Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Immigration) Link to this
I move, That the House take note of miscellaneous business. What a very, very difficult time this must be for the Labour Party members. Everything their leader touches turns to mush. Phil Goff is having one heck of a time out there, trying to get traction on any issue at all that will get him into the news headlines. Last week’s gaffe, on the Monday, was trying to roll out the dole to the spouses of millionaires. He thought he had his facts right, but by Tuesday it had all turned to dust. On Wednesday he brought a member of the public into the debate, but once again without checking the facts. Of course, we know how that went. But that lot over there are absolutely desperate to get in and score points on whatever they can. They have been reduced to rolling in the gutter and trying to launch personal attacks on Cabinet Ministers, without having anything of substance to bring to the debate. They do not realise that the more they wallow in those beltway issues that are of no interest to the New Zealand general public, the further and further away they get from being elected.
It is really interesting to see the Labour members’ performance in the House today. It is noticeable that there is no senior whip present to keep that lot under control. Where is the whip? The whip is on TV in New York every morning; he has given up on them. I do not know what the junior whip was doing. But, quite frankly, the performance from the Labour Party in question time today was absolutely disgusting. When we think about the fact that we have an Opposition whose chief whip cannot even be bothered to be here during a sitting week, we realise that shows that things are all going downhill.
Hon Steve Chadwick Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The member quite inappropriately referred to the absence of a member. The whip is in the chair. Could the member please withdraw.
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN Link to this
I think it is pretty obvious that Darren Hughes is in New York.
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy) Link to this
The member must not refer to the absence of any member from the Chamber. He will desist from doing that.
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN Link to this
When we look at what these—[ Interruption] I withdraw and apologise.
When we look at what is happening with regard to the Labour lot, though, we see that no one is in charge over there. There is no strategy; there is no plan in the House. The plan in the House is that Trevor Mallard gets up and disrupts any answer from the Government, and the Labour members try to turn the proceedings into an absolute brawl. There is no discussion of policy. There is no admission that the Labour members know anything about the issues that the New Zealand public are concerned about.
But do members know what is really interesting? A lot of the people on the Opposition side of the House are very happy with how things are going. Maryan Street, Ruth Dyson, David Cunliffe, and Chris Carter cannot wait to see the back of Phil Goff. The worse the situation gets, the happier they are. It is getting worse and worse down in the Labour corridors, but those members want it to get so bad that they can mount a coup.
Meanwhile, what is the Government doing? We are getting on with doing the business. This week the Prime Minister is announcing the first seven routes for the cycleway. This is a positive infrastructural move that will build something for the New Zealand economy. It will produce jobs, it will leave a lasting piece of infrastructure, and it will boost the tourism industry. That is what those guys need to be focusing on—something positive.
What did Gerry Brownlee and I announce yesterday? The business migration policy. That policy was a complete failure under Labour. In the last 2 years Labour brought in three people in two categories. It was a complete disaster. Labour members are not interested in business. They are not interested in adding to the economy. They had no plan to improve the business migration policy; it was a complete disaster. What has National done? We have worked with ethnic communities, with business, and with community groups, and we have looked at what needs to be done. We have lowered both the language requirements and capital requirements for business migration, to ensure we can attract people here who have the capital that New Zealand business needs in order to grow the economy. We want to attract more people with entrepreneurial skills, so we have introduced the new entrepreneur-plus category. If someone can come into New Zealand, bring half a million dollars into his or her business, and employ three New Zealanders full-time, then we will fast track that person towards the granting of residence. Those guys in Labour had 9 years to get that going, but they did not take any notice of the need for capital in the economy.
The Labour members do not have an economic plan, but they will say what they are against and not what they are for. The funny thing that we notice is that when they are asked some questions about local government, Phil Twyford is in favour of the Auckland super-city. He started off by saying that he was not in favour of it, but I read the letter he sent to constituents. He is denying it. Those guys are in favour of the super-city. But we need to know whether they are going to rescind the super-city. I say it is pretty unlikely that they would do so.
But do members know what? When we look at health, we see something quite amazing. Labour members talk about what they have been doing in health, but I can tell members what they were going to do. They were going to cut $113 million in funding from health. In terms of new funding, it is $100 million out and $50 million out.
The Labour members are lost. This Government is doing the business, and Phil Goff is a dead man walking.
Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) Link to this
Unfortunately the member who has just resumed his seat has no credibility at all. He is a former doctor who blew cigar smoke over a woman, then threatened her and her boyfriend, and the health community laughed at him having any role in health at all. “I’ve got my eye on you.”—remember that statement? Remember the politician who strutted the political stage for over a decade—
Paul QuinnThe ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy) Link to this
The point of order is well made. I am warning the member to desist.
Do members remember the politician who used to strut the political stage over a decade ago in New Zealand, intimidating, bullying, and badgering anyone who dared to confront, to debate with, to cross, or to question him? It did not matter whether that person was the President of the United States of America, a pensioner at a public meeting, a journalist, a cartoonist, or a colleague. That person was Sir Robert Muldoon. He was the National Prime Minister from 1975 to 1984. He was a man who used the power of political office as a political—
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I seek your guidance as to whether it is very parliamentary to speak about an honourable member who is now dead, and to be casting aspersions over his grave.
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy) Link to this
It is in order, but it is not in order to keep raising points of order to break up a member’s speech. I ask the member to consider that.
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I have made two attempts to start my speech, and twice that member has broken it up. I seek your indulgence to start again.
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy) Link to this
No, the member will continue. The points of order have been quite brief.
Robert Muldoon was the original political clobbering machine. He was a man who had no hesitation in clobbering anybody who opposed him. In the beginning political commentators used to praise his gutsy style. They praised his unconventional National Party approach to politics. They praised his rough around the edges way of operating, and his take no prisoners debate style. He even developed Rob’s mob, who followed every insult that he uttered. He could charm, he could joke, and he could reduce grown men to tears.
