2. Hon PHIL GOFF (Leader of the Opposition) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
Did he raise with the Minister for the Rugby World Cup the need to utilise the provisions of the Rugby World Cup 2011 (Empowering) Act 2010 before the opening night; if not, why not?
Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) Link to this
From time to time there were very informal discussions about the circumstances under which the Act may be required to be used, but before this week there were no discussions about the specific use of its powers.
In relation to the chaos in downtown Auckland and the debacle around the transport system, why was the Government not “ahead of the game”, as the Minister for the Rugby World Cup assured New Zealand that it was and promised that it would be?
Because we relied on the assurances given by, amongst others, Auckland Transport and those managing the downtown waterfront that they had all contingencies covered.
What does the Prime Minister say, in response to this email by Jan Gillespie to him: “You’re extremely lucky that there was no death or serious injury from crushing or trampling in Quay Street.”, and then further: “It was an extremely dangerous and scary situation to be in. If anyone had fallen, they would have been seriously trampled. There was no supervision in sight.”; and does he take any responsibility for that?
I do not think it would be right to say there was no supervision in sight, because I am aware that literally dozens and dozens of police were dispatched to Quay Street, but what I would say is that I actually agree with her that we cannot take that risk. That is why the Minister for the Rugby World Cup used the empowering legislation to have a back-up at Captain Cook Wharf, and that is why I think the Government has taken the right course of action.
Does he accept any responsibility, in this sense: that party central on Queens Wharf was his idea, and it was at his insistence that the council focused on that instead of having diverse fanzones around the city, which would have prevented the crush of people who could not be properly contained, and the disaster in the transport system and people trying to get there?
In a previous question the member said there was no crushing and we were lucky; now the member is claiming there was crushing. So the member really should get his question right, before one of the “Camp Davids” takes over. But anyway, to go back to the more serious point, the Government has taken, I believe, the appropriate steps to ensure that it is in a better place. In terms of the environment on Queens Wharf, it operated very effectively on Friday night. That was the bit that did work well, because it was a controlled environment where there was access. It was co-managed by the Government.
What does the Prime Minister say to Jason and Cheryl, who said this about the situation on the trains, and I am quoting: “People were having trouble breathing, due to lack of oxygen. People started to become concerned and agitated. Babies were crying. Elderly people were changing colour. Some needed water, some needed the toilet.”; and why does he blame them for pressing the emergency button, instead of accepting responsibility for having the wrong venue and an inadequate transport system?
It would depend on where they were on the train, in relation to whether one could even claim it was the wrong venue. They may well have been going to the Eden Park stadium. Secondly, I invite the member and those people who wrote the email to read the Auckland Transport report when it is finally published this afternoon, to see exactly where the blame might lie. They may find it quite interesting reading.
Given the promises that he and his Ministers repeatedly made that everything would be right on the night, why did ministerial oversight fail?
The first thing is that a lot was right on the night. An awful lot was right on the night. I know that the member wants to create a misery out of what was otherwise a great celebration for New Zealand. On this side of the House we are not doing that. It is clear that there was an operational failure in transport, and an operational failure in the downtown part of Quay Street, in certain parts. The Government is working very hard to resolve those matters.
Given that events like Christmas in the Park have attracted hundreds of thousands of people, how many people did he expect to go to the free concert, the spectacular fireworks display, the waka display, and the hype and excitement around the waterfront areas?
The advice we had from Auckland Transport was 50,000 people. That advice was tested by the Rugby World Cup officials on at least one occasion, and they came back to say their advice was absolutely right and they stood by it.
Hon Rick Barker