Councils are very important. They provide the local public services and local infrastructure needed to survive and prosper in our communities around New Zealand. Their total assets are some $124 billion in total. They account for 11 percent of public spending. So decisions made by local elected members are very important. It's not always well understood, though, as the average voter turnout in local body elections is only about 41 percent. So we support a bill that, in the face of some significant change and reform in the current time, implements a small but significant change to strengthen public trust and confidence in our local representatives. 