My colleague Shane Jones was right when he said that Muldoon’s mokopuna are alive and well in this House today, and No. 1 of those mokopuna is Paula Bennett, the Minister for Social Development and Employment. Commentators out there have been praising her gutsy style; they like her rough and tumble, westie approach to politics. She can charm, she can joke, and she certainly can laugh, as Grey Power found out when they had a very unsuccessful visit to her office. Now we know that she can insult, attack, and belittle the very people who look to her for protection.
What we have now is no longer a nanny State, as the National Party liked to say right up to the election, but a Big Brother State. We learnt in this House today that Paula Bennett accessed information about sole parents from within the computer system that is situated in her office, the Ministry of Social Development computer system. It was unauthorised by the chief executive of the Ministry of Social Development. Peter Hughes had no knowledge that she had accessed that information. Paula Bennett owned up to it today. She got a staff member to take that information off the computer system, with no knowledge by the chief executive, and then she released it to the media. Peter Hughes found out about it after it had gone into the media, and the Minister owned up to that today. That is the sort of Big Brother, bullying behaviour we have going on.
It was unheard of that a Minister would use a computer system in her office—the Ministry of Social Development’s Social Welfare Information for Tomorrow Today system—to go in and troll through the information on beneficiaries so she could start another round of beneficiary bashing. We have from that National Government a new round of benefit bashing that we have not seen in New Zealand for a long time. I say shame on National members. How could any woman on those benches support the bashing of those beneficiary women because they had the temerity and the audacity to put their hand up and say “We do not particularly like this policy.”? We now know what sort of Government we have—it is the Big Brother Government.
NICKY WAGNER (National) Link to this
In the face of the worst recession since the 1930s, the National Government is not only managing the economy sensibly and intelligently, it is actually tackling the hard issues that underpin our nation’s success in the future.
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy) Link to this
I just ask the House to calm down a little bit. We have members on both sides involved in interjections across the House. Members well know that interjections should be rare and reasonable.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The member has now done it, but during the entire time of your ruling, when you were on your feet, that member did not sit. You were lecturing the House about manners and members behaving themselves, and she stood right through your ruling.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. This should not be primer 1 for a member who has been here for some time. It is inappropriate, it is wrong, and it has often been ruled out for members to comment on rulings and points of order that have been ruled on.
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy) Link to this
I did caution a member on the Government side for making points of order that break up a speech. Although the member may be correct, and I am not disputing that he is correct, I do not think there was any malice in what the member did. In essence, that is why that ruling is there; it was just an acknowledgment. Let us all take a deep breath and continue.
National is actually tackling the hard issues that will underpin the nation’s success in the future, unlike Labour members and their flogging of petty issues, bickering amongst themselves, and making personal attacks against hard-working Government officials. Although we are in the sixth quarter of recession, we are better off than many OECD countries. Our unemployment rate is lower and our business confidence is holding up. Much of that is to do with the fact that we have agriculture and tourism underpinning our economy, rather than manufacturing. As we tighten our belts, the world can wait for another year for us to upgrade our car or TV but we all have to eat and drink. It is reassuring to see our trade surplus inch up and our exports rise, albeit slowly.
As an MP in Christchurch, my work is absolutely focused on improving the quality of life for the people in my home town, and I see lots to be positive about. I believe that Christchurch people will have a better lifestyle, better opportunities, and a better future under National. The initiatives that we have introduced in the last 9 months say it all, in stark contrast to the last 9 years where the safe Labour seats in Christchurch had been badly neglected. Christchurch Central people tell me that they want a safer, healthier, and more prosperous lifestyle. I support their aspirations, and National is totally focused on delivering them.
In terms of having a safer city, the commissioning of more police and more probation officers is a great contribution from central government, but equally important are the actions of our local police, our council, and our local businesses. By working together, in the last few months we have been able to reduce violence in our central city area by 36 percent on the weekends. We are not satisfied with that; we have initiatives to do more. National’s Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart home-insulation programme is just made for Christchurch. Low temperatures and a city built on a swamp mean many of our homes are too cold and too damp to be healthy. I am keenly encouraging my constituents to use the scheme to upgrade their homes, to make them healthier, and to keep our city working. I thank all those insulation and heating companies that are working flat out to meet the demand and creating new jobs in Christchurch every day.
Another positive health initiative for our city is the voluntary bonding system for young doctors, nurses, and midwives. It will help ensure that there are enough health professionals working in our city, and it will also help retain our young graduates, to keep our city alive, vital, and growing.
This week the Prime Minister announced the seven projects for New Zealand’s great cycle rides. In my area we already have the Little River Rail Trail, and several more rides will be added to the South Island cycle network. Christchurch will be the tourist gateway for these great rides. Of course, Christchurch people will be able to enjoy the recreational and health benefits from these cycleways themselves, but they will also bring great economic benefits to New Zealand, firstly, from the construction jobs, then from attracting hundreds, maybe even thousands, of tourists—tourists who have to eat, drink, sleep, and shop in our city every day along the way.
CHARLES CHAUVEL (Labour) Link to this
We heard an excellent speech earlier from my friend and colleague Annette King about the bullying tactics of one of the Ministers in this Government. What a shame that after only 8 months of this administration being in office we are starting to see this sort of behaviour manifest itself! We also see it elsewhere, and I refer to the justice sector. A report has come in today from the New Zealand Press Association about the behaviour of an MP who is a member of one of the Government’s confidence and supply parties—the ACT Party. When a select committee was hearing submissions in Auckland today, Mr David Garrett told a number of prison officers who had the temerity to criticise the way in which the Auckland Central Remand Prison had been run under private contract by GEO Group Inc. between 2000 and 2005: “You say that you don’t want to go back to working in this environment—to the private [sector]. You’d be aware that given your submission here, you wouldn’t get offered a job anyway, would you?”.
