Labour and the Greens are running a series of public meetings across Auckland to encourage people to make parliamentary submissions on the flawed and undemocratic third super city bill.
The deadline for submissions is approaching fast (12 February) and we are concerned that the public has only been given a short time frame to make submissions on the legislation. Labour has written a submission guide to help you with the process.
The meetings will include briefings on the issues, as well as practical advice on how to prepare a submission. All are welcome and of course there will be time to discuss and debate.
Waiheke- 7.15 – 9.00pm, Thursday 28th January, Morra Hall, 115 Ocean View Rd, Waiheke, hosted by Phil Twyford, David Clendon and Jacinda Ardern
Rodney - 7.00 – 9.00pm, Tuesday 2nd February, Catholic Hall, Alnwick St, Warkworth, hosted by Darien Fenton and Rajen Prasad
Maungakiekie and East- 7.30 – 9.00pm, Tuesday 2nd February, Onehunga Community Centre, Church St, Onehunga, hosted by Phil Twyford, David Clendon, Carol Beaumont, Carmel Sepuloni and Ashraf Choudhary
North Shore- 7.00 – 9.00pm, Wednesday 3rd February, Rawene Centre, 33 Rawene Road Birkenhead, hosted by Darien Fenton and Keith Locke
Waitakere- 7.00 – 9.00pm, Wednesday 3rd February, New Lynn Community Centre – Recreation Room, Totara Avenue, New Lynn, hosted by Phil Twyford, David Clendon, David Cunliffe, Chris Carter, Lynne Pillay, and Carmel Sepuloni
Auckland Central- 6.30 – 8.30pm, Thursday 4th February, Grey Lynn Community Centre, 510 Richmond Rd, Grey Lynn, hosted by Phil Twyford, David Clendon and Jacinda Ardern
Mt Albert/Mt Roskill- 7.00 – 8.30pm, Monday 8th February, Owairaka Primary School, 113-115 Richardson Road, Mt Albert, hosted by Phil Twyford, David Clendon, David Shearer and Carmel Sepuloni
Phil, as a two time Labour candidate for North Shore, maybe you should turn up to support your colleague, Darien?
Good on you.
But why three MPs for Waiheke, yet only one for NZ’s 4th largest city – North Shore?
Very nice submition guide! I do agree with you jennifer and banskie, I think it would be good for more Labour MP support at the North Shore session, good on you Darien!
Further, if you can afford the time, not only for the reason that you are the Labour candidate for Waiheke, but as you are also the Labour spokesperson on Auckland Issues
Great idea Phil, but why don’t you Labour MPs travel to Papakura and Franklin. These areas, controlled by National are full of outraged people, huge numbers of them National supporters, that need a kick up the xxxx about what they will lose under this undemocratic government, in which Key and HIde/Douglas have executed a perfect theft of assets.
Has anyone explained to them that all those important services like water will be siphoned off into corporates, pretending to be council controlled but under no obligation to report back to us or to have any burden of responsibility and later the assets, that Papakura and Franklin National as well as Labour supporters have paid for out of decades of rates and fees, will be sold off under Hide’s ill-concealed core business agenda?
And that they have no right to demand anything of the Auckland Council or the corporates in charge of assets? That is, Auckland Council can tell the ‘boards’ what is required of them, but the ‘boards’ cannot tell the Council what it requires of them?
More important than any of that, Phil, is the 1st bill being forced through in spite of Labour delay that did not allow public access to select committee process, even though the NActM government had changed the Royal Commission’s recommendations beyond anything earlier submissions had been posted on. Can you go to Papakura and Franklin and promise them that when Labour gets in in 2011 it will finally allow Papakura and Franklin to have a vote to stay in or remove itself from NActM’s undemocratic supercity farce? It is probably fair to say most people want better regional public transport, eg but in Franklin that ain’t gonna happen.
Certainly, you should be arranging a meeting for interested South Auckland Labour supporters and the National disaffected supporters a lot closer than you have.
