First Reading Speech (Auckland Law Reform) Bill

Mr Speaker, I move that the Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill be now read a first time.

At the appropriate time I intend to move that the Bill be referred to the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee for consideration, and that the Committee present its final report on or before 4 May 2010.

Mr Speaker, this Bill completes the legislative framework for implementing the Government's decisions on governance arrangements for a greater Auckland.  It builds on the two previous Auckland governance Bills considered by the House this year.

The governance of the Auckland region has been a cause of concern for at least the past 50 years, with all attempts at reform during that period failing to provide enduring solutions.  These problems and lack of workable solutions were amply demonstrated in the report of the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance.

That report, released in March 2009, found Auckland's regional council and seven territorial authorities lacked the collective sense of purpose, constitutional ability, and momentum to address issues effectively for the overall good of Auckland.

This Government has addressed the urgent need for change expressed in the Royal Commission's report. Change is essential to allow Auckland to develop into the world-class city that it is capable of being, and must be, for the future of both Auckland and New Zealand.

The importance of local government to the growth and prosperity of Auckland should not be underestimated.  Good governance enables civic leaders to think regionally, plan strategically and act decisively.  Governance arrangements affect the ability to solve the larger and longer-term challenges effectively.  The Auckland region needs decisive leadership, robust infrastructure and facilities and services to cater for its people.
 
The provisions of the two previous Acts, and the proposals in this Bill, will deliver a united Auckland governance structure, strong regional governance, integrated decision-making, greater community engagement and improved value for money.

We have also been, and remain, committed to making these decisions in a timely manner, so that Auckland can get on and start reaping the rewards of the reforms.  This Bill will give the new Auckland Council the tools to be up and running effectively in November next year, following voters electing their new representatives in the October 2010 local government elections.

The previous two Acts set out the Government's key ideas for Auckland. The Local Government (Tamaki Makaurau Reorganisation) Act 2009 and the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009 provided for:

• the creation of one Auckland Council with one mayor, and the disestablishment of the existing local authorities on 1 November 2010;


• the establishment of local boards, to ensure the participation of local communities in Council decision- making;


• the establishment of the Auckland Transition Agency as the body responsible for transition to the new core Auckland local governance arrangements;


• the high level framework for the structure of the new Auckland Council; and


• direction and provision of powers for the Local Government Commission to determine the boundaries and the wards of the Auckland Council, and the number and boundaries of the Council's local boards and their membership.

 Mr Speaker, this is an omnibus Bill that develops and enhances the two earlier Auckland Acts and amends many other pieces of legislation. The scope of the change to be achieved is significant and complex.  Multiple organisations are to be disestablished and their staff and assets moved into new or different organisations; the planning and rating systems of eight councils are to be integrated into one unified system by 2012; local boards, which are a new and exciting concept for local government in New Zealand, are to be established and integrated into the Council's planning and decision-making systems.

The key provisions of the Bill are:

• to make further provision for the Auckland Transition Agency to undertake the establishment of the new local governance arrangements in Auckland, to effectively and fairly manage the transition of staff and assets to the new structures, and to prepare for local elections in October 2010;


• to provide the substantive detail for the Auckland Council to be able to operate effectively upon its establishment on 1 November 2010;


• to provide a structure and governance framework for council-controlled organisations, to achieve the regional effectiveness of operation which underpins the governance reforms;


• to establish Auckland Transport and make further provision for Watercare Services Ltd;


• to provide further detail of the relationship between the Council's governing body and its local boards;


• to provide mechanisms to enhance Māori, Pacific and Ethnic participation in Council processes; and


• to provide transitional planning, funding and rating arrangements through to July 2012, including details of how Auckland will move from eight planning and rating processes to just one.

While the Government is committed to having the Bill enacted as soon as is practicable, we are also mindful of the need to provide citizens of Auckland and other interested parties with the opportunity to submit their views on the Government's proposals through the Select Committee process. This Bill is comprehensive and complex, and it is only proper that it receives such scrutiny. As the Bill will make changes to existing councils' planning decisions in June 2010, it must be passed by the end of May 2010. To achieve this, I propose that the Select Committee reports back to the House by 4 May 2010.

Mr Speaker, I conclude this speech with a quotation from the New Zealand Herald, which has done a good, but not always uncritical, job in reporting the progress towards a Greater Auckland.

The Herald said: For more than fifty years, civic reformers have tried to introduce some type of unified metropolitan government into Auckland local body affairs. Their attempts to replace the structure of small static local bodies have been bitterly opposed and nearly always failed".

Mr Speaker, that comment was made in the New Zealand Herald in 1959, fifty years ago. Until this Government resolved to act, there had been no reason to be confident in the future of Auckland. This Bill, when enacted, will complete the process of providing that confidence.

I am proud to introduce this Bill and look forward to one Auckland becoming a reality.
 
Mr Speaker, I move that the Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill be referred to the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee, and that the Committee report finally to the House on or before 4 May 2010.