Super city bill passes its second reading

The Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill has passed its second reading by 64 votes to 57.

Because the bill was being heard under urgency the committee stage began immediately.

Parliament passed the first step in the Government's plans to set up a super city in Auckland last night.

In its first reading, MPs also voted 64 to 57 in favour of setting up a transitional agency ahead of the eight councils merging.

The agency is likely to be confirmed in the final vote tonight.

National MP Tau Henare is welcoming the efforts being made to sort out Auckland's councils.

He says governance arrangements for the Auckland region have been a debacle for the last 50-odd years and it is time it was sorted out.

Two further bills regarding the super city will go through the select committee process over the next few months.

However, Labour's Shane Jones says Parliament is witnessing an outrage.

"If you're going to change the governance of $28 billion worth of assets and one third of the country's population, you don't exploit the arcane rules of this house to ram through legislation."

Mr Jones says the majority of Aucklanders do not even want the 'one council' idea to happen.

- NEWSTALK ZB, NZPA