General Debate

I move, That the House take note of miscellaneous business. You know, for the last couple of days there has been nothing spoken about outside of this House but the member Todd Barclay and the furore that has gone on around him. The allegations of cover-up—you would think that this place should all be slip, slop, slapping and covering ourselves profusely because of all of the conversations that have been going on. But there is one thing I am sure of, and that is that the member from Clutha-Southland right now must be in a whole heap of hurt. That is what I am sure of. Some might say not without reason, but there is a saying in Māoridom that says: “Waiho mā te whakamā hei patu.”

[Leave it for the embarrassment to subdue.]

Leave it for the embarrassment and not the hand to hit the child—and this young man is a young man. There is no doubt that this young man has been bitten by whakamā, and he is—

💬 Hon Member: Don’t you make excuses for him.

I am not excusing his actions, but there is no doubt that this young man has been hurt by the patu of whakamā, and so I am not going to throw any more stones that have not already been thrown. But I look to the legacy of our ancestors for examples of how to conduct yourself, for examples of how to serve your community, and for examples of integrity. In the last couple of days we have buried Dame Ngāneko Minhinnick, and now, the next day, we learnt about Iwi Nicholson—two fine examples of what true leadership looks like. That is what I want to concentrate my comments on.

The legacy that they left us was how to serve their community. The legacy that they left us, as we still mourn their memory, was dedicated service to their people—a legacy of service, a legacy of kaupapa. Kahurangi Ngāneko Minhinnick was the trailblazer in the environmental legislation reform and was laid to rest only yesterday at Tāhuna Marae, next to the waters that she advocated for in the Manukau Harbour. Iwi Nicholson was the repository of knowledge for Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Ngāti Raukawa, and his kōrero through the Waitangi Tribunal submissions tells of a brilliant mind—a man who was generous with his knowledge and shared it with his people.

The legacy comes from them to us, because come 23 September this year, we will be able to welcome new leaders into this House who stand with integrity—leaders like Rāhui Papa, for example. I was proud to be at Pōhara Marae on Sunday to support the announcement of his standing for the Māori Party. It was wonderful there to see his whanaunga, Nanaia Mahuta, supporting as well by being in attendance. We stood and acknowledged her work there, the member in Hauraki-Waikato. But on 23 September we also expect to see Shane Taurima take his place. We also expect to see Howie Tāmati take his place. For the last few months, if you have watched Facebook Live, you might have seen a little show that Te Ururoa Flavell and I do, called Run with the Fox and Swim with the Shark, and now, come 23 September, you can kick with the Kiwi and walk on the ground—apparently, that is what Rāhui Papa was saying. Make it all rāhui.

Anyway, we are heading towards a wonderful next period of time where we can put allegations aside, where we can stop belittling other people and take responsibility for our actions—which is what this man has done—and stand up and put people up to take a place in this country’s decision making, and show that we can be a part of this nation. I just want to remind everybody who might be watching out there in television land that come 23 September, we do not need 50 percent; we just need the middle, and then neither side will be able to make a move without us. Kia ora.

The National Government is the Government of infrastructure, and if anyone needed any persuasion on that, if there was any doubt whatsoever, I have got two small words for them: Waterview tunnel.

💬 Hon Trevor Mallard: Thank you, Helen Clark.

It started, Mr Mallard, under the National Government, and was completed under the National Government, and the scale of this project, which was officially opened—

💬 Phil Twyford: Two words: Helen Clark.

—earlier this week, Sunday. Phil Twyford was there, he loved every moment of it—I know that—even though it was a National Government success. He was there, and thousands of people from all over Auckland—actually, from all over New Zealand—came through that and were really chuffed to see what an exciting scale of project it is. It is some two harbour bridges in length either way, three lanes in each direction—the biggest, the most complex transport, infrastructural—

💬 Hon Trevor Mallard: How are those bridges going in Northland?

