Board will have greater independence from Parliament. It gives the board considerably more flexibility to act independently of Parliament so that it can prepare for the upcoming Rugby World Cup in 2011. I had the privilege of visiting Mount Albert a couple of times earlier this year, and it was quite clear that the\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000380\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ef538166aee74e7a93f3e7c494b82152\u0022\u003EHon Tau Henare\u003C/span\u003E: Why was the member in Mount Albert? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000381\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227ccc581803374cdaaa23df10e29a9cb2\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: Important meetings!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000382\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ad53c497db19435688effc8d8ac6e4cd\u0022\u003EIAIN LEES-GALLOWAY\u003C/span\u003E: There was a caucus meeting at Eden Park, in fact, so that was my opportunity to go to Eden Park. It was fantastic to see the rate at which the development is happening there now. It is quite clear that the board does need that independence so that it can respond to any problems that might arise as the development continues, without continually having to come back and seek approval from a higher authority. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000383\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EIt was interesting to hear Nikki Kaye talk about what a great community asset Eden Park will be once all the developments are complete. Nikki Kaye, the MP for Auckland Central, might have\u2014had Trevor Mallard had his way\u2014had a stadium in her electorate. Perhaps she is a bit disappointed that she will not get such a valuable community asset. But she will get party central\u2014a bit of flat earth at the bottom of Queen Street in Auckland Central. The Government is investing something in the order of $18 million\u2014I stand to be corrected if someone knows better\u2014in party central, which will not be anything like the asset Eden Park will be or the waterfront stadium would have been.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000384\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EWhen we really start thinking about the priorities of this Government, we realise that maybe the $18 million might have been better spent in other ways. It would have cost just $16 million to maintain the adult and community education that has been slashed by this Government. It would have cost just $10 million to maintain the current services at Palmerston North Hospital in the MidCentral District Health Board area. It may have been wiser to spend the money on that, rather than a return to the 1980s with party central at the bottom of Queen Street in Auckland Central. Sadly, party central will not be the kind of community asset that Eden Park is.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000385\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EBut we do have Eden Park, and it is very, very important that we get it right. We have only one shot at the Rugby World Cup. We are a small country of just 4 million people. To have the opportunity to host the Rugby World Cup shows that, as usual, New Zealand has punched above its weight. I say thank you very much to the previous Prime Minister, Helen Clark, amongst other people, because she headed over to Dublin to help New Zealand in its bid. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000386\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022652f669589434557ad8cd7372189b4ed\u0022\u003EHon Tau Henare\u003C/span\u003E: We never won the world cup under a Labour Government!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000387\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022692a21ac09204dafb44e450d915dec39\u0022\u003EIAIN LEES-GALLOWAY\u003C/span\u003E: It was, in fact, under a Labour Government that New Zealand won the Rugby World Cup for the one and only time, in 1987. The member is slightly confused on that one. He is rewriting history, but that is OK. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000388\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fcd25b2581d647dead0c415265fbfea8\u0022\u003EHon Tau Henare\u003C/span\u003E: I apologise.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000389\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022085ada83d0e54cecb62fb9af4f16fbeb\u0022\u003EIAIN LEES-GALLOWAY\u003C/span\u003E: That is all right. The member apologised, and that is fine. We have just one shot to make sure that our one opportunity to host the Rugby World Cup goes absolutely right for us, and that we get the maximum economic benefit out of it. It has been estimated that the economic benefit to New Zealand could be in the order of $1.15 billion, so it is absolutely imperative we get it right. That figure breaks down to $476 million in total direct additional expenditure within New Zealand. Of that figure, $262 million is expected to be spent within Auckland. It is expected that there will be $507 million in additional gross domestic product for the New Zealand economy, of which $240 million is additional GDP for the Auckland economy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000390\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EIt is very, very important that we get this vital community asset right and also that the tourism spin-offs from the Rugby World Cup are felt outside of Auckland as well, and maybe felt even in my own electorate. We have been lucky enough in Palmerston North to be offered a couple of games. I think we have Europe 1 versus a qualifier of some description, so that will be a great game to go along to. Maybe a few people might head up the road from the Wellington games to watch some of the Palmerston North games so that my city can get some of the economic benefit. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000391\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002240522b17bdf84cd694070945c1be037f\u0022\u003EHone Harawira\u003C/span\u003E: Where\u2019s Palmerston North?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000392\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022444d3a225ae24df68d3d8933fcc47ace\u0022\u003EIAIN LEES-GALLOWAY\u003C/span\u003E: That is a very good question. Palmerston North is about 2 hours north. Unlike some National members, I know my north from my south. If we start in Wellington and head north for about 2 hours, we get to Palmerston North. If we head a little bit further north, we get to Wanganui and up to Taranaki and New Plymouth, as well. That is not heading south; that is heading north. That is a little bit of geography for the Government; I am sure it will help it out. Just like the Olympic Games, or the Commonwealth Games, which are more relevant for New Zealand, getting Eden Park right is absolutely right, because\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000393\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002245a218a6da73403d94a34fa67bd1184f\u0022\u003EHone Harawira\u003C/span\u003E: You go west to Wanganui, not north.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000394\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002299f51f1c3c3c485ba2c0c21aea20610e\u0022\u003EIAIN LEES-GALLOWAY\u003C/span\u003E: It is sort of west and north; it is definitely north from Palmerston North. But I agree with the member that it is mostly west and a little north. When the Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games are done right they have a lasting impression on the city where they are hosted. In the same way, the Rugby World Cup can have a lasting impression on New Zealand and the New Zealand economy. It is absolutely right that we not only get Eden Park right but also get the trust structured correctly. It is also important that the tourism strategy is absolutely right, and that we make the most of this opportunity.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EIn getting the trust deed right, there are a number of specifics that are probably worth going into. The trust deed specifies the trusts under which the trust property must be held and the governance arrangements for the trust property. The trust deed reflects the arrangements made between the parties. There is a declaration of trust in relation to the trust assets. The objectives of the trust are stated as follows: \u201CTo promote, operate and develop Eden Park as a high quality multi-purpose stadium for the use and benefit of rugby and cricket \u2026 as well as other sporting codes and other recreational, musical, and cultural events for the benefit of the public of the Region.\u201D That might even include a Labour Party caucus meeting. A further objective is \u201CTo administer Eden Park and the Trust Assets on a prudent commercial basis so that Eden Park is a successful financially autonomous community asset.\u201D The trust will have \u201Cdue regard to the needs of, and the contributions made by, and historical interests of, the Auckland Rugby Union and the Auckland Cricket Association, and the contributions of the Crown \u2026\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000396\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EIt is interesting to note that the trustees are not personally liable. The bill extends protection to all trustees, past and future, by providing that \u201CNo trustee of the Trust Board \u2026 is or may be personally liable for any act or omission of the Trust Board or any other trustee of the Trust Board \u2026\u201D. It covers any event beyond the control of the trustees that could potentially jeopardise the solvency of Eden Park. However, it specifically does not include any event or circumstance that could have been avoided by the trustees exercising a reasonable standard of care. If the board members invited David Beckham over to play a football game and it all went belly up, they would be liable for that debt.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000397\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003EThis bill is vitally important for making the most of the Rugby World Cup. The board must have greater independence from Parliament so that amendments can be made quickly and signed off by the Governor-General through Order in Council, and, for that reason, Labour wholeheartedly supports this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022 data-id=\u0022cf47b629b37c4089802294a36f39338b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000398\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cf47b629b37c4089802294a36f39338b\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON (Labour\u2014Wellington Central):\u003C/span\u003E It is a pleasure to take a call in this debate, having served on the Government Administration Committee, which considered the Eden Park Trust Amendment Bill. The committee was ably chaired by my colleague David Parker, and we certainly worked in a collegial atmosphere to bring this bill back to the House. It is an honour to talk about Eden Park; despite being a Wellingtonian, I can understand the importance and significance of Eden Park to all New Zealanders. It was the site of our first ever cricket test win, against the West Indies in the 1950s, which was a remarkable occasion. It has been the site of other great sporting achievements and we have already heard about the 1987 Rugby World Cup final. For Mr Henare\u2019s benefit, it was indeed under a Labour Government that New Zealand won its only Rugby World Cup title. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000399\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EIt has also been the scene of part of our social and cultural history. No one will forget the third test of the Springbok Tour in 1981 and what went on in the area around Eden Park. I ask Mr Henare whether he was there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000400\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022119367cefe7b43e69e038999c17cc591\u0022\u003EHon Tau Henare\u003C/span\u003E: I didn\u2019t go. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000401\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229eeec67593254ac88680a3bbf711705e\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: Those flour bombs missed their target then, clearly. I remember as a young person watching the news footage of the event and being quite disturbed by what I saw there. Clearly, Eden Park was the centre of that. When they demolished the grandstand, they found the trapdoor that was used to get the Springbok rugby team in and out of Eden Park so that they did not have to run the gauntlet of the protest. It was certainly a time of huge social upheaval in New Zealand. As a 10-year-old, I was well aware of where I stood on the Springbok Tour; some other members of this House are not so sure.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000402\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d6309b1eb1fa4e5eb7baf9e6895198b3\u0022\u003EHon Tau Henare\u003C/span\u003E: As a 10-year-old? Come on!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000403\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022058f399339a04c6c8cd19e6f7d60061b\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: I was 10 years old during the 1981 Springbok Tour. I certainly knew where I stood on the Springbok Tour at the time. Unfortunately, some other members of the House are not so clear on that. Mr Key, in particular, was not clear at all on his position on the Springbok Tour, which is remarkable for somebody at university at the time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000404\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EI also know we have already heard quite an interesting contribution from Mr Locke about the different uses of Eden Park today, particularly the split between cricket and rugby. I will return to the issue of the different responsibilities of the Auckland Cricket Association and the Auckland Rugby Football Union. It is true that a lot less cricket is now played on the Eden Park main ground. This trust deed now clarifies the use of the No. 2 ground for the Auckland Cricket Association, and I know the association is happy about that. It is a ground it wants to develop. In recent years, it has hosted first-class cricket finals and also the finals of the one-day cricket competition and the Twenty20 competition. I know they are looking at potentially developing it as a test venue rather than the No. 1 ground. I certainly share Mr Locke\u2019s view that the expansion of the rugby season has seen a sense of cricket almost being forced out of venues like Eden Park. Personally, I think we can find a good and better balance in that regard. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000405\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EMy colleague Chris Hipkins has already talked about what the committee debated in terms of the position around the so-called \u201CHenry VIII\u201D clause. I will not go back over that again, except to say that the committee understood and had a good dialogue with the Regulations Review Committee about the importance of being careful about such clauses. But we think this is the best outcome for the bill. It is a different arrangement here. We have a situation whereby a partnership has been created between the Auckland Cricket Association, the Auckland Rugby Football Union, and the Government to ensure that Eden Park is the facility we want it to be for Rugby World Cup 2011 and beyond. The special arrangements we have here are the right ones to get us through. We are certainly aware that the Regulations Review Committee had its views. We have taken them into account and ensured that we have a bill that we think will work. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000406\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EMr Hipkins also mentioned the discussion we had around the appointment and removal of trustees. We have made some amendments to the bill in order to ensure that the concerns of the Attorney-General around the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act have been taken into account. I will refer to something that is in the commentary of the bill around the responsibilities of the trustees. We had quite long conversations in the select committee about how the trustees would be able to enact their responsibilities. This comes back to the partnership I have mentioned before. The Auckland Cricket Association and the Auckland Rugby Football Union have a long history and a long association with Eden Park. The Government is now a partner, as well. It is important that as we move forward a balance is set between the responsibilities of the trustees to hold an asset and look after an asset that is for all New Zealanders, given the financial contribution by the Government, so that they are managing Eden Park for the broader community. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EThe broader community now has a stake in Eden Park, and the trustees need to be aware of that and manage it. Equally, we also know that the associations are looking to maximise revenue from the ground. The revenue that is generated from Eden Park is extraordinarily significant to the wider Auckland cricket region. It is also significant to Auckland rugby. The committee has noted in its commentary: \u201Cwe expect that the trust will move towards a more commercial model when other sporting codes hire the facilities, which should meet the objectives of the trust, as outlined in clause 4.1(b) of the trust deed. Clause 4.1(b) states that one of the objects for which the trust is continued is \u2018to administer Eden Park and the Trust Assets on a prudent commercial basis so that Eden Park is a successful financially autonomous community asset\u2019.\u201D It is quite a difficult balance to be able to run Eden Park so that it is a community asset in the broadest sense, but also so that it is commercially viable. That is the challenge that is now in front of the new trustees of Eden Park, which are appointed by the Auckland Cricket Association, the Auckland Rugby Football Union, and the Government. The committee wanted to put that in the commentary to ensure that that balance was recognised as the bill passes through the House this evening. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000408\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EI will refer to the objects of the trust, which will become part of law. It is important that we look at them in some detail so that we can see the balance the trustees have to look at. The objects of the trust are \u201CTo promote, operate and develop Eden Park as a high quality multi-purpose stadium for the use and benefit of rugby and cricket \u2026 as well as other sporting codes and other recreational, musical, and cultural events for the benefit of the public of the Region;\u201D. That is quite a wide-ranging object. The Auckland Rugby Football Union and Auckland Cricket Association are there primarily. Eden Park is their ground. They have developed it over the years. They continue to be the key stakeholders. The Government is now involved, as well. The people of New Zealand are stakeholders through the Government. But we also want to see\u2014and I think all members in the House want to see\u2014Eden Park used for the widest possible range of events. We already heard this evening from a number of speakers the different events that have been held at Eden Park, and we want to continue to ensure that they are held there. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000409\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002284ea995b624b416f87c3d566733ec675\u0022\u003EHone Harawira\u003C/span\u003E: Rugby league.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000410\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002291fb92274d1f4b28bfdfffe14ff8c405\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: I would like to see rugby league, obviously, which is a great sport, but also some musical and cultural events held there. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000411\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EThe second object of the trust, as I mentioned, is the one that ensures that it is to be administered on a prudent commercial basis so that it is a successful, financially autonomous community asset. That is the challenge in front of the trustees, and I am sure they are well aware of it. The other objects of the trust make note of the partnership between the Crown, the Auckland Rugby Football Union, and the Auckland Cricket Association. Again, I will pause here to pay tribute to the Auckland Rugby Football Union and the Auckland Cricket Association, which have adopted a very flexible approach in the negotiation of the bill. I also pay tribute to the officials, mainly from the Ministry of Economic Development, who worked very hard to ensure an outcome that was acceptable to all parties. The committee certainly valued their advice. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000412\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EI will move through some other parts of the trust deed that I think are important to note. One of them, clause 6 of the covenants, is around the trustees\u2019 responsibilities. It notes the different responsibilities of the Auckland Rugby Football Union and the Auckland Cricket Association. The Auckland Cricket Association will have preferential use rights to the No. 2 ground.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000413\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a8d3a07dc35045b4895748269cdafbb7\u0022\u003EHone Harawira\u003C/span\u003E: But you\u2019re from Wellington.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000414\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221ad82e4d936946a3b2047c0d2db30324\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: I know, but I care about cricket and rugby right across New Zealand. The best rugby team in New Zealand is obviously in Wellington. I thank my colleague for noting that, but Auckland rugby and Auckland cricket need support, as well. The Auckland Cricket Association will also have permanent use and occupation of facilities on a year-round basis, and concessionary venue hire. There are concessionary terms here for the Auckland Cricket Association. That is recognition of the association\u2019s long-term contribution to the ground and the development of the ground, as there is for Auckland rugby, as well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000415\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EI can say that the entire community will benefit from this asset. The Auckland Cricket Association and the Auckland Rugby Football Union have their role in developing it and continuing to develop it. I hope Eden Park will be a community asset we can all be proud of, and in 2011 when we win the Rugby World Cup we can all look at a stadium that is for all New Zealanders. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000416\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003EBill read a second time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000417\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022094b4141f09d4b09ae34220570e21307\u0022\u003EThird Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225192f6d3-dca6-43c8-a55e-381e1d7c1225\u0022 data-id=\u0022e61caca384264a9aa0a1760d46b30736\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000418\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225192f6d3-dca6-43c8-a55e-381e1d7c1225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e61caca384264a9aa0a1760d46b30736\u0022\u003EHon MURRAY McCULLY (National\u2014East Coast Bays):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the Eden Park Trust Amendment Bill be now read a third time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000419\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225192f6d3-dca6-43c8-a55e-381e1d7c1225\u0022\u003EBill read a third time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000420\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c91e587bae584d89ad74280512971159\u0022\u003ETe R\u0101 o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000421\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00221adcd575cb724c588f9a8544b7e64872\u0022\u003EFirst Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000422\u0022\u003EDebate resumed from 29 July.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002203bc0052-6dd8-4807-998a-4768a4732e0b\u0022 data-id=\u00225f72a61c243b42bdac619cf803703f1d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000423\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203bc0052-6dd8-4807-998a-4768a4732e0b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225f72a61c243b42bdac619cf803703f1d\u0022\u003EThe ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Rick Barker)\u003C/span\u003E: When the bill was debated last, Metiria Turei was speaking. She has 3 minutes remaining, should she wish to take them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022 data-id=\u00227f3b25d14fe4447a8398df0edfcc1dc8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000424\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227f3b25d14fe4447a8398df0edfcc1dc8\u0022\u003EDr KENNEDY GRAHAM (Musterer\u2014Green):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Ms Turei will be on her way. She is otherwise disposed at the moment. Is it possible for her to take her call later?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221fb8d8db-3e96-49c7-ab1c-b7916a50e30e\u0022 data-id=\u00222c79e13070044b47858fccf04688f566\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000425\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221fb8d8db-3e96-49c7-ab1c-b7916a50e30e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222c79e13070044b47858fccf04688f566\u0022\u003EHon STEVE CHADWICK (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I am certainly happy to take a quick call while we are waiting for Metiria to arrive in the Chamber.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002203bc0052-6dd8-4807-998a-4768a4732e0b\u0022 data-id=\u00229d0b7f4865a14c5a8669101252607594\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000426\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203bc0052-6dd8-4807-998a-4768a4732e0b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229d0b7f4865a14c5a8669101252607594\u0022\u003EThe ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Rick Barker)\u003C/span\u003E: No, that is not possible. The call is for Metiria Turei. If she is not here to take the call, the call moves to the next speaker. Should Metiria Turei turn up some time later, she is free to seek the leave of the House to complete her call. If the House agrees, that will be the case. This is her spot, but the time has moved.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022 data-id=\u0022282c43a3feea401e94d65c5a770fd8c5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000427\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022282c43a3feea401e94d65c5a770fd8c5\u0022\u003EHONE HARAWIRA (M\u0101ori Party\u2014Te Tai Tokerau):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe e te M\u0101ngai. T\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa e te Whare. Hoi an\u014D e te M\u0101ngai, t\u0113r\u0101 e k\u012B nei waimaria m\u0101tou o te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori i te mea, i hara mai t\u0113nei pire ki mua i te aroaro o te Whare P\u0101remata i te w\u0101 o te reo M\u0101ori. \u0100e, he waimaria pea engari, t\u0113r\u0101 pea ka k\u012Ba he tino tikanga t\u0113nei mai i te wairua t\u016Bpuna. Ki te whakaaro M\u0101ori e \u014Drite ana ng\u0101 kaupapa e rua nei, m\u014D te reo, m\u014D Matariki an\u014D hoki. He taonga tuku iho i ng\u0101 atua ki \u014D m\u0101tou t\u016Bpuna, \u0101, tae noa mai ki a m\u0101tou i \u0113nei r\u0101. Ko te reo, ko Matariki an\u014D hoki he m\u0101tauranga i ora ai \u014D m\u0101tou iwi mai i te w\u0101 i a r\u0101tou i Hawaiki tonu. N\u0101 Matariki me \u014Dna hoa whet\u016B, \u014D m\u0101tou t\u016Bpuna i \u0101rahi mai i Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa ki Aotearoa. N\u0101 ng\u0101 whet\u016B r\u0101tou i m\u014Dhio ai kei hea r\u0101tou, ki hea r\u0101tou haere ai i ng\u0101 w\u0101 katoa. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000428\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EKo Matariki t\u0113tahi tohu nui m\u014D te huringa o ng\u0101 tau me te hokinga mai o ng\u0101 rangi mahana o te k\u014Danga, o te raumati. He tohu nui m\u014D te whakatipu kai, m\u014D te h\u012B ngohi, m\u014D te mahi manu me ng\u0101 momo mahi e ora ai ng\u0101 iwi i te ao k\u014Dhatu. N\u014D reira, he tohu mana a Matariki, he tohu e kaing\u0101kautia ana e ng\u0101 iwi o te motu. N\u014D reira, e tika ana kia k\u014Drerotia t\u0113nei pire m\u014D Matariki me te mana o te reo M\u0101ori. Koi an\u014D hoki t\u0113tahi tohu mana. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000429\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EKo te kaupapa o t\u0113nei pire, kia whakamana i te w\u0101 o Matariki i raro i te ture, kia whai w\u0101hi ai ng\u0101 iwi katoa o Aotearoa ki tenei tohu mana. M\u0101 t\u0113nei pire e manaaki, e whakanui, e whakarangatira te P\u0101remata i t\u0113nei koha a ng\u0101 M\u0101ori ki \u014D r\u0101tou hoa o Aotearoa. Ehara i te tikanga o t\u0113nei pire ki te akiaki i t\u0113tahi atu, ki te whiu i t\u0113tahi atu, ki te p\u0113hi i t\u0113tahi atu. K\u0101o. Hei whakakotahi i ng\u0101 iwi o te motu i runga an\u014D i ng\u0101 tikanga taketake o t\u0113nei whenua. Kua kite k\u0113 t\u0101tou i te \u0101huareka o ng\u0101 iwi katoa e tautoko ana i ng\u0101 kaupapa o Matariki. Ko te karanga a t\u0113nei pire ki te P\u0101remata: tautokonatia, manaakitia, h\u0101paitia t\u0113nei kaupapa \u0101taahua! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000430\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EMe hoki atu \u014D t\u0101tou whakaaro ki ng\u0101 tau e toru tekau kua hipa atu, ki te t\u012Bmatanga o te w\u0101 o te reo M\u0101ori. Ka p\u0113r\u0101 tonu te whakaaro M\u0101ori, kia manaakitia t\u0113nei taonga whakahirahira e ng\u0101 iwi katoa o te ao hei taonga m\u014D r\u0101tou katoa engari i t\u0113r\u0101 w\u0101 o te k\u016Bware, k\u012Bhai i tutuki pai te whakaaro. Ka mataku w\u0113tahi kei whakak\u014Drerotia te reo e r\u0101tou hakoa t\u0101 r\u0101tou kore hiahia. Ki w\u0113tahi he kaupapa whakawehewehe i te iwi kotahi o te motu. T\u0113n\u0101, ka pau te toru tekau tau, kua rata mai te nuinga ki te reo M\u0101ori, ka kitea hei kaupapa whakakotahi i a t\u0101tou, hei kaupapa whakaatu i te mana motuhake o Aotearoa ki iwi k\u0113. Ko te t\u016Bmanako, ka p\u0113r\u0101 an\u014D a Matariki. M\u0101 t\u0113nei pire t\u0101tou e whakakotahi i Aotearoa. M\u0101 Matariki t\u0101tou e whakawhanaunga ki ng\u0101 iwi o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa e m\u014Dhio ana nei r\u0101tou ki a Makali\u2019i, ki a Mataliki, ki a Matari\u2019i r\u0101nei. Otir\u0101, he tohu e k\u012B ana n\u014D Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa t\u0101tou katoa. E m\u014Dhio ana t\u0101tou katoa ki t\u014D t\u0101tou whakapapa. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000431\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000432\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E[Greetings to you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and to us all, the House. Mr Assistant Speaker, you might say that we in the M\u0101ori Party are lucky because this bill came before Parliament at the time of M\u0101ori Language Week. Yes, we may be lucky, but it could also be said that this is our destiny, bequeathed by our ancestors. The M\u0101ori view is that these two issues, the language and Matariki, are very similar. They are treasures handed down from the gods to our ancestors, and on to us today. The language and Matariki are part of the culture that have enabled our ancestors to survive since the time they were still living in Hawaiki. Matariki and other stars guided our ancestors across the Pacific, the great ocean of Kiwa. The stars told them where they were, and where they were to head to, at all times. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000433\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EMatariki is also a great sign of changing seasons and the return of the warmer days of spring and summer. It was a great guide for planting crops, for fishing, fowling, and activities like that to enable the people in the old days to survive. So Matariki is a powerful symbol valued by the tribes of the country, and it is appropriate that we talk about the Matariki bill and the importance of the M\u0101ori language at the same time. That in itself is a powerful sign. