General Debate

I move, That the House take note of miscellaneous business. This is our last general debate for this session. We rise for the general election, and it is game on. This is an election that the Labour-led Opposition can win, will win, and must win for the people of New Zealand—for the people like the 260,000 children growing up in poverty; like the people who are without jobs, for whom we are promising jobs; and like the people whom we are promising an increase to the minimum wage immediately. The contrast is clear. Today we announced an immediate increase to the minimum wage and another one next year—$2 more. That will put $4,000 a year into the pockets of low-income workers. In New Zealand there are 100,000 children in working families that are below the poverty line, and we have the plan to fix that.

Meantime, contrast that with the National Government’s plan. What is its solution? Wining, dining, and mining—milk and disaster. It is presiding over a dairy industry where prices are falling off a cliff. It is praying that this election comes quickly, before dairy prices go down and interest rates go up, and before New Zealanders see through the fluff and the sham to what is really going on. And what is going on? There are 260,000 children in poverty, two out of five of whom are in working families. There are 40,000 kids hospitalised for poverty-related diseases. Homeownership is at the lowest level in 50 years. Rent and power are up 20 percent each, so hard-working families, middle-income New Zealanders, cannot get ahead.

Meantime, more people are unemployed in every region of New Zealand except Canterbury. Half of New Zealanders did not get a pay rise despite 3 percent growth, and 75 percent of Kiwis say that the gap between rich and poor has got bigger as real wages have fallen in 13 out of 16 regions.

💬 Hon David Parker: And they’re right.

And they are right. Meantime, the top few percent are doing just fine. The top 10 percent now own more than the other 90 percent, and National gave them huge tax cuts while putting GST up on everybody else. That is the Government’s priority. Now chief executive officers earn 26 times the average wage. The wage gap with Australia, which John Key was going to close, has climbed $70 a week to $190 a week.

It is often said that politics is a tipping game, and we know that this game is going to tip because on that side team Key is a pretty sorry mess. There is John Banks, the man John Key kept on throughout his trial for electoral fraud. Judith Collins used her ministerial position to entrench and enrich herself and her family. What did she get from the Prime Minister? A $5,000 holiday. Peter Dunne, the Minister who leaked the Kitteridge report and has never denied it—never denied it—was restored to Ōhariu and to the ministry. Are these higher standards for New Zealanders? I do not think so. Murray McCully—enough said. Gerry Brownlee is the “Minister for Aviation Security”, an oxymoron. That is like calling Jonathan Coleman the “Minister for Transparency about the FBI”, Simon Bridges the “Minister for National Parks”, Maurice Williamson the “Minister Helping Police with their Inquiries”, or Nick Smith the “Minister for Three Strikes Fishing for a New Game”. There is Phil “Richard Worth” Heatley, Claudette “Put It on the Plastic” Hauiti, and Aaron “Don’t You Know Who the Hell I Am?” Gilmore.

Well, we know who the heck they are. They are members of the tired old National Party. It is the “prop up the rich” National Party, and damn the rest. It is the Government that is on its way out. This is the Government that is on its way in. I say bring on campaign 2014. We are up for it. We are going to win this race. Thank you.

Tēnā koe, otirā, ēnā tātou katoa. The 50th Parliament wraps up this week. It has been a busy term, with more than 330 pieces of legislation passed—51 in the past year alone—and thousands of questions answered by our Prime Minister and Ministers. Whatever has been in the headlines, unlike others we truly have been focused on the issues that matter for New Zealanders. I would like to pay a tribute to New Zealanders for their resilience in going through the last very difficult period—perhaps the most difficult in a generation—their preparedness to face those challenges, their attitude to hard work, their continuing commitment to their families, and the entrepreneurship that has been evident in the growing, and continuing to grow, economy that our Government has overseen.

We feel a mood of positivity and “upbeatness”—if that is a word—in New Zealanders. That is most absolutely reflected by the strong and aspirational and constructive and positive leadership of our Prime Minister, the Rt Hon John Key. Before he even came into Parliament he indicated that he wanted better for this country and for New Zealanders. In the almost 6 years that he has led our nation he has demonstrated that every day in every way. All of the policies of this Government have been about how we support New Zealanders to do better and how we back them to be the successful, aspirational Kiwis that we know them to be. Unlike the Opposition, which wants to focus on being pessimistic, on reporting failure, and on personal attacks, this side of the House has focused under the leadership of our Prime Minister on what is the very best in all New Zealanders.

We have delivered a stable and aspirational Government. Our track record reflects that. What have we done? In the economy that we have managed so soundly under our Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Hon Bill English, we are now in a situation where growth is forecast to reach 4 percent next year. The average wage has increased by $3,000 and by 2018 it is forecast to get to $62,300. An extra 84,000 jobs have been created in this past year alone. That is forecast to grow to 172,000. As we have heard in the House today, of course, one of the key indicators of that confidence in our economic management is that New Zealanders are staying here in New Zealand or coming home from other parts of the world, such is their confidence in our economic management. There is more to be done, and we are focused on that.

We also have a safer environment. In law and order, crime is down on almost—well, actually, on every indicator: violent crime, youth crime, reoffending. We are focusing more now and into the future on how we prevent young people getting into those situations where they default to criminal behaviour. For that, can I acknowledge the Hon Judith Collins and, of course, Anne Tolley.