—project New Zealand—really well—has ever, ever seen. What it means for Aucklanders is transformative. What it means, quite simply, is the biggest transformation in travel patterns—

💬 Grant Robertson: This is going to lead the news.

—in our biggest city in 60 years, Mr Robertson, since the harbour bridge came online in 1959.

💬 Phil Twyford: What about the gridlock?

What it will do, Mr Twyford, is, fundamentally, mean more capacity on our State highway network, a bypassing of the city, more options for Aucklanders, and I know they want to see that—particularly, actually, from the areas Phil Twyford says he represents and lives in. They will get in and around much better. More than that, it is going to free up local roads significantly—whether it is Carrington Road, whether it is Sandringham Road, whether it is Dominion Road, Gillies Avenue, Manukau Road, it is going to make a really significant difference. It is not a silver bullet, but it is, with other projects, going to make a very significant difference.

It is part of the Government’s comprehensive plan for Auckland and its transportation. We have been working incredibly hard on this, and people in Auckland and around New Zealand know that and are starting to see it with the cranes, with the construction that is happening everywhere over Auckland, but also around New Zealand. There is $4 billion—

💬 Sue Moroney: Why are people stuck in their cars, not going anywhere?

—in new money, Sue Moroney, in the Budget, the most we have seen in the 2000s. It is actually part of a 4-year, $11 billion group of infrastructural capital expenditure. Over 4 years it is going to make a really big difference—all of it new money, the dividends of a strongly growing economy. In fact, it is better than that, because outside of just the new money coming from the Government, from this part of Government, there is, over and above that, $32.5 billion of infrastructure investment—

💬 Grant Robertson: You can take your numbers up now.

—over the next 4 years. That is $9 billion in State highways, Mr Robertson. You may laugh, you may scoff, but it is the biggest investment in infrastructure we have seen in recent times—possibly in any times—in a range of projects: roads; rail, really big investment going to rail; cycleways; public transport—

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: Broadband.

—busways, but also, you are right, in other areas outside of just transportation, whether it is broadband, whether it is schools, and so on.

Let me just go through some of that. In education through the Budget there was $392 million more investment into schools around New Zealand. That is going to make a really big difference. Defence—there was over half a billion dollars of investment in that area. In housing there was $120 million in new money. In health there was $150 million of capital expenditure, and in the justice sector there was $786 million. So this is the Government of infrastructure.

I am really delighted to see projects that are going to make a really big difference for Aucklanders come online, like Waterview Connection, and other projects all around New Zealand—

💬 Sue Moroney: The Government of gridlock.

—like the Waikato Expressway, which Sue Moroney has opposed for a long time, but which she knows the people of Hamilton are really excited about, because of the efficiency, the productivity, and the difference it makes. This is the Government of infrastructure, making a really big difference all around New Zealand.

For the last 18 months the current Prime Minister of New Zealand has been at the centre of a cover-up. He has known that one of his MPs covertly taped one of his staff members, and that that MP went on to mislead, dissemble, and not tell the truth about what had happened. The Prime Minister of New Zealand knew this. He knew it from the beginning of last year, and he has done nothing to bring that member of Parliament to account.

What is more, when the Prime Minister of New Zealand has been asked directly about what he knew about what Todd Barclay had done, he has not told the truth. On 1 March last year Bill English was asked on the radio what he knew of the reasons for staff resignations in Todd Barclay’s office, and whether he had personally spoken to any of those staff. Mr English answered: “No.” That was on 1 March. On 21 February, we now know that the Prime Minister of New Zealand texted the then electorate chair of the National Party in Clutha-Southland to tell that man, Stuart Davie, that Todd Barclay had indeed recorded his staff member in a covert manner.

The Prime Minister has not told New Zealanders the truth about what happened in Todd Barclay’s office. He has dissembled, he has avoided answering questions, and he has failed the basic test of a Prime Minister in this country. Honesty is the very least that New Zealanders can expect from their politicians, and all the more so from their Prime Minister, and Mr English has completely failed on that account.