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000434\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EThe purpose of this bill is to empower the season of Matariki under the law so that all New Zealanders can contribute to this powerful symbol. Through this bill, Parliament will respect, acknowledge, and glorify this gift from the M\u0101ori people to their fellow citizens. This bill is not intended to coerce anyone, or force anyone, or pressure anyone. Absolutely not! It is intended to unite the people of this nation on the basis of shared indigenous values. We have already seen the pleasure that people get from celebrating Matariki events. This bill invites the Parliament to support, endorse, and promote this wonderful philosophy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000435\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003ELet us cast our minds back 30 years to the beginnings of M\u0101ori Language Week. M\u0101ori thinking was just the same, in that all people should share this cultural treasure as part of their own heritage, but in those bad old days of ignorance the dream was not realised. Some people were afraid they would be forced to speak M\u0101ori against their will. Others saw it as an issue that divided the one people of Aotearoa. Well, after 30 years, most people have come round to te reo M\u0101ori. It is seen as a philosophy to unite us and to showcase New Zealand\u2019s autonomy to other people. The hope is that Matariki will do the same. Through this bill we will unite New Zealand. Matariki will enhance our relationship with the people of the great ocean of Kiwa, who know it as Makali\u2019i, Mataliki, or Matari\u2019i. Indeed, it symbolises that we are all from the great ocean of Kiwa. We all know our origins.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000436\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223777ca6c334c44629b2946372e846a32\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The member has 1 minute remaining.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000437\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e4a093341b0641c496c190ca2c6723a0\u0022\u003EHONE HARAWIRA\u003C/span\u003E: Ko taku k\u014Drero i te reo M\u0101ori, ko te rima meneti t\u0113r\u0101, ko t\u014D whakap\u0101keh\u0101tanga, ko te rima meneti an\u014D. Ko te katoa e tekau meneti. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000438\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000439\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E[My address in the M\u0101ori language is for 5 minutes, and the interpretation is for 5 minutes, as well. That makes the total 10 minutes]. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000440\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a4fefc71a2a541cb9c3f34e2a8bd2750\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: We are taking that into account. When we have an interpretation, the clock stops. You have 49 seconds left. We do take into account the interpretation, and the clock stops.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000441\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d00fa9f947ea4172b4e0c42f9e8d52dd\u0022\u003EHONE HARAWIRA\u003C/span\u003E: E k\u0101o. Kua kite au i te karaka, i t\u012Bmata au i te rima karaka. I n\u0101ianei, kua rima meneti p\u0101hi. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000443\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E[I beg to differ. I noted that it showed 5 on the clock. Now I see that 5 minutes have passed.] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000444\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022443cba354b6e4b429b3ea264e95863fd\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The clock started at 4.58 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000445\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d3a107889fda42f0949a33929f4af02b\u0022\u003EHONE HARAWIRA\u003C/span\u003E: Ka pai. E toru meneti e toe ana. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000446\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EM\u0113n\u0101 ka whakamanahia t\u0113nei pire hei ture, ka mana hoki te tuatahi o ng\u0101 r\u0101 whakamahara i t\u0113tahi kaupapa taketake. E tekau \u0101 t\u0101tou r\u0101 whakat\u0101 \u0101-motu me t\u0113tahi r\u0101 whakat\u0101 \u0101-rohe i tua atu ia tau, \u0101, k\u0101hore t\u0113tahi mea kotahi n\u0101 te tangata whenua. Ko te R\u0101 o Waitangi he whakanui i te whakahoatanga o nga iwi taketake me tauiwi. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000447\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EHei kupu whakamutunga m\u0101ku, kei te \u0101wangawanga w\u0113tahi kei noho nama ng\u0101 kaip\u0101kihi m\u014D te utu i t\u0113tahi r\u0101 whakat\u0101 an\u014D. Ko t\u0101ku ki a t\u0101tou, waiho t\u0113r\u0101 m\u014D t\u0113nei w\u0101. Me w\u0101nangatia te kaupapa nui i te tuatahi, katahi ka huri ai ki te utu. E whakapono ana ahau, he kaupapa pai k\u0113 ake a Matariki i te r\u0101 whai muri i te R\u0101 o te Tau Hou, i te R\u0101 Mekemeke r\u0101nei hei r\u0101 tapu. Hoi n\u014D, ko taku whakahau ki te Whare kia tautoko kaha i t\u0113nei pire. T\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000448\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E [An interpretation in English was given to the House.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000449\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E[Good. Three minutes remain, then.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000450\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EShould this bill be passed, the first of such days commemorating an indigenous event will be recognised, as well. We have 10 public holidays, plus a provincial holiday, each year, and not a single one has indigenous roots. Waitangi Day celebrates the relationship between the indigenous people and non-M\u0101ori. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000451\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EIn closing, I say that some people are concerned about the cost to business of another paid holiday. I say to them: leave that for the moment. Let us discuss the main issue first, and then address the cost. I personally believe that Matariki is a much better \u201Choly day\u201D than the day after New Year\u2019s Day, or Boxing Day. I urge the House to support this bill strongly. Greetings to us all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022 data-id=\u0022828c78f59f644a3caba62a1f043b1af5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000452\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022828c78f59f644a3caba62a1f043b1af5\u0022\u003EHon TAU HENARE (National):\u003C/span\u003E I start by posing this question: why do we try to find legitimisation from Parliament when we should be finding legitimisation in our communities? I think the idea of Matariki Day is a good one. There is so much good feeling around the issue of Matariki. It is distinctly and uniquely New Zealand. Every indigenous culture around the world recognises Matariki. It is known as Subaru in Japan\u2014and they did not have to legitimise it through Parliament. Mr Twyford shakes his head, but I do not think it is necessary\u2014and I apologise to my M\u0101ori colleagues for the term I will use\u2014to \u201Ctapu-ise\u201D or whakatapu our ideas so much that we spend only one day of the year celebrating or having reverence for Matariki. I am of the opinion that the Government, the Opposition, and everyone else should spend time, in fact, the whole month\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000453\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ec52e678c8ed4c169f4f9377a59c97ca\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: How does this argument work for Christmas Day?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000454\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022be09ad97e590445a9bbd18578bcc7b32\u0022\u003EHon TAU HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: That member would not understand what Matariki is. He should shut up and listen to a real cultural discussion about Matariki and what it stands for. It is not a public holiday and it should never be a public holiday. But what we should do in this country is recognise the cultural importance of the whole of June as Matariki month. We should think about the leverage we could get from that in terms of tourism, sport, culture, and recognition. We should think about the leverage that Wellington, Auckland, and every other community could get from having a Matariki month.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000455\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003EAll that Labour members want is another public holiday\u2014that is all it is about to them. Labour members want another day to sit on their fat chuffs and do nothing. They want another day to sit back, put their feet up, and watch TV. That is all that Matariki is about to the Labour Party. Where are all the M\u0101ori members of the Labour Party right now? They are nowhere to be seen. They must be having a BBQ somewhere. Where is Shane Jones? This bill is about a cultural icon that should not be in this House being legitimised or even talked about by the idiots across the way. Members should think about the sort of leverage we would be able to garner overseas if we had a whole month of celebrations about Matariki.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000456\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d686c59938bc4994b63bb89617d32072\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019d be fantastic.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000457\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cd00aee4544447aab3596b6c956fdb68\u0022\u003EHon TAU HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: Well, why does Labour not come up with an idea or two about how we would achieve that? It is pretty simple.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000458\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b84c6b3197294c939b30d4d866446d98\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: Send the bill to the select committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000459\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022df4d98b36b3a4cfa9c051cb005bbe2fb\u0022\u003EHon TAU HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: The member says we should send it to the select committee. Matariki has been around for a long time, but in the last 9 years Labour did not come up with the idea of having a public holiday for Matariki. Now that Labour is in Opposition and does not have to make the decisions, it will support this bill. Gone are the times when Labour accused the party who brought it to the House of being haters and wreckers\u2014but that is all right because Labour apologised for that. It is pretty plain and simple that we need to grow up and have our cultural icons as days where communities celebrate in recognition of those cultural events without Parliament saying that we must have a day off and without Parliament saying to the businessmen that they must give somebody a day off. Why do we not take the responsibility for ourselves in our communities?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000460\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002246d420d167de4d829f3ef2745564146e\u0022\u003EPhil Twyford\u003C/span\u003E: Who thought up this line?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000461\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022524fa272d41f41b584d3d2449e2d38dc\u0022\u003EHon TAU HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: Well, it certainly was not the Fabians\u2014that is for sure. It is time for New Zealand and her communities to recognise Matariki and celebrate from 1 June until the end of June, and not just have another public holiday so that Labour members can sit on their chuffs and do nothing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223facbb72-b3b0-464b-b24d-e6de0616f323\u0022 data-id=\u00222a767482bbac4b2e9b181f32f19d814c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000462\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223facbb72-b3b0-464b-b24d-e6de0616f323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222a767482bbac4b2e9b181f32f19d814c\u0022\u003ECAROL BEAUMONT (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Speaker. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa e te Whare. In speaking on this Te R\u0101 o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill I start by acknowledging Rahui Katene for this great idea and for presenting it to the House. Certainly, we will be supporting the bill going through to a select committee, and we acknowledge the idea of proposing a truly indigenous holiday for our country. We think its time has certainly come, and it is something we should be discussing as a country. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000463\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223facbb72-b3b0-464b-b24d-e6de0616f323\u0022\u003EMatariki has traditionally, as others have said, been a time for planting, planning, valuing the past, and preparing for the future. An increasing number of Matariki celebrations are held throughout New Zealand for a period of a month or so, as the previous speaker said. Matariki really does come across as an example of the strength and vitality of the M\u0101ori people. But Matariki is also something that is unique to this country. As I have already said, we certainly support the bill going to a select committee. A whole number of issues could be discussed in a select committee if, of course, the Government chooses to let that happen. But it would seem from all of the speakers so far that it will not happen, and that the Government is not willing to allow the concept of having a Matariki Day to be discussed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000464\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223facbb72-b3b0-464b-b24d-e6de0616f323\u0022\u003EThe bill is about more than just saying there should be another holiday. Other speakers have talked about the possibility that Matariki Day should be instead of a current public holiday. Let us discuss all of those points. Let us discuss the issue that Mr Henare raised about a month of celebration of Matariki. Let us use the bill as an opportunity to let the idea go to a select committee and to hear what people think. I think the bill is very, very important.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000465\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223facbb72-b3b0-464b-b24d-e6de0616f323\u0022\u003EThe bill itself proposes a new public holiday to celebrate Matariki on the day of the next new moon after the Matariki constellation has risen. That will vary from year to year, but it is generally in May or June. Matariki is really important as part of our identity of Aotearoa New Zealand. Labour certainly supports building a strong identity for Aotearoa New Zealand. Many things already define us as a country. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000466\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223facbb72-b3b0-464b-b24d-e6de0616f323\u0022\u003ELabour has been very, very proud of many things over the years, such as our independent foreign policy, our support for New Zealand\u2019s creative sector, and establishing our own judicial system and honours system. But a number of members will recognise that some of those things have already been undermined. Our identity is being undermined by the current Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000467\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223facbb72-b3b0-464b-b24d-e6de0616f323\u0022\u003EHolidays are important. Holidays benefit all New Zealanders, not just a privileged few who are prioritised by the current Government\u2014all New Zealanders. The current Government is prioritising the rich. I ask members to look at things like tax cuts and funding of private schools. We like the idea of having another public holiday. It would benefit all New Zealanders. Our record in the area of holidays is one that no one can deny. I ask members to look at Labour\u2019s track record. Having 3 weeks of annual leave was brought in under a Labour Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000468\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002217caed73c48842e88e1c096a0f19294c\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: Norman Kirk.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000469\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223facbb72-b3b0-464b-b24d-e6de0616f323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228202ee17a9e6478fa5b8472016d92744\u0022\u003ECAROL BEAUMONT\u003C/span\u003E: That is right\u2014the Kirk Government. Annual leave increased in 2007 to 4 weeks. Workers being paid time and a half for working on a public holiday was done under a Labour Government. In fact, as I understand it\u2014and I could be corrected\u2014the last public holiday that was added was initially called New Zealand Day and became Waitangi Day in 1974. So, in fact, we have not had a new public holiday for a very, very long time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000470\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223facbb72-b3b0-464b-b24d-e6de0616f323\u0022\u003EPublic holidays and annual leave are very important for rest and recreation, but public holidays are particularly important as celebrations. They are celebrations of particular events, but also they are celebrations that enable communities to get together, whether that is for family reunions, sporting tournaments, or cultural events. Those are all important things for all New Zealanders. Holidays are a time to rest and to spend time with family. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000471\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223facbb72-b3b0-464b-b24d-e6de0616f323\u0022\u003EWe have a culture of long working hours. We have had increased participation in the paid workforce, although we are under increasing risk of unemployment at the moment. All of those things are important, and the fact that a winter public holiday is being proposed is worthy of consideration. It is a long haul from Anzac Day to Labour Day without a public holiday except Queen\u2019s Birthday. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000472\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223facbb72-b3b0-464b-b24d-e6de0616f323\u0022\u003EMy final point is that holidays can be good for business. Some members say that another public holiday would hurt businesses. But holidays can actually be good for businesses, because they provide an opportunity for rest and refreshment for workers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221fb8d8db-3e96-49c7-ab1c-b7916a50e30e\u0022 data-id=\u00229b1854ce253f4b87b37ef00ce6656fb1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000473\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221fb8d8db-3e96-49c7-ab1c-b7916a50e30e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229b1854ce253f4b87b37ef00ce6656fb1\u0022\u003EHon STEVE CHADWICK (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I am very happy to pick up on the theme that the previous speaker, Carol Beaumont, was talking on so well when she ran out of time. I am pleased to speak on the Te R\u0101 o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill. I think it is time for us\u2014especially in a time of recession, when we are all looking at how to soften its sharp edges\u2014to look at and reflect on the value of time spent with our children and time spent with our families, especially on an indigenous public holiday. None of the other public holidays sit well with all of New Zealand. But here is an opportunity for us, with Matariki Day, to celebrate new life, new growth, and a new season. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000474\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221fb8d8db-3e96-49c7-ab1c-b7916a50e30e\u0022\u003EI was reminded of Matariki by my moko Manaia, who came home first from his kura to tell me all about Matariki Day and the constellations, the voyage to New Zealand, and the planting calendar. I thought \u201CWell done, little boy!\u201D. He was then four. Now at school, he has come home with more beautiful drawings and celebrations of Matariki Day. The school went to Te Papa and had a wonderful day, but his parents could not go with him. It was not a public holiday. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000475\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221fb8d8db-3e96-49c7-ab1c-b7916a50e30e\u0022\u003EI think Matariki Day is a wonderful day for us and is about the growth of our country. As the M\u0101ori Party has mentioned, it has been 30 years since recognition of the M\u0101ori language came in. I remember the shock, horror at the thought that we might have to speak te reo. Yet now, that is seen to be nothing. In fact, many cultures are celebrating M\u0101ori Language Week. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000476\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221fb8d8db-3e96-49c7-ab1c-b7916a50e30e\u0022\u003EI was a bit disturbed to hear National members say things like \u201CGet off your butt.\u201D, \u201CGet out to work.\u201D, \u201CAdd to productivity.\u201D, and \u201CStop sitting on your chuff and wanting yet another public holiday,\u201D, when at this very time in New Zealand\u2019s culture we are worried about family violence and want to build strong, resilient communities. We could do no better in rebuilding communities than to celebrate a day that truly belongs to all New Zealanders. We could do that rather than sharing the vestiges of a colonial past, which is actually what Waitangi Day represents, and rather than sharing religious holidays. Many people now do not have a religious belief, and Christmas or Easter may not mean anything to them. All of those days that we respect are part of the 3\u00BD days of public holidays, but this bill gives the opportunity for a truly New Zealand day to be celebrated. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000477\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221fb8d8db-3e96-49c7-ab1c-b7916a50e30e\u0022\u003EI think the bill is wonderful; it is aspirational. If the generations of people in this House listen to our children, they will understand that Matariki is a festival day. It excites all children, not just M\u0101ori children, about the cycle of life, the cycle of growth, and the importance of family. Those are the things we should be holding dear to ourselves. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000478\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221fb8d8db-3e96-49c7-ab1c-b7916a50e30e\u0022\u003EI also agree with the M\u0101ori Party that we do not need to worry yet about whether people are paid a day in lieu or whether there is compensation for the difficulties in the workplace. Select committees can work that sort of thing out. They have a submission process, as they had on the Easter trading bill where they worked out how workers and employers should be recompensed for public holidays. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000479\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221fb8d8db-3e96-49c7-ab1c-b7916a50e30e\u0022\u003EI think this bill is aspirational for all New Zealanders. I thought the National Government wanted to have a bright future for all New Zealanders. This bill gives parties across the House the chance to not pan the proposal for a Matariki Day but to send the bill to the select committee and let it hear submissions from people across New Zealand: workers, employers, families, and groups that care about building a New Zealand identity that is strong, that we can be proud of, and that is aspirational for our children. The bill is the perfect tool. It was exciting to see that Rahui Katene\u2019s bill was successful in the ballot. I was very sad to hear that this Government, which talks about having high aspirations and high family values, is panning the bill, which provides the first opportunity for New Zealand to celebrate nation rebuilding. I am proud to be in a party that supports the referral of this bill to a select committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022 data-id=\u0022863c63f9fc4e4df7908fb32efe66b586\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000480\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022863c63f9fc4e4df7908fb32efe66b586\u0022\u003ERAHUI KATENE (M\u0101ori Party\u2014Te Tai Tonga):\u003C/span\u003E I came to the Chamber today in the hope that our nation had evolved to a point at which we could stand together and say that a distinctly New Zealand identity is important. I put Te R\u0101 o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill into the ballot because it reflects and resonates with so many New Zealanders. Matariki has been taken up enthusiastically right throughout the land as a time for coming together with family and friends, a time for festivities, a time for connecting all people together in the spirit of the M\u0101ori new year. Matariki has been manifest in festivities throughout communities, and, more formally, with the endorsement of key Government agencies such as Te Papa, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo M\u0101ori, and a host of district councils and local government bodies. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000481\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003EMatariki, in its essence, is a navigational star to guide us in our journey forward. The M\u0101ori Party was only too happy to put forward this bill to show our commitment to move our nation forward. We want to place on the record our appreciation to the Greens, the Labour Party, and United Future because they had in their mind the vision of a nation in which kotahitanga is an aspiration that we can all share. I thank those parties, and the speakers who have taken a stand, for their insight and intelligence in investing in opportunities for debate. The spirit of unity and optimism was evident in the k\u014Drero that has taken place in this Chamber today and a fortnight ago. It was an enormous disappointment that neither the National Party nor the ACT Party could back this bill. It is a sad day when we are divided in the Parliament about something as fundamental as our cultural identity. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000482\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003EFrom the way some speakers approached this issue, it seemed that Matariki was becoming bigger than Ben Hur. I want to bring the debate back to why we want to support and promote the concept of Matariki as the time in which we celebrate the unique place in which we live. There are no days in the official calendar in which we have a stand-alone holiday that celebrates the distinctly New Zealand identity that is ours. Matariki Day would do that, and being placed in the midst of the winter period it provides a vital breathing space, a period for revitalisation and rejuvenation during the colder season. Some of the holidays we currently have bear further scrutiny. The Queen\u2019s actual birthday is 21 April, yet we celebrate Queen\u2019s Birthday in June. We have a day off on Boxing Day\u2014a day marked by the giving of Christmas boxes to service workers in the United Kingdom. We have a day off on the day after 1 January. I do not know what that celebrates but we have it. And, of course, we have the traditional days to mark Christian events or to acknowledge Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The last thing I will suggest is that we pit Matariki Day against any of the 11 public holidays and make a competition of which event is the most significant. We do not want to be part of any initiative that pits Matariki against God or the Queen. It is not a case of either-or. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000483\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003EBut I also believe that the wider picture of how we celebrate public events and holidays is worthy of further debate than we have been able to achieve in the 65 minutes allocated for this issue. Also, the point raised that our 11 public holidays compare poorly with other countries such as Italy with 16, and Japan and Spain with 14, is worth considering more. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000484\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e2e2ee61-b3b9-4a89-bcc3-5b7be76c5825\u0022\u003EA fortnight ago Mr Tremain stood in this House and shared the proverb: \u201CWhakataka te hau ki te uru\u201D. He spoke with passion about the potential those words offered: \u201CLet the red-tipped dawn come \u2026 a promise of a glorious day.\u201D Te R\u0101 o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill offered us that promise: a time to celebrate the coming together of a nation. We regret that two parties were unable to support the opportunity to bring the people together to celebrate Matariki Day, but although the die is cast the debate is certainly not over. The M\u0101ori Party will continue to speak out and speak up about the value of a distinctly New Zealand identity. Kia ora. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022c0543c1dbe46497e8cd46e385ade402f\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the Te R\u0101 o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill be now read a first time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 59\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 43; Green Party 9; M\u0101ori Party 5; Progressive 1; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 63\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 58; ACT New Zealand 5.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000485\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002220c86f7e61cb4bfda70a2868a1778a58\u0022\u003ELocal Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000486\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00221eeee158b33144c3b9b2868d1c116ede\u0022\u003EFirst Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022 data-id=\u002290ed5cc8ef1049608e7d88ce41438c9d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000487\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002290ed5cc8ef1049608e7d88ce41438c9d\u0022\u003EPHIL TWYFORD (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill be now read a first time. At the appropriate time I intend to move that the bill be considered by the Local Government and Environment Committee. I also intend to move that the Local Government and Environment Committee, in its consideration of the bill, have the power to consider and, if it thinks fit, adopt amendments that have the effect of requiring a referendum conducted under the Local Electoral Act 2001 before the sale or privatisation of any council assets anywhere in New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000488\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EThis member\u2019s bill could also be known as the \u201CNot Yours to Sell Bill\u201D. It is a response to the overwhelming majority of Aucklanders who fear that the super-city is a Trojan Horse for the privatisation of our community-owned assets. Even those Aucklanders who accept the need for reform of our city\u2019s governance have an uneasy feeling about the super-city. They are uneasy about the indecent haste and lack of consultation. They are uneasy about the centralisation of power into the hands of a few, and the potential for an oligarchy to run our city. They are deeply uneasy about the fact that local democracy is being constrained at the community level while powerful forces at the top are conspiring to sell off Auckland\u2019s assets, whether for private gain or for ideology. Whether we are talking about our ports, the new water company, our public transport system, or our parks, pools, and libraries, Aucklanders say to this National-ACT Government: \u201CThey are not yours to sell.