We have 40,000 fewer people on welfare over the past 4 years. That is due to the stellar work of our Minister for Social Development who has focused her considerable energies on how we give people more chances to be successful. We see that in those coming off benefits and going into work. We understand that being on a benefit is no life for anyone. It is a lifeline; it is not a lifestyle. Work is good and we are providing that work. We are giving people incentives to come off benefits.

We are investing more and more in education. On every measure in education we are seeing improvements. More kids are participating in early childhood education. More kids are doing better in national standards at primary school. More young people are leaving school with the National Certificate of Educational Achievement level 2. More are getting degrees. This is absolutely due to the hard work of teachers and principals and their board chairs and trustees across the country. They are the ones who deserve the credit. We are backing them to be successful. That is why, going forward, we are putting $359 million into recognising, supporting, and growing the skills of teachers and of principals.

In health we have seen significant success. This is because we want to ensure that we have well New Zealanders and well families. For cancer it is now 4 weeks from decision to treat to actual treatment. Immunisation for our youngest New Zealanders—

💬 Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member’s time has expired.

Kia ora, Mr Speaker. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou. Kia ora. This week fluttering around outside Simon Bridges’ office I found a receipt. It seems to list a various number of expenses. Let us go through them. I see here we have 4 nights at the luxurious Intercontinental hotel in Wellington. We have got a corporate box for Rugby World Cup matches, including an All Blacks game. We have a sailing trip from the Port Nicholson Yacht Club. And meals—all the meals and booze you can think of, worth $22,000. We have got lunch catered by Ruth Pretty at the Palliser Estate vineyard, lunch at Martin Bosley’s, and dinner at Logan Brown. All up, what we see is $237,000 worth of taxpayers’ money to wine and dine just 11 oil executives over 4 days.

So here we see National spend $237,000 over 4 days. Here we see National blowing an annual ministerial salary in only 4 days on 11 oil executives, demonstrating how out of touch National is—how out of touch National is with the world that Kiwis experienced. Spending $22,000 just for booze and food equates to about $500 a day per person. That is twice what many Kiwi families spend in an entire week at the supermarket—$500 a day. At a time when Kiwis are struggling, working some of the longest hours for some of the lowest wages and with some of the highest costs of living in the developed world, we are seeing this sort of action by the Government. At a time when one in four of our kids is growing up in poverty and when 60 percent of our rivers are considered unsafe to swim in, something is seriously wrong with National’s New Zealand.

You see, Kiwis see their Ministers splashing money around on some of the richest industries in the world, being more interested in the last drops of oil than they are in the last 55 Māui’s dolphin. They are subsidising tens of millions of dollars to seabed miners who cannot even get a consent through National’s Environmental Protection Authority, with special deals for smelters, tax breaks for oil drillers, pokies for convention centre deals, and our assets sold off for a song to a minority. You see, this September Kiwis have a choice: National’s pollution economy and crony capitalism or a smarter, cleaner, fairer New Zealand, which is what the Green Party is espousing.

So this election my message to Kiwis is: aroha mai, aroha atu—love New Zealand. I love New Zealand, I love my country, and this election I am asking Kiwis to party vote Green to look after, to take advantage of, and to build and grow the country we love. This election the Green Party is going to deliver a cleaner environment, a fairer society, and a smarter economy. We are stable. We have got a unified caucus, successful co-leaders, and we are ready for Government. We are proven. We have led the Opposition this term on issues like asset sales, power prices, and protecting our Māui’s dolphins, and we have worked with National, where we could, to make practical improvements like the home insulation scheme, and the national cycleway.

We are modern. We have brought fresh thinking and up-to-date solutions to Parliament, and we have tackled those issues other parties are ignoring, like climate change, entrenched inequality, and the underperforming economy. This September Kiwis have a very clear choice on our country’s direction. National says that our rivers and streams should be safe for swimming—well, it does not even say that. It says that our rivers and streams should be safe only for boating and wading. The Green Party says that they should be safe to swim in. National says that our economy should continue to be dependent on raw logs, milk powder, and, hopefully, oil—desperately, desperately hoping for oil. The Greens, however, have got a plan to build a smarter, greener economy that really works for all New Zealanders. Our vision is an economy that sees Kiwis, for example, in work installing insulation under people’s roofs and solar panels on the top. Our plans include a second internet cable for New Zealand and support to grow the internet economy.

There is a limit to National’s pollution economy. You can see it every day in our toxic rivers and streams. There is no limit to the greentech, the clean energy, and the IT we could be exporting around the world. We are going to deliver that smart Green innovative economy through personal and business tax cuts to everyone by putting a charge on carbon polluters. We are going to invest a billion dollars in extra research and development to help our greentech sector, and we are going to establish a green investment bank to kickstart investment in smart Green projects that create good jobs. National will not look, it will not count, and it will not act when it comes to growing child poverty and inequality, but the Greens are going to deliver a fairer society where every child has enough to thrive. We have got a plan for a cleaner, fairer, smarter Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a very clear choice Kiwis have got this September, and we are urging them to get on the roll, make sure they vote, and party vote Green.