When he was given the opportunity to talk to police in April last year, he told them that Mr Barclay had indeed told him that he had recorded Glenys Dickson. When he then had the opportunity to see that document, that police statement, released as part of an overall police Official Information Act release, Mr English made sure his statement was withheld. This is not a Prime Minister who wants to be open or transparent. This is not a Prime Minister who was being honest with New Zealanders about what has happened.

It makes no difference that Todd Barclay has left today. This is about Bill English and Bill English’s credibility to be Prime Minister, because for politicians it is not about what happens when something is exposed by the media and what you then do. It is about whether you do the right thing at the time that you know about it. It is not a sign of credibility to come forward only when you are being exposed by the media. It is not a sign of credibility or leadership to change your mind within 3 or 4 hours yesterday because you worked out you had been caught out and found out. Those are not the actions of a real leader or a Prime Minister, and they are not the actions of someone whom New Zealanders can trust.

The Prime Minister has broken the basic bond with New Zealand people, of the trust that they should have in him. He did not tell the truth about what he knew. He stood by an MP who has told lies. He has allowed a staff member of 16 years to be bullied and covertly recorded out of her job, and even yesterday he wanted the issue to go away instead of actually fronting up to New Zealanders about what he and his protégé have done.

This is not a leader. This is a person who has become Prime Minister, and now that he is in that role he is cruelly exposed to New Zealanders as someone who does not have the fundamental capabilities and attributes that they need in their Prime Minister—that is, that he would be straight-up with New Zealanders, that he would show leadership and deal with people who break the law, rather than try to cover it up.

The last 24 hours have taught New Zealanders a lesson. This is a squalid shambles, as the Fairfax editorial said today, and, as other commentators have said, this has now cast great doubt on Bill English’s credibility. At this election it will be about a contest between a leader in Andrew Little who is straight-up and tells New Zealanders how it is, and Bill English, who has lied on behalf of his MP.

Is it not typical that we get a lot of trash talk from the other side of the House? I am not even going to lower myself to get in the trough with what we have just heard over the other side of the House.

I want to talk about the positivity on the back of Budget 2017, and the significant investment that has been made into infrastructure—about $4 billion. I saw that first hand yesterday when I was up in the Gisborne region. In this Budget we are investing another $90 million in water storage and infrastructure and irrigation projects. I was delighted to be there with the mayor, Meng Foon, yesterday, and other horticulture leaders, turning the tap on the managed aquifer recharge programme, where water on high-flow levels is taken out of the Waipaoa River and injected, under pressure, into the aquifer at the Poverty Bay flats there, which has got a huge amount of pressure on it over the summer months. Ultimately that will recharge that aquifer, to allow it to be used over the summer months. Here is a classic example of the Government investing with the local community and council, the local trust, to underpin job creation in the Gisborne region. We do not hear that across the other side of the House.

Another example—when I left the tap-turning ceremony I went down to LeaderBrand, which has just built the salad house. It is a massive investment—

💬 Hon Anne Tolley: $20 million.

—of about $20 million. It is creating jobs. They said to me when I toured their factory, which is growing a whole lot of lettuces and other products, that they would not have invested in this new plant, which is not properly open yet—soon they will be having an opening, and the local MP, I am sure, will be there celebrating with those business leaders in her community—unless they had the confidence that the managed aquifer recharge scheme that we have invested in was going to work.

This Poverty Bay flats area underpins thousands of jobs—about 1,100 jobs—and then there is the ability, when they add more value to these products, to create more jobs. There are 3,000 hectares under irrigation, of 18,000—there is potential for more. This is a wonderful story but it gets lost by the other side of the House, which does not care and does not support our rural communities.

What is also important, when we think about the investment that the Government is making into infrastructure, is rural broadband. That follows on from the investment that is being made in ultra-fast broadband for our small regional towns. Soon, the Government will be announcing the next investment into Rural Broadband Initiative 2. If you think about the challenges that the primary sector faces right now, to do with water quality, nutrient loads, and taking value products to market, they are going to be required to do more measuring and monitoring. The way for our farmers and growers to do that is with reliable technology. Of course, smartphones mean that we need mobile technology. We need more cellphone towers. We need the Government to invest. Soon we will be world leading. While we are a small country here in the South Pacific, we will be the most connected country in the OECD.

