Super City bill changes not enough: Opposition

The city of Auckland. Photo / Greg Bowker

Changes to the Government's third Super City bill have failed to address Aucklanders' concerns about loss of democracy and local representation and the corporatisation of council assets, say Opposition MPs.

But National MP John Carter, who headed the committee which tweaked the bill, says Labour MPs including Phil Twyford just do not understand the changes.

Parliament last night debated the Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill - the third piece of Super City legislation - which is now at the committee stage.

Green MP David Clendon said the two main concerns about the bill revealed through consultation with communities were the loss of democracy and the potential for the loss of public ownership, control and management of assets.

Labour's Mt Albert MP, David Shearer, said the Government had "tweaked and fiddled around the edges" of the bill to make it more palatable for Aucklanders "so that it will be able to glide through and to give the impression as we go into the local elections that there's been some changes ... but really this Government has not listened at all".

The bill and and the changes made to it so far were "far from what we are able to accept".

But Mr Carter said it had been "drafted by the voices of the people of Auckland and it's been drafted because the select committee listened".

He said it was disappointing that although the Opposition participated in the select committee process all the way through, when it came to the end and started getting complicated "unfortunately it certainly went over the heads of the likes of Phil Twyford".

"The Opposition have continually harped on about ensuring that we didn't corporatise Auckland and ensuring that local boards would have their say, that democracy in local government was put back.

"That is actually one of the things that this Government and the select committee concentrated on doing."

National's Auckland Central MP, Nikki Kaye, said the bill had undergone many changes to deliver "greater democratic participation".

Meanwhile, Maori Party MP Rahui Katene has introduced a supplementary order paper seeking an amendment to the bill to recognise and give effect to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Other proposed amendments include several from Mr Clendon seeking, among other things, that Watercare Services - the mega-water company created under the Super City model - will be subject to the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act.

That is a bid to ensure transparency in its operations during the transition period until it becomes a council-controlled organisation in 2012.

The Government intends getting the bill through the committee stage today and completing the third reading tomorrow.

In line with an amendment from the Minister of Local Government, Rodney Hide, the bill will be split into three acts - the Local Government (Tamaki Makaurau Reorganisation) Amendment Act 2010, the Local Government (Auckland Council) Amendment Act 2010 and the Local Government (Auckland Transitional Provisions) Act 2010.