So here we go! More threatening behaviour to members of the public in the justice sector! No one on the Government side of the House worries about the rule of law. The members threaten people who exercise their democratic right to give evidence at a select committee. They say: “Let’s tell them they had better watch out for saying what they think and they believe, because that will threaten their ability to get a job in the private sector if that is the way the contract goes at Auckland Prison.” That is shameful behaviour. But unfortunately, as Annette King said, it is consistent with what we have seen from Paula Bennett in the last couple of days. And the behaviour continues. Only a week or two ago we saw the Minister of Justice telling the Chief Justice, the head of the judiciary, that she had no right to speak out in a public debate on matters of penal policy.
Somebody has just spoken about the constitution. I think he must have slept through constitutional law. That member was recently in England at the taxpayers’ expense, and while he was in England he would have heard the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales making much more outspoken statements than those made by our Chief Justice. If he listened, he would know that it is a convention, and, in fact, a duty, for members of the judiciary, including the head of the judiciary, to speak out on matters of important public policy in the justice sector.
The reason it is shameful for the Minister of Justice to dress her down is this—[Interruption] I will explain it to Mr Quinn because he does not understand the rule of law, and one of the things he needs to do in this House is start to get a grip on it. The reason it is shameful is that the Minister has overall responsibility for the funding of the justice sector. The judiciary has no spending power. I tell Mr Quinn and other members opposite that it is a chilling thing indeed to see the Minister of Justice publicly criticise and bully the head of the judiciary. He implied that she has no right to speak out on penal policy. It is chilling because he holds the purse strings, and in the end the judges know that if they offend the Minister of Justice, then all sorts of things like court security, like the facilities enjoyed by the judges, like their research capability—everything funded by the executive at the moment—can be put at risk because the judges have the temerity to speak out and say they might not agree with the thrust of Government policy.
Never mind that Government policy in the penal area is manifestly failing; never mind that the judges are the ones at the coalface sentencing people every day, sentencing the same people all the time every day, because of the failures in our penal system—oh no, never mind, the Minister of Justice says to the Chief Justice that judges should not dare to speak out!
We saw this bullying with Judith Collins and Barry Matthews earlier in the Government’s term. Then we saw it with Nick Smith and the Accident Compensation Corporation, and Tony Ryall and Richard Thomson. It is a sad sight. Now we are seeing it with Paula Bennett and the poor old beneficiaries who dared to speak out because they do not agree that the training incentive allowance should be curtailed. Their private details have been paraded in the public domain. It is Muldoonism. The ghost is walking and New Zealanders should be afraid—very, very afraid—that this is the behaviour we face from this Government.
COLIN KING (National—Kaikōura) Link to this
When I listened to Annette King speak before and try to give the impression of righteous indignation, I could not help but remember the occasion when she sold enrolled nurses down the drain. She effectively washed her hands of them and said that she could not change anything. However, what is probably more to the point—
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I take exception to the comments made by the member. He has misrepresented the facts about me.
I think it is probably more appropriate at this time to consider what has been going on in New Zealand. It is a very good opportunity to compare the performance of the National Government in the last 9 months with the performance of the Labour Government over the last 9 years. I think that on this side of the House members can be very, very comfortable, because a John Key - led Government has made the very best out of the worst situation in 70 years, whereas that lot on the other side of the House made the very worst of the best situation in 30 years. We had economic waste and a total blowout of the budget. One would think that when Labour members were in Government they would have realised that a lot more ships were coming here with produce than were leaving. Therefore, those members should have known about the balance of payments situation.
However, there is always a silver lining to every cloud. Do members know what that silver lining was? It was on 8 November, when New Zealanders said that they had had enough of the Labour Government and that it was time to get rid of it, and they instated a John Key - led Government.
When we look at the other side the House we see Phil Goff. There is a whole range of problems there. He has been totally underwhelming. To draw an analogy, when I look at Phil Goff these days he is a bit like a boxer who has got to the very end of the round, but he has gone back to the neutral corner because he does not know what day of the week it is.
In no way is that better illustrated than when one looks at the wonderful situation of the cycleways. We have this fantastic proposal for a cycleway that will go from Hanmer through to Lake Tennyson. The country is celebrating this. People are switched on and are listening to John Key. They have been inspired and they have aspirations. But what did Phil Goff do? He tried to knock the situation. It is interesting that when the nation was glued to Television One on Monday night Phil Goff tried to bag the cycleways. The only bump in the road was Phil Goff being run over in the process.
What has been going on? We can make a comparison. What has been this Government’s solution to the problems that confront us? We have the Warm Up New Zealand package, the maintaining of entitlements, and the maintaining of youth training levels at remarkably high levels. Those are the solutions. In comparison, Opposition members talk about handing out welfare to millionaires and raising superannuation entitlements to 67 years. Probably the lowest of Labour members’ activities, with the intention of trying to further their political ends, is to politicise honest New Zealanders, then when the story makes it on to the front page, to walk away and say: “Oh, it wasn’t us.” Labour members show a very, very limp expression of what an Opposition should be.
This Government, under John Key, has been focusing on job creation and growth. It has been maintaining entitlements, improving public services, and controlling Government debt. It has provided the Warm Up New Zealand home insulation programme. That is a wonderful programme, and this winter has been the coldest in 56 years. The Government is boosting infrastructure investment, protecting bank deposits, and lifting educational standards. The list goes on and on.
It is an absolute pleasure to be the member for Kaikōura, where we see the beginnings of a fantastic initiative within New Zealand—the cycleway. I encourage members opposite to get on their bikes and go cycling throughout the seven main options. It will be onwards and upwards.
This is the time to celebrate the choice that New Zealanders made in the 2008 election. We must congratulate John Key on his wonderful performance, which goes onwards and upwards. Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker.