What we have also heard from Minister Bridges this afternoon is the investment that is being made into transport infrastructure, with the Waterview Connection due to open in a matter of moments. I see the first-hand experience in my electorate, where we have recently opened the Kapiti Expressway. I was also, just a couple of months ago, having a look at the great progress that is being made on Transmission Gully. These are significant investments made by this Government that are going to transform the economy. Instead of vehicles, produce, and people waiting to get to market or to their hospital appointments or to the ferry, they will have a streamlined transport corridor, worth $2 billion, from Wellington all the way to Levin, and Foxton will be the gateway.

Can I finish by saying that the mood of the primary sector at Fieldays was really buoyant. There was a record crowd through the gates, of 133,000 people, and the reception that the National Party got was absolutely fantastic. Ian McKelvie, who is leading the Primary Production Committee, was there. We released this document, which says the primary sector is in really good heart—$41 billion next year, and growing at 9 percent. Well done to our foresters, fishers, growers, and farmers.

On 30 April 1973, Richard Nixon accepted the forced resignations of Harry Haldeman and John Ehrlichman in the vain hope that blaming others and playing dumb would save his reputation and his administration, and kill the story. But the Washington Post and the New York Times and the networks were not buying it. The media was doing its job, and it kept on doing its job while Nixon dissembled and diverted. He inverted every legal and moral challenge that was thrown at him and threw them back. He prided himself on his prodigious memory. Nixon never stooped to the “I cannot recall” defence. He thought that such a pathetic line diminished his office. It took another 466 days until he arrived at the inevitable truth of the consequences of his carefully constructed cover-up. In the end he did the honourable thing. He lived up to the pledge he made before God and to the people who gave him the power and the privilege of his office. It was 9 August 1974, and I remember the day because we listened to his resignation speech over the intercom in my form 1 class at Glenfield Intermediate.

Bill English is standing at a similar crossroads. Will he match the vestiges of decency that Nixon finally mustered at the end and honour the solemn oath that he swore? Will Bill English submit to the Watergate principle that it is always the cover-up that gets you? Or will he try to run down the clock for another 94 days? Will he signal to the police to reopen the investigation that he was complicit in thwarting in the first place so that they can step in and save his arrogant, crumbling Government; so that he can try to hide behind the commissioner and say “I can’t comment; there’s a police investigation.”; and so that this broken Government can limp on, showering the electorate with more money, promises of things to do over 30 years, and new poll-driven targets that it has ignored for the last 9 years?

Arrogance, conceit, and hubris—we are watching the decay of another tired National Government. The true state of the English-Joyce Government is now on view. Alfred Ngaro naively revealed how those members think and talk behind the spin. Then Nicky Wagner doubled down on the hapless Ngaro. Do you know what the backbench members are saying now? “Bring back John.” That is what they are saying now. That is what they are thinking. That is what they want. At least John Key knew how to run a cover-up and come out of it smiling. Remember Muldoon after 9 years? He was bloated, entitled, tired and emotional, broken, bereft of ideas, and clinging on to power for its own sake. The game was up, and they abandoned him, just as Nick Smith and Anne Tolley refused to back their colleague and leader’s account—his account of the latest version of events. That was extremely telling.

History repeats. Bill English is sliding towards the same fate as Jim McLay and Jenny Shipley before him. This country needs a fresh approach; a fresh approach to housing that will see hard-working Kiwi families get a warm, dry home that they can afford, not living in a broken-down caravan or one of Nick Smith’s rat-infested boarding houses. We need a fresh approach to immigration that will give our biggest city a breather while infrastructure catches up. We need a fresh approach to mental health so that families are not left alone to cope with a family member who is mentally unwell and cannot get treatment. Just like in 1984, just like 1999, this crowd have run out of ideas. They have run out of excuses. They have had 9 years and this is what it has come to.