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000489\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EThis bill would require majority support in a referendum before the new super-city could proceed to sell any significant assets. It puts the fate of those assets fairly and squarely in the hands of Aucklanders. This idea clearly makes Government MPs uncomfortable. It wedges them between a rock, their love of privatisation, and a hard place, their polling that tells them that people hate it. So we got the fake promise that there will be no sale of public assets or State assets in this term of Government\u2014in this term of Government. Well, that hardly inspires the confidence of Aucklanders or the rest of New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000490\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EGovernment MPs are desperately trying to persuade Aucklanders that National has changed its spots, but along comes Rodney Hide, who is driving at full speed the Government\u2019s agenda on local government and the super-city. Rodney Hide is the man who says that he loves privatisation, who told the country last night on television that he would like to privatise Ports of Auckland. His party wants to force councils to privatise their assets. He wants roads and piped water run on a commercial basis. Rodney Hide makes Aucklanders deeply uneasy. People are frightened of him. Can we blame them?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000491\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EThe Prime Minister likes to smile and laugh it off, but it was Cabinet, not just Rodney Hide, that signed off the review of the Local Government Act. That review is not just the loony ravings of a party that cannot break the margin of error; it is the National Government talking. It wants to reduce the amount of consultation that councils do. It even makes special mention of the consultation required before privatisation of assets like the ports or the airport. So while the Government\u2019s own policy, signed off by Cabinet, will make councils hold referenda on anything that is significant or irreversible, somehow selling Auckland\u2019s assets off to the highest bidder does not fit the bill\u2014selling the ports is somehow not significant or irreversible, selling the airport is not somehow significant or irreversible.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000492\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EAucklanders remember when the last National Government sold off its 51 percent stake in Auckland International Airport. They watched that monopoly infrastructure performing successfully, as airports do all over the world, and paying out dividend after dividend that, in the case of Manukau City, had been used to keep rates down and swimming pools free. Aucklanders watched with horror in the 1990s as politicians prepared the ports of Auckland for privatisation. Grassroots anger, and leadership from people like the late Bruce Jesson, succeeded in keeping the ports in public hands. Under the leadership of the Auckland Regional Council chairman, Mike Lee, the ports have remained in public ownership and have delivered huge investments in Auckland\u2019s public transport system\u2014investments that benefit all Aucklanders. We know that, in the past, when key infrastructure assets have been sold they have mostly ended up in the hands of foreign owners, with profits heading offshore. Infrastructure like the ports, the airport, and the water company are natural monopolies. Kept in public hands they can be managed to protect the public interest, to benefit the community and not just a handful of fat cats.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000493\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EThe new super-city wraps up $28 billion worth of Aucklanders\u2019 assets. That is more than the assets of Fonterra and Telecom combined. Let us take the new water company as an example. Until now its assets were scattered across eight councils. The new monopoly will cover bulk water, water to the home, and waste water for 1.4 million people. This new company will have the multinational water corporations drooling like a Labrador.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000494\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EKeeping the big assets in public hands is also about ensuring they are managed in the public interest. There are some in the Auckland business community who want to sell the ports right now. The Minister of Local Government said on Campbell Live last night that he wants to privatise the ports. But Aucklanders know that the ports are one of our single greatest natural assets. We have to make some big decisions about how those ports can be managed in the interests of New Zealand. All Aucklanders want to see the waterfront opened up and made into a fantastic place that we can all work, live, and play in. If it is sold off to the highest bidder we could lose that opportunity for ever.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000495\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EBut it is not just the big-ticket items\u2014the water and the ports\u2014that are at stake here. The Government wants local government stripped back to a Rodney Hide - inspired notion of so-called core services. It wants to get rid of the politically correct nonsense about cultural well-being, social well-being, and environmental well-being. Put alongside Rodney Hide\u2019s party policy to force councils to privatise, is it any wonder that Aucklanders fear that their parks, libraries, and pools are also at risk, along with theatres, cultural festivals, and pensioner housing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000496\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EThe Minister wants to believe, as he said on Campbell Live last night, that this is a pretend debate, that this is not a real issue. The old line we hear from National MPs in Auckland is that this is scaremongering, but make no mistake: Aucklanders understand\u2014New Zealanders understand\u2014what this is about. On one side is National, ACT, and their big-business mates, and on the other side is the bulk of New Zealanders, who believe that public ownership of assets paid for through our rates and our taxes, and built up over the years, can deliver services that everybody can enjoy. That is where Labour stands\u2014libraries where kids can learn to read, and parks where they can play. It is the opposite of the mean-spirited, user-pays, low-tax, market rules, dog-eat-dog world that exists in Rodney Hide\u2019s tortured imagination, which is where it should stay.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000497\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EThe Local Government Act provides limited protection against the sale of water, ports, and parks, but my bill would provide more comprehensive protection across the board. The Minister said last night that what is wrong with the bill is that it applies only to Auckland, and that we should apply it to all councils. Well I thank the Minister for his advice, and I say that if he and his colleagues vote to refer this bill to a select committee, I will move that the select committee have the power to adopt an amendment to enlarge its scope to include all council assets across New Zealand. These assets\u2014our ports, our water company, the remaining airport shares, pensioner housing, parks, libraries, and pools\u2014are ours. They belong to us, they belong to the people, and we paid for them, our parents and our grandparents paid for them, with our rates. If they are sold off, they are gone for ever. If we lose ownership we lose control; if we lose control of them, it is not our city any more.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000498\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EAucklanders deserve the right to have a say on this issue. This bill gives them that right, and I commend it to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000499\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EDebate interrupted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000500\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00228fd3d8f8303e4637bf0affadd53c1938\u0022\u003EAmended Answers to Oral Questions\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000501\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002216bb729ec73e4f368d230138e2cec41e\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 3 to Minister\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022 data-id=\u00224d418476a11c4ea2afa87088c4556172\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000502\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224d418476a11c4ea2afa87088c4556172\u0022\u003EHon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health):\u003C/span\u003E I seek leave to make a personal statement to clarify an answer given in the House earlier today. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022334852d22fca45048ad744abe32a4e72\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There is no objection.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000504\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a4264c63bbaa4b46824385de7cd9d391\u0022\u003EHon TONY RYALL\u003C/span\u003E: Earlier this afternoon I told the House that I had not received a draft copy of the independent report of the ministerial review group. On reflection, I need to clarify that statement, as it was based on a literal interpretation of the question. It is correct that I did not get a draft of the full report. However, I did receive some early drafts of part of the report. A staff member also received a draft copy of annex 6, and I will table these at the end of my statement. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000505\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022\u003EThe material covered about 50 pages of what turned out to be a 190-page report. I received the ministerial review group final report on Friday, 31 August, the due date. Dr Horn advised me that he had discovered some typographical errors, and delivered a corrected copy the following Monday. Dr Horn advises me that no recommendations or content were changed. I am aware that a table of contents and biographical details were inserted over the weekend by Dr Horn. I maintained regular contact with Dr Horn and members of the ministerial review group, including having a dinner with them. As the Acting Prime Minister said today, the Minister of Health responsibly discussed with the review group what recommendations it was making. I want to make it clear that at no stage, as I said in the House today, did I issue any instructions that recommendations be changed, and I apologise to the House for any incorrect impression given by my answer earlier today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000506\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dd2ae1eea7084f8cb53132edaf91a300\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000507\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022da187011183742b3accf5994ebda2cbc\u0022\u003EHon TONY RYALL\u003C/span\u003E: I seek leave to table four documents.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000508\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bc3e4c23b3374ce9a4312830fb6b9230\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000509\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022aa6a60f02c5646c395dd29525ca99370\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Just before that, can we have it clarified that it is the full draft report received by his office by a staff member on the Friday that he\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000510\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002270bc2905f218493daa8026e68bfa5d3d\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I ask the Minister to respond.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000511\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eef414948c584c71a58dc3261069ebbd\u0022\u003EHon TONY RYALL\u003C/span\u003E: No, it is not that. These are the drafts that I received.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000512\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022da6a9a38ab0a4e46b40c5289be8363b8\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: They are the drafts that the Minister received. Leave is sought to table those documents. Is there any objection? There is no objection.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000513\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003EDocuments, by leave, laid on the Table of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000514\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022f1d68da2d5c54660b6b485d3fb2989ae\u0022\u003ELocal Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000515\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00224ba14b80cb4d497db0907ece1c19c833\u0022\u003EFirst Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000516\u0022\u003EDebate resumed.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022 data-id=\u0022ab85f9271307431684cee58db762c5c8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000517\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ab85f9271307431684cee58db762c5c8\u0022\u003EHon RODNEY HIDE (Minister of Local Government):\u003C/span\u003E It gives me great pleasure and delight to speak on the Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill. But let me start by saying that I am a little disappointed in the bill\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000518\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224d6cd877199040f7ac6a889cbbd964ed\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: Disappointing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000519\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022123d44fa86b84796b10b1f32a80c5b21\u0022\u003EHon RODNEY HIDE\u003C/span\u003E: No, disappointed. The reason that I am a bit disappointed is that actually I have had rather high hopes for Mr Phil\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000520\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003EDebate interrupted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000521\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00220c9be72fdb8348dabab58381d02a1aaa\u0022\u003EAMENDED ANSWERS TO ORAL QUESTIONS\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000522\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002292d98a46011e420c8fdb7c7fb4ab583a\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 3 to Minister\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022 data-id=\u0022c5768acf1c01460a8e0ec1557abbbec1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000523\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c5768acf1c01460a8e0ec1557abbbec1\u0022\u003EHon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. It was 31 July, not 31 August, in my statement, which I would like to correct. [Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000524\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002228992ad1d7f8450282b13014a33f1f87\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Let us start again. I ask the Minister to seek leave with the correct document and the date so that we can put it to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000525\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cb4dcc9d1268419fb65320845b536ac7\u0022\u003EHon TONY RYALL\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, I seek leave to correct my personal explanation. The date was 31 July, not 31 August.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000526\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002253a651d00a7a450aa118b527e777a95b\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Is there any objection? There is no objection.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000527\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a83ea07a-806c-45ad-95bb-eb2c481cd0e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ad088fc0e3da4f789a1a6225e586b9df\u0022\u003EHon TONY RYALL\u003C/span\u003E: The date that I was referring to should have been 31 July, not 31 August, which of course has not happened.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000528\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002278682abb808d48e4b9b37fdf966562d3\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you for clarifying that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000529\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022277b2ef065bb40ec8afa8aa3929adea3\u0022\u003ELocal Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000530\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00228af9f1e76c134fcb9551502da7f7c630\u0022\u003EFirst Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000531\u0022\u003EDebate resumed.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022 data-id=\u002297844afd8d064d3b96f1f75518c90d57\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000532\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002297844afd8d064d3b96f1f75518c90d57\u0022\u003EHon RODNEY HIDE (Minister of Local Government):\u003C/span\u003E I am sticking with what I am saying. I am very disappointed in Mr Twyford, because, actually, I had very high hopes for him. But I look across the House and see Mr Twyford, and I still do. I know his party has questions about him, so I will tell members why I do. Here is a young man who is clearly ambitious, which is a good thing. Here is a young man in Parliament who is clearly enthusiastic, and who goes about his work with a great deal of enthusiasm. I think that is a very, very good thing. But I am disappointed because it is quite important, also\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000533\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022758e58b99c674ee89e285545e543be9f\u0022\u003EPhil Twyford\u003C/span\u003E: Have I let you down, Rodney?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000534\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b8a6f7a4b7ab44a7af6ba635a2a4777d\u0022\u003EHon RODNEY HIDE\u003C/span\u003E: No, the member has let himself down, because I think that member has more talent than he is letting us see. I think that he is probably overcompensating, and that although it is good to be\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000535\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226d7f886f14554a5c9353952e6107e0b6\u0022\u003EHon members\u003C/span\u003E: Talk about the bill!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000536\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e38b95eabffc4a34aa164785b96144b5\u0022\u003EHon RODNEY HIDE\u003C/span\u003E: I am getting to that. I think you are overcompensating. You have the enthusiasm, you have the patience, but what you need is a bit more consideration, as I am going to explain in regard to this bill. You need to be a bit more considerate about what you are doing and what you are proposing, and how you are approaching things in Parliament\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000537\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002204f0a6a0369f402989e0bfa505ed8119\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The member knows that he cannot bring the Speaker into the debate. He should just concentrate on the substance of the debate. Some rebuttal is fine, but he should not bring the Speaker into it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000538\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002207de34fa08ee4a649cbbab9c033a6d77\u0022\u003EHon RODNEY HIDE\u003C/span\u003E: I do apologise, Mr Deputy Speaker. Just for clarification, I tell the House that I was talking about Mr Twyford. It is true that Mr Twyford has not brought the consideration, and therefore the knowledge, to this that one would expect. The ambition is there, the passion is there, but we have not seen the knowledge or the intelligence\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000539\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221fb8d8db-3e96-49c7-ab1c-b7916a50e30e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a690c69fb8924bb18c8d256c7d591dba\u0022\u003EHon Steve Chadwick\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. This member has been speaking for 2 minutes and has not addressed the bill yet. He has continued to address the member promoting the bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fdb9373806134d9ca05b8ea59bb6f8f2\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: This is a first reading. The member, as I said when I rose to my feet earlier, is rebutting some of the points made by the previous speaker. I ask the member to come back to the substance of the debate, which I am sure he will do from now on. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000541\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f3eb067818284892b75a1f0ba8574b03\u0022\u003EHon RODNEY HIDE\u003C/span\u003E: Let me show Mr Twyford the difficulties he has. The first point I will make to the House, and particularly to my colleagues on this side of the House, who are not required to support this bill, is that there are already significant existing protections, of the manner that Mr Twyford is talking about, within the legislation. That is so around local authority assets, and it is especially so around water services, parks, and property granted to the council by endowments. Unfortunately, Mr Twyford appears to be completely unaware, or deliberately so, of that fact, and I wish that he had\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000542\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022782e84eda57848b4ae5476ae8fb222e9\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: He talked about it, if you\u2019d been listening.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000543\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226267ef42578e4c31b7142c43a4765dd8\u0022\u003EHon RODNEY HIDE\u003C/span\u003E: No, I do apologise for not listening to the member\u2019s speech well, but it was very hard to do so because it did lack a certain passion. It did lack a certain logic, so I found it a very hard speech to follow and, quite frankly, to understand. So it is true that I did switch off. I ended up just reading the bill. I know that if Mr Twyford had discussed this with Mr Hawkins, who has some considerable experience in this area, he would have been able to explain that there are those protections. He would have also been able to explain to Mr Twyford that there are also detailed consultation provisions and principles guiding the decisions that councils make. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000544\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002276dea087adb24521b2e2cbd6e09805e0\u0022\u003EMelissa Lee\u003C/span\u003E: They don\u2019t talk to each other.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000545\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228c064d980d5e4084bd0419b72c982168\u0022\u003EHon RODNEY HIDE\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I just do not know how it gets there. But council decisions, of course, are also subject to judicial review in the High Court, which gives an amazing degree of protection. These provisions, I tell my colleagues who might be wondering whether Mr Twyford has hit the nail on the head, are in the Local Government Act 2002. The interesting thing about this Act, which I have had many, many complaints about, is that it was actually drafted, introduced, and passed under a Labour Government. Mr Hawkins knows all this, because he was there when that was done. But Labour had 9 years in general to fix any failings it saw in local government legislation, including in particular the 6 years after the Act was passed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000546\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222f8d735d8cb04c4f8f9bc7ed69abc23d\u0022\u003EPhil Twyford\u003C/span\u003E: And then you came along, Rodney.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000547\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227e73d182abdb4fb3ae2123c2af2ad65c\u0022\u003EHon RODNEY HIDE\u003C/span\u003E: But I was always coming along. I was always coming along, because I am different from Mr Twyford in this regard: yes, I have his passion; yes, I have his ambition; but I listened to people in Parliament. And when they told me to take a bit of time, gain the knowledge, and take consideration, I actually listened. I learnt, and I progressed. That is what I am suggesting\u2014I am giving Opposition members the benefit of that, I tell Mr Twyford. That member could do so much better. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000548\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003EThe 2002 Act focused on empowering communities and ensuring they were properly represented by their local authorities. The Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill, which has sparked Mr Twyford\u2019s fury, actually contains no provisions relating to the sale or purchase of community-owned assets. I suspect he has not read that bill, which is my point. Those are rightly decisions for local communities, and for those whom they have elected to represent them. All the existing controls on local authorities in the Local Government Act, passed by Labour, will apply to Auckland. It is the same everywhere in the country. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000549\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003EI know Mr Twyford lies awake at night worrying about me. But there is nothing to worry about. [Interruption] No; they are all very happy. There is no actual change in arrangements from what there was under the previous Government. But the difference might be that on this side of the House we believe in local government and we trust it, and we trust communities. The unwritten message in Mr Twyford\u2019s bill is that Labour does not trust anyone. Labour does not trust the community. Labour does not trust local authorities. It is still in the old \u201CHelen Clark, nanny knows best\u201D mentality. Labour members have not learnt to respect people and other institutions, because they believe\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000550\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229b1bcc7b2a2d41dfac9ff9aef5cde6d3\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: She\u2019s still texting them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000551\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225404489216124bd3a3fe36a44ce8b587\u0022\u003EHon RODNEY HIDE\u003C/span\u003E: I know; I understand that Helen Clark texted Phil Twyford to put this bill in the House. They got their instructions from New York. If we think about it, we see that Mr Twyford and, by implication, the entire Labour Party, including George Hawkins, who knows better, are actually insulting the councillors who are working hard up and down the country to make their communities safer, with good standards of living and decent services. This is also a vote of no confidence in the very bill that Labour passed in 2002\u2014it is, absolutely. If they were serious about this on the other side of the House they would have passed it when they had an opportunity. They did not do anything. They did nothing for Auckland and nothing for local government. Why? They did not respect the people of New Zealand. Suddenly Mr Twyford, sweating away in the night, worried about nothing\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000552\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002246e82b1c458d49318df941531876d5b6\u0022\u003EPhil Twyford\u003C/span\u003E: About you!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000553\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bc1e9f65-e08b-4939-867c-22ef093e2a4e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022214625601c2c403b8370c0cd7af6b617\u0022\u003EHon RODNEY HIDE\u003C/span\u003E: I know Mr Twyford is worried about me. I can understand that, because he must look at the ACT leader, who has such charm, intelligence, and power, and think: \u201CWhat\u2019s he got that I haven\u2019t?\u201D. That is what he lies awake at night and puzzles about. I am trying to give him some help. So what we have here is a manufactured little crisis because Mr Twyford cannot sleep at night and is worried about how to show his Labour Party colleagues that although he might make a fool of himself in the House every time he gets a question\u2014and they roll their eyes behind his back and groan\u2014he will show them that he can lift the standard and he will scare the people of Auckland into a great huff and a puff. He has written a bill, and what do we have here? Actually, all we have is a bill that is a stunt. It is a simple, scaremongering stunt, and that is why I say to Mr Twyford that I am very disappointed in him and I am very disappointed in this bill. I believe that if he had decided to work constructively on the issue of Auckland\u2019s governance, we could have shown Parliament at its best. Thank you very much.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00228e686b62-8dc4-4f03-a7b6-2d0f9c874e9a\u0022 data-id=\u00222e05a9230c93473b8edbebd22016c826\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000554\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228e686b62-8dc4-4f03-a7b6-2d0f9c874e9a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222e05a9230c93473b8edbebd22016c826\u0022\u003EHon GEORGE HAWKINS (Labour\u2014Manurewa):\u003C/span\u003E Sometimes in Parliament and in caucus people think I am a bit of a right-winger. I do not know why they think that, because I say that we cannot trust a National Government. I have been in politics, both at a local level and in Parliament, for 30 years, and I have yet to see a National Government that keeps its word. It changes, it manoeuvres, it twists, and it turns. I want to talk about why we cannot trust a National Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000555\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228e686b62-8dc4-4f03-a7b6-2d0f9c874e9a\u0022\u003EThe Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill has been put forward to try to make people feel a little easier. I remember when, as Mayor of Papakura, we owned 1.6 percent of Auckland International Airport. I sold that to the Government, thinking that the Government would then have a majority and would look after the asset. What happened? Back in 1998 the Government sold its shares. It let down the people of Auckland\u2014so we cannot trust the National Party. National members said they would not sell any assets in their first term in Government, but they will in their second term, and they will wriggle around in their first term. We have seen the policy changes, the wriggles, and the squirming all along. John Banks sold off the pensioner housing in Auckland, and there are pensioners who will be sleeping tonight in a very restless way because they know that you cannot trust the National Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000556\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022de1119113e31415ab2c0102001c294e1\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000557\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228e686b62-8dc4-4f03-a7b6-2d0f9c874e9a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d4520ab1cf0847faa7ae78e27e58a381\u0022\u003EHon GEORGE HAWKINS\u003C/span\u003E: I am sorry, Mr Deputy Speaker. I know that you would not do that to pensioners yourself. I have to say that this Government cannot be trusted. Yes, it is up in the polls at the moment, but that will not last. People like Paula Bennett will regret not supporting this bill. She is in a minority of National MPs in Auckland, she is one of the poorest polling members, and she will be down the gurgler. She will be gone. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000558\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228e686b62-8dc4-4f03-a7b6-2d0f9c874e9a\u0022\u003EI think it is interesting that people in Manurewa, indeed the whole of Manukau, are worried what will happen with their swimming pools. OK, at the moment there is protection, but we all know National Governments of old, and\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000559\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228dc6a512d394430dbf6c04393fefe23d\u0022\u003EHon John Carter\u003C/span\u003E: Ha, ha!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000560\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228e686b62-8dc4-4f03-a7b6-2d0f9c874e9a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002245b290f29f2646a3b7787faa27ffddc2\u0022\u003EHon GEORGE HAWKINS\u003C/span\u003E: John Carter is laughing as he thinks of all the money. When they want to do an asset sale, they will grab them. They are already talking about a $250 million saving in assets. They will sell them\u2014that is how they will realise that $250 million. The assets will go. This Government can sit over there, and we can have someone from Tauranga thinking he knows all about Auckland, but he does not. He does not know a thing about Auckland. I know he has been there once or twice. But that is not very good. Perhaps he should ask Ms Lee what happens to people who stand for public office in Auckland when the party sees they are not up to it. That is what will happen in Auckland. They will see that people cannot trust the National Government to hold on to assets. It does not matter what the asset is, and it does not matter whether it is $250 million that it will save on public buildings. We have already seen the National Government talking about the airport and how that may go. In the end I think people will realise that this bill is an honest attempt to do something about protecting Auckland assets. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000561\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228e686b62-8dc4-4f03-a7b6-2d0f9c874e9a\u0022\u003ENow I am going to criticise this bill, so those Tories who have gone to sleep had better listen. I think this bill should apply nationwide. If this bill is referred to a select committee, I think we should discuss more than protecting just Aucklanders. We ought to protect the people of Christchurch and Invercargill. We should protect people up and down the country\u2014everyone. We should even protect people from Kaiapoi and Tauranga. We should look after all of New Zealand. Hopefully, at the select committee this bill will be amended so that it covers the whole of New Zealand rather than just Auckland. There may be 1.4 million people in Auckland who deserve the support of this House, but so do all New Zealanders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022 data-id=\u0022445f37a1049f45abbc7f89a708422d86\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000562\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022445f37a1049f45abbc7f89a708422d86\u0022\u003EHon JOHN CARTER (Associate Minister of Local Government):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Given the time, which is about 1 minute before we break for dinner, and to save interrupting the erudite speech from the next speaker, who happens to be myself, I wonder whether the House would mind lifting 1 minute early and resuming again at 7.30 so that I can then give a 5-minute contribution without interruption. I seek the leave of the House so to do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000563\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223bb71d151678401ea72f944f930fdca5\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There is no objection.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000564\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003ESitting suspended from 5.59 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022 data-id=\u0022b97eaa8dab8d45c1bb72ba7c8ce11ac6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000565\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b97eaa8dab8d45c1bb72ba7c8ce11ac6\u0022\u003EHon JOHN CARTER (Associate Minister of Local Government):\u003C/span\u003E The Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill should be known as the \u201CSave the Moon Bill\u201D, the \u201CMars is Not for Sale Bill\u201D, or something like the \u201CPluto is Secure Bill\u201D, because it has about the same sort of meaning as those titles. The first thing we need to understand is that these assets are not the Government\u2019s assets, they are not Parliament\u2019s assets, they are not the National Party\u2019s assets, and they are not Rodney Hide\u2019s assets; they are the assets of the people of Auckland. They are owned by the people of Auckland. Parliament and the Government have no ability to sell these assets, at all. That is the first point: we have no authority to sell them, at all. As it happens, we have no intention to sell them, because they are not ours. We cannot sell them, unlike the Labour Party, which needs funds and probably would try to sell them. But that is the point. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000566\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003EThe next thing is that I ask the member whose name this bill is in, Phil Twyford, to tell me how many Governments in the past have sold local government assets. I wonder whether he can tell me that; I suspect he cannot, because the answer is that none have. The Government does not have the authority to sell local government assets\u2014that is the first thing\u2014yet every one of Labour\u2019s speeches is about the National Government selling this and Rodney Hide selling that. What a lot of nonsense! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000567\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003EThe next point I make is that this bill talks about securing the assets of Auckland for Auckland people. Well, most of what is in this bill is actually covered by the Local Government Act 2002. It is actually in the law. The procedures suggested in here are already in the legislation. Members should listen to this, because one part of this bill, which was written by this member, needs to be drawn to the House\u2019s attention. New section 63A(3), inserted by clause 5, says: \u201CNo Auckland local authority shall sell or otherwise dispose of any parks, swimming pools, public libraries, or public housing assets,\u201D. It then goes on to say: \u201Cexcept in a business as usual transaction\u201D. Well, that actually means that, unlike under the 2002 Act, the council can sell the assets. The member has drafted a bill that actually allows the council to sell the blimin things. He is trying to protect them, yet he has got the wording wrong in the bill so that it actually gives the council a better opportunity to dispose of the assets. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000568\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003EI asked someone with a legal background what that new section means. That person looked at it and said that it actually makes it easier to sell the assets for the people of Auckland.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000569\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f04798d678ee4caf8fa2b455c486d91a\u0022\u003ESimon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: You\u2019re joking!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000570\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fdcb10e4ee7542b7bddd77f2c5947ae4\u0022\u003EHon JOHN CARTER\u003C/span\u003E: No, that is what it actually means. The member intended to secure the assets, but if this House passes this bill it actually gives local government in Auckland the ability to sell assets more easily than if it wanted to do so now.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000571\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229dd2adb1c7e141a595f7f2a83e37dd3d\u0022\u003EPaul Quinn\u003C/span\u003E: Sloppy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000572\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226984d661-9f65-4ed6-b29c-3285b598582d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a9d0951581a44b50be67703690092030\u0022\u003EHon JOHN CARTER\u003C/span\u003E: Sloppy? I have to say it is absolutely dopey. Do members know what is most disappointing about this bill? It is that there is no intention to sell the assets. The Government has never made one comment about selling the assets of Auckland. I have never heard any of the current mayors suggest that the assets be sold. I have never heard anybody go out and campaign to sell. What is disappointing is that this is all about politicking, and scaring the people of Auckland. You know, I thought we had actually got past that. It is a little disappointing. We have had a very good select committee. We have had good communication with the people of Auckland. Phil Twyford has been part of it and, I have to say, made a good contribution to that process. It is disappointing, having set up that environment whereby there is good communication and good understanding between the people and the select committee, that this member has brought this bill to Parliament. I have to say that on this occasion I thought we might have moved past these politics, but unfortunately Labour members cannot bring themselves to do so and are out there politicking on this issue.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022eaaad191-62cf-43e8-a772-63a71dbf4d4a\u0022 data-id=\u0022e7a4a85b01054b64b00e1311f20f06be\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000573\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaaad191-62cf-43e8-a772-63a71dbf4d4a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e7a4a85b01054b64b00e1311f20f06be\u0022\u003ESUE KEDGLEY (Green):\u003C/span\u003E I start by congratulating Phil Twyford on an extraordinarily clever bill, the Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill. It has unmasked the true intentions of the Government and of Rodney Hide for the super-city. If their hidden agenda is not really to sell off the assets of Auckland City, why do they not support the bill? Why are they making such a fuss about it? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000574\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaaad191-62cf-43e8-a772-63a71dbf4d4a\u0022\u003ERodney Hide said that it is a pretend debate. He said the debate over this bill is just diversionary. But it is actually a real debate, and it gets to the heart of what, I am sorry to say, are deep concerns out in the Auckland electorate about the real agenda behind the super-city. That is Rodney Hide\u2019s agenda to amalgamate all of the assets of the Auckland region, built up over generations, into one big super-city. It is $28 billion worth of assets; I can almost feel him rubbing his hands with excitement. Then they will try to get their people elected to the super-city council, and\u2014mark my words\u2014they will sell those assets off one by one, piece by piece.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000575\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b9987c686b364941bdce0250b2259417\u0022\u003EPaul Quinn\u003C/span\u003E: Conspiracists!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000576\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaaad191-62cf-43e8-a772-63a71dbf4d4a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220e0308b63c9d401ca3f1ca5cd0e71397\u0022\u003ESUE KEDGLEY\u003C/span\u003E: It is no conspiracy; I will tell members what has happened in Wellington. One thing we must congratulate Rodney Hide on is being completely open about his intentions, unlike the members of the National Party. He has made no secret of his privatisation agenda. The other day he said: \u201CI love privatisation.\u201D Those were his words. Last night on Campbell Live he said: \u201CI would love to privatise Ports of Auckland.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000577\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaaad191-62cf-43e8-a772-63a71dbf4d4a\u0022\u003ELet us be under no illusions. Let us ignore the spin and the discomfort of the National Party. That is what this bill is all about. Thank goodness Phil Twyford came up with this bill! If it is defeated tonight, we will seek to put amendments into the Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000578\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaaad191-62cf-43e8-a772-63a71dbf4d4a\u0022\u003EPrevious speakers have recounted horror stories of Auckland assets that have been flogged off with disastrous consequences. I will contribute a story about a Wellington asset that was sold off about 15 years ago. It is like a parable of what happens when one sells a good, well-functioning community asset. In 1994 I was a Wellington city councillor. The smarties on the council, Kerry Prendergast, her predecessor, Mark Blumsky, and Fran Wilde, decided it would be a brilliant idea to sell off our well-functioning local electricity network. First of all they set it up as a saleable entity called Capital Power, then they launched a campaign. They said that Capital Power was a high-risk investment and we would be fools to hold on to it. They said that if we sold it to private enterprise, it would run it much more efficiently, and they promised that electricity prices would fall once we privatised it. There was no referendum. Wellingtonians were not allowed to have their say. A majority of the councillors\u2014not me, I assure members\u2014sold off this precious asset that had been built up over generations to a Canadian company, TransAlta, for a couple of hundred million dollars. Then the Canadian company sold it to a Kansas banking group for about $1.5 billion, then on to Vector, and now it has gone to the richest man in Asia, who runs it in partnership with the Chinese Government. So after a decade $1 billion or more of profits have disappeared out of New Zealand. Electricity prices, instead of going down, have gone up by 600 percent over the last decade. And our electricity network is owned by the richest man in Asia.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000579\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaaad191-62cf-43e8-a772-63a71dbf4d4a\u0022\u003EHere is the hypocrisy revealed by the Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill: Rodney Hide wants to say that if a council wants to build a new asset, it must have a referendum, but now he is opposing a bill that says a referendum should be held when a council wants to sell a major asset. So we should hold a referendum when we want to build an asset, but there is no problem when we want to sell an asset\u2014we can just flick it off. That is the agenda of Rodney Hide and the National Government, and nobody should be under any illusions about it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022 data-id=\u0022f731e676d9184e5bb12c484b63a5348f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000580\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f731e676d9184e5bb12c484b63a5348f\u0022\u003EHONE HARAWIRA (M\u0101ori Party\u2014Te Tai Tokerau):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. Kia ora. I am happy to report that a great majority of the submissions to the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee took the same view as the M\u0101ori Party in acknowledging the importance of mana whenua in local government, and of ensuring that tangata whenua have an equitable say in decisions that affect them, through Treaty-based representation on local bodies. I am also happy to say that the M\u0101ori Party is proud to return our support of the people of Auckland for the M\u0101ori seats by standing alongside them in opposing any sale of council assets. The Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill sets it out quite simply, stating that no Auckland authority, including the Auckland Transition Authority set up this year, shall dispose of any parks, swimming pools, libraries, or public housing assets. It attaches a comprehensive list of some 41 assets that the bill seeks to protect, including such assets as water supply, transport, port, and property. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000581\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EAt the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee hearings M\u0101ori submitters spoke with one voice about the need to involve tribal representatives in overseeing kaitiakitanga responsibilities\u2014guardianship roles\u2014over their respective taonga. We are all aware of the concerns that M\u0101ori have consistently raised about the failure of local government to address its Treaty responsibilities, and we hope that in restricting the sale of Auckland local body assets, local government can also get to grips with what we mean by concepts like rangatiratanga, kaitiakitanga, and manaakitanga, and figure out how to honour the rights and responsibilities of mana whenua. This bill gives us a great opportunity to get things right in terms of the health and well-being of our environment by enabling wh\u0101nau, hap\u016B, and iwi as kaitiaki to propose, shape, and help implement measures to keep our natural resources healthy, safe, and intact for future generations, and also to ensure that all lands and resources remain in domestic ownership rather than in the hands of foreign speculators. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000582\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003ELet me also take the opportunity to speak to associated issues in respect of this bill, in particular the level of representation that the Ma\u014Dri Party is championing for the Auckland Council. I understand that there are doubts about the level of democratic participation in the process by which mana whenua seats might be elected in Auckland, but I would also like to think that in the interests of enabling M\u0101ori living in T\u0101maki-makau-rau to participate freely and openly in a process to elect councillors to the M\u0101ori seats, we will find a process that enables those doubts to be set aside. The principle of mana whenua is an important aspect of our society, and one that I am pleased to say is universally supported by all parties in this Parliament, including ACT. From that point I would hope that enabling mana whenua becomes the important issue, rather than discounting the process by which it is achieved. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000583\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EM\u0101ori do not participate in local government elections. That is a simple truth. Indeed, in 150 years of Auckland City, there have been only eight M\u0101ori councillors. The question is whether we allow that sad record to continue in a city that is the centre of the greatest M\u0101ori population in the world. The answer, of course, is that we should not. So what do we do about it? Well, given that mana whenua is important to the development of the future of Auckland, the only issues are: one, to establish an open and transparent process that enables candidates who meet mana whenua criteria to contest the election; and, two, to establish an open and transparent process that enables M\u0101ori to vote for those candidates. I know that everyone thinks this issue is done and dusted already, but the truth is that it ain\u2019t over until it is over. The M\u0101ori Party has been working strenuously on this proposal, and we will continue to do so until we achieve a solution that ensures the most democratic outcome by encouraging more and more M\u0101ori to participate in the electoral process. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000584\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EFinally, I raise\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228e686b62-8dc4-4f03-a7b6-2d0f9c874e9a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ae43bbd24cd4438e81f2a9960143443c\u0022\u003EHon George Hawkins\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I think the member should be brought back to the bill itself. The bill has nothing to do with the seats. It is all about the assets of Auckland. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000586\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022699bf6295ada4e37ad179ef0e4aff112\u0022\u003EThe ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: I think the member, speaking for a constituency, has made his views quite clear. I understand the points he has made. The point of order is not upheld. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000587\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b13a93b9d7204f94bb06ea40c0c7ff9b\u0022\u003EHONE HARAWIRA\u003C/span\u003E: T\u0113n\u0101 koe. Finally, I raise an idea for consideration about how we can ensure the full participation of M\u0101ori in governance arrangements, including the management of those assets. In our Treaty policy the M\u0101ori Party signalled an interest in joint ventures as a means of advancing the reconciliation between iwi, hap\u016B, and the Crown. In a similar fashion, we see public partnerships with collectives of hap\u016B and iwi as an excellent way of ensuring the protection of local body assets for the whole of the population of Auckland, in a way that is consistent with Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We are happy to support this bill. We look forward to Mr Twyford taking steps to ensure that local government acknowledges the authority of mana whenua as the bill goes\u2014if it goes any further\u2014through the House. Kia ora t\u0101tou. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f99bcf9e-1ad4-4ed4-9a97-1cccb5b1e11a\u0022 data-id=\u0022a344f98d602244439f6af87066212eb0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000588\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f99bcf9e-1ad4-4ed4-9a97-1cccb5b1e11a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a344f98d602244439f6af87066212eb0\u0022\u003EDr JACKIE BLUE (National):\u003C/span\u003E I am pleased to speak to the first reading of the Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill, which is a member\u2019s bill in the name of Phil Twyford. National will oppose this bill, and the reason for doing so is very straightforward. The reason is that the bill is superfluous and not necessary. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000589\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f99bcf9e-1ad4-4ed4-9a97-1cccb5b1e11a\u0022\u003EThe purpose of the bill is to protect the assets currently owned by the various Auckland local authorities by requiring existing and future local bodies in Auckland to hold a referendum before any assets are privatised. This bill is redundant. Auckland assets are already protected. The protections to which I refer are provided in the Local Government Act 2002, which was drafted, introduced, and passed under the previous Labour Government. It is surprising that we even have this bill. The previous Labour Government had 9 years to make the changes it wanted to make to local government. Six years have elapsed since the Local Government Act was passed. If Labour had any real concerns that there were loopholes in the Local Government Act that meant Auckland assets, or, indeed, assets owned by other councils, were at risk, I ask why it did not do something years ago. If Labour was serious about this issue, why were these initiatives not put in place during its 9 years in office? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000590\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f99bcf9e-1ad4-4ed4-9a97-1cccb5b1e11a\u0022\u003EI will tell members why the previous Government did not take any action on this issue. It is because there was actually no need. Significant protections, particularly around water services, parks, and property, are already granted to the Auckland City Council. The council is guided by detailed consultation provisions and principles that it must follow when making decisions. In addition, council decisions are subject to judicial review in the High Court. This bill basically is a response to the Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill. It is nothing more than a political stunt to unnecessarily scaremonger Aucklanders into thinking that suddenly there will be a wholesale sale of Auckland assets. That is an outrageous assertion. The Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill contains no provisions related to the sale or purchase of community-owned assets. Those are rightly decisions for the local community and those whom the community has elected to represent it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000591\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f99bcf9e-1ad4-4ed4-9a97-1cccb5b1e11a\u0022\u003EThe controls in the Local Government Act on local authorities\u2019 treatment of assets will apply in Auckland, just as they do everywhere else in the country. Auckland assets are under no more threat than they were under the previous Government. To scaremonger that they are is irresponsible and misleading. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000592\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f99bcf9e-1ad4-4ed4-9a97-1cccb5b1e11a\u0022\u003EThis Government is all about growing our assets, not downsizing them. Councils also want to grow their assets and provide excellent public services. I guess we must be an unusual Government in that we believe in local government. The current Auckland bill is all about putting the local back into local government. We trust communities and councils to deliver for their people. Even more, we trust the public who elect the councillors. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000593\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f99bcf9e-1ad4-4ed4-9a97-1cccb5b1e11a\u0022\u003EI congratulate all the councillors throughout New Zealand who work tirelessly for the good of their communities so that their communities can be supported with decent services. I was on the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee and I want to add here that I was hugely impressed by the passion of the individuals and groups who presented to the select committee. The public were very clear in telling the committee what they want out of the Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill. They were very clear on what they were concerned about, and what their fears were. I have every confidence in the public to elect councillors to make the right choices for their community. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000594\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f99bcf9e-1ad4-4ed4-9a97-1cccb5b1e11a\u0022\u003ENational will not support this bill. We consider that it is not necessary, and that it is redundant. Public assets are already well protected under the existing law of the Local Government Act 2002. There is no need to duplicate this. It wastes Parliament\u2019s time to do so. Indeed, if this bill was to become legislation, it would be hugely costly and bureaucratic, and that is something this Government is totally against. We are in an economic situation where we need to make sure every dollar counts and is spent wisely, and where we need to get rid of unnecessary red tape. National opposes this bill. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022 data-id=\u0022e61fe8d91fdd4b07a0d696e39c7974b8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000595\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e61fe8d91fdd4b07a0d696e39c7974b8\u0022\u003ESU\u2019A WILLIAM SIO (Labour\u2014M\u0101ngere):\u003C/span\u003E I gained no sense at all that the previous speaker, Jackie Blue, believed a single word of her speech in opposition to the Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill. That member would have heard from the people of the Greater Auckland region, from young people, from M\u0101ori, Pacific, and Asian communities, and from organisations that they do not want their assets to be sold. This bill unmasks the true intention of this Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000596\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EAbout 2 years ago, Reader\u2019s Digest published a list of who New Zealanders currently trust in New Zealand, covering the most trusted people, brands, charities, and professions. Top of the list of 75 of New Zealand\u2019s most trusted people was the name of the late Sir Edmund Hillary, a name respected by New Zealanders and even revered in some parts of the world. At the top of the list of 25 most trusted brands was Cadbury\u2019s chocolate, followed by Tip Top and Sanitarium. That is reflected in the size of some of the MPs in this House. At the top of the list of New Zealand\u2019s most trusted charities was the Cancer Society of New Zealand, followed by the SPCA and the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind. At the top of the list of 40 of New Zealand\u2019s most trusted professions were firefighters, ambulance officers, and pilots. Sadly, as professions go, politicians were at the very bottom of the list of the 40 most trusted professions. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000597\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EThe feedback I have received from my constituents, from members of the Manukau community, and indeed from throughout the Auckland region is that National, in its 9 months of being in Government, has contributed to increasing the number of people who hold the perception that they cannot trust politicians. Although some MPs come to this House with good intentions and are genuine in their desire to serve the public good, from time to time some MPs make mistakes. Those MPs who commit big mistakes pay dearly and ultimately suffer the demise reserved for unwanted politicians: they are sent from this place and never return. I note there is an exception in this House, but, nevertheless, bad behaviour contributes to the public perceptions about politicians. Perhaps the biggest contributor to the public perception that politicians are not trustworthy is when politicians or political parties say one thing and then do something else without owning up to their changed position. Alternatively, they may say one thing today and then say something else tomorrow. The public have a difficult time understanding what their real position is. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000598\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EIn the past several months, people have had a difficult time accepting what has been said by members of this Government. The public have begun to keep a running count of the broken promises made by this Government. National promised to maintain and build New Zealand\u2019s asset base, by not selling Kiwibank or any other State-owned asset. Then Mr Key said that he had never said he was philosophically opposed to the sale of State-owned assets in some form, and that it was never off the agenda for ever. The first thing he did was appoint \u201CMr Privatisation\u201D himself, the Hon Rodney Hide, to be the Minister of Local Government, in order to start the bidding process for the selling off of Auckland\u2019s valuable assets. The Minister of Local Government rammed the Auckland reorganisation bill through this House, setting in motion the devolution of democracy, removing power from elected councillors and giving it to a handful of unelected ministerial appointees. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000599\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EThe Government super-city wraps up $28 billion worth of Auckland assets under one organisation instead of eight councils. It makes privatisation that much easier to be attempted. We know that business has a keen interest in getting hold of these assets. Their interest should send a clear message to the Government that these assets are worth protecting. We know that when key infrastructure assets have been sold in the past, they have mostly ended up in the hands of foreign owners with the resulting profits going offshore. The Minister of Local Government is a big fan of privatisation. He said on Campbell Live that he personally favoured privatisation and that he makes no secret of that. He said that he would like to make the case for the people of Auckland to privatise Ports of Auckland. On Q\u002BA on 19 July, Mr Hide said: \u201COf course I\u2019m in favour of privatisation \u2026 I love privatisation \u2026\u201D. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000600\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EAucklanders should be concerned that their assets are at risk. I am aware that one or two National MPs share this concern, and I invite those MPs to vote in support of this bill. The reality is that even the limited provisions currently in the Local Government Act 2002 that protect some assets are in danger of being reduced and dismantled. We know that the Minister of Local Government will introduce changes to the Local Government Act and he has signalled that he believes there are too many consultation requirements over potential privatisation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022 data-id=\u0022b26cdff2f03d46c38e26579bce469284\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000601\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b26cdff2f03d46c38e26579bce469284\u0022\u003ESIMON BRIDGES (National\u2014Tauranga):\u003C/span\u003E Every so often a bill comes along that is nothing more than political slogans waiting for a policy, and nothing more than cheap politics or rank scaremongering. That is what we have today with the Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000602\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022552974b645304d618e185ba385e860ec\u0022\u003EHon Clayton Cosgrove\u003C/span\u003E: Do that pointing thing again!