Yes, we are here nearly at the end of the 50th Parliament—my goodness. It is a round number, but by golly it has been a challenging 3 years for New Zealand, a challenging 3 years for the people of my Rangitata electorate, a challenging 3 years for the Government. But do you know what? We can unequivocally say that this Government on this side of the House has done the hard yards in order to protect New Zealand’s citizens from the sharpest edges of the recession.

As we come to the end of this Parliament, I want to acknowledge our Minister of Health, the Hon Tony Ryall. He will join other colleagues today in giving his valedictory speech—Paul Hutchison, Phil Heatley, Eric Roy, and Shane Ardern. But I want to pay a special tribute to the Hon Tony Ryall, who has been the Minister of Health now for the last 6 years during challenging times. So despite the fact that we have had huge challenges to the Government revenue and finances—the global financial crisis and the sort of impact that the Christchurch earthquakes have had on New Zealand—there has been an average of an extra $500 million going into the health budget each year during his term as Minister.

In addition to that we have seen the health dollars go further during that time. That has been an enormous achievement on the part of not just the Minister but the Ministry of Health and the practitioners working in the health sector across this country. I will give some examples in a few moments, but it has really been a case of the Minister challenging the health sector to look at how it can do things better with the same amount of money or a little bit more. There is $15.6 billion being spent on health now. In the big scheme of things we had a slow-down of the amount of extra money going in there, but it was no longer a case of chucking money at it and hoping that we would get outcomes. Instead, it was about actually measuring what we were doing and having targets that health practitioners universally bought into, and they delivered fantastically well. I want to use some examples of those health targets. In addition, we have got 1,500 more doctors and 3,200 more nurses.

How have we seen these outcomes measured in terms of things that really matter to the families of New Zealand? I can tell you that as we look around the country now we see measles affecting families of older New Zealanders, in terms of late primary school and secondary school students. We know that it was shameful that back in 2007 only 67 percent of New Zealand’s children were fully immunised at age 2. We know that it is now 93 percent at 8 months. We know that that has been wholly because of practitioners getting in there and making sure that children are fully immunised. We also know that there is much less waiting for cancer treatment now. We know that New Zealanders are not going to Australia for their radiotherapy treatment and their chemotherapy treatment. We know that that is because we have looked to do things differently and to make sure that we are delivering to New Zealanders the health care they deserve.

We also know that 94 percent of our emergency department patients are now seen within the 6-hour target. Why do we need a 6-hour target? Well, hang, it looked pretty ghastly when we had people on trolleys in corridors in the emergency departments for not hours at a time but days at a time. What a shame. What an absolutely shameful practice that was, and that has stopped.

💬 Scott Simpson: Who was the health Minister then? Who was it?

Well, there was a variety of Ministers of Health, to be fair. There was actually the Hon Annette King and the Hon David Cunliffe. Both had parts to play in that.

So what else have we got happening? Well, we actually now have a significant amount of money looking to address a very, very difficult issue, and that is rheumatic fever prevention—$65.3 million is in there. The previous Labour Government promised much and delivered nothing on this. It promised to address it but did not. It is a terribly difficult issue to address. Now we have thousands upon thousands of children dropping into sore throat clinics to be checked. They have much less likelihood now of developing rheumatic fever because they are getting the treatment they need by doing that.

We have also prioritised detecting diabetes and cardiovascular disease early. In order to do that you cannot expect that patients will just rock up to the doctor and say “Oh, I thought I might have a check for that.” That is rare. What we are doing is systematically requiring that those conditions are checked for in primary health care. When it comes time for this election what we will see is New Zealanders looking at our record, our plans for the future, and voting National.

That was an interesting speech by Jo Goodhew, and obviously that member is proud of her record. I take the opportunity to wish Tony Ryall well. We have sparred occasionally in the House, but I will say this: for Mr Ryall, sadly, along with Bill English, one of his political epitaphs—which the member never, of course, referenced as a proud moment in this House—will be the running-down of Solid Energy into the ground to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, to the tune of 1,000 jobs, and all the while that member, her colleagues, the Minister of Finance, and the outgoing Minister for State Owned Enterprises, sat by, fully advised by their officials, and did nothing. That is their version of a hands-off, free-market economy. I believe in the free-market economy, but I believe that Ministers are paid a big whack of a salary to do their job and to ensure that boards do theirs and management do theirs.

There are some significant problems in our economy and in the life of this country: 260,000 children live in poverty and our manufacturers are struggling because this Government will not come to terms with much-needed monetary reform. We have proposed solutions to both those problems. We have proposed reforms, quite substantial reforms, in respect of monetary policy. Paid parental leave, a desperate cry for parents to be supported; our early childhood education having its funding restored; and lowering our class sizes—these are all solutions that this side of the House, along with others in other parties, have promoted.

But there is a biblical saying—dredging up my old Catholic Sunday school roots; I think it is Proverbs 26:11—and it goes like this: “As a dog returneth to its vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.” Look at the litany and the priorities of this Government. “Brown Bag Banks” is soon to be sentenced, and may be doing porridge in striped sunshine in about 48 hours—a Minister in this Government. Judith Collins—Oravida—caught feathering her own nest. She was feathering her own nest and to this day she will not front up with critical information. Then, of course, another Minister—

💬 Tim Macindoe: This is “Vote Positive”, isn’t it? This will go down really well on the hustings.