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour—Hutt South) Link to this
The previous speech from Colin King was a big play for the role of Parliamentary Under-Secretary some time early in 2011. The member talked about enrolled nurses, but I want to put one factual matter right. The previous National Government took away the role of enrolled nurses; Annette King restarted the training of enrolled nurses. The previous speaker had it wrong by 180 degrees, but we will move on.
I want to focus today on Paula Bennett, because two things became absolutely apparent today. First, Paula Bennett ordered a staff member, either directly or through a political person—and we will get to that tomorrow—to access the Social Welfare Information for Tomorrow Today (SWIFTT) database by using the machine in her office. That is just wrong. I had the education database in my office when I was Minister of Education, but I would not have dreamt of accessing the information for political purposes. It is wrong. What will happen to the staff member who was ordered by Paula Bennett to access that information? Despite the fact that the staff member was ordered by Paula Bennett, that person has still breached the rules on accessing SWIFTT and will almost certainly lose his or her job.
Peter Hughes is the chief executive of the Ministry of Social Development. I have never seen a chief executive look so bad. He is stuck between a Minister who ordered a staff member to do something, and a staff member who breached the regulations and therefore will face disciplinary action. It is unfair to put the staff member in that position, and also unfair to put the chief executive in that position.
We will progress that matter, but let us look at some of the parallels. The Minister of Police has the police database sitting in a staff member’s office. What would people think if someone looked up Hone’s convictions, my convictions, or Sue Bradford’s convictions on the police database for political purposes? We all know—
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy) Link to this
The member knows we must refer to members by their correct title in this House.
Hon TREVOR MALLARD Link to this
The member for Tauranga, who has the hots for Christine Rankin, interjects. If the member wants to put it that way and that is the approach members want, I am happy to put it that way; I was happy to call him “Cougar Bait”.
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Eric Roy) Link to this
The member, not long ago, raised an issue about referring to a Speaker’s ruling. I do not think the tone the member is proceeding in will maintain order in this House, and I may well have to impose some other regulations.
Hon TREVOR MALLARD Link to this
Let us get to the point: should the Minister of Police access the police database for political purposes? No. Should the Minister of Health access the health database? When Labour was in Government we knew that some people on the Opposition side had some pretty serious health problems. Should the then Minister of Health have accessed the health database for information about Opposition members? Of course not; that would have been absolutely wrong and unethical, just as it was unethical for Paula Bennett to access information on two beneficiaries.
Ministers are trusted. Ministers are trusted not to abuse the access they have to information. When I was Minister of Education I did not go looking up the examination results of the children of Opposition members. That would have been wrong. I did not look up the examination results of Opposition members when they were at school. That would also have been wrong. Why is it right for Paula Bennett to order her staff to breach the regulations, access information inappropriately, and not tell the chief executive until afterwards? It is unprecedented, as far as I am aware. I ask Government members where it stops. What is the ethical basis for Government members going into official records of opponents?
Hon TREVOR MALLARD Link to this
We hear Paul Quinn again. Who is the New Zealand Māori playing this year? Who did not go to the New Zealand Rugby Union meeting and lost the New Zealand Māori its game? It was Paul Quinn. He is useless there and here.
LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupō) Link to this
Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. Actions speak louder than words, and this Government, led by our able Prime Minister, John Key, is getting things done. I want to touch on a couple of issues that the previous Government raised in terms of district health boards, the Department of Corrections, and the accident compensation scheme. This side of the House has able Ministers who have had to deal with poorly managed and badly performing departments. Those Ministers took decisive action to sort out the problems. They are more examples of a Government getting things done.
Today I want to focus on one primary action, one action that will have a significant impact on the Taupō electorate, and that is the cycleway project. I want to talk about the Waikato River Trails. This was a project selected as one that had been earmarked as a quick start. Many members will not be aware of the Waikato River Trails project, so I want to provide a bit of background on its success. The idea started back in 2002 with a job summit arranged by the South Waikato District Council. The council could see changes in its local economy. It was concerned about job losses, and it decided to find an economic initiative that would create jobs and business opportunities, and increase tourism to the district. The dream was to create walking and cycling tracks along the Waikato River. Once completed, the trails would cover 100 kilometres, winding along a path that encompasses the magic and beauty of our native bush, exotic forest, historic landmarks, interesting rock formations, geological delights, open reserve, and boardwalks through significant wetlands; not to mention, of course, our expansive lake and river views.
The driving force behind this project is a keen group of volunteers—the Waikato River Trails Trust. Their passion and drive for the project have been inspiring. They have already completed 34 kilometres of the trails, which are open to the public today. They are close to completing another 25 kilometres, but the Government funding will make the critical difference to this project, because it will mean that the project will be completed—the extra 41 kilometres—by the end of summer. The dream is becoming a reality. Public access to these natural assets has been made possible only by the construction of these trails. They are parts of New Zealand that people had not had access to before the river, cycleway, and walkway were constructed. Forty-five people have been employed in the project to date.
I want to tell members about some of those people. I have met the group that has been constructing the walkway between Arapuni and Horahora. They were previously unemployed. They were a group of people on the unemployment benefit who got jobs constructing the trails. This has been a great success story, because 80 percent of the people who have been working on the trails have gone on to further employment. That is the sort of success we want to see as part of the cycleway project. I repeat that 80 percent of the previously unemployed people who have been constructing the trail have gone on to further employment. When we look at the National Government’s funding of the next 41 kilometres of the cycleway, we find that just in building the trail alone there are another 37 new jobs. That is before we talk about what businesses pop up in terms of bed and breakfasts, transfer services, shops that all of a sudden get business where they did not before, and cafes that get business through hospitality, coffee, ice cream, and all those sorts of things.