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000603\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002227883a39f4224949af31cb4d6e7e944b\u0022\u003ESIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: This bill is such rank scaremongering, I say to Mr Cosgrove. This bill is red tape for the sake of red tape. And it is more than that. It is interesting to reflect on some of the quite pertinent comments from Dover Samuels recently in light of this bill. He made the point about political retreads and he mentioned Pete Hodgson, whom I see is in the House today. But I did not appreciate in relation to this bill the fact that new members, as well, have been caught up in the tired, old, stale debates of the past. I came into the House and listened to some of the maiden speeches at least\u2014and we have some good members on both sides of the House\u2014but what we have seen with Phil Twyford and this bill is\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000604\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002267431f57-e958-4c83-b438-7da8061d479e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222d79731cb4bf4319ba79544b8b6d8c0f\u0022\u003EPaul Quinn\u003C/span\u003E: Going backwards!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000605\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002238b54f2e9e3749378afbfab0b44de4a5\u0022\u003ESIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: That is right, it is a reversion backwards. It is a reversion to the tired, old politics, to the sterile old debates. It proves the point that Helen Clark is still texting Labour members. She is still texting them. Labour members are caught in the sterile old debates. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000606\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003EI ask why this bill is needed, because it is quite clear to me that we have the Local Government Act 2002, which is a framework that the Labour Government obviously could work with; Labour worked with it for 7 years in Government. The National Government has not brought in any related amendment legislation, so we still have Labour\u2019s law. Yet what does Labour want to do? It wants to bring in the Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill. Why did Labour not pass it? I heard Mr Twyford and other members opposite say the reason for the bill was that they could not trust National. We heard members opposite saying at the election that it was all about trust. I have news for Labour: the electorate did not buy that then, and at 58 percent in the polls this week, the electorate still does not buy it. The electorate trusts us, and it does so more now than it did with the scaremongering under the previous Labour Government, going into the election campaign. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000607\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003ENational is doing a lot about local government. We want to see much improved services and facilities for Aucklanders, and I have been proud to play a part on the select committee led so ably by the Hon John Carter. Phil Twyford has played a productive role on that committee. He has also said some interesting things about local government, and I think it is pertinent to raise those in the House as we discuss the bill he has brought forward. As he said in the recent Listener article: \u201CThere was a feeling for quite a long time that the city wasn\u2019t working properly, with traffic problems, crappy infrastructure, and a downtown that looks like a bomb site. There was a lot of grumpiness about that. I think our Government was very late in coming to the party and doing something about it.\u201D It is too late now, I say to Mr Twyford. He had his chance. Labour had 9 long years to bring forward legislation, but instead, it comes forward with a slogan looking for some policy, and with little more than that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000608\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003EI want to dig into the local government framework we have in this country, because it becomes very clear when we do so that we have existing protections in the legislation that make it quite clear that we cannot just privatise assets, although it is not as if that was something that the National Government wanted to do anyway. It is quite clear in the Local Government Act. Section 12, \u201CStatus and powers\u201D, states explicitly: \u201C(4) A territorial authority must exercise its powers under this section wholly or principally for the benefit of its district.\u201D Section 14 goes on to explicitly require councils to conduct their business \u201Cin an open, transparent, and democratically accountable manner;\u201D. When making a decision a local authority must take account of the diversity of the community and the community\u2019s interests within its district or region.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022 data-id=\u00227e5fdf9f95424c7a8d30ef335c66cd9c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000609\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227e5fdf9f95424c7a8d30ef335c66cd9c\u0022\u003ECHRIS HIPKINS (Labour\u2014Rimutaka):\u003C/span\u003E I actually agree with one of the things Simon Bridges just said. He said that the privatisation of assets is a tired, old debate. It is a tired, old debate, but it is a tired, old debate that simply will not die, because National and the ACT Party fundamentally still believe in the privatisation of State assets, and would privatise them if it were not for the fact that the New Zealand public prevents them from doing so. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000610\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EHistory is repeating itself, because the sale of local government assets split the previous National Government away from its New Zealand First coalition. It split New Zealand First down the middle. Tau Henare and half of his colleagues in New Zealand First walked away from their leader, because they wanted to support the sale of Wellington International Airport. They thought that protecting their ministerial seats was more important than sticking up for the principles they were elected on. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000611\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003ENew Zealand First campaigned in 1996 on opposing the sale of State assets, yet when National decided to sell Wellington International Airport, Tau Henare and his mates\u2014[Interruption]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000612\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229518d6c0a55d4757888eb134c3dd7713\u0022\u003EThe ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: Order!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000613\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221cb000b8768047f59511dbc77c115f64\u0022\u003ECHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014left New Zealand First to prop up Jenny Shipley\u2019s National Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000614\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222ad4f134495b485cb5cbbb7e9b89b8e3\u0022\u003EHon Clayton Cosgrove\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I know that this is a robust debate, but one member has the call. There is constant screaming\u2014and it is screaming\u2014by Mr Henare and Mr Quinn at the top of their voices. I suggest that you might want to bring some members to order.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000615\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002299a1c282f5034f809197cd601079fe6a\u0022\u003EThe ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: I will uphold that point of order. I was calling for order. I understand that there is a bit of passion around this matter. The member on his feet, though, has been a little bit more political than probably was necessary. We will have just a little bit of caution from either side. Let us get on with the debate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000616\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002269c887324f2b45578171223a9860ec70\u0022\u003ECHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: I am just getting started. The sale of Wellington International Airport split New Zealand First in half. It split it in half\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000617\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228ad2f5dd8c3642ab9240eb7002e97136\u0022\u003EHon Tau Henare\u003C/span\u003E: Rubbish! You weren\u2019t even born then.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000618\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e3014d506a054bc9b5a162b22bd189b7\u0022\u003ECHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: Well, maybe the numbers might not be quite right, but certainly Tau Henare and his mates split away from New Zealand First so they could prop up Jenny Shipley and help her to sell Wellington International Airport. The local government reorganisation in Auckland is splitting this National Government, as well. The reorganisation of local government in Auckland is splitting National, ACT, and the M\u0101ori Party. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000619\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EI have to say that I support the M\u0101ori Party\u2019s position on this\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000620\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002273ba20bd3b6a4eed8af2f3a5da556c86\u0022\u003EHon Tau Henare\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, you do now.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000621\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a77e8584c1e348c79a2fa61335fa23de\u0022\u003ECHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: I do support the M\u0101ori Party\u2019s position on this issue, as does the Labour Party. I want to know who was the senior member of the National Party who sent around the memorandum to all caucus colleagues about the fact that this issue is \u201Ctoo far-reaching and too important for a party currently sitting at 1 percent in the polls to decide alone.\u201D Yet the entire local government agenda of the National Government is, in fact, being driven by Rodney Hide, Roger Douglas, and the ACT Party, a party that at its core believes in the sale of State assets. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000622\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EThose members would love to get their hands on the local government assets in Auckland and sell them off. Those members are quite crafty. They know that National went around the country at the last election and promised not to sell State-owned enterprises and State assets\u2014in its first term, mind you. There was the qualifier that National would not do it in its first term. ACT members knew they would not get their hands on those assets this term. So what would they focus on this term? They would focus on the assets under the control of local government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000623\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EThe issue is one of the things that are splitting apart the coalition of ACT, National, and the M\u0101ori Party. According to the memorandum sent around the caucus: \u201CClearly we are at a crossroads. The ACT Party has threatened to end its relationship with National if we allow Maori seats on the super city. Despite multiple arguments in support, its mind cannot be changed.\u201D But that situation is not unusual for ACT members, because they do not really tend to listen to other people\u2019s arguments. Once they have made up their minds, they know best. They know what is good for New Zealanders, and they will just give it to them. It is the Roger Douglas \u201Cnever waste a good crisis\u201D theory. They want to sell State assets, which is why National and ACT will vote en bloc against the Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill, which would ensure that Aucklanders get a say in the sale of any assets owned by local government bodies in Auckland. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000624\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EI say in conclusion that I have only one objection to this bill, which is that it does not apply to the assets of all local government bodies around the country, because I do not want those members to get their hands on Wellington\u2019s assets, either.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022 data-id=\u00223bef2ee3d80d48cfba229c19737228b0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223bef2ee3d80d48cfba229c19737228b0\u0022\u003EPHIL TWYFORD (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E There was not much of substance to reply to in the speeches from members on the other side of the House, but I observe just how bizarre the contribution from the Minister of Local Government, Rodney Hide, was to this debate on the Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill. He delivered a vacuous response to an issue that Aucklanders feel deeply about. But I watched an item on 3 News during the dinner break, and the Minister\u2019s conduct in this House this evening makes sense when one looks at it in the context of that item. He had other things on his mind. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000626\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EMy colleague read out some of an email from a senior member of the National caucus. That leaked email went on to state: \u201CConsequently, I believe the issue is too far-reaching and too important for a party sitting at 1 percent at the polls to decide alone.\u201D\u20141 percent in the polls. It is interesting to wonder who wrote that email; I will tell members who I think it is. When I look around the National benches today and I look at the tone of that email, I reckon that it came from Steven Joyce. He is the head kicker. He is the guy who is starting to call the shots. He is the guy who is enraged by the fact that Mr Key\u2019s carefully crafted Crosby/Textor strategy is being derailed by a party with 1 percent of the vote. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000627\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EMr Hide failed to address any of the substantive issues in my bill and my opening speech, just like the way last night on TV3 he dodged and weaved to avoid addressing the real question. Does the Government support an agenda of the privatisation of Auckland assets? Is it prepared to reassure Aucklanders and give them a say in deciding the future of their assets? Mr Hide cannot answer that question, because, as he told Q\u002BA, he loves privatisation and, as he told Campbell Live last night, he wants to privatise Ports of Auckland. This is the man who is leading the Government\u2019s strategy on the super-city. Just days after the royal commission presented its report\u2014800 pages, a year and a half in the making\u2014Mr Hide delivered a pamphlet of his own. It had hasty, ill-conceived, and arrogant proposals that were a slap in the face for Aucklanders. How the Prime Minister must be regretting that haste now! How the National Government must be regretting allowing Rodney Hide to lead this important piece of work! Mr Hide\u2019s local boards\u2014or toothless talk shops, as they have come to be affectionately known by Aucklanders\u2014have been universally derided. His proposal for at-large councillors immediately set alarm bells ringing for Aucklanders, who smelt a stitch-up. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000628\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003ERodney Hide\u2019s next mana-enhancing gift to the National-ACT Government was an insistence that the royal commission\u2019s sensible recommendations on M\u0101ori representation be tossed overboard.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000629\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220e4951e1fb0b4bcd89ca94e42fb7c53c\u0022\u003EHon Tau Henare\u003C/span\u003E: I was just wondering how one smells a stitch-up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002210d9104aec004f46ab5408d9139ef3d7\u0022\u003EPHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: I say to Mr Henare that we now know that Rodney Hide has threatened to throw his toys out of the cot if the Government listens to the royal commission\u2019s recommendations on M\u0101ori representation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000631\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EOn three counts the Government has offended the democratic values of Aucklanders. It is no surprise that John Key wheeled in John Carter\u2014the man who should have been the Minister of Local Government, and the kindlier, gentler face of reform. It is not just what the Government is trying to do to Aucklanders; it is the arrogance in the way that it has gone about it. It is the arrogance of the Government breaking its manifesto promise to consult Aucklanders on the findings of the royal commission, the arrogance of ramming the first super-city bill through the House under urgency, and the arrogance of taking away Aucklanders\u2019 right to a referendum under the Local Government Act. Is it any wonder that Rodney Hide was so distrusted and so disliked by Aucklanders that John Carter was brought off the bench to try to restore some calm? It raises the question of what kind of role Mr Hide plays in John Key\u2019s political management strategy: attack dog or court jester? Mr Hide gets to fly all the kites to test public opinion, and whenever this particular Minister crosses the line, the nice Mr Key can laugh it off and say that it is just Rodney. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000632\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EWhy do the people of Auckland so distrust Rodney Hide? Has his association with the super-city and his mishandling of the process cast a shadow over what should have been a bright new day for local government in Auckland? Can anyone blame Aucklanders for fearing for our publicly owned assets when Rodney Hide is the leader of a party that advocates the forced privatisation of council assets?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022837399a50588463297aa73e5f806cebd\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill be now read a first time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 58\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 43; Green Party 9; M\u0101ori Party 5; Progressive 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 64\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 58; ACT New Zealand 5; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000633\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002291b5c6e2e04d4b9e863b76b836f603eb\u0022\u003ESocial Security (Benefit Review and Appeal Reform) Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000634\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00225ba47680387c48229094dcadfc8431ce\u0022\u003EFirst Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022 data-id=\u0022ca74d36b8522452bb1511a3947498df1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000635\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ca74d36b8522452bb1511a3947498df1\u0022\u003ESUE BRADFORD (Green):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the Social Security (Benefit Review and Appeal Reform) Amendment Bill be now read a first time. There are many problems with our current system of administering social welfare. The framework that governs the activities of Work and Income goes back to the Social Security Act 1964, an outdated law that has been amended so many times it has become a ramshackle mosaic of flawed, piecemeal legislation. The Act is, I suspect, a nightmare for the staff to administer, and I know for sure that it is just as bad for the caseworkers and advocates who try to help ordinary beneficiaries and superannuitants navigate their way through the system. I am also aware of how much worse it is for those claimants who do not have anyone to represent them in their dealings with a department that controls their access to their very means of survival. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000636\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EI am conscious of the irony of bagging the fragmented Social Security Act at the same time as I am putting forward a member\u2019s bill proposing yet another amendment. Before going any further I will make the point that the Green Party believes that what should really be happening is not more reform of bits and pieces of this law, but the creation of a whole new Social Security Act based on principles of simplicity, sufficiency, and universality. However, I doubt that that is on the National Government\u2019s agenda, much as I wish it might be. In the meanwhile, I feel it is really important to propose this member\u2019s bill in a bid to improve at least one piece of the system. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000637\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EThe fundamental purpose of the bill in front of us tonight is to change the way in which the review of benefit and superannuation decisions is carried out. For many years there have been concerns from advocates and beneficiaries that the current system is flawed at its core. The benefits review committees to which claimants appeal decisions are made up of one member appointed by the Minister for Social Development and Employment and two members who are staff of the Ministry of Social Development. Although the so-called community representative appointed by the Minister might theoretically be seen as being more neutral\u2014and, in some cases, will be\u2014that person, even with the best will in the world, will always be outnumbered by the departmental members on the committee. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000638\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EThere is a widespread perception that the benefits review committee structure is one of bias in favour of the department. That perception has been reinforced by the fairly recent Arbuthnot Supreme Court judgment, which reversed the previous understanding that benefits review committees carry out a quasi-judicial function, and instead ruled that benefits review committees have a purely administrative role. I believe firmly that the only way out of this situation is to change the law, so that the benefit review and appeal function is not carried out by the benefits review committees as currently constituted, but by a fully independent body that is separate from the Ministry of Social Development. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000639\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EThere are other problems too. At the moment the Social Security Appeal Authority is the only body to which people can appeal if a benefits review committee decision is made against them. Beneficiaries and superannuitants often have to wait for months and months before the appeal process works its way through. Meanwhile, they may have nothing to live on or may have less than what they need and are entitled to. There are also complaints about the length of time it takes in some cases just to get a benefits review committee hearing. For example, the community law centre in Christchurch says that in Canterbury it is not unusual for applicants to wait between 6 months and a year to have a hearing scheduled, and in one case it dealt with recently, the hearing was set 4 years after the review application was submitted. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000640\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EThe quality of decisions made by benefits review committees has also been widely criticised at times, not only by advocacy groups but also on occasion by the Social Security Appeal Authority. Decisions are made without adequate reasons for them being stated. The committees also often rely on current Ministry of Social Development policy, rather than complying, as they should, with the statutory requirements of the Social Security Act. The quality of information provided to applicants is also dubious. For example, applicants are not always notified that they have a right to appeal benefits review committee decisions to the Social Security Appeal Authority, or they are not told of decisions in a clear or timely way. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000641\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EMedical appeal boards are another big problem. The boards hear appeals from applicants for the child disability allowance, the invalids benefit, the sickness benefit, and the veterans pension against decisions made on medical grounds. Those boards have been criticised a lot for their failure to run procedures that comply with the basic principles of natural justice. This failing is compounded by the fact that there is no right of appeal at all under the Social Security Act against medical appeal board decisions. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000642\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EA further failing of the system as it currently operates is that there is no provision for costs to be awarded in favour of successful review applicants. This means that highly skilled and experienced beneficiary advocates often work for little or no payment. Some beneficiaries, who are the last people to be able to afford lawyers, nevertheless end up indebted to them, as there is nowhere else for them to go for help. In many cases, beneficiaries wind up inadequately representing themselves at review and appeal hearings. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000643\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EIn short, this system is unfair, it is biased in favour of those who hold all the power over beneficiaries and superannuitants\u2019 lives, and it is a costly administrative shambles. Therefore, this bill proposes to do four key things. First, it replaces the existing benefits review committee structure with genuinely independent reviewers, who would make decisions based on the principles of natural justice. In terms of implementation, a possible model for this is the Dispute Resolution Services review and appeal system currently used by claimants under the accident compensation scheme.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000644\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003ESecondly, the bill abolishes the medical appeal boards that currently hear reviews in the areas I mentioned earlier: the medical aspects of the child disability allowance, the invalids benefit, the sickness benefit, and the veterans pension. These reviews would devolve to the new independent reviewers, who would have the ability to obtain expert medical advice as necessary. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000645\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EThirdly, the bill requires the new benefit review body to award the actual costs incurred in the reviews that are decided in the applicants\u2019 favour. It would have a discretion to award some costs in other situations as well where the claimant has a good reason for appealing a decision. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000646\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EFourthly, the bill requires a statutory requirement that the Ministry of Social Development formally notify its decisions to beneficiaries and benefit applicants in writing, and that it must also give written notice of all their rights. It also seeks to ensure that review decisions are made and notified within a strict time frame. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000647\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EThe key thing in all of this is that the review body must be genuinely independent of the Ministry of Social Development. I will bring a couple of beneficiary voices into the debate. The first voice comes from a gentleman who recently made a submission to the Social Services Committee on the social assistance bill dealing with aspects of superannuation and the veterans pension. Among other things, he stated: \u201CBenefit review committees are loaded against us, even the third person\u201D\u2014that is, the community representative\u2014\u201Cis usually someone previously employed by the department. I\u2019ve never met a single sympathetic \u2018community\u2019 person\u2014they all manipulate the benefits review process to suit themselves. There should be a review system that is truly independent.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000648\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EA second quote comes from another fellow who wrote to me recently, saying that he had been battling Work and Income for years on behalf of his disabled wife. He stated: \u201CCurrent legislation in regard to Benefit Review committees permits Work and Income employees to have complete control in determining decisions. In most cases the decisions \u2026 are a farce, a disgrace to the ideal of justice and fair play. For an applicant (often naive and inexperienced) to be forced to have a review heard by Work and Income staff plus a biased community representative\u2014also chosen by Work and Income\u2014is just a sick joke.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000649\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EThe community law centre in Canterbury stated: \u201CThe single biggest impediment to beneficiaries accessing justice is the legislation governing benefit reviews and appeals.\u201D The law centre goes on to say that it is already proactively working towards law reform in this area. It has a research project under way at present in association with the University of Canterbury examining access to justice under the current system. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000650\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EI know that there are many other law centres, beneficiary advocacy groups, superannuitants\u2019 organisations, community groups, and individuals who are just as frustrated by the lack of a fair and timely review and appeal process within Work and Income. It is high time that the law was changed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000651\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EIn advance I thank Labour and any other parties tonight that have decided to support this bill\u2019s first reading. It would be great to get it to a select committee, where we could hear the evidence from the public about what is really going on and about how the bill could be improved, which I am sure it could be. If by any chance the bill does not succeed tonight, I sincerely hope that the Government will take on board the serious nature of the issues I have raised and will take on the task of urgent reform itself. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000652\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EChanging the review and appeal processes at Work and Income should not be an ideological issue. In fact, I hope that my proposal might appeal to National, because I am suggesting a way of cutting down on bureaucracy and possibly privatising the system\u2014for example, through using Dispute Resolution Services.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022569e6098e7f3456d864dd0c90c4caec9\u0022\u003EThe ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy)\u003C/span\u003E: The member\u2019s time has expired, but the member also is required under Standing Order 279/1 to indicate which select committee she would like the bill to be referred to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000654\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222b1e646e2ce74659a38f8617ce14f318\u0022\u003ESUE BRADFORD\u003C/span\u003E: I intend that this bill be referred to the Social Services Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022 data-id=\u0022624bfb13245d4a06a11f32eb6226ca20\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000655\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022624bfb13245d4a06a11f32eb6226ca20\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development and Employment):\u003C/span\u003E I stand and commend the member Sue Bradford for the advocacy role she has played over a number of years for beneficiaries and for those people who are vulnerable.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000656\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c0eba1d-17a6-44e2-a9b3-2e2535339570\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002256a8d6336973401ba771fc69e9bbbc6a\u0022\u003EHon Pete Hodgson\u003C/span\u003E: But you\u2019ll vote against it?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000657\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220a5fd9fd2e6244efa18f9e248f48d05e\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: Would Mr Hodgson like to say something or is he leaving? What an odd man\u2014quite seriously! Let me start again. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000658\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003EI congratulate the member Sue Bradford on the advocacy that she has played over a number of years for beneficiaries and for those who are vulnerable and at the margins of our society. I also want to congratulate her on her capacity to get members\u2019 bills from the ballot. She seems to have a certain advocacy for that. I saw some of the work that Ms Bradford did in the 1990s and how conscientiously she has moved to promote the rights of those who really are the most disadvantaged and the most vulnerable in our society. I think that the Social Security (Benefit Review and Appeal Reform) Amendment Bill in many ways continues the member\u2019s focus on ensuring that those who rely on Work and Income for their weekly incomes get their correct entitlements. I know that she has been working on this bill for quite some time. I also\u2014and she will know that I do not mean this condescendingly at all\u2014quite enjoy the debates I have with her over social issues. They are well researched, she has strong opinions, and she respects that I do as well. We may not always see eye to eye on what they are, but we can at least go to battle and have a good debate on those issues, and sometimes even agree on what we need to do to go forward. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000659\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003EI am concerned about this bill, though, as I think it makes changes that will have a very costly impact on us in this economic climate where we are having to make tough decisions, focus our resources, and prioritise our spending more to the front line and to those people who really need it at the moment. Essentially it is my belief that this bill will add another layer of bureaucracy to the review process. It will fundamentally change the nature of this process and result in huge cost at a time when perhaps we need to be concentrating more on those people who need our help. As such there are a number of reasons why the Government does not support this particular bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000660\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003EFirst and foremost, it proposes to amend a review and appeal process that I believe, in essence, currently works well. This bill proposes changes based on a view that the current process is biased, favouring the Ministry of Social Development. I do not believe that the current process is biased; I believe we have an adequate process in place to assess decisions made by the ministry. Currently a person who is unhappy about a decision made by the chief executive can apply for a review of that decision. We see about 4,000 formal review requests each year that seek a review of a decision under this process\u2014about 65 percent of these are resolved at this stage. If the outcome of the review decides that that original decision stands correct, the person can then ask for a benefits review committee to consider the decision. The benefits review committees are made up of two employees from the ministry, as the member has previously said, and a community member. If the benefits review committee also agrees with the original decision, the person may then appeal to the Social Security Appeal Authority before deciding to take a judicial route. The process is balanced; it is fair and equitable to all concerned. Indeed, the Supreme Court has confirmed that it is appropriate for an administrative review, as currently provided by the committee, to take place. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000661\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003EThe bill proposes that the committee should be replaced by an independent reviewer who is under contract to the ministry. In effect, this introduces a quasi-judicial review, which is not needed in the process. Independent reviewers would have to be lawyers or experts in particular fields. In any given year the ministry holds over 1,000 benefit review committee meetings. The cost of contracting people to do these reviews instead would be significant. In fact, a conservative estimate that the department did was that it would be over $4 million. On top of this cost would be the cost of indemnity insurance. This would also be quite considerable. That is money we can put to much better use than changing a system that works well, particularly when we are in these tough times. We want to see our spend and resources go into assisting people, those who are in hardship, to ensure that they have the support and backing they need to get back on their feet and into work. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000662\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003EAnother significant change the bill proposes is that the reviewers will be able to award costs, and not just when a person is successful in getting a decision overturned but also when a person is unsuccessful, if the reviewer thinks the unsuccessful application for review is reasonable. The bill does not provide direction for what these costs might be awarded for, nor does it propose any limits on the costs that could be awarded. This opens the Government to fiscal risk that is totally unacceptable. The bill proposes the abolition of the medical appeals boards, which review decisions in relation to the medical assessments required for some benefits. They were established so that where a benefit was declined on medical grounds, that decision was reviewed by people with the appropriate knowledge and expertise. Abolishing those boards and having a decision reviewed by an independent contractor with no medical expertise would cause considerable difficulties. Inevitably for those reviews the Ministry of Social Development would have to contract in specialist advice, and that again would add to the cost of the process. The bill proposes to legislate the current practice in a number of areas. I do not believe that it is necessary to introduce legislation for processes that are best covered in administrative or operational guidelines. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000663\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003EWe do not always get it right within the ministry, and I note that the member Sue Bradford brought up issues of timeliness in terms of how long it takes for people to get a benefit review when they need one. Those are matters that I would be happy to take up with the member and discuss further, if her bill does not go through tonight. We want to get it right as much as we possibly can, and if I was making a judgment on the staff whom I have met over the last few months\u2014in fact, over the last few years, but predominantly those working within Work and Income\u2014I would say they predominantly want to help people. They want to give them their correct entitlement as much as they can, and to make sure those people get what they want and what they deserve. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000664\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003EThe Ministry of Social Development sends out about 5 million letters each year about decisions that have appeal rights attached to them. From those 5 million letters, about 4,000 formal requests for review are made each year. That is about 0.1 percent of the decisions made by the ministry, and certainly the internal review process resolves about two-thirds of those. That means we are getting it right; for that small percentage of decisions where we may not be, there is a process that people can go through, and 65 percent of cases are dealt with in the first review. The others are dealt with in the second review. We are, in fact, taking it seriously and getting it right. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000665\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003EI finish by acknowledging Sue Bradford for the issue that she brings to us. I acknowledge there is stuff that we can do differently and we can do better. I would particularly like to look at the timeliness issue. I do not think it is fair for people to be hanging on and trying to find out whether they will get that review and what it might mean for them, particularly in cases where, I think, we make mistakes, and that is human error as well. So I wish her luck.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022 data-id=\u002253d62c36026a4ecbbd77e39fc587401f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000666\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002253d62c36026a4ecbbd77e39fc587401f\u0022\u003EHon RUTH DYSON (Labour\u2014Port Hills):\u003C/span\u003E It gives me a great deal of pleasure to speak in support of the Social Security (Benefit Review and Appeal Reform) Amendment Bill going to a select committee at the conclusion of the speeches tonight. I add my congratulations to those given already by previous speakers to Sue Bradford. In my view, this issue is overdue for consideration. It was certainly looked at quite rigorously during Labour\u2019s time in Government, including looking at the different forms of reviews that operate in the various Government departments, whether in housing, the Police Complaints Authority, or the accident compensation scheme. So it is an issue that, in my view, has been ready for consideration for some time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000667\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EThe speech made by the Minister for Social Development and Employment has confirmed that the recession can be now used officially as an excuse for just about anything, including the inability to support a bill in this Parliament going to a select committee for consideration. The Minister said that she could not support it, because we are in recession. We have pretty well heard it all now. That is the weakest excuse for backing off a debate, for being scared to listen to concerns, and for not being able to front up to real alternatives that I have ever heard. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000668\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EIn my view, part of the entitlement within our social security system should be the timeliness and the fairness of any review and appeal process. In theory, that has always been the case, and, in my view, a number of our benefits review committees work very well; they certainly try their best. But it is beyond doubt that the perception is that they are not fair, that the majority of the committee are Work and Income staff members, that they have a community person who relies almost entirely on Work and Income for consideration of the facts, and that reviews are certainly not performed in a timely fashion in many parts of the country. If the Minister was genuine in saying that people are entitled to their full, correct financial entitlement, then she should also consider that part of that entitlement under the Social Security Act should be the review and appeal procedure. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000669\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EFor many people the perception becomes the reality. The theory is that those review committees are independent, they are neutral, they listen to every case on its merits, and they do not make a decision that is biased towards the ministry. The perception is impossible to relate to that theory, because of the make-up of the review panels. So for both the benefits review committees and the medical appeal boards, which this bill deals with, I am strongly supportive of the theory finally moving to the perception, and a new regime being established. I am not sure that this is the right regime, but it may well be. It could certainly give us the framework for a decent debate to hear from some of the people whom Sue Bradford referred to in her introductory comments: people who deal with beneficiaries, superannuitants, and family members of beneficiaries and superannuitants, and people who are frustrated by the system and believe that they could provide a better way forward. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000670\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003EI urge the House to give consideration to one other thing in relation to the model that Sue Bradford seems to have adopted in her bill, and that is the Dispute Resolution Services model from the accident compensation scheme. I do not believe that that system is perfect, either. It often feels weighted against a person who does not have the ability, for whatever reason, to hire a lawyer, or who may not think it is necessary to do so and is then up against a department that has a lot of resources behind it. That is one of the considerations we need to make. The other is whether we need a lower-level process for resolution, such as the one the accident compensation scheme has adopted. In my view, the earlier and lower level the intervention engagement between the Government system and the individual, the more likely we are to get a successful, sustainable, and fair outcome for everyone.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a744a9a7-a2e8-401b-abfb-aec22a3818c8\u0022 data-id=\u0022f2efb0112cee4d54b7dfa45878494e74\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000671\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a744a9a7-a2e8-401b-abfb-aec22a3818c8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f2efb0112cee4d54b7dfa45878494e74\u0022\u003EKATRINA SHANKS (National):\u003C/span\u003E It is my pleasure to stand and speak to the Social Security (Benefit Review and Appeal Reform) Bill tonight. First of all, I would like to acknowledge Sue Bradford, who has put this member\u2019s bill forward. I have worked on the Social Services Committee with Sue for the last 2\u00BD years, and I can tell the House that she is extremely passionate about beneficiaries and about the most vulnerable people in our society. I admire her for being their greatest advocate and for always having them at the forefront of everything she does at our select committee, to ensure that we produce the best legislation that we can for them. I admire what Sue Bradford does, and I think she is leading the way for many members in the House by doing what she believes is absolutely right and standing by it. So I wanted to acknowledge her first. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000672\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a744a9a7-a2e8-401b-abfb-aec22a3818c8\u0022\u003EThis will be a quick call. I will touch on what the bill proposes to do, what the current law is, and why we think it could be improved. The bill proposes changes that are focused on the review and appeal rights of benefit recipients, as set out in the Social Security Act 1964. The bill intends to provide a benefit review system that is independent of the Ministry of Social Development and converts the current review process into an independently contracted quasi-judicial review. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000673\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a744a9a7-a2e8-401b-abfb-aec22a3818c8\u0022\u003EThat is really important, and I did not realise there was a big issue around the benefits review committee. I personally had not heard about that, but I am a relatively new member of Parliament so I have not been exposed to as much as Sue has in terms of beneficiaries. There is a process that people go through, and I realise that there is one community person on that committee. But I was not aware that, in many instances, those people have been former Ministry of Social Development staff and have, in effect, the inside-running on how the system works. That is why this debate is so great\u2014we hear a lot of new viewpoints. That is what we are here to do; to hear viewpoints on members\u2019 bills that deal with concerns out there in the community. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000674\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a744a9a7-a2e8-401b-abfb-aec22a3818c8\u0022\u003EThe bill seeks to change the way the benefit reviews are conducted and to award costs to both successful and unsuccessful applicants. I can understand that. I understand that it can be intimidating for people to go before a benefits review committee. It is expensive to go through that process, to be represented at the committee, and to seek advice before the committee. This bill is about beneficiaries, and beneficiaries do not have a lot of money. Many of them do not have the skills to go before those committees themselves. We should be trying to get the committee right to begin with, to ensure it is delivering what it should be delivering to beneficiaries in the review process. I am sure these committees do try to get it right, and maybe it is something we should look at anyway, outside of this bill, to make sure that the committees are working. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000675\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a744a9a7-a2e8-401b-abfb-aec22a3818c8\u0022\u003EAt this time we are trying to keep down the cost of everything that is happening, including the cost of the awards that can be given, because the process is meant to be a low-cost process. The other constraint on this is the fiscal constraint around independent contracting. The proposal would require the ministry to engage reviewers on contract, which would incur substantial administration costs well in excess of costs currently paid for community members of benefits review committees. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a744a9a7-a2e8-401b-abfb-aec22a3818c8\u0022\u003EThe bill proposes that the ministry would be responsible for meeting all the costs incurred by a reviewer in conducting a review. One full-year cost for benefit review committee adjudicators\u2014if the reviews are to be heard by an independent contractor\u2014is estimated to be around $4.45 million. So we are talking about a significant amount of money. I understand that about 5 million letters are sent out every year in relation to appeal rights, and only a small proportion of these come back to the review committees. That indicates to me that most of the time we do get it right. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000677\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a744a9a7-a2e8-401b-abfb-aec22a3818c8\u0022\u003EI think that the Work and Income people are committed to ensuring that beneficiaries do get the correct amount of benefit. Obviously, it is not always right. We do have a process in place, and maybe that is something we can look at separately. I congratulate the member on bringing this bill to the House and letting us have this debate. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022 data-id=\u0022b435424654d647038e5e57fd2fa7d109\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000678\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b435424654d647038e5e57fd2fa7d109\u0022\u003ESU\u2019A WILLIAM SIO (Labour\u2014M\u0101ngere):\u003C/span\u003E I join my colleagues in the Labour team in supporting this bill and I acknowledge the work of the Green Party member Sue Bradford in introducing the Social Security (Benefit Review and Appeal Reform) Bill. This bill reflects the desire by the Labour Party, in support of the Greens, to support working-class families as many of them struggle as they experience what members opposite term as the sharp edges of the economic recession. On average an additional 1,100 people a week are signing up to the dole. It is a reflection of the fact that families throughout New Zealand are hurting. As more and more people sign up to the dole\u2014some of whom are doing so for the first time, after working 15 or 30 years in the same job\u2014they find that they would like to appeal some decisions that they do not agree with. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000679\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EWhen the Government introduced its Budget on 28 May, New Zealanders in general gravitated to the TV in anticipation of some kind of support for those New Zealanders who were feeling hardship as a result of the economic recession. There was high expectation that the Budget would be about job creation, industry support, investment in research and innovation, and investment in skills development. It should have been a Budget that would enable people to meet their normal daily expenses of food, rent, mortgages, petrol, medical needs, and the needs of schoolchildren. Unfortunately that was not the case. That is not what the Budget produced. In fact, it resulted in families feeling the recession as they have never before. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000680\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EIn my own constituency of M\u0101ngere there are many more examples today of families where sometimes for the very first time in their working life people have lost their jobs. Under Labour these people would have had meaningful jobs and earned good incomes. People had a strong sense of confidence then. They had little worry and could sleep well at night. Many of them were able to manage their financial affairs with both mum and dad working. There was food aplenty for the young children. In the past 3 months my electorate office in M\u0101ngere has had more and more dealings with people who have lost jobs. In the first week of July I was advised that one local company had had to lay off about 20, mainly Pacific, workers. They all lost their job, with only 1 week\u2019s notice. They were not members of any union and there was no redundancy agreement. These people had been working for this particular company for many, many years\u2014some for about 4 years but others for about 25 years. The company could not keep these workers. These men wanted to work. They were scared for their families. These were grown men, some of whom cried. They were desperate because they no longer had an income but their bills still needed to be paid. The household bills did not stop. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000681\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EI have had people from families come to me and say that while they were both working they could manage their financial affairs, but now that one spouse has lost his or her job they were extremely stressed out. When rich people get stressed out they go on holiday to Hawaii\u2014like some in this House\u2014or to wherever their fancy takes them. When working-class people are stressed out by the onslaught of the economic recession, with lay-offs and loss of income, they generally go without some of the essentials. Some will turn to their families, their church, or the Salvation Army for support, but mostly they go without. Believe it or not, they go without breakfast and lunch and will have only the evening meal. The evening meal makes it easier for them to sleep during the night. They go without heaters and humidifiers to save on electricity costs. Some of them will get sick or catch the flu as a result. They go without medicine or visits to the doctor in order to save money. These are the lucky ones; others will turn to booze and drugs and it will take a long time before they come out of it. If one spouse is earning a high income, the spouse who lost his or her job can get only minimal additional support from Work and Income. In one case it was only an additional $50 a fortnight. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000682\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EThis is the kind of gut-wrenching experience that many families now face. One particular man was angry that after paying taxes for most of his life, when he needed support from our welfare system for the first time, his experience was far from good. That family felt as though it had done something wrong. It had no control of the business decisions made by Work and Income.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225db0a23e-1579-44c6-9194-76e34cf5ae99\u0022 data-id=\u0022c8fdc978cdf54725b587c9152546b34c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000683\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225db0a23e-1579-44c6-9194-76e34cf5ae99\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c8fdc978cdf54725b587c9152546b34c\u0022\u003EDr RAJEN PRASAD (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I add my congratulations to Sue Bradford on bringing this bill to the House and thus continuing her longstanding advocacy for the most vulnerable in our society. She has been doing it for a long time. I have followed her work and she continues to be exceedingly successful in doing that here, as well. Along with my colleagues on this side of the House, I am pleased to support the bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000684\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225db0a23e-1579-44c6-9194-76e34cf5ae99\u0022\u003EThis is an important question relating to the rights of those who feel in some way prevailed upon by the decisions made against them. Therefore, societies like ours develop robust appeal systems so that those who feel aggrieved can take this matter somewhere. What are the characteristics of that system? First is independence. It has to be palpably independent. It is also based on a set of principles, in particular the principles of natural justice. That needs to come through and to be seen to be operating. Another characteristic of a good, robust appeal system is timely decision-making. Also, good systems provide reasoning for their decisions, and, perhaps most important of all, they are not unduly criticised by other courts\u2014there is support for them. It should also be comparable with other appeal systems in different areas. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000685\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225db0a23e-1579-44c6-9194-76e34cf5ae99\u0022\u003EWe can look at the benefits review committees and run this ruler by them and ask the same questions. Is this a robust appeal system? If we go back to the notion of independence, is it independent? It is not. Essentially, at the present time the chief executive is reviewing his own decisions. As the decision from the Supreme Court says, the decisions reviewed by this group are the decisions of the chief executive. So it is not independent. It is based within the ministry. There is one outside person, but two people from the staff of the organisation can clearly vote out the external person. So it is not independent, and we need to develop a system that is. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000686\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225db0a23e-1579-44c6-9194-76e34cf5ae99\u0022\u003EDoes it work along the principles of natural justice? Well, here again, as Sue Bradford said, clearly the decisions that they are making at the moment are based on administrative procedures within the Ministry of Social Development, rather than based on the principles of natural justice. Again, we would expect the decisions to be timely. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000687\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225db0a23e-1579-44c6-9194-76e34cf5ae99\u0022\u003EThis is probably one of the most important principles, particularly at this time when there is going to be a growing number of people on benefits, and particularly as we appear to be coming into an area where a punitive attitude towards people on benefits is growing. These people feel aggrieved. They are the ones who miss out, and their concerns become real, because when the money stops for families who are poor, the effects on them are quite serious. When decisions take a long time, then the problem is made worse. Clearly, beneficiary groups are already saying, again as Sue Bradford said, that these decisions are taking too long\u2014even as long as 6 months. That is an inordinately long period of time for a person dependent on income support to be waiting for a decision about those very things. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000688\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225db0a23e-1579-44c6-9194-76e34cf5ae99\u0022\u003EThe other point is whether the reasons are given. Well, they are not. Again, beneficiary groups have said very clearly that the reasons for these decisions are not given. The courts are critical of this particular system. The architecture of this appeal system, under the Social Security Act, is questioned by this decision. When we take all of those matters together, we find that it is time to have a look at that particular system. Sue Bradford makes some suggestions in this Social Security (Benefit Review and Appeal Reform) Amendment Bill. They might not be the right ones, but the way to look at them is to send the bill to a select committee so that it can be examined there and have improvements made to it. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022 data-id=\u002204581e7d45db475490d8084f18d7e080\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000689\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002204581e7d45db475490d8084f18d7e080\u0022\u003EHONE HARAWIRA (M\u0101ori Party\u2014Te Tai Tokerau):\u003C/span\u003E Kia ora t\u0101tou katoa e te Whare. In doing my research on the Social Security (Benefit Review and Appeal Reform) Amendment Bill, I came across a blog called NiuZila: Land of full fat milk and welfare money. I want to share some of its ideas here, because it talks about the disgusting abuse that New Zealanders heap upon beneficiaries. It states \u201CRead the mainstream opinion pieces, and people on the benefit are castigated as unworthy citizens of New Zealand. They are looked down upon and seen as worthless bludgers on the State. Perhaps it\u2019s a sign of these struggling economic times, but where is the empathy in this country? \u2026 for the vast majority of people who have unfortunately found themselves on a State benefit, it is because they are a victim of their circumstances. Most beneficiary recipients are honest law abiding New Zealand citizens who are struggling day by day, and are immensely grateful for Government assistance. As a Samoan Christian, I often think about when Jesus said \u2018what you do to the least of you, you also do to me\u2019.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000690\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EI congratulate Sue Bradford, a long-time soldier for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, on having the courage to put an idea before the House that will help to make a difference for beneficiaries and superannuitants. It is great timing on her behalf, given the release of the report from the Tax Working Group that shows it will be beneficiaries and superannuitants who will be hardest hit by any proposed increases to GST. Sue Bradford\u2019s bill is one way to help to restore the balance. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000691\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EThe M\u0101ori Party knows all too well the frustration and the anger that beneficiaries feel about the current review process. The Ministry of Social Development\u2019s annual reports show that less than 60 percent of the cases scheduled to go before a benefits review committee are heard within the same reporting year. That delay is absolutely unacceptable. On top of that, beneficiary advocates tell us that the current system is costly, slow, and biased. It is not surprising that people think that a benefits review committee is biased, because of the three people on it, two are Ministry of Social Development staff and the other one is appointed by the Minister. They cannot act with empathy or common sense, because they have to comply with the statutory requirements of the Social Security Act. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000692\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EAs anyone who works in a M\u0101ori Party electorate office can tell us, the rules that apply in Ministry of Social Development offices are applied unfairly, unevenly, and inconsistently, forcing beneficiaries to engage advocates or lawyers to present their cases, thereby clocking up extra debt and putting their households under extreme stress. It all becomes a vicious circle, yet the answer is simple: providing an independent voice, an outside view, to give the transparency and accountability that we all like to talk about in this House. And we must not be afraid of putting the State under scrutiny. A departmental system that is fair and unbiased should feel comfortable about having an independent eye cast on its operations. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000693\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EFinally, I tell the House that the M\u0101ori Party is concerned about the ongoing and consistent allegations of institutional bias against Government departments. The presence, operation, and effects of institutional racism were highlighted in the 1986 publication P\u016Bao-te-ata-t\u016B - Daybreak, a report by the ministerial advisory committee on a M\u0101ori perspective for the Department of Social Welfare. Twenty years on, the picture is either unchanged or worse than it was in 1986, so the M\u0101ori Party intends to develop a bill on institutional racism, which we think will fit very well alongside this one. Kia ora r\u0101, Sue. T\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa e te Whare.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00220ee528dc-7870-4553-95ed-5ec0cab60f07\u0022 data-id=\u002209f5e6ed54e0451fae27fb708fb59495\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000694\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220ee528dc-7870-4553-95ed-5ec0cab60f07\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002209f5e6ed54e0451fae27fb708fb59495\u0022\u003ECATHERINE DELAHUNTY (Green):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa. I am so glad to get the chance to speak in support of this particular member\u2019s bill, the Social Security (Benefit Review and Appeal Reform) Amendment Bill. It is very interesting to note how often the member Sue Bradford has her bills drawn from the biscuit tin. I am sure there are some statistical reasons for it, relating to how many bills she has written, but I like to think that the gods favour the people who fight for the poor. I think that if Jesus and Buddha were hanging around in the Clerk\u2019s Office, they would approve of the magical good luck of Sue Bradford in having her bills in defence of children and the poor selected from the ballot. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000695\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220ee528dc-7870-4553-95ed-5ec0cab60f07\u0022\u003EThey would not get very excited about some of the bills drawn, especially not the bills about building jails, Tasers, privatisation, and trashing the environment. But, being spiritual visionaries, they would be very keen on this bill, because it supports the people reviled by the media and the shallow, unimaginative policies of decision-makers. They cannot visualise themselves waiting in a line at Work and Income for their moment of humiliation, after hitchhiking from a village 2 hours away with two small kids and a power bill they cannot hope to pay, only to be told they do not have the right to their entitlement, but they can fill in a form to ask for a review by the system that has just rejected them. It works well, but for whom? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000696\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220ee528dc-7870-4553-95ed-5ec0cab60f07\u0022\u003ESue Bradford\u2019s bill makes the process of benefit review panels and appeals more independent and robust, on behalf of the people who badly need to be heard, and heard with some semblance of equity. It makes a vital improvement to that sad old, bad old legislation known as the Social Security Act. It is a justice-based reform of the welfare system\u2014an idea that does not appear to be on any major party\u2019s agenda. We need to do something to try to fix the worst inequities of that Act, and this bill is a useful amendment to it. The bill also requires the Ministry of Social Development to communicate decisions in a timely manner. That might sound like a small thing, but it is not such a small thing for someone who is waiting at home for a decision. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000697\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220ee528dc-7870-4553-95ed-5ec0cab60f07\u0022\u003EHowever, I will leave the technical niceties to my more able colleague who wrote this bill, and to the people who stand with her outside this place: the formidable and heroic beneficiary advocates. I came to know those people when I moved to T\u016Branga-nui-a-Kiwa, where poverty and unemployment have been the norm for tangata whenua for a long, long time. In the face of statistics about the performance of Work and Income in that region, we set up an advocacy group, and then I met the national advocates who fight for the poor. Every day in Gisborne people without hope came through our door, and they are still coming in, bruised by a range of experiences with Work and Income. There are some good Work and Income staff and some useless staff, but the problem is not individual; it is profoundly structural and attitudinal. How hard is it to have fair processes for beneficiary review, when the entire context around these issues is riddled with punitive and judgmental attitudes? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000698\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220ee528dc-7870-4553-95ed-5ec0cab60f07\u0022\u003EWe need beneficiaries to have the power to review Work and Income\u2019s decisions, and to appeal those decisions with equity and dignity, and with the ability to choose effective advocacy without economic hardship. Sue Bradford\u2019s bill is based on an intimate knowledge of the dilemmas that beneficiaries face with the child disability allowance, with the sickness benefit, and the veterans pension. She is proposing to get rid of medical appeal boards, and transfer that function to an independent benefits review committee, which can obtain medical evidence when needed. These seemingly obscure changes to review and appeal are actually significant changes, in terms of beneficiaries being heard, and of justice not only being done, but being seen to be done in terms of beneficiaries\u2019 just entitlement. They are part of the very long journey by Sue Bradford, and by her allies in the movement, to educate the rest of the country about the fact that beneficiaries are actually entitled to support, respect, and a fair hearing. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000699\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220ee528dc-7870-4553-95ed-5ec0cab60f07\u0022\u003EI urge every MP in this House to get over any residual, socially reinforced prejudice against fair play for beneficiaries, and to join the forces for good\u2014who include Jesus, Buddha, and Sue Bradford\u2014in their support for this bill. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022 data-id=\u0022e4b8cc89e8c942b29081795740116410\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000700\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e4b8cc89e8c942b29081795740116410\u0022\u003EHEKIA PARATA (National):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. Huri noa i te Whare; t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa. I, too, congratulate Sue Bradford on the bill she has brought before the House tonight. I am a relatively new member not only to the House but also to the Social Services Committee, and it has been a great opportunity for me to hear from the member as recently as today, and also to benefit from the advice of the member\u2019s vast institutional memory\u2014I mean that as a compliment, but it is so often used as a criticism\u2014her humility, and her preparedness to share her knowledge with people such as myself. I very much appreciate that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000701\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003EI endorse the comments that other speakers have made tonight about the member\u2019s tireless efforts on behalf of those who have entitlements to benefits. I really despair of the term \u201Cbeneficiary\u201D, because it has become such a pejorative term in our society. This bill helps us to open the debate wider, and to think about the respect that is owed to people who find themselves in need of the support of the State.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000702\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003EIt is incumbent upon the State to constantly review its own processes, systems, and structures, to ensure that the grand intent that is always at the beginning of these processes is still being honoured as time passes. This member\u2019s bill gives us that particular opportunity in respect of the benefit review and appeal process. When a problem is identified, and when that problem is particularly relevant to the vulnerable in our society, it is particularly important that we make every effort to redress the difficulties and flaws of the system, and to look to continuous improvement to ensure that people who are reliant upon the State are able to access what they are entitled to\u2014and to do so with respect.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000703\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003EThe bill proposes changes that are focused on the review and appeal rights of benefit recipients as set out in the Social Security Act 1964. The bill intends to provide a benefit review system that is independent of the Ministry of Social Development, and that converts the current review process into an independently contracted quasi-judicial review. Consequently, the bill seeks to change the way in which reviews are conducted. The bill also seeks to award costs to both successful and unsuccessful applicants.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000704\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003EI think it might be helpful if we spend a very short time on summarising what the current benefit review process is, notwithstanding the significant criticisms that have already been identified about it in previous parts of this debate. I am not sure whether members are aware of quite the scope and quantity of considerations that the current process is responsible for, but approximately 5 million letters are sent out each year about decisions that have appeal rights attached. These result in about 4,000 formal review requests each year. The first step in the process is a review of the decision\u2014an internal administrative review within the ministry. Sixty-five percent of issues are resolved at this stage. If the review does not resolve the issue, then the matter is formally considered by a benefits review committee. Such a committee, as we have heard, is made up of two members of the Ministry of Social Development and a community member appointed by the Minister. No additional costs are associated with the process other than the fees, expenses, and travelling allowances of the one community member. Costs to the appellant are not awarded.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000705\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003EOne of the particular concerns I have about the proposal set out in the bill is that it would seem to incur significantly more costs than the current process, and I wonder whether we might more profitably turn our attention to how we improve the process we have rather than remove it altogether and start again. Clearly, the system does require greater improvement. As my colleague Hone Harawira has said, we must not be afraid to put the State under scrutiny. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022 data-id=\u00221976259c236249739e7fe9da857b1a16\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000706\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221976259c236249739e7fe9da857b1a16\u0022\u003EJACINDA ARDERN (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I am pleased to rise and speak in support of this member\u2019s bill, the Social Security (Benefit Review and Appeal Reform) Amendment Bill, in the name of Sue Bradford. I would like to reaffirm and restate some of the support that has been given to that member, who once again is bringing forth what I think is both a timely and crucial piece of legislation in an area that is desperately in need of some support at this particular point in time. We are at present entering an environment where we are more in need than ever of giving additional support to Kiwis who have fallen on hard times. More than ever we are seeing that vulnerable Kiwis, who have their rights as citizens in New Zealand to seek the support of the State, are being vilified in the public sphere. As a member of this House, that is something I deeply regret seeing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000707\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003EIn my very short time here I have seen some of what I perceive to be crucial support mechanisms provided by the State, come under fire. The example I will draw on is the independent youth benefit. We saw recently that the Government put forth a support package for young people, but in the very same breath it stated that the independent youth benefit, that crucial benefit that is drawn on by no more than 1,500 young people, would have additional layers of eligibility requirements attached to it before young people would be able to access it. Let me restate to this House that that benefit is extraordinarily difficult for a young person to receive\u2014extraordinarily difficult. Two-thirds of the young people who receive that benefit are already in work, training, or education. They must go to great lengths to prove they are eligible for that benefit. Let us not be under any illusions: we run a tight ship when it comes to our welfare State. To purport otherwise, I believe, is dishonest, yet we have done so with that particular benefit. Young people must already prove that they psychologically require access to that support mechanism, yet we are now putting in an additional layer of requirement for an already vulnerable group of people.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000708\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003EWe have already seen, as well, the release of information on beneficiaries for political point-scoring, and now we see there will be a review of the 50 top\u2014I do not know what the Government wants to call them, but they are a group of beneficiaries whom the Government considers are worthy of review. I do not want to comment on the specific details of those individuals, but for me this feels like a wider softening up of the public. In this environment, I think it is important now more than ever that we ensure that our system is balanced, and for me this bill is a rebalance of power.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000709\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003EWe have in New Zealand a number of authorities that provide accountability structures. We have ombudsmen for various institutions, whether for insurance, banking, or our parliamentary system. The principles behind ombudsmen are that they are independent, that they respond to and review complaints in a timely manner, and that they are accessible. In my mind, these are the same principles that should apply to any appeal board that looks at benefits that are awarded or denied in this country. Those same principles should apply in these cases. Those are criteria that I would expect a select committee to consider when looking at this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000710\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003EIn particular, I am very pleased that not only are we adding independence to a structure that I believe so desperately needs it; we are also adding time limits. But I ask the select committee to perhaps look further at the specific time limits when issuing a formal ruling. I may have missed a detail in this, but perhaps in the process itself we might also need to build in time limits to ensure that the process does not unnecessarily drag or cause undue distress for those individuals involved in it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000711\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003EI again reiterate my strong support for this bill. In the current environment we are in I think it is timely, I think it is necessary, and I think it will bring greater consistency to those other similar structures that we already have in our system. I once again congratulate the member on bringing this issue to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022 data-id=\u00229a51ff9ec370441aa71f33b87416cdbe\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000712\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229a51ff9ec370441aa71f33b87416cdbe\u0022\u003ESUE BRADFORD (Green):\u003C/span\u003E First of all, I thank members who have spoken kind words about my own work and about the Social Security (Benefit Review and Appeal Reform) Amendment Bill. They include those who will vote against the bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000713\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EI will say a few words about what the Minister for Social Development and Employment, Paula Bennett, said. Her main argument as to why the Government will not be supporting the bill appears to be that she thinks that it will be costly, and that it will add another layer of bureaucracy. I believe that this argument is absolutely wrong. If the Government had been open to picking up this bill and working with us on it at the Social Services Committee, if it had heard the submissions from all the groups around the country, had listened to advice from officials, and had looked at the options of what might be possible with a much more independent review and appeal body, it would have found that it was a much more cost-effective way to go. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000714\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EIt is a myth that the current system would be less expensive than a system like the Dispute Resolution Services process, which the Accident Compensation Corporation uses. Unfortunately, in the short time since my bill was drawn I have not had time to extract all the figures to prove this, but I strongly suspect that a system like this would be much cheaper than what it actually costs the Ministry of Social Development at the moment to run its rather ineffective and time-consuming process. A lot of it is false economy. For example, the fact that the department is using departmental staff\u2014who are totally biased\u2014appears to be a cost saving because they are already employees of the department, but their time costs something, and it is at the expense of having a review and appeal system that is unbiased and fair. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000715\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EThe Minister also talked about the legislation adding a layer of bureaucracy. Again, I think it is the opposite: it would actually streamline the system by taking it out of the department. We would not have all that business of having to get on board with the community reps, who may or may not be the unbiased and neutral people they are supposed to be. In fact, the bill would strip out bureaucracy and make the whole system much simpler to run. My proposition also would get rid of the medical boards, which is another layer of bureaucracy. I believe that the Minister has got it all round the wrong way. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000716\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EI welcomed the Minister\u2019s comment that the department does not always get it right, and that timeliness is an issue. I am glad she picked up on that issue; she has access to a lot more information than I do. I hope the Minister acts on her words, takes up that issue with the ministry, and looks closely at what is happening. I hope that if she does an investigation like that, she will find out the reality of what I, Labour members, my colleague Catherine Delahunty, and Hone Harawira have been talking about tonight, which is that the system is not working well. The Minister has only to listen to the voices of the advocacy groups, the community law centres, the citizens advice bureaus, and others who deal with people coping with the system to learn that the process is a long way from working well. I hope that even though the Government is rejecting this offering, it will begin to look seriously at reforming the benefit review and appeal system, which is well overdue for consideration. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000717\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EI turn to my colleague Ruth Dyson, who said that her Labour Government looked at this issue rigorously in its term of office. I say to her that I am sorry that her Labour Government did not pick this up. I regret that my member\u2019s bill was not drawn during Labour\u2019s term of Government. I hoped that it would have gone to the select committee and received due consideration there. But I am very grateful for the Labour Party\u2019s support tonight, and for the M\u0101ori Party\u2019s support. These parties understand the failings of the ministry. I take on what Ruth Dyson said. She is not sure that the Dispute Resolution Services model is the right one. I am not sure either. I put it up as only one way forward; I am not at all sure that it is the best way, and I am well aware that accident compensation claimants have issues about Dispute Resolution Services. It is far from a perfect model, but I think it is a lot better, and potentially a lot cheaper, than the current one. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000718\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f8b92f47-d078-4e6a-b4c6-136913bda55d\u0022\u003EI thank those who have supported the bill tonight, and I hope the Government picks up the issues I have raised, even though it is not voting for the bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022a41dca70e9a34dc08c0e7f0dbdf1f69e\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the Social Security (Benefit Review and Appeal Reform) Amendment Bill be now read a first time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 58\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 43; Green Party 9; M\u0101ori Party 5; Progressive 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 64\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 58; ACT New Zealand 5; United Future 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000719\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229fb5823864ae4583865f6e7d0016a7ed\u0022\u003EInternational Non-Aggression and Lawful Use of Force Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000720\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002290649a6368584b65b37029e00cf927b7\u0022\u003EFirst Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022 data-id=\u00228d0653bd1cfa48339af3377979490cad\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228d0653bd1cfa48339af3377979490cad\u0022\u003EDr KENNEDY GRAHAM (Green):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the International Non-Aggression and Lawful Use of Force Bill be now read a first time. I intend to move at the appropriate time that the bill be referred to the Justice and Electoral Committee. The purpose of the bill, as stated in the explanatory note, is twofold. First, \u201CTo ensure that the use of armed force by New Zealand is always in conformity with international law and in particular the UN Charter;\u201D, and, second, \u201CTo protect New Zealand leaders\u201D\u2014that is to say, our Ministers of the Crown\u2014\u201Cfrom external pressure to commit the New Zealand Defence Force to any illegal action overseas.\u201D The essential content of the bill is also twofold. First, it makes it a criminal offence for any New Zealand leader who is constitutionally in a position to direct the defence forces to commit the forces to any act of aggression overseas. Secondly, it requires that before committing the defence forces to any action overseas, such leaders receive written legal advice from the Attorney-General that such action is consistent with international law, and in particular the charter of the United Nations, and that such advice be debated in Parliament. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000722\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003EThis bill does not constrain in any way New Zealand leaders in the exercise of their constitutional obligation to defend the realm. It is directed exclusively at ensuring that the proactive use of force by New Zealand overseas is strictly consistent with the United Nations Charter. Nor does it seek to accord to Parliament any power of executive decision pertaining to the New Zealand Defence Force. That power remains with Cabinet, Parliament being accorded simply the right to comment in advance upon the legal merits of a proposed action. When the lives of New Zealanders are at stake, their representatives must be given a voice. The bill establishes a new body, the Special Prosecutor, to be responsible for any investigation and prosecution. That is because the traditional agent for such action in the New Zealand judicial system, the Attorney-General, is not in this case an appropriate mechanism. Elementary logic of the legal system and constitutional law precludes a person who, through executive action, has participated in an official decision from determining, through judicial action, the matter of its own legality.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000723\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003EThe International Non-Aggression and Lawful Use of Force Bill aims not to divide the country or this House, but to unite them. The political rationale on which it rests is compelling. In the 21st century New Zealand is rendered safer through the rule of international law than through a 19th century reliance on unfettered military power. In times past, even in the 20th century, international law was seen as essentially prescriptive in intent, and, at best, only fitfully enforceable. It worked simply when major powers wished it to, in the pursuit of their national interests. Today there is a newfound recognition that the emerging global society can rest only on the rule of law, whether its interaction is in trade, finance, environmental protection, or the use of military force. It is thus in New Zealand\u2019s national interest to contribute to the strengthening of that law. Indeed, international law is, in certain ways and to a certain extent, transforming into global law. That progression is in all our interests, not only for New Zealand but for the rest of humanity, provided that such law reflects a global legitimacy in terms of a balanced input from all cultures, and a fair and balanced application and enforcement. Action for strengthening international law proceeds along two avenues of endeavour. At the international level, work is under way to add aggression as a crime of the International Criminal Court. New Zealand is contributing to that work, and it is to be hoped that this will be completed within a matter of years. The International Criminal Court\u2019s jurisdiction, however, will always be of secondary instance, with national courts retaining primary responsibility, so it is our responsibility to introduce domestic legislation to ensure that the criminalisation of aggression falls within our national jurisdiction. By doing this now New Zealand contributes to the international work in a meaningful and proactive way. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000724\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003EAllow me to anticipate and address some possible areas of opposition to the bill, which, I should acknowledge from the outset, I will sincerely respect. First, some may contend that New Zealand should wait until the International Criminal Court completes its negotiating process before proceeding to legislate domestically against aggression. But that constitutes an unnecessary deferral. There is nothing to prevent any country from introducing national legislation in advance, and there are good reasons for doing so. Indeed, many countries have legislated against aggression as a crime against peace. Two have specifically identified it as a leadership crime. This New Zealand bill is distinctive in directly tying the domestic crime to the obligations of the United Nations Charter, which, I submit, is the proper way to proceed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000725\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003ESecondly, others may doubt that New Zealand should proceed unilaterally, when a small nation such as ours poses no threat to anyone, and always abides by the rule of law, reflecting, as it were, a peerless brand of enlightened internationalism. In fact, New Zealand does not have an unblemished record on the use of force. We stood aside in 2003 when British, Australian, and US forces used force in an action that most jurists and the UN Secretary-General regarded as illegal, but in 1956 we actively supported the United Kingdom in its aggression against Egypt, a move that was overwhelmingly condemned by the United Nations, including the United States. To those who say that such action half a century ago does not reflect the New Zealand of today, I say then let us demonstrate our national maturity by enshrining non-aggression in our criminal law, for the pressure of any major power on New Zealand to commit armed force in a coalition remains as potent today as it was then. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000726\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003EThird, there may be those who perceive it as a gratuitous insult to render our national leaders open to criminal liability for directing our own armed forces, but that is the old way of perceiving international peace and security. In the 21st century the rule of law reaches into the hitherto sacral domain of national security, and no person, whether citizen or leader, is above the law. Indeed, the intent of the bill is not to intimidate our leaders but to protect them through the reach of domestic law. It is the same logic that extends a binding obligation under our 1987 legislation upon the Prime Minister to refuse entry of nuclear-capable warships into our national territory. In that law and in this bill \u201Cobligation\u201D equates to protection. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000727\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003EFourth, others may lament that the issue of aggression in international law is too complex, and the definition of aggression too imprecise for any meaningful domestic legislation to be justiciable. But our domestic criminal legislation is replete with complex challenges of definition, interpretation, and judgment. The definitions of murder, manslaughter, rape, and assault are just a few examples of concepts pertaining to human behaviour where Parliament legislates, lawyers argue, juries decide, and judges pronounce. In no way is the concept of aggression intrinsically different, even at the international level. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000728\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003EFinally, some may question the underlying philosophical premise that our nation is made safer through law and power. To them I say, with respect, that they stand on the wrong side of history. This bill derives not from idealism but from a sobered and forward-looking realism. The bill does not descend from the heavens wreathed in fine raiment; rather does it emerge from the fires of war clothed in the burnt and shredded uniforms of our fallen soldiers, they who bear silent witness to the agony of human conflict. It is in tribute to those who have departed, and with eternal hope for generations yet to come, that I commend this bill to the House, and request that it be given due consideration. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022df788c48-b9be-42fd-b8f2-76629a5572b8\u0022 data-id=\u00220f1271a1afc341deac0537a911b3e17d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000729\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022df788c48-b9be-42fd-b8f2-76629a5572b8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220f1271a1afc341deac0537a911b3e17d\u0022\u003EHon Dr WAYNE MAPP (Minister of Defence):\u003C/span\u003E The International Non-Aggression and Lawful Use of Force Bill demonstrates Dr Graham\u2019s deep commitment to the progressive development of international law. Its ultimate trajectory would be to fundamentally change the contemporary international legal order. The wars of the 20th century led to a general recognition that aggressive war was a fundamental breach of the norms of international law, and that all those who committed that crime would be held to account. The Nuremburg trials were the precise incident of that principle. Individuals were held to account for their actions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000730\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022df788c48-b9be-42fd-b8f2-76629a5572b8\u0022\u003EMore recently the International Criminal Court has provided a general international statute to hold the perpetrators of aggressive war, genocide, and other war crimes to account. We have seen its effectiveness in the trials of the various perpetrators of war, genocide, and war crimes in the former Yugoslavia. There are also special tribunals in relation to genocides in Rwanda. Most recently, the President of Sudan has been indicted by the International Criminal Court. Dr Graham\u2019s bill is intended to continue that process. So he will be wondering why National is opposing it, given what I have just said.