If you are going to interject, sonny, sit in your seat and obey the rules, or take a call. Then there is Peter Dunne. Peter Dunne is the Maxwell Smart of the New Zealand Parliament, 006½, leaking national security reports, but he is still a Minister in the Government.

Then we have Gerry Brownlee. I have got to say this about Gerry Brownlee, and I will quote from Bill English when he was referencing the law back in 2006. Bill English said this: “You see, respect for the rule of law is a positive quality; it is not just obedience under the fear of discovery and punishment.” Well, you can tell when a Government is moving into that zone of being out of touch. The sort of human blunderbuss Gerry Brownlee apparently is on top of every aspect of his portfolio—every aspect of his portfolio—but struggles to know which door to get through, or which door to try to get through, or which rules to obey at a particular airport, even though he is, or was, the Minister responsible for aviation security. Mr Brownlee does not, of course, have the decency to write to the volunteer whom I met a couple of days ago and personally apologise. He does not have the grace to write to the chief executive of the airport company and say: “OK, I did this. My cop. My staff did it. This guy is a volunteer. Do not sanction him. He is a decent human being.”—and he is—oh no.

The Prime Minister, of course, is great at talking about lifting standards, and we will not talk about the member who is not here in respect of her expenses. We will not go back and regurgitate the bile that is Mr Dunne, the bile that is John Banks, and other Ministers who have gone. Oh no, anything goes in terms of the high standards and the arrogance of this Government.

Well, I say to the people of New Zealand that we have proposed a series of solutions. We have proposed a series of solutions like reforming superannuation and dealing with the housing crisis by actually building houses—100,000 houses over 10 years. When I went to school you solved problems in a practical way, not with accords that do not exist. After 2 years, there are zero houses through the Auckland Housing Accord.

We have proposed a series of solutions, and positive solutions. I say compare us on this side of the House with those opposite, who exhibit every sign of political decay and arrogance—and Gerry Brownlee is a big target to pin that one on. They show every sign of political arrogance—that they are somehow above the ordinary folk out there, they are somehow better, and they know better than the ordinary folk out there. Well, I say that that is the first sign of constitutional and political decay. I suggest that Mr Brownlee and others look at the level of decency, look at the so-called high standards, and make some substantial changes. There is, indeed, a difference and a choice in the next election.

It is a pleasure to speak in this, the general debate, the last general debate before Parliament rises in this the 50th term of Parliament. I want to start by using a word that you will not hear from the previous speaker, Mr Cosgrove, and that you will not hear from the Labour Party, and that is “positive”. Positive is the contribution that the Hon Tony Ryall has made over the last 24 years. Positive is the contribution that John Key in this John Key - led Government has made over the last 6 years. I mean positive, because when you look at the Labour billboards, you see more “positive” than you see of their leader. What a joke—another joke of how they cannot support David Cunliffe. I went to Waimakariri. I saw the billboards for the Hon Clayton Cosgrove. They are not red, they do not mention Labour, and they do not mention David Cunliffe.

💬 Hon Clayton Cosgrove: I seek leave to table one of my billboards, which shows exactly the opposite to what that member—

💬 Mr SPEAKER: Order! No, I am not putting the leave.

If you cannot stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. We are being positive because this Government stands for education and standards in schools. This Government has led to an increase in the achievement rates for Pacific kids in our schools. Seventy-two percent of Pacific kids across this country have now reached National Certificate of Educational Achievement level 2 achievement rates. That is something that I am particularly proud of.

You cannot expect Labour Party members to govern when they cannot govern themselves. That much is clear this afternoon, and it has been clear for a very long time in this debating chamber. Can you imagine what you would get with a Labour Government? You would get back to the future with Annette King, would you not? The Hon Annette King—you would get back to the future. I go up and down this country, and when I am talking to my constituents in Maungakiekie—when I am out doorknocking, putting hoardings up, and delivering pamphlets—what are the things that they demand from Governments? They demand better public services. They want services in education, health, housing, and law and order, and that is what this National Government is delivering day upon day in this country, governing New Zealand.

We have got 40,000 more people receiving elective surgery since 2008. We are keeping our kids and our families healthy. Ninety-one percent of 8-month-old children—[Interruption] Miss King knows this because she was the Minister of Health. It has gone up and 91 percent are now being immunised, and 98 percent of those kids under 6, Annette King, have access to free doctors visits day on day.

We are also attacking diabetes, which is a particular problem in my neighbourhood, and heart disease and rheumatic fever. That is something that, under Annette King, Labour neglected for a very long time—a very long time.

💬 Sue Moroney: Oh, what rubbish!

Sue Moroney knows this. In the area of law and order, we are making a difference, because crime rates are at their lowest for 25 years. [Interruption] That is 25 years—25 years—Mr Simpson. We have lower youth crime and lower violent crime. We are putting victims at the heart of our justice system, so I want to thank the Hon Judith Collins for leading that.