In addition to the Waikato River Trails, I am excited about the Hauraki Plains trail, the central North Island rail trail, and the Mount Ruapehu to Wanganui trail, which have been identified as priority projects for a quick start. All three of these projects are within a few kilometres of the Waikato River Trails, so very quickly we have a connected cycleway that goes for many kilometres, stretching through this beautiful country. The tracks will provide a real boost for our local tourism industry, stimulating the local economy and providing jobs and opportunities for communities that have experienced tough times. In addition, in the north the plan is to construct the cycleway to Cambridge and on to Ngāruawāhia. Going further south to Taupō is also on the table, and another project is connecting the Maungatautari ecological reserve to the existing Waikato River Trails. This is an example of three councils working closely together in the Taupō electorate for economic good and for jobs.
SIMON BRIDGES (National—Tauranga) Link to this
It is fantastic to take a call in this general debate. Members opposite have given up, finding this to be just a bit too tough. I am proud to be part of a National Government with fantastic leadership under John Key, but including many others. In this speech I will talk about the many positive initiatives that our Government is taking.
But first I will mention a very positive thing that has occurred right in the electorate that I am privileged to represent, the electorate of Tauranga: a Tauranga baker has scooped New Zealand’s best pie award for a record third time. Pat Lam of Goldstar Patrick’s Pies Bakery beat entries from 388 other bakeries to win the supreme award for best pie in New Zealand. The pie was, members will be pleased to know, a creamy bacon, mushroom, and cheese pie. As I say, it was the third time that Mr Lam has won the award. How good is that? I congratulate Pat Lam and Goldstar Patrick’s Pies Bakery. In Tauranga we are truly proud to say we eat all the pies.
I want to talk about the exciting initiatives that are coming out of this Government thick and fast. I say from the outset that really, at a big picture level, it is quite clear that despite a bad global recession and tough times—sobering times; perhaps the toughest times we have seen since the 1930s—we have not thrown our hands up in despair. At the big picture level we have done two significant things. First, we have maintained benefits and entitlements. Representing a city like Tauranga, where a significant proportion of the population is elderly, I am quite proud to say we have worked hard to make sure that national superannuation will stay at 66 percent of the average wage after tax. That is something the people of Tauranga, along with the local Grey Power and Age Concern organisations and many other groups in my electorate, are very happy about, especially in light of comments that David Cunliffe from the other side of the House has made about the need to tweak superannuation and perhaps see the age of entitlement go up to 67. In speaking with business groups, he has made it quite clear that he does not necessarily think the door should be shut on that. We do, and the people of Tauranga do.
Simultaneously with maintaining the benefits, we have also worked very hard to be disciplined, prudent, and careful with the books, in order to ensure this country does not see a credit downgrade. Again, that is markedly distinct from the kind of “Visa-nomics” that we have seen from members opposite, the brigade from Labour, who were prepared to “Put-it-on-the-bill-Phil”, and to play fast and loose with money in the good times. In the bad times we have both maintained entitlements and ensured there has been no credit downgrade. We have done that really for the sake of future generations in this country, so that they will continue to have options to live well in a first-class, First World country.
Many initiatives—and there are many—are keeping this House and the select committees busy. There has been the ReStart package to soften the blow for those who have been made redundant, and also a comprehensive tax and simplification package for small and medium sized enterprises. Initiatives have come out of the Job Summit, such as the 9-day working fortnight, whereby unions, businesses, and the Government have got together in a good-faith dialogue, starting a process that I am sure will continue into the future.
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Labour—Hauraki-Waikato) Link to this
That was a glaring example of the National Government’s heavy-handed tactics—it took the speaking slot of its coalition partner. I want to highlight some of the concerning actions of this Government, because those actions are heavy-handed and bullying, and they are not resonating at all well throughout the country on a number of fronts.
Let us take, as an example, Rodney Hide’s position on Auckland. He has just whipped through with his own proposition about what he will do to fix Auckland. Who likes it? Nobody. There has been resounding unrest through every community in Auckland, but, no, Rodney turns up and says “Have I got a deal for you! This is the way things are going to happen.” In fact, that highlights the theme of this National-led Government. It takes a heavy-handed, bullying approach to the way it tries to introduce measures that affect people’s lives.
More important, we have seen in the House today something quite incredible. We have seen a Minister present information in the public domain without taking any advice whatsoever from her chief executive. That is unbelievable. Privacy issues regarding the details of that information should have been considered prior to the releasing of that information.
All that those women wanted to do was say that the training incentive allowance has helped them to pursue other career opportunities. So they put their hands up and said they did not agree with the cuts to the training incentive allowance. They said they did not agree with the Government about the impact the change would have on solo mums throughout the country. So what did the Minister do to silence those criticisms? She released a whole lot of personal details into the public domain without taking any advice. It is very concerning, because it is heavy-handed. It is a bullying approach to stopping people from expressing an opinion on real fundamental aspects of policy that affect their lives.
I remember campaigning in 1999 when National cut the training incentive allowance to 60 percent of what people were eligible for at the time. There was huge criticism. Did National learn anything? No, it continued to repeat the same mistakes. I know a solo mum who has taken up the training incentive allowance and pursued a law degree. I know another solo mum who has taken up the training incentive allowance and become a social worker. I have visited a community and voluntary organisation where at least two people have taken up the training incentive allowance.
So we are not talking about just two women. We are talking about a lot of women in a whole lot of communities, mainly in the community and voluntary sector. Some people have taken up careers like nursing and have used the training incentive allowance to support their pursuit of a career and to give their whānau a hand up. And what does the Minister do? She turns round and she dumps on them. Unbelievable!
What I really want to know is whether she ignored any advice that she may have received from her overpaid political adviser? Did she ignore it? Did she even seek it? Or was the Minister just selective in accepting the advice that came to her so that she could say she did not receive the information and therefore could not make a decision based on it? No, what the Minister said in the House today was that she made a personal judgment to release that information in the House. That has to be questioned by members on the opposite side of the House, because making that determination to release private details is something other beneficiaries may well be concerned about.
