Phil Twyford

7 May 2009 - Rodney Hide been finally forced to admit the Government has no idea what its Super City proposals will cost Auckland ratepayers, says Labour's Auckland Issues spokesperson Phil Twyford.

"The Minister has been caught out trying to mislead Aucklanders about whether the Government has done those costings and only acknowledged there were none, when ordered by the Speaker in the House today.

"It's clear now that not only does the Government not know what it will cost to set up the Super City, they don't even know what it will cost to run.

"It's outrageous that they are ramming through under urgency their own Super City proposal, which most Aucklanders don't want, and they can't even tell ratepayers how much it will cost," says Phil Twyford.

"Yesterday I asked Mr Hide whether the Government had costed its Super City proposals, as outlined in its Making Auckland Greater booklet, and he answered 'yes'.

"Today when I asked what those costing were, Mr Hide danced on the head of a pin as he tried to evade the question, until he was finally ordered by the Speaker to come clean.

"The Royal Commission spent 18 months producing a well-researched and carefully costed plan, which detailed both the transition costs and the annual costs of its restructuring proposal.

"In less than 18 days the Government rushed through its own flawed plan and a month later they still can't put a price tag on it," Phil Twyford.

"Rodney Hide is promoting himself as the Minister for Ratepayers and said recently 'it's a good test for a planned spend-up to get the agreement of those who are paying for it.'

"He's clearly not following his own advice and nor is he demonstrating the transparency he claims to champion.

"Aucklanders are being asked to swallow the Government's Super City plan, the least Rodney Hide can do is tell them how much it's going to cost."