Andrew Little and Jacinda Ardern and the Labour team are ready. New Zealand needs a fresh approach, and it needs a new Labour-led Government.

There is nothing tired about this Government, and this is a party that will go to the election campaign in just 3 months with a very proud record to stand on and with tremendous further plans. We have outlined in the Budget this year just how extensive our further plans are, and I have got a great opportunity now just to focus on a little bit of them. You would think that with just 3 months to go before that election the Opposition would be desperate to try to turn around their negative poll ratings and sell some sort of vision to the public about what they can do. But, instead, it is nasty; it is backward focused. It is the same negativity they have languished in now for 9 years, and I think the public is becoming increasingly unimpressed by the way in which they present themselves and are thinking there is no vision over there. It is the party on this side of the House that is showing that we are still full of energy and full of determination.

As the Leader of the House noted when he opened the National Party’s theme in this debate today, this is the Government of infrastructure, and we will be remembered in history as a party that has made an outstanding contribution to the development of this country. As he did, I want to congratulate everybody who has been involved in the staggering achievement that is the Waterview tunnel, up in Auckland. I want to thank, closer to home, all the wonderful teams that have been involved in the roll-out of the Waikato Expressway. It is transforming our region. It is an outstanding achievement. We are incredibly proud of having delivered it within budget and within the time frame that we promised when we came into office. I am so proud of the transformation of Waikato Hospital. As the Minister of Health has noted, we have one of the best facilities in Australasia right in my electorate, in Hamilton West, and we have wonderful people delivering great services there.

The Leader of the House spoke of major infrastructure projects in transport, health, justice, education, telecommunications, ICT, and many other important areas. And, of course, we have made an enormous contribution and commitment to the people of your region, Mr Speaker, in Canterbury for the rebuild of Christchurch and to support them through the terrible suffering that they have experienced since September 2010. I am very proud of that, and we as a Government repeat that commitment, and we are seeing Christchurch rebuilt in a way that I think is delivering a wonderful modern city of the future.

All of this is possible—and possible only—because of the Government’s sound economic management since we came into office in late 2008. We have a growth rate that is the envy of most countries in the Western World. We have steady growth in jobs and will be investing a total of $32.5 billion in new infrastructure over the next 4 years. It is a phenomenal achievement, and all New Zealanders will benefit from this. I am very proud of the country that we will be bequeathing to our children, our grandchildren, and their children to follow.

I recently became the Associate Minister of Education, and I have had the great privilege in recent weeks of visiting a large number of schools, mostly to deal with infrastructure announcements to do with roll growth and meeting the needs that those schools have. I want to thank the principal and the staff of Prebbleton School, in West Christchurch, where I was able to announce new classrooms for that school, Lincoln Primary School, and Allenton School, a little bit further down the road in the electorate, I think, of the member for Rangitata. I had the privilege of going to Cambridge East School and making a similar announcement, including three new classrooms in the member for Taranaki - King Country’s electorate, Pirongia School. What a phenomenal growth that area is seeing. I also, on Monday, went to the lovely Houghton Valley School, in the member for Rongotai’s electorate, and there, again, met with wonderful school communities working very, very hard, and I was delighted to be able to announce a new classroom that is going in there.

We inherited from the previous Labour Government school infrastructure that, on average, was 40 years old. We inherited major legacy issues, particularly of weathertightness and a lack of earthquake preparation, and we have been dealing with that. The Budget this year provides a further $456.5 million in school property, including $392.4 million of capital funding.

We are committed to rolling out the education infrastructure that this country needs. There are major challenges coming with population growth, particularly in Auckland, but we are on top of it. We are delivering, and I am so proud of that record.

Well, you know, it is one of those days where you have a speech that you have to deliver, but then people stand up on that side of the House and they say things and you cannot let them get away with it.