When will it stop? Community health providers are concerned about the way that the National Government is embarking on independent practice association - led health services in the primary health care sector. If those providers put their hands up and say that they disagree with a decision because it may impact on their ability to provide services in the community, will their funding be cut? There is no answer. When will it stop? What about those on low and modest incomes who are concerned about the Government’s tax cuts? They get nothing. If people are earning $40,000 or less, they get absolutely nothing. These people are asking where the fairness is in that. Will they be stung in the pocket and made to pay more in other ways?
When will it stop? What about superannuitants who are concerned about the sustainability of their pensions in the future because of the deferral of payments to the Superannuation Fund? What if their details are released into the public domain? When will it stop? That is what is most concerning about the Minister for Social Development and Employment making a personal judgment, informing her chief executive officer after the fact, but none the less releasing private details into the public domain. It is something that primarily affects the lives of people who are vulnerable. It should stop.
HONE HARAWIRA (Māori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) Link to this
Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. Kia ora tātou katoa e te Whare. Ā, hoi anō me tū au i tēnei wā e te Whare kia kōrero i ōku whakaaro mō te kara Māori, mō te kahu Māori, mō te tohu e whakakotahi ai tātou hei iwi Māori. Nō reira, tēnā tātou katoa. Mai i nohinohi ana kua rongo tātou i ngā kōrero mai i wā tātou mātua, tūpuna mātua, tumuaki o ngā hāhi, rangatira o ngā iwi kia whai atu i te kotahitanga mō tātou katoa, hei iwi kotahi. Runga i wēna whakaaro kua puta mai te kōrero kia hanga i te kahu kia rere hei tohu whakakotahi i a tātou, mai i Te Hiku o te Ika tae atu ki roto o Murihiku me ngā iwi katoa kei waenganui. Ā, mai i wēnā kōrero kua tū mai tō mātou rangatira, a Pita, kia pānui atu ki te ao i tōna hiahia kia rere ai tō tātou kara Māori runga i te piriti o Tāmaki-makau-rau i te rā o Waitangi. Ā, me te mihi anō hoki ki te Pirimia e whakaae nei kia pērā mēnā kua whakaae tātou ki tētahi kahu kotahi, tētahi kara kotahi. Mai i taua wā kua tae noa tātou ki tēnei haere, mai i Te Hiku i tēnei wā kātahi anō ka mutu te kōrero i roto o Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa inapō rā, tae atu ki tōna mutunga ki roto i Te Wai Pounamu, e rua tekau o ngā hui. Kia rongohia mātou i ngā kōrero tā tērā tangata, tā tērā rōpū, tā tērā hapū, tā tērā iwi me pēhea wā tātou whakaaro katoa mō tēnei mea te kara, te kara Māori.
Taku haerenga ki tāwāhi kua kite au i te ātaahuaranga o ngā kara o ngā iwi taketake. Kite au i te whakaaro kotahi roto i te ngākau o ngā iwi taketake puta noa te ao. Tērā te tino hiahia o mātou o te Pāti Māori kia rere tētahi kara kia pērā anō hoki tātou. Kia tū kotahi, kia hīkoi tahi, kia waiata tahi, kia wawata tahi. Ā, runga i tērā whakaaro me mihi au ki te Pāti Māori e whakaae nei kia w’akahaere i tēnei kaupapa. Me te mea anō e tika ana kia mōhio, mai i te tīmatanga o tēnei haerenga, nui atu i te rua mano ngā tāngata i haere mai ki ngā hui, i tukuna mai ngā reta, i waea mai ki a mātou, i kōrerohia i ngā hui wā rātou whakaaro. Horekau he Māori kotahi e mea mai, me kaua tātou e hanga i te kara mō te ao Māori. Kāo. Teka ana au. E rua ngā Māori, ko Parekura tētahi, ko Shane tētahi. Engari ko te katoa atu i a Shane rāua ko Parekura i whakaaetia kia rerea te kara Māori. Nō reira, mihi atu ki a tātou katoa o te ao Māori.
Tika ana te kōrero, hara te kara i te mea hei whāngai i te tinana, hei whakapakari i te tinana, hei whai mahi mō te tangata. Engari, mōhio ana a Mita i tēnei kōrero, hara i te whāngai i te tinana te mea anake i tēnei ao. Atu i tērā, ko te whāngai i te wairua, ko te whāngai i te hinengaro. Ko tērā te tino kaupapa o te kara Māori. Kia whāingai i tō mātou wairua i te wā o te kino, kia taea e mātou te kite i te ātaahuaranga o tētahi tohu kei roto i a ia ngā whakaaro o te ao kōhatu, ngā kōrero mō tēnei wā me ngā wawata mō ngā rā kei te haere mai. Roto anō hoki i te kara, kia kite ai tātou i te ātaahua rawa o ngā whakaairo o ngā mea o te ao Māori.Kia kite ai mātou i ngā tae o te ao te Māori. Tērā te tino hiahia a tā mātou rangatira, a Pita, i tōna kōrero i te tīmatanga o tēnei tau. Nō reira tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou huri atu, huri noa kia ora tātoa katoa.
[Greetings, Mr Assistant Speaker, and to us all of the House. So to you, the House, I rise at this time to express my views about the Māori flag, the symbol that will make us, the Māori people, one. Greetings to you all. From the time we were little we heard the talk from our parents, grandparents, church leaders, and tribal leaders about seeking solidarity for us all. It was from those thoughts that talk about creating a flag emerged to unite us, from the “Tail of the Fish” to Invercargill, and all the tribes in between. Based on that talk, our leader Pita announced his desire to the world that a flag for Māoridom should fly on the Auckland Harbour Bridge on Waitangi Day. I commend the Prime Minister, as well, who agreed to this, if we were unanimous about a single flag. Since that announcement we have travelled the country, beginning at the “Tail of the Fish”, and just as recently as last night we held discussions in Gisborne. The journey will conclude in the South Island, and that should cover 20 meetings. At these meetings we will hear the views of individuals, groups, subtribes, and tribes as to how we would arrive at a flag for the Māori people.