Key refused to go to a Franklin meeting of Democracy4Franklin even though he, Key, is responsible for the theft of Franklin assets, and the jawHide was booed from the time he arrived to the time he left. Key needs to learn from Labour that his arrogance will cost him dearly come the next election. Labour can help with that.
@ Jennifer, Banksie and James
Before you jump to conclusions, don’t you think you should check out your facts? It is more than likely that Phil has a prior engagement. He is, after all, Labour’s spokesperson on the Super City so he is going to be in demand. He can’t be everywhere at once. For your information, Phil is very highly regarded by the North Shore Labour Party. They would far rather he passed on his knowledge and expertise on Super City issues elsewhere – especially given that Darien is more than capable of handling such a meeting. I expect there will be several Green members attending the North Shore meeting with her.
@ James. The Labour candidate for Waiheke? As far as I know, Phil isn’t a candidate for anywhere yet.
Apologies Anne, my blog download mixed the two posts
… there forte causing that confusion
@ James. Apology accepted
.
Why is there no meeting in Manukau City? Surely the Labour organisations there would be keen to host a meeting on this topic? Maybe Len Brown could come along to talk to it?
There are certainly some big problems with this Bill. In terms of transport matters:
1) Having Auckland Transport as a CCO rather than being part of council will result in a lack of political accountability.
2) If we have to have Auckland Transport as a CCO, then they need to be better integrated with NZTA and KiwiRail. Having three separate agencies for transport will mean poor decisions continue to happen.
3) Auckland Transport will not have to comply with various parts of the Local Government Act 2002 (section 59, 60, 64 and 74). This will reduce political accountability yet again.
4) The status of the Regional Land Transport Strategy has been reduced by this bill. Auckland Transport only need to “be consistent with it” rather than “give effect to it”. This is basically payback to the ARC for coming up with a public-transport oriented RLTS instead of the roadsfest this government wants.
5) Rodney Hide and Steven Joyce will get to pick the initial board members of Auckland Transport. This should be left to the Auckland Council.
More thoughts here: http://transportblog.co.nz/2010/01/08/the-local-government-auckland-law-reform-bill/
Why aren’t the people of South Auckland being given a chance to hear what you have to say? No meetings in Manukau, Papakura, Franklin, etc, but you’re going to Waiheke and Warkworth. Why?
Another flavour of submission guide
http://www.greens.org.nz/actionalerts/submission-guide-local-government-auckland-law-reform-bill
Sorry Anne, when I read “a series of public meetings” I jumped to the conclusion that these are meetings to which the public is invited to discuss the super city. Thanks for the clarification that the North Shore city meeting is primarily for the North Shore Labour Party members. I guess the other 244,000 people on the Shore can figure it out themselves without Phil’s “knowledge and expertise on super city issues.” Darien will do just fine.
@ Jennifer.
I apologise if I mis-interpreted your comment. It seemed to me there was an inference that… now Phil was no longer a North Shore candidate, he can’t be bothered to attend the Shore meeting. That would definitely not be the case.
Btw. Sarcasm is unnecessary Jennifer.
Can I suggest we set up a new super city – somewhere near the hydro lakes?
[...] just finished 11 joint Labour-Green public meetings around Auckland to discuss the Government’s third super city bill for which public [...]
I am disapointed that the labour party could not find the time or the initiative to publish an outline of their submissions which I would have liked to have referred to
Bill, you can see our submission guide which we published on Jan 22 here: http://blog.labour.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Guide-to-Making-a-Submission-on-the-Local-Government-Auckland-Law-Reform-Bill.pdf It has been downloadable both from Red Alert and the Labour Party site.
@ AJ, Jum – Partly due to your suggestion we are doing a public meeting in Franklin: 7-9pm, Monday 22 Feb, Pukekohe Town Hall. Meeting chaired and hosted by Franklin Mayor Mark Ball. MPs: Phil Twyford, David Clendon, and Hon Nanaia Mahuta. MPs will give an overview of the third super city bill and welcome discussion about the impact of the super city on local democracy. All welcome. Please come. And please tell your friends.
Hopefully there will be one in Papakura soon too.