We are, as I have said, getting success right across the board in education. It is positive for our communities, it is positive for local people, and it is positive right across the board. It is about getting skills, education, and qualifications. What does that do? It promotes your ability to get a job. When New Zealanders get jobs—

💬 Hon Members: Where are the jobs?

—they are free to choose and free to get jobs independent of the State. Members opposite might ask where the jobs are, but in the last year there has been just under 80,000 jobs created, and for Pacific people that is 8,000 jobs created over the last 12 months.

In my own portfolio of local government, we passed the Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Bill (No 3) last night, which has meant a more effective way of delivering local government services. It means that development contributions are going to be fairer and more transparent. It also allows for councils to promote consultative processes that are appropriate for the circumstances. We have a clear choice on 20 September. New Zealanders right across this country have a clear choice. Vote for a party that is in disarray, caught up in “gotcha politics”, and that apologises every time it delivers a policy, or vote for a party that is focused on the issues that matter to all New Zealanders—on improved public services, growing the economy, and growing jobs, and on education, skills, and training. National is a party for New Zealanders who believe in their own future.

New Zealand is the land of milk and honey—if you have the money, that is. The rises in power prices, petrol, rents, rates, and food are doing immense damage to Kiwi families. The Government says not to worry because we have a rock star economy, except that for most Kiwi families it is a rock-bottom economy, and the Government is aground with its economic policy, which has relied on a dairy boom, the Christchurch rebuild boom, and over $60 billion in borrowing.

Net Government debt as a percentage of GDP has risen from 5.5 percent in 2008 to a staggering 26.3 percent in 2013. In the meantime, Statistics New Zealand data shows that in the year to June, food prices are the highest since July 2011. In June, vegetable prices increased 8.9 percent; meat, poultry, and fish prices increased 3.6 percent; butter was up 7.7 percent; yoghurt was up 3.6 percent; and in the year to June, fresh milk was up 11 percent, cheese was up 12 percent, yoghurt was up 7.2 percent, and butter was up 12 percent. Also, beef was up 6.9 percent, lamb was up 20 percent, and chicken was up 2.4 percent. But incomes for most people are not up.

For many people who are struggling, the ability to buy meat and vegetables has been an issue for some time because these basics have reached the point of unaffordability. That means that people have to buy cheaper food that fills the tummy but lacks nutrition.

We in New Zealand First will remove GST from food. Remember when John Key promised no increase in GST, and then after the election increased it to 15 percent? That was a slap in the face for families trying to put good nutritious food on the table. And that slap came after a kick in the guts for most families, when in 2009 the Key Government reduced tax for the highest income earners, at a staggering $5 billion, but there was nothing for struggling families.

A recent OECD report stated that the income gap in New Zealand was the worst for all OECD countries, and New Zealand has the fifth-highest food prices within the 34 OECD nations. New Zealand First will take GST off all food, except for a very small number of items, such as sugary drinks, takeaways, and restaurant food. So at least 95 percent of all food would be GST-exempt. The objective is to give relief to struggling middle and low-income Kiwi families.

New Zealand First has surveyed mothers who buy the family food. Most spend around $300 a week, but some must make do with $200 per week. They say they need the GST off food, and if they get the benefit of the extra $30 to $45 a week they will use it to buy more and better food. Now that would be a rock star result. Kiwis on those middle and low incomes will feel the greatest benefit because they spend a much greater proportion of their income on food.

This policy will cost $3 billion per year and will be partly funded by clamping down on tax evasion and the black economy, estimated at $7 billion annually. The Key Government is projecting a $3.5 billion current account surplus within 2 years. So this policy is easily affordable. The policy is also easy to implement. Food is exempt from tax to some degree in many countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and most of Europe, because they do not see a family’s food as a proper object for taxation, and neither should we. In addition, New Zealand First will remove GST from rates on residential property. Rates are a major burden, especially for people on lower and fixed incomes. It is a tax on a tax, and that has to end.

Under a New Zealand First Government, food and rates will not be taxed, because we are the one party that will genuinely address the cost of living, and the cost of living is the big issue in this campaign.

Thank God there will not be a New Zealand First - led Government. It is a great pleasure to speak in the general debate this afternoon—the final general debate in this 50th Parliament. After the member Denis O’Rourke’s contribution, I was going to rebut some of the things that he said, but it is probably not worth it. It is like everything that that party ever said—things like they are not anti-Chinese, but everything that comes out of that member’s mouth is all about anti-Chinese rhetoric.

I am very proud to be standing here as part of the National-led Government, led by our Prime Minister John Key. Our Prime Minister has provided strong political leadership, stable Government policies, and a united hard-working team. Today you can see that most of us are wearing a very colourful tie, going out in support of one of our colleagues who is giving his valedictory speech today, the Hon Tony Ryall, who has been a very colourful character in this House for a very long time. We are united. We are a hard-working team and together with forward-thinking New Zealanders we are making things happen.