So to Minister Nathan Guy, I have got a couple of comments to make. Mr Nathan Guy, it is so lovely to think that you came back from Mystery Creek feeling that the entire farming community is happy with this Government. Let me assure you: dozens and dozens of people came to the New Zealand First stand and said these words: “I used to vote National. All my life, I, my father, my parents voted National, but you have got our votes this time round. We’ve had enough.” And Mr Tim Macindoe knows, because he was getting it in the ear all the time that he was there, albeit he turned up looking like a suit from Auckland, but never mind.

The farming community, Mr Guy, has had enough of your incompetencies. You know, we have got myrtle rust. Talk to us about how horticulture is going to take you forward, and yet you have left the door open and allowed myrtle rust to come in, which will wipe out the honey industry—mānuka, kānuka, pōhutukawa, kauri. And let us not even talk about kauri dieback, which his famous ministry is not dealing with. And let us not even talk about pea weevil, velvetleaf, or the other dozens—there will be more. Mr Macindoe says that his party will be known in history as the infrastructure party—wrong. This Government will be known as the Government that had more bio-protection breaches in history than any other Government in history, and for the incompetence in the way in which it is dealing with it.

But I digress. What we have seen play out in the last 24 hours has, yes, been focused on the hapless Todd Barclay, the young junior backbencher whom New Zealand First has been hearing the stories about for well over 12 months and has been the benefactor, as many of his members resigned from his committee and joined the New Zealand First committee. In fact, our new candidate Mark Patterson is from that very committee. So we have known about this stuff.

The other person who knew about it was the Prime Minister, and it does not cut any ice around here to have the Prime Minister flatly give false answers to the media yesterday, and come into the House and try to retract his misstatements—it does not cut any ice. The fact of the matter is the Prime Minister knew that a complaint had been laid with the police. The Prime Minister knew that there had been a breach of the law. The Prime Minister knew that the police were investigating. The Prime Minister knew that Mr Barclay was refusing to cooperate, and the Prime Minister knew long term, down the line, that this was going to reflect on his party, but he had hoped that it would all go away—that the hush money that was paid up would make it all go away.

What the Prime Minister has, sadly, demonstrated to New Zealand—but, actually, gratefully, at this point in time in the electoral cycle—is that he is not fit to lead this country. Mr English is not fit to lead. What Mr English needs to understand is that to lead New Zealand he must enjoy the trust of the people, the confidence of the people. He must be reliable. He must exercise good judgment. He must be consistent. He must be courageous. He must be unwavering in the standards that he sets, and he must demonstrate those standards to a far higher level than which he demands.

On that point he failed. He must be impartial. One would have asked or suggested that a woman who had been in his employment for 17 years, whom he trusted implicitly and whom he knew absolutely, would not be telling lies. If he was to make a judgement call, if he was a leader who exercised wisdom, he would have deferred to that woman, that staff member, who had served him so loyally, so faithfully, during the highs and the lows of his career. When he was being investigated himself for double-dipping, when he lost an election in 2002 with a record devastating loss for the National Party—if he had the wisdom, if he had the loyalty, if he had the courage, he would have deferred to her view, sat down, and listened. He would have taken Mr Barclay outside—all the way outside, out into the ether, out of the National Government caucus—but he did not. He chose to defend him, to protect him, and to even go so far as to lie. This is a disgraceful affair that has unravelled in front of the public, but it is timely that it happened now, and for that we take some small amount of gratitude.

This Government has done some pretty good things, but nature is not something that we can control, Mr Mark. If you think that this Government was responsible for delivering myrtle rust, you had better think again. But what I would like to say is that while we cannot control nature, what we can do is invest in infrastructure, and in our infrastructure programme we are looking at things like irrigation. Irrigation is not just for the farmers, although it is extremely helpful when it comes to certain weather conditions; it is also really good water storage for towns, and irrigation can be extremely beneficial when it comes to filling up rivers and lakes during dry periods. It has an environmental content to it. So while we cannot fight nature, we can put things in place infrastructure-wise, and, Mr Mark, I hope, when we decide on some of these projects, that you might see your way forward to supporting that.

