10. PHIL TWYFORD (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister of Local Government
Does he stand by his statement “the new local governance structure will deliver decisive leadership, robust infrastructure, and facilities and services of a world class city”?
Hon RODNEY HIDEDoes he stand by his statement “We believe in one law for all, every citizen having a vote of equal value”; if so, how does he reconcile it with the fact that under the recommendations of the Local Government Commission one vote in South Auckland is worth only three-quarters of a vote in Rodney?
Yes, I do. As the member should be aware, the Local Government Commission is a body that is independent of the Minister and the Government. I hope that Mr Twyford put in a submission so that it could consider his views.
What concerns, if any, have National MPs, including the Prime Minister, raised with him about the inequities of the proposal on the ward boundaries from the Local Government Commission, or are they happy with them?
The Prime Minister and other Ministers have not raised any concerns with me, because they are aware of the proper process and the operation of the Local Government Commission. I myself understand Mr Twyford’s disappointment, because it has not come up with a local board small enough that he could gain a position of representation on it.
Sue KedgleyWhen the third Auckland Council bill is passed, and almost all of the functions of the Auckland Council are siphoned off into Crown-owned companies that will be stacked with his political appointees, what will there be left for Auckland councillors to do?
If the Green member for Wellington, Sue Kedgley, went to Auckland, she would realise there is a great deal to be done by the council. The Auckland Transition Agency has developed a structure for the delivery of services to Aucklanders through council-controlled organisations, and that allows the council to exercise governance and control while ensuring those services have professional operational management. In fact, there are over 40 council-controlled organisations in Auckland now.
Why did he promise in a speech that the third Auckland governance bill would “fill in the detail on the functions and powers of local boards”, when his third bill failed to clarify the powers of local boards and passed the buck to the transition agency?
It is a shame that Mr Twyford has not followed the process, because the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee, which considered the second Auckland governance bill, decided against specifying a list of local board functions in the legislation. The select committee stated that the reasons were that the range of activities undertaken by each local board would be different and likely to change over time, that including a prescriptive list in legislation would limit flexibility, and that it would not be practical or a good fit with the board-enabling framework for local government under the Local Government Act 2002. The Government heard those views in the select committee and took them on board.