There are many things that I could talk about but I wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge the Minister for Ethnic Affairs, the Hon Judith Collins. As her parliamentary private secretary, I have worked very closely with Minister Collins, and her work has been exemplary. I am particularly proud of the work of the Office of Ethnic Affairs in Ethnic People in Commerce in New Zealand. More than 400 people attended the Ethnic People in Commerce conference this year, and it was an opportunity for ethnic people in commerce to connect with mainstream businesses and corporates. This year, Ethnic People in Commerce in New Zealand is partnered with Export New Zealand to connect and take advantage of and maximise growth opportunities. I can say that there were at least 300 real connections that were made as a result of the conference, and they will result in greater opportunities for our ethnic communities, in recognition that our ethnic communities can and do contribute significantly to the benefit and growth of New Zealand.

Tomorrow Parliament wraps up after an incredibly busy term, with more than 330 pieces of legislation passed and literally thousands of questions answered by the Prime Minister and Ministers. Through everything that has made the headlines over this parliamentary term, this National Government, under John Key’s leadership, has been well and truly focused on what actually matters. Jobs and wages are growing, and we have one of the highest growth rates among the world’s developed economies. That is something that we should all be proud of.

We are supporting the most vulnerable in New Zealand with Better Public Services. We have fewer Kiwis thinking that their future will be better in Australia; they are remaining in New Zealand. We have Kiwis returning to Aotearoa. People are feeling more positive. Export figures are high, inflation is low, and we are on track to surplus. That is something that we should all be very, very proud of. We are on track to Budget surplus this year and to post increasing surpluses in years to come, so that we will have choices about repaying debt and investing a bit more in our priority public services.

Earlier, someone asked where the jobs are. In the past year there were an extra 84,000 jobs created right across New Zealand. Treasury is forecasting that another 172,000 jobs will be created over the next 4 years. That is something we should all be proud of. It is interesting that the increase in spending from Labour in the last six Budgets in its term of Government added up to $20 billion. Compare that with this side of the House: our six Budgets total $2.9 billion—$20 billion versus $2.9 billion, driven in part by two net zero Budgets. Everyone can decide who is better in charge of the treasury. The public can see who is a better manager of the treasury.

We have improved the Government’s finances, while still improving public services and making a difference. It is less about throwing money around on a problem and more about changing the way we work, so that the services we deliver are more effective. We are finding out that the more we get Government agencies to focus on results, the better outcomes we have for our communities and our country.

This Government is willing and able to spend more now to reduce the long-term social and economic costs of dysfunction. What a good thing it is for families and what a good thing it is for the Government. The National Government should be voted in on 20 September.

Well, there are none so blind as those who will not see, and of course, the blindest in the House right now would be Mike Sabin, after putting on his tie this morning. The rest of the National caucus constitute a major health and safety risk that requires hearing protection because their ties and shirts are far too loud.

This is a great day for working New Zealanders because now they have hope. Working New Zealanders have seen Labour’s policy announcement on work and wages, and now they know that help is at hand. Help is at hand because they are the ones—the 50 percent of wage and salary earners in New Zealand—who have struggled to make ends meet year after year of this Government. Year after year they have struggled to make ends meet and now they finally see there is a chance that their wages will go up. Sure, those on the minimum wage will get an immediate lift, and they will get another lift next year—$15 before Christmas, $16.25 next April—and then the rest of working New Zealand will know that in Labour they will have a Government that is committed to sharing fairly the economic gains of this country.

The Government talks about rising wages, but it turns a wilfully blind eye and ignores the 46 percent of working New Zealanders who did not get a pay rise last year. It had nothing to say about it because it does not care and it does not understand it. It does not understand the modern workplace and the modern labour market. That is this Government. Put aside the 46 percent who cannot get a pay rise—what about the others? What about the rest of the workforce who have added to the productivity gains of this country? There has been a 50 percent improvement in productivity in the last 20 years and yet wages have not kept pace. If the average wage had kept pace with productivity improvements, the average wage today would be between $7 and $8 an hour better than it is now. But that Government does not care. It does not care that 40 percent of children living in households that are below the poverty line have working parents. They live in households that have working parents. That is how bad it is. Working parents are going out there, doing two, three, four, and sometimes five jobs, and still cannot make ends meet. That is how bad wages are in this country for far too many people and it is time it changed, so we will lift the minimum wage.

We will do away with the retrograde laws that this Government passed that prevent people from negotiating pay rises through collective bargaining or other means, and we will get rid of the laws that treat people shabbily and appallingly—the 90-day law is just one of them. We will get rid of those laws. Then we will have a conversation. We will have a conversation with all those in the labour market—working people, wage and salary earners, the so-called dependent contractors, the people who are employed by labour hire agencies. We will talk to their employers and we will ask them why they cannot get a pay rise, why they are being treated unfairly, why they are being sent down the road and kicked out of a job with no notice and no compensation—why is that happening? We will get that information, we will hear from the people who matter and the people who care, and we will make changes that reflect a modern 21st century labour market, not the 19th century version that National believes in, and not the antediluvian policies that National will visit on this country, because people want better.

People expect fairness and they no longer look to National for fairness. They look to National for graft and unfairness and for looking after its big mates, but working people do not look to National for fairness any more. They look to Labour. The 50 New World workers in Hāwera who have lost their jobs today will not look to Chester Borrows for help; they will be looking at Hamish McDouall and Andrew Little for help, because that is where it is going to come from. The 250 skilled engineering workers who lost their jobs in New Plymouth this year are not looking to Jonathan Young or National to help; they are looking to Labour for help, because that is where they will get it. They know that the people in Labour understand working people, and they understand the labour market. We understand what is going on and we will make it better. People will know that under Labour they will have a better chance of getting a fair share. Not when Tau Henare is in the House—no, no, no—that is long gone. They will look to a Labour Government because that is the way you get a fair share in this country.