I saw the beauty of indigenous people having a flag when I went overseas. I witnessed the oneness of thought and heart amongst indigenous people throughout the world. That is the real desire of the Māori Party, to see a flag flying so that we are like that, as well: stand as one, walk as one, sing as one, and yearn as one. Because of that, I commend the Māori Party, which agreed to facilitate this. Further to that, I think it is timely that it should be made known that at the commencement of this journey, more than 2,000 people have come to the meetings to express their views. We have fielded letters and phone calls. Not one single Māori stated that we should not be creating a flag for Māori. Wrong! I am lying! Two Māori objected. One was Parekura, the other one was Shane. But apart from these two, everyone was in favour of a Māori flag being flown. So I acknowledge all of us for that.
The statement that the flag will neither nourish nor strengthen the body, nor will it provide employment, is absolutely correct. But on the other hand, and Mita is aware of this, too, feeding the body is not the only thing in this world. Beyond that, there is the feeding of the spirit and mind as well. That is the very essence of the Māori flag—to nourish our spirits when times are bad, to enable us to see the beauty of something symbolic of the past, of the present, and inspirations of the future. We should see the beautiful things of the Māori in the flag, as well: the colours that are symbolic to us. Those are the things that our leader Pita really wanted when he spoke at the beginning of this year. So greetings to you, greetings to you, and greetings to us all throughout .]
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Labour—Ikaroa-Rāwhiti) Link to this
Tēnā tātou. E mihi kau ana i a koe mō te rekareka hoki i te rongo atu i tō tātou reo i roto i te Whare nei. Ko tēnei te Wiki o te Reo Māori, ā, tēnā tātou. Nā te mea i rongo atu ki te korokē rā o te Nota, e kōrero atu mō tana haki, tōna kara e kī atu mō te rere atu. Nā te mea i roto i a koe, mōhio atu tērā tangata tōku whakaaro engari, e mihi kau ana ki ngā haki katoa o tātōu mai i te Rua Te Kau Mā Waru, mai rātou mā o ngā Wāhine Toko i te Ora i tae atu rātou ki te Nota, e Hone, e ngaro ana tō rātou haki, tō rātou kara. Tangohia atu e koutou. Whakahokia atu koe ki a rātou. Nō reira tēnā tātou.
Nā te pai o tātou o te tangata whenua o konei e ora ai tō tātou reo. Tērā anō te pai o te wiki nei. Mai anō i te mahi o ō tātou tūpuna e tuku atu ki ō tātou matua, e tuku atu tātou ki ngā mokopuna. Kei te whai kaha atu tō rātou e rite atu ki rātou o Airangi, o Wēra, pērā tonu. He aha ai kāre e whakaae atu te katoa mō tēnei tino tuku nā te pai hoki kei te ora hoki. E mōhio atu tātou i roto i a tātou te kaha rawa o ngā tūpuna hei tuku atu ki a tātou. Tērā anō te mahi i roto i te Whare Mīere nei. Mai rā anō e tuku atu wētahi o ngā kawenata e manaaki atu te puta ako a ngā minitā rā, a tātou ngā kaimahi o te Whare Mīere, mai rā anō, e tuku atu rātou i tētahi kawenata, e whakaae, e kore whakaae. Nā te mate hoki e kite atu tātou te wahine rā o te Hauāuru, e puta ana tōna waha te riri hoki atu ki ngā tangata e mau ana i te penihana. Nō reira, e whakaaro atu. Kei te mahi wehewehe haere wētahi o rātou mō te tino take e manaaki atu tātou.
Nā te mamae e Hone e rongo atu i tae atu koutou ki Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa i reira kē mō ngā rā e rua, te nui o ō tātou whānau e tae atu i runga i te penihana. Tērā anō te manaaki e pīrangi atu tātou mō i reira? Tērā anō te kaha e whakawero atu tātou i te wahine nei o Te Rōpū Nāhinara?
[My acknowledgments to you, and how wonderful it is to hear our language here in the House. This is Māori Language Week, so greetings to us all. I note the comments by that person from the north in his address about his flag, and how he would like to see it flown. He knows what my views are about it, but at the same time I want to acknowledge all of our flags, including the 28th Battalion one, and the Māori Women’s Welfare League flag. That reminds me, Hone, they lost their flags when they came up north. You took it off them. Give it back to them! So greetings to us.
I come back to the language. Our language has survived because we, the people of the land, have done a good job to ensure that. That is one of the good things about this week. It has been handed down through the generations, through simple ethics. It continues and survives, no different from the situation with the Welsh and the Irish. There have been strong things around that, and there have been guidelines, just like in this House here. The people who have come before us have provided legislative guidelines for Ministers and people who work in the House; some we agree with, and some we do not. But the outburst we witnessed from the female westie member was uncalled for.
But I digress. Hone, you mentioned in your address that you were in Gisborne for 2 days. Most of our families who were there are on the pension, and I find that most hurtful. Is that the sort of care we want there? Is that how strongly we want to provoke this lady from the National Party? ]
Our language has certainly survived, and it is wonderful to celebrate that this week during Māori Language Week. It has been handed down through the generations through a simple edict: that it continues and it survives, no differently from the survival of Welsh and Irish languages. There has been a strengthening of that edict and there have been guidelines, like those made in this House by the people who have come before us since the 1850s and 1860s.
Generally, the legislation is quite clear. One of the real issues is to ensure that people’s privacy is respected. There are legislative guidelines, yet we have seen such an atrocious abuse committed recently by one of our Ministers in one of our principal ministries, and it was done not just by her. She had been following along after listening to Simon Power versus Dame Sian Elias. What was that about? The Minister of Justice was putting himself above the law. That is what Simon did. He put himself above the law.
