I am motivated to stand up to take a very brief call, because I want to respond to Mr Nash. I notice that Mr Nash is walking closer to Mr William Sio. I suggest that Mr Nash actually have a chat to Mr William Sio because he may or may not be aware that Mr Sio is, of course, a former deputy mayor of Manukau City. He also may not be aware that Manukau City has some 40 council-controlled organisations—some 40 council-controlled organisations.
When I first came to Parliament I was very pleased to renew my acquaintance with Len Brown, with whom I had attended intermediate school. Mr Brown came to Parliament, introduced himself to me, and made the point that council-controlled organisations had been very successful in Manukau City. So when I hear Mr Nash stand up and grandstand about the lack of democracy and citizens’ feeling as though they are not participating in society or having a say in local government, I ask him whether he has spoken to Mr Sio. Clearly, Mr Sio was deputy mayor of a council that had, and still has, 40 council-controlled organisations—council-controlled organisations that the current mayor, Len Brown, supports.
Let me turn now to comments regarding the Ethnic Peoples Advisory Panel. I thought it was very interesting that there was a criticism of the Government that it is introducing an Ethnic Peoples Advisory Panel and a Pacific Peoples Advisory Panel, and that those panels are being appointed for only 3 years. I suggest to the member that he talk to Mr Phil Twyford. If he talks to Mr Phil Twyford he will find that Mr Twyford led a campaign about how Wellington is dictating to the people of Auckland what this bill should say on how Auckland should be run. Rather than impose an Ethnic Peoples Advisory Panel and a Pacific Peoples Advisory Panel for more than 3 years, the Government is providing legislation for a 3-year term. It will then be up to the Auckland Council to decide whether it wants to continue with them. The alternative is surely to provide a Pacific Peoples Advisory Panel and an Ethnic Peoples Advisory Panel for eternity. But if the Government were to do that, it would be told that politicians in Wellington were imposing on the people of Auckland what their requirements should be. All I can suggest is that Labour members actually talk to each other. I encourage Mr Nash to talk to Mr Sio, because clearly he was deputy mayor of a council that has 40 council-controlled organisations—
Dr Ashraf Choudhary: I raise a point of order, Mr Chairperson. The member is misrepresenting our position. We actually propose an advisory board—
The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy): That is not a point of order, it is a debating point.
JOHN BOSCAWEN: The part that I heard was a criticism that we had an Ethnic Peoples Advisory Panel for 3 years and 3 years only, and a Pacific Peoples Advisory Panel for 3 years and 3 years only. So I presume Labour’s recommendation will be that the bill should provide for an Ethnic Peoples Advisory Panel and a Pacific Peoples Advisory Panel in perpetuity. Had the Government done that, it would have simply had criticism from Mr Twyford that it was imposing the will of politicians in Wellington on the people of Auckland. That is all I have to say. Thank you