If you want to be paid fairly for what you do, you vote Labour. That is what New Zealanders are lining up to do. They will be lining up to do it come 20 September. They will not be looking at that mob. They want jobs and they want a reduction in unemployment, not the 6 percent that they have got right now.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak and participate in the last general debate of this Parliament. I am proud to be part of this National-led Government, which has turned round this economy.

First of all I would like to make a correction. The announcement made by the Leader of the Opposition that people will have an extra $4,000 in their pocket—I do not agree with him. If you calculate—

💬 Hon Annette King: Why not?

I will tell you. Listen to it.

💬 Hon Annette King: You want them to be poor?

Listen to it, first. A $2 increase in pay for working 40 hours for 52 weeks calculates as being $4,160 in total. If you deduct the tax from that, you will get almost $3,400. The public will get $3,400 in their pocket, not $4,000. So every announcement that the Labour Party has made has to be read carefully, because it has got loopholes in it.

Apart from this, I would like to—

💬 Hon Annette King: So when you talk about the average wage, does it include tax, or not?

But it is not in the pocket—it is not in the pocket. The Leader of the Opposition said you will have an extra $4,000 in your pocket. This is not in your pocket.

💬 Hon Member: Lies.

Yes, lies.

The Government has worked hard, more jobs have been created, wages have grown, and we have got the highest growth rate among the world’s developed economies. Our Better Public Services are supporting the most vulnerable. Export figures are higher, and inflation is low. We are on track to surplus, and fewer New Zealanders think that the brighter future is in Australia.

Whether we arrive in waka or we arrive in modern-day jet planes to start afresh in a new place, with little support in terms of family, friends, and networks, it is not easy. However, despite these and other hurdles, many of us make a humble start. We learn and adapt to the New Zealand culture, its food, and its habits, and that goes a long way. It is fair to say that New Zealand has enriched the lives of migrants, and migrants have in return enriched New Zealand with their food, colour, and culture, and have contributed to the development of the country, not just economically but socially as well.

Migrants’ children too adapt to the New Zealand education system, and have been very successful in their academic achievements. Despite English not being their first language, migrant children adapt in their attempts to progress, and do as well as their Kiwi peers. Of course, the role of parents in the success of their children is very crucial. Most migrants understand that to succeed in their adopted land, their family must work hard and their children must attain a good level of education. That is why most of the migrants pay close attention to the education of their children and support their achievements. With support from their families, many of the second-generation migrants are now seen in professional roles as chartered accountants, doctors, lawyers, and architects.

Continuing the theme of the achievement and the contributions of migrants to New Zealand and its economy, recent statistics made available from Statistics New Zealand state that in 2004, the contribution made by the migrant people of Indian origin to the New Zealand economy was about $2.8 billion. By 2013 this had risen to $10 billion, which equates to 4.8 percent of GDP. I think it is fair to say that we are contributing our fair share to the New Zealand culture socially, culturally, and economically.

In recent times most of the New Zealand migrants have come from Asia. The migrant community in New Zealand no doubt plays a very active role in connecting their country of birth to their country of residence in developing trade and economic ties. The importance of the result of this unique relationship between one’s motherland—that is, the land of birth—and the adopted motherland, or the current place of residence, is that the relationships are very vital in growing trade between Asia and New Zealand.

This is probably the last time that I will address this House. As members will be aware, I have stepped down from the Green Party list and I am not seeking a second term in Parliament. Having been here for only 3 years I have decided not to give a formal valedictory speech, as I do not have enough to talk about to take up 15 minutes of the House’s valuable time. But nor did I want my last words in Hansard to be on the Epsom by-election debate, following the unfortunate departure of Mr Banks, so I am pleased to have the opportunity to make a few parting comments in this general debate.

I did not plan to leave this House so soon after arriving. I had hoped that this would be the start of a long career in politics. In my maiden speech I expressed the hope that when I left we would have made real progress on reducing inequality and eliminating child poverty. So I am sorry to be leaving without meaningful change in either of those important indicators, and before having the chance to be part of a progressive Green Government to address those, and the equally vital issues of climate change, environmental protection, and economic transformation. However, we are, all of us, always only one unexpected event away from a big lifestyle change—the birth of a child, a change in employment, a family challenge—and so it has proved for me.

When presented with the choice between continuing my parliamentary career and supporting my family when they needed me, I am not sorry to say it was an easy choice to put my family first. It has been noted by some that my departure is a sign that Parliament is still a difficult place for young parents. Some may conclude that it is not possible for a mother to be in Parliament with a young baby. My feelings on this point are mixed. In my Green Party colleagues here I could not have asked for a more supportive team in my attempt to combine the important roles of parenting and Parliament. The Speaker also has been more than fair in his willingness to grant me compassionate leave in the evenings to enable me to continue to breastfeed my daughter. My family, friends, staff, Green Party members and supporters, and even some MPs from other parties, have rallied around me and provided meals, babysitting, housework, and moral support to allow me to continue, and I am so grateful to all of you.