What really made me wonder was when Paula Bennett, the Minister for Social Development and Employment, said: “I consulted the website.” Peter Hughes is one of the highest performing chief executives in the Public Service, and I pay my respects to him. But the Minister went off and did that instead of consulting him. I can tell members that beneficiaries have a lot of fear, as do a lot of Māori people, over the activity that has happened recently. It is great fertile fuel for the rednecks to say: “Good on you Paula, give it to them!”.
People who are on benefits are not all lazy and they are not all bludgers. A middle-aged Māori woman had a second chance at education at the Gisborne polytechnic, but that hope has been dashed. This is not just about the rangatahi. There are Māori women aged 35, 45, and 55 years old who are good candidates to again educate themselves. What has happened? A welfare Minister and an education Minister have axed and destroyed the dreams of those people.
One wonders whether this is a nanny State or whether it is just real, blatant bullying. One would not blame beneficiaries for being afraid that their information is being tossed around freely and willingly, and, worse still, that the chief executive hears about it only after it has happened. And instead of being humble about it and apologising for it, the Minister got carried away with what the rednecks are saying: “Good on you, girl, you have done it. Hip, hip, hooray!”. What a lot of trash! Shame on the National Government for doing that! And shame on my friend and colleague Hone Harawira for not speaking up about it.
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
That member should not sit there and pontificate on his high Tauranga horse, because he has a lot to learn about this place. One thing he will learn from this gentleman walking past me, Gerry Brownlee—take off your toupee, Gerry—is that at the end of the day I say to the solo mums and the beneficiaries of this country that they should beware of Ministers who bully people and decide to take their information from the website and ring the chief executive afterwards. How can Minister Bennett live with herself now that she has handed that out? What are the repercussions for those women’s families? What are the repercussions for the people those women are affiliated to? All the information is not out.
Where are we getting to when the Minister of Justice tells the Chief Justice: “You cannot say that.”
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
Sorry; I did not mean you, Mr Assistant Speaker. Where are we going when the Minister of Justice decides to be so disrespectful to one of this country’s greatest legal minds? It is outrageous.
CHRIS TREMAIN (National—Napier) Link to this
Tihei mauri ora. Whakataka te hau ki te uru, whakataka te hau ki te tonga, kia mākinakina ki uta, kia mātaratara ki tai, e hī ake ana te atākura. He tio, he huka, he hauhunga. Nō reira, tēnā koutou. Ki te Whare e tū nei, tēnā koe. Ki a Papatūānuku kei waho, tēnā koe. Ki te Kaikōrero, tēnā koe. Ki ngā mema Pāremata, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.
I firstly acknowledge Māori Language Week and the way that we in this country have taken on a renaissance of the language and are encouraging its growth in our country, which I think is excellent. I started with a whakataukī called “Whakataka te Hau”. I want to interpret it for members because it has a lot to do with the way this Government and its partners have taken this country into a new position. That whakataukī goes something like this: “Cease the winds from the west, cease the winds from the south.’’—particularly, cease the winds from the south—“Let the breezes blow over the land, let the red-tipped dawn come with a sharpened air and a promise of a glorious new day.” That is how the whakataukī is interpreted, and that is what this Government is doing across this country. New Zealanders are taking gulps of that fresh new air. They are sucking it in and thanking God that a National Government is delivering change across this nation day after day, week after week, and month after month. There is positive change.
Just in the last week we have seen excellent policies rolled out. Today transport policy on the Kōpū Bridge has been announced—a bridge that has sat for years without being changed. Investment in that infrastructure will allow development, much better transport, and improved efficiency and productivity. It is a wonderful opportunity. There is also the case of the Kamo Bypass just recently, and the Victoria Park tunnel project has been rolled out. In my own electorate, just last Friday I drove up to Wairoa to spend some time in the Wairoa community. I drove past the Matahōrua Gorge, which for years has presented problems on the road from Napier to Wairoa. This Government—through the Minister of Transport, Steven Joyce—stepped up and brought the project forward. The diggers are there now starting the approaches to the bridge that will span the Matahōrua Gorge. That is absolutely fantastic and is taking this project forward.
Today there was an announcement in the immigration area from Ministers Gerry Brownlee and Jonathan Coleman. There was a wonderful announcement about encouraging business migration into this country and encouraging entrepreneurs to come here. It is interesting to listen to members of the Opposition downing this particular policy. They do not understand that entrepreneurs create jobs. At the very time we are losing jobs we need entrepreneurs with the courage and the capital to get out there and invest in this nation. That is what Gerry Brownlee and Jonathan Coleman have delivered to this country. It is absolutely fantastic.
As I come to the end of this speech I want to focus on the wonderful policy that has been announced at the start of this week, and that is the cycleway. If any policy relates to the whakataukī I used at the start of this speech and will get New Zealanders gulping breaths of fresh new air into their lungs, it is the cycleway. This week the Government announced seven new cycleways, with $9 million of the $50 million stepping up. So there is still $41 million to be spent on the cycleway. That project is exciting New Zealanders. That is where those guys on the Opposition benches do not get it—they do not get it. New Zealanders up and down the country are excited by this wonderful policy. Whether people are in Colin King’s electorate, in Bill English’s electorate in the south, or in Sandra Goudie’s electorate in Coromandel, throughout the motu the country is getting behind this policy and is very excited about it.
I know that in my own rohe in Hawke’s Bay, in Heretaunga, people have got in behind us. They are wondering what they can do in terms of the cycleway. They are looking for an opportunity using the existing infrastructure, down Marine Parade, out to the Tukituki River, and winding down that beautiful stretch of river all the way to Waipukurau. My goodness, they can stop at Te Mata Estate, Craggy Range Winery, and the Matariki Wines vineyard along the way. What a wonderful opportunity that would be. There could be accommodation clusters along the way. Businesses will start where people can take bikes from one end to the other. It is absolutely fantastic. These are the opportunities that will come from the cycleway. These are the things this Government is doing as it goes along.
I wanted to close with another whakataukī, but I know I do not have time to finish it. Perhaps another time.