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000731\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022df788c48-b9be-42fd-b8f2-76629a5572b8\u0022\u003EThere are two fundamental reasons. The first reason is that it would effectively hand our foreign policy to the whims of a United Nations Security Council veto. This would be the case under clause 7 of the bill. I refer members to an important recent situation where this was the case. Under the proposed legislation New Zealand and other Western democracies could not have defended the people of Kosovo against genocidal aggression, because their Prime Ministers, Presidents, and, indeed, chiefs of defence forces would have been prosecuted in the courts. There would have been no authorisation for their actions by the Security Council, because Russia and China vetoed the proposed resolution. I cannot believe that Dr Graham would expect or desire that as an outcome. But, in reality, in the way the bill is written\u2014at its very heart\u2014that would have been the outcome. I also note that the intervention, which this whole House universally supported, did not initially have United Nations approval. That is why it was called an intervention. It was only later that it had UN authorisation. I note that it is essentially the same with most situations in the Pacific, as well. They subsequently get UN approval.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000732\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d4506109-be18-4b9d-9a79-1e15e2e2cd41\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c5c296cc15ff478e92ba21cbe0446550\u0022\u003EHon Chris Carter\u003C/span\u003E: Such as where?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000733\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022df788c48-b9be-42fd-b8f2-76629a5572b8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022308ae5caba714861b332f2d7086ec595\u0022\u003EHon Dr WAYNE MAPP\u003C/span\u003E: Well, in the Solomon Islands. So in National\u2019s view that is a fatal flaw of this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000734\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022df788c48-b9be-42fd-b8f2-76629a5572b8\u0022\u003EThe second point is that I believe the bill has the potential to deeply divide our nation. It is worth recalling that yesterday this House debated the deployment into Afghanistan of the New Zealand Special Air Service. Irrespective of where particular parties stood on that issue, they all stated directly, including Dr Kennedy Graham\u2019s colleague Keith Locke, that we needed to support our servicemen and servicewomen when we place them with huge risk to their lives when they defend the interests of New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000735\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022df788c48-b9be-42fd-b8f2-76629a5572b8\u0022\u003EIt is the view of Dr Kennedy Graham that the actions in Afghanistan do not meet the test of the United Nations. I say to him that he is wrong on that point. The United Nations Security Council resolutions, both in 2001 and 2003, and the annual resolutions provide full authorisation of the NATO International Security Assistance Force mission. But the other key part of Mr Graham\u2019s bill is the establishment of the office of a Special Prosecutor and the ability\u2014this is the key point\u2014of anyone to make a complaint to the prosecutor with the intent that Prime Ministers, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Ministers of Defence, and chiefs of the defence forces would then be prosecuted. That is the objective.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000736\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022df788c48-b9be-42fd-b8f2-76629a5572b8\u0022\u003EIt is certain that if this bill were passed, members of the Green Party would seek to do precisely that in that particular case. Imagine, I ask Dr Graham, how deeply divisive that would be to our country, and how it would deepen the risk between our peoples in situations that I understand are challenging. I think that passing this legislation is simply the wrong way to deal with this issue. I recognise that it is motivated by the best of intentions; I suggest to Dr Graham that there is a better way to deal with his concerns. He did, in part, recognise a pathway towards that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000737\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022df788c48-b9be-42fd-b8f2-76629a5572b8\u0022\u003ENew Zealand is committed to the universality of the International Criminal Court. At present it does not have that status, and a number of nations are not signatories to the court. It has been an objective of the Parliamentarians for Global Action, of which I have been a member, to get as wide a sign up as possible to that particular convention; it is the principal objective of the Parliamentarians for Global Action. I know that Dr Kennedy Graham has been directly involved in that process. It is a national goal for New Zealand that we should have universality of the International Criminal Court. I suggest that in deepening the global commitment to providing a more consistent basis to hold to account those responsible for the conduct of war crimes and aggressive war, then it should be the case that the International Criminal Court becomes the principal and primary place for people to be held to account.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000738\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022df788c48-b9be-42fd-b8f2-76629a5572b8\u0022\u003ENational understands the underlying motivations behind this bill, but fundamental parts of the bill are deeply flawed. There is another way to develop this process, and I suggest to the House and to Dr Graham that those parts can be pursued, and that there are mechanisms in select committees to advance that case. Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d4506109-be18-4b9d-9a79-1e15e2e2cd41\u0022 data-id=\u0022585c7888aaa84c7faa863fba378f8993\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000739\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d4506109-be18-4b9d-9a79-1e15e2e2cd41\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022585c7888aaa84c7faa863fba378f8993\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS CARTER (Labour\u2014Te Atat\u016B):\u003C/span\u003E I rise on behalf of the Labour Party as its spokesperson on foreign affairs to speak in support of Dr Kennedy Graham\u2019s International Non-Aggression and Lawful Use of Force Bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000740\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d4506109-be18-4b9d-9a79-1e15e2e2cd41\u0022\u003EWe have just heard from Dr Wayne Mapp from the National Party that the Government will not be supporting this bill. He concluded his 10-minute presentation by saying there is another way to deal with the bill. Of course there is, and that is to send it to a select committee. There are ways to improve this bill, and we have to reconcile this legislation with domestic legislation. We have to see that it fits in comfortably with the International Criminal Court. Aspects of the bill could be improved, and I am sure Dr Kennedy Graham would be the first to concede that. We have a process here at Parliament to improve a bill, and that is to send the bill to a select committee. It seems that Dr Mapp is not prepared to follow his own advice, and that the Government will not support this bill being sent to a select committee. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000741\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d4506109-be18-4b9d-9a79-1e15e2e2cd41\u0022\u003EDr Mapp made a couple of points in his rather confused presentation\u2014his presentation of denial\u2014that I feel I have to take umbrage with. Firstly, he said this bill empowers our foreign policy to be handed over to the United Nations. Well, frankly, I would be very happy for our foreign policy to be in sync with the policies of the United Nations. Dr Mapp was quite prepared, when National was in Opposition, to hand over our foreign policy to the United States. When Labour was in Government, supported by the Green Party, we said no to the deployment of our troops to Iraq. We said no to that. Members may recall that Mr John Key, the current Prime Minister of our country, said in the Rodney Times that the National Party would send troops to Iraq. Of course, he later recanted on that position; he is well known for such flip-flops. But the reality is that National would have caved in to the Americans; we did not do so. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000742\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d4506109-be18-4b9d-9a79-1e15e2e2cd41\u0022\u003ESecondly, yes, the previous Labour Government did send our SAS troops to Afghanistan. Mr Goff and other speakers explained yesterday in the debate that when those troops were sent there, they were sent to find al-Qaeda. It was a mission supported by the United Nations and many countries in the world. Now, of course, they will be sent to fight the Taliban, which is quite a different scenario altogether. This Government will also have our provincial reconstruction team plucked out of the excellent job it is doing in Bamian. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000743\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d4506109-be18-4b9d-9a79-1e15e2e2cd41\u0022\u003EI say \u201CGood on you!\u201D to Dr Kennedy Graham. His bill attempts to build on the principled foreign policy that our country has enjoyed for a very long time. It builds on things like our nuclear-free policy. It builds on the excellent work that this country has done\u2014a small country, but one with a powerful voice in the world\u2014on the banning of cluster munitions, on the attempts to ban the use of landmines, and on the pursuit of peace and the very active role that our country has played in that area. Indeed, we play a very active role in peacekeeping missions, such as the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, and the work we did in Bougainville in brokering the peace agreement there. These are all things that have given this small country of a little over 4 million people an enormous reputation in the world. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000744\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d4506109-be18-4b9d-9a79-1e15e2e2cd41\u0022\u003EWe just heard the National Government say no to this bill. It was a sort of dumbing down of our foreign policy. We have seen much of that in this House since the election. Whether we go from things like conservation to the provision of social services, such as education, we find there has been a general dumbing down. I remember saying on Radio New Zealand National on election night last year that John Key would become the George Bush of New Zealand. He is a man whom history will record as having dumbed down a country, a man who has seen the grinding down of our reputation. The failure to support this bill\u2019s referral to a select committee is just about that: it is about dumbing down New Zealand\u2019s foreign policy. It is about slavishly following some other countries, rather than about being a good citizen in the world. I say \u201CWell done!\u201D to Dr Kennedy Graham. He is building on the reputation that our country deserves to have, because of its strong support for peace in the world. I say to him that the Labour Party supports his bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022 data-id=\u0022a9fd7a4fea864c4e92d72593a02aadad\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000745\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a9fd7a4fea864c4e92d72593a02aadad\u0022\u003EDr PAUL HUTCHISON (National\u2014Hunua):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you for the opportunity to speak on this member\u2019s bill, the International Non-Aggression and Lawful Use of Force Bill, in the name of Dr Kennedy Graham. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000746\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022\u003EI have no doubt that the sentiment behind this bill is extremely worthy, but, like my colleague Dr Wayne Mapp\u2014who I believe gave a most well-informed and thoughtful contribution to this debate\u2014I say that National will be opposing this bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000747\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022\u003EThe bill\u2019s purpose is highly worthy. I think Dr Graham mentioned to me earlier this afternoon that quite a number of countries around the world are starting to look at legislation like this. Perhaps it is something that New Zealand must seriously consider in the future, but there are some outstanding concerns about this bill. The purpose is consistent with the worthiness that Dr Graham espouses\u2014that is, to ensure that the use of armed forces by New Zealand is always in conformity with international law, and to protect New Zealand leaders from external pressure to commit the New Zealand Defence Force to any illegal action overseas. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000748\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022\u003EI see that one of the key points of this bill will introduce into criminal law a new crime, the crime of aggression, which might be committed by a New Zealand leader and which would be justiciable in the New Zealand courts. For me, a non-lawyer, this is a word that I was not aware of. It simply means subject to a trial in a court of law. That in itself makes one a little worried to think that New Zealand leaders, who often act in good faith in response to a sudden emergency that has occurred somewhere in the South Pacific, may find themselves suddenly in a court of law, perhaps inappropriately. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000749\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022\u003EI think back 9 years to when the previous Labour Prime Minister, Helen Clark, said that we were living in a benign political environment in the South Pacific. How wrong she was. One has only to think of Bougainville, East Timor, Tonga, and, more recently\u2014well, several times over\u2014Fiji. These are the realities of the South Pacific and the realities of the need to have a law in New Zealand that is practical and flexible, in order to respond to an emergency. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000750\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022\u003EThe bill provides that any prosecution will be brought by a special prosecutor, who will be appointed by the Governor-General, and I note that in some of the notes Dr Graham suggested this could be a retired judge. Well, shivers run down my spine from time to time when I think of those gentlemen, and just how capable they may be of taking on this very, very important responsibility. The bill provides that it is unlawful for a New Zealand leader to plan, prepare, initiate, or execute an act of aggression that, if it is committed, by its character, gravity, and scale constitutes a manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000751\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022\u003ENational will oppose this bill on two grounds: firstly, the provisions within this bill could result in severe and blatant misuse; and, secondly, the bill would mean the use of force is permissible only if it has been approved by the United Nations Security Council. This would have been unacceptable on many past occasions. Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker Barker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227df975cd-93d2-4f55-9bc5-d2790e28e043\u0022 data-id=\u002293ce303b09124f01aded4d9fb732a215\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000752\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227df975cd-93d2-4f55-9bc5-d2790e28e043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002293ce303b09124f01aded4d9fb732a215\u0022\u003EHon MARYAN STREET (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I am delighted to rise to speak on behalf of the Labour Party in favour of the International Non-Aggression and Lawful Use of Force Bill, which is in the name of Dr Kennedy Graham. I congratulate Dr Graham on bringing this legislation to the House. I will briefly talk about it, and then talk about what we have just heard from National in response to it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000753\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227df975cd-93d2-4f55-9bc5-d2790e28e043\u0022\u003EFor decades New Zealand has had a very strong tradition of moral foreign policy. We sent Fraser Colman on a frigate to Mururoa to observe and find out about the nuclear tests being conducted there. Our Dame Silvia Cartwright, who is a retired judge, is now working as a trial judge on the Cambodian War Crimes Tribunal. It is our Sir Kenneth Keith who has been taking the lead at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. We have never been afraid as a country to put up people of enormous competence to lead moral arguments on international law and issues of international justice.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000754\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227df975cd-93d2-4f55-9bc5-d2790e28e043\u0022\u003EI commend Dr Graham for bringing this matter to the House\u2019s attention. Parliament could do nothing more serious than to commit our citizens to wars or acts of aggression. It is positive that this legislation could give us grounds to determine whether it is legal, whether it is in accordance with United Nations conventions, and whether it is in accordance with some kind of moral principle underlying foreign policy. This kind of legislation could lead to that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000755\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227df975cd-93d2-4f55-9bc5-d2790e28e043\u0022\u003EI will never know whether this bill could be improved, because National will vote against it. Dr Mapp said that this bill could be improved and that there are ways in which it could be amended. He tried to strike a position of defence of National\u2019s view by saying that the bill is technically inadequate in some respects. But that is why we would send the bill to a select committee. The kind of leadership and approach that a New Zealand Parliament ought to be taking on principled grounds is being stymied by this National Government. This bill will not be given the chance for improvement or refinement, whatever that might be. I am not in a position to know how it might be improved; I am not an international lawyer. But, as a responsible member of this House, I would like the chance to determine whether this legislation contributes to a principled position for New Zealand in the international community.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000756\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227df975cd-93d2-4f55-9bc5-d2790e28e043\u0022\u003EI recall having my own bill about ethical trade rejected by this Government 2 weeks ago. Does this Government not realise that progress is made like this, with bills like this? Progress is made little by little, step by step, treaty by treaty, and clause by clause\u2014that is how progress is achieved both domestically and internationally. This Government repeatedly refuses to allow us as a Parliament to investigate and interrogate legislation in order to see whether we, together as a Parliament, can advance New Zealand\u2019s interests and the world\u2019s interests as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000757\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227df975cd-93d2-4f55-9bc5-d2790e28e043\u0022\u003EIt seems to me that this legislation could do that. This legislation could provide some leadership to countries apart from our own that do not have a principled or legal position by which they might determine whether to commit their citizens to acts of aggression. It is a shame that this National Government, on no principled ground that I could discern from either of the previous National speakers, will prevent this legislation from being interrogated and developed further by sending it to a select committee. That is a shame.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022 data-id=\u00223434b92488974cb7b202325e27092ca0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000758\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223434b92488974cb7b202325e27092ca0\u0022\u003EHONE HARAWIRA (M\u0101ori Party\u2014Te Tai Tokerau):\u003C/span\u003E Kia ora t\u0101tou katoa e te Whare. The M\u0101ori Party supports the International Non-Aggression and Lawful Use of Force Bill in line with the history, the experience, and the example that Aotearoa offers the world in terms of the philosophy of peaceful resistance and leadership. We know only too well the history of the people of Taranaki, who in 1881 refused to fight at Parihaka, instead drawing on their traditions of passive resistance. We all know the international reputation we gained when former Prime Minister David Lange told the world that nuclear weapons were morally indefensible, and declared Aotearoa to be nuclear-free. We recall the protest against nuclear testing in Mururoa in 1985, and the 1996 case that went before the World Court at The Hague. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000759\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EWe know that our history tells us that unless the peoples of the land are involved in determining their solutions to conflict, peace will always be fragile and temporary. We know that the international world must stand strong in condemning any abuse of human rights and democratic freedoms. And we know, too, that the stage has been well and truly prepared for this bill to be heard. And so we commend Mr Graham for putting forward a bill that will restore the opportunity for New Zealand to be a world leader, to get out there and say that we will not violate the United Nations Charter, and that we will not plan, prepare, initiate, or execute an act of aggression that violates that charter.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000760\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EIn many ways, this bill mirrors M\u0101ori Party policy, for we have often advocated for nations to decrease their military expenditure. We seek to maintain a nuclear-free Aotearoa, and we support a peacekeeping role for New Zealand defence personnel in the world. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000761\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EThis bill also makes an honourable attempt to hold our leaders to account in the future by determining that our continued involvement in acts like the United States - led coalition\u2019s war of terror, now labelled a fraudulent war by most nations outside of the coalition, might constitute an act of aggression, illegal in New Zealand law. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000762\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EThe events of 9/11 were tragic and disturbing, and led to many changes in the way Governments reorganised their defence capabilities, but also to the way in which they treated their own citizens. The world watched as the war of terror swept through Afghanistan and Iraq, showcasing the military power of America and the disembowelling of national sovereignty. New Zealanders watched as that international chain reaction of military enterprise led to our Government executing military actions throughout many communities here in Aotearoa, in the local version of the American war of terror. So there is a lot at stake when we consider the possibility of international non-aggression. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000763\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EWe support the notion that this bill would make it mandatory for any New Zealand leader, when deciding whether to deploy our armed forces to a conflict situation, to seek and obtain written advice from the Attorney-General to determine whether the deployment was consistent with New Zealand\u2019s obligations under the United Nations Charter\u2014simple. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000764\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EAs I said in the House yesterday, the M\u0101ori Party supports Aotearoa committing to activities like peacemaking in Timor-Leste and provincial reconstruction in Afghanistan, rather than unjustifiable military endeavour. And we welcome the introduction of a new crime into law, a crime of aggression. It is defined as \u201Cthe use of armed force by the State of New Zealand against the sovereignty, territorial integrity or political independence of another State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the Charter of the United Nations.\u201D and\u2014I use this word again\u2014justiciable, in New Zealand courts. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000765\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227883c85e-a5bb-4a12-9962-80df55af0ecd\u0022\u003EThe M\u0101ori Party takes seriously the obligations our nation has on the global stage. We take seriously the obligation to refrain from the use of armed force inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations Charter and we will support this bill being referred to a select committee. T\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b8383f38-c78c-4e5d-8324-677d91e95c49\u0022 data-id=\u00228e624a07fb874cfcb7e839bf3ca59b9b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000766\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8383f38-c78c-4e5d-8324-677d91e95c49\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228e624a07fb874cfcb7e839bf3ca59b9b\u0022\u003EKEITH LOCKE (Green):\u003C/span\u003E It is disappointing that National is not supporting my colleague Kennedy Graham\u2019s International Non-Aggression and Lawful Use of Force Bill being referred to a select committee. The very questions and criticisms raised by the Minister of Defence, Wayne Mapp, in respect of the bill are the very issues that should be tested at a select committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000767\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8383f38-c78c-4e5d-8324-677d91e95c49\u0022\u003EHe said, for example, that this bill would have prevented New Zealand troops from being involved in the International Force for East Timor operation in 1999 and in the Solomon Islands. If members look at, for example, the International Force for East Timor operation, they will see that it went in only after an agreement with the Indonesian Government; it did not take on the Indonesian Government militarily. That can hardly be considered aggression, and this bill would determine it not to be aggression. If that operation had been tested legally, then the sovereignty of the people of East Timor would have been factored in. Their sovereignty has now been reinstated and was never cancelled by the Indonesian occupation from 1975 to 1999. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000768\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8383f38-c78c-4e5d-8324-677d91e95c49\u0022\u003EThe fundamental importance of this bill\u2014it is laid out quite clearly in the explanatory note\u2014relates to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of nations, which have been frustrated many times by the aggressive actions of, usually, bigger powers. Wayne Mapp referred to Nuremburg, where those who had committed the grave crimes of aggression and genocide\u2014Nazi Germany under Hitler\u2014were brought to book for those crimes. The member accepts that. It was a war in which New Zealand troops died fighting aggression and defending people from aggression.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000769\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8383f38-c78c-4e5d-8324-677d91e95c49\u0022\u003EMr Mapp is worried about the question of Afghanistan. I ask him what is wrong with testing the decision of the Government to send the SAS to Afghanistan. I ask him what is wrong with testing that decision legally against standards of aggression, and against standards that have been previously applied in the example he gave, because there are genuine standards.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000770\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8383f38-c78c-4e5d-8324-677d91e95c49\u0022\u003EMr Mapp said that leaders of our Government do things in good faith and that they should not then be subject to the law. That does not apply in any other area of our Parliament. Sure, people do good things in good faith, and nobody denies that, but we must obey the law when we act. This bill would benefit from being tested at the select committee. There is recognition from Wayne Mapp that the world is moving towards universal codification of aggression under the Statute of Rome, under the processes of the International Criminal Court. Why should we not test where we are going on that and what it would mean for our domestic legal process? As Kennedy Graham said, there is nothing wrong with being a little bit ahead in terms of an application of international laws into our domestic jurisdiction. It can help that process. It can inform the process of the world putting aggression more clearly under the Statute of Rome.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000771\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8383f38-c78c-4e5d-8324-677d91e95c49\u0022\u003EThe other point that I think is very important is that as a small nation we are often under pressure from bigger countries. Historically we were under pressure from the United States to commit troops to the Viet Nam War. About 40 New Zealand troops died in that war, and many have been scarred by that war. That was partly because of pressure. Is it not good to have a law that protects and helps? Keith Holyoake, the Prime Minister at the time, was not keen on going into Viet Nam. He did it in a minimal way, and historians have proved that. It would have been good if he had a law at that stage stating that troops could not be sent unless conditions were met. Those conditions would not have been met, and, therefore, New Zealand troops would not have died in that way. As Kennedy Graham said, the antinuclear law\u2014written down in law\u2014protects our Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022 data-id=\u00223a2f3322b9b14aea8a4fcb6bb188bf21\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000772\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223a2f3322b9b14aea8a4fcb6bb188bf21\u0022\u003ETODD McCLAY (National\u2014Rotorua):\u003C/span\u003E It gives me great pleasure to rise this evening to briefly speak on the International Non-Aggression and Lawful Use of Force Bill. I particularly want to talk about the great success that Green Party members seem to have in getting their bills out of the members\u2019 bills ballot. We have had two of their bills tonight, and if I cast my mind back to 2 weeks\u2019 ago I think there were two then, as well. I say to Dr Kennedy Graham, who has brought this bill to this House in good faith and has put a lot of meaning into it, that I would like to know how the Greens do it. They need to share a bit of the love around. You see, I have my own bill in the ballot, so perhaps tomorrow just before 12 p.m. I will cross the House and join the Greens for 5 minutes only, to see whether I can get my bill out of the ballot. Indeed, I will not be able to do that, because if I did I am not sure I would sleep well tomorrow night. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000773\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EI commend Dr Graham for the work he has put into this bill. Having said that, I say I will not be supporting the bill, and I want to run through a few of the reasons for that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000774\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EDebate interrupted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2009081905f8bc43bd4141a183df306146125192000775\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EThe House adjourned at 10 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n  \u003C/body\u003E\n\u003C/html\u003E"