Many people have also asked me whether Parliament needs to change in order to better accommodate the needs of young parents. Some changes have already helped—the introduction of the new category of compassionate leave, for example. But short of radically overhauling the whole institution to allow, for example, job sharing or a temporary replacement from the list for an MP on parental leave, and perhaps one day we will get there, it is hard to pin down specific changes that would have made it easier for me to carry on—a change in the sitting hours, perhaps. But really it comes down to this. Being an MP is a 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week job and so is being a mum. It is bloody hard to hold down one 24/7 job—excuse my language, Mr Speaker. Holding two at the same time has, in my case, proved impossible. That will not be the case for everyone, and I sincerely hope that others will succeed at this in future, because this place does need more parents and more young mothers in particular.

As I step aside, at least for now, from this bear pit of parliamentary politics I do take comfort in the knowledge that those coming up behind me on the Green Party list will make outstanding MPs, and I look forward to watching them in action during the 51st Parliament. My own commitment to good green change is as strong as ever. I love New Zealand and I want to see a cleaner environment, a smarter economy, and a fairer society. I still want to see a meaningful reduction in child poverty and inequality, and I want to see progress on climate change, environmental protection, and innovation. So I will have to find new ways to help achieve this from outside Parliament. Wherever that leads me—whether back here in some capacity one day, or in a completely different direction—I will always be proud to have served as an MP for these 3 years, humbled by the trust that was placed in me to enable me to do so, and grateful to all of those who have made it possible. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

We are fortunate to live in a country that is working, and working in every sense of that word, with a transparent, uncorrupt, growing, and developing economy. Last year New Zealand’s economy grew by 3.8 percent in the year to March, making us one of the five fastest-growing economies in the developed world. Growth is forecast to reach a stunning 4 percent this year. Average wages have increased by $3,000 in the past 2 years, and they are on track to grow by another $7,000, to $62,300 in 2018. An extra 84,000 new jobs were created last year in the year to March, with forecasts of another 172,000 jobs to be created over the next 4 years. This Government is working for New Zealand, and New Zealanders are working hard themselves to build a better life for their families.

As this is likely to be the last opportunity that I will have to speak in the House prior to the general election, there are a few special messages that I would like to pass on. I would like to congratulate all retiring members who are about to give their valedictories this afternoon and, in particular, the Hon Tony Ryall, who has been the finest Minister of Health in my lifetime. I would like to wish Mr Vic Reid, an absolute stalwart of our society who has introduced and led the Cooking for One course for older widowers, among his many other charitable deeds and community interests, a very happy 90th birthday. And I would like to farewell the outgoing British High Commissioner, Her Excellency Vicki Treadell, who finishes her term tomorrow as Her Britannic Majesty’s representative in Wellington. Since taking up her commission, Vicki has been an approachable, energetic, and modern champion for the relationship between the United Kingdom and New Zealand. It is our oldest relationship with another State.

I would like to acknowledge Darryl Stevens, Aaron Hape, and all the team from Commonwealth Youth New Zealand, who organised this week’s student Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) here at Parliament. It was fantastic to see so many bright young people—the future leaders of our country—come from all over New Zealand to take part in that conference and learn more about the world around them. We live in an age where bloody and intractable conflict in Iraq, Syria, Gaza, the Ukraine, Nigeria, Pakistan, and elsewhere is claiming innocent lives, wrecking economies, consuming vast resource, and destroying ancient cultures and civilisations. Internal unrest and persecution, such as that of the Baha’i faith in Iran, which this House was yesterday petitioned to condemn, is also tragically common. It is of the utmost importance that the next generation continues to work for peace and to challenge injustice and persecution, so, as the Glasgow Commonwealth Games play out on our TV screens, I applaud the work of the Commonwealth and student CHOGM in maintaining the values of democracy and development that we all hold dear.

This country is moving in the right direction. We have a Prime Minister in John Key who is relentlessly optimistic, tirelessly positive, and unstintingly hard-working for our nation and its people. Here in Wellington, team Key is working hard and is delivering on our promises. With the massive Transmission Gully motorway project to the north, which is due to start work soon and to be completed by 2020, safer and securer transport around the greater region is on the way. The War Memorial Park over the Buckle Street underpass is on track to be completed in time for Anzac Day 2015, and it will be a wonderful civic amenity. Although I was disappointed to see the Basin Reserve improvements held back, I will join with my colleagues on this side of the House to ensure a pragmatic way ahead can be found.

Out in the Hutt too, our candidates are campaigning every single waking hour to ensure that the public are aware of the progress being made under the National-led Government. Chris Bishop, the National candidate in Hutt South, is assiduously making huge inroads and may become a constituency MP after the election. A rather cruel wit once said that left-wing politicians and babies’ nappies have one thing in common: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reason. Hutt residents deserve a fresh, new representative to push their interests in this place.

We are lucky on this side of the House to have a renewed team led by a Prime Minister who aspires to having fairness, prosperity, and a better life for all New Zealanders. That is why a clear majority of New Zealanders support team Key and will give their party vote to National this year. Thank you.

The debate having concluded, the motion lapsed.