New Zealand is growing faster than we have for a very long time. I cannot speak loudly today, but I will be able to do it for 5 minutes. We are adding more jobs across the country, but to keep growing we do need to invest in more infrastructure, and I can think of quite a number of examples just in my own electorate. At the moment, we have got consultation going on—final stages of consultation—for Mount Messenger. Recently Minister Bridges came out and he put the green light on the Awakino tunnel bypass. Mount Messenger is almost to the point where an announcement can be made, and there is really, really big excitement not only in the Taranaki end of the electorate but up in the Waikato, because that road is going to open up for produce, it is going to open up for tourism, and it is going to make a big difference to the lives of people who live along that stretch of highway.

Secondly, when it comes to infrastructure, 151 towns have been identified for the next stage of ultra-fast broadband, 12 of those in my electorate. I can actually say that those towns are getting pretty excited about having that infrastructure, and the more remote parts of the electorate are looking forward to the announcement on the Rural Broadband Initiative. What is critical is that infrastructure to productivity, to health and safety, and to getting young people who can come and live out in our electorates, take their mobile phones out of their pockets, and not just make phone calls but actually be able to get the data to do their jobs, to work with apps. So I think it is pretty critical.

I have also got another big project that is about begin in my electorate, and that is Waikeria Prison. Some people may think that Waikeria Prison, or prison itself, is not an exciting piece of infrastructure, I visited that prison recently and I saw people in there doing the baking, making the sausage rolls, and doing the farming. There were inmates who are actually training to be baristas—they are going to cater for the tradespeople. And I think what I am really excited about is that we are actually going to have a trade training centre in there and it is going to equip people so that when they come out there are more opportunities for them. I saw people doing driver-licence testing. I saw them on the internet looking for their support services. I saw a heap of things, and our employers are much more prepared to take on work-ready people who have come from corrections.

So there is a huge amount of infrastructure going on, and I know Minister Bridges has touched on roading, but I was also out the other day on the Forgotten World Highway. I know Ian McKelvie is very excited because all of the tourism infrastructure around Ruapehu, around the Forgotten World Highway, around the ski fields—I have to commend the Ruapehu District Council for partnering with the Government and putting in applications around infrastructure for tourism, because it is quite a remote part of the country. I have to say, it is probably one of the biggest investments Ian has had in his electorate, and it flows into mine around Ōhura. We are very excited that some of those facilities are going to be there for those people who want to visit the more remote parts of our country, because when you look out along that Forgotten World Highway, for places like Ōhura, Whangamomona—areas like that that I represent—tourism is their lifeline. The tourism infrastructure partnership is really helping that, and I am proud of the infrastructure that this Government is delivering. Thank you.

Kia ora, Mr Speaker. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou, kia ora. In this general debate, I want to speak directly to young New Zealanders. Day in, day out you are being told by your parents, teachers, and society how to act, and I want to share some good life advice that I have picked up serving a while in this Parliament. It is all pretty simple, common-sense stuff. If you are having a disagreement with someone, do not secretly record them on audiotape. That is just creepy and illegal. On the other hand, if someone tells you they are secretly recording people but they are saying something different in public, you really should speak up. If you do not like someone, do not slag them off on a friend’s blog and pretend it is not you. That is just cyber-bullying. If you are having an argument with someone about an issue, it is best to debate the facts, not attack the person. Revealing intimate, private data about that person is not winning an argument; that is just being stink.

Here is some good advice that has just come out: friends do not spy on friends, even if they really, really want that flash new overseas job, because that is just “Groser”. If you think you have disappointed someone you have a professional relationship with, a sheep farm in the desert is not the best or the cheapest way to make amends—try flowers or chocolate. If you have made a mess, clean it up. Do not just change the definition of mess and call it clean—you are not fooling anyone. If there is a crisis, do not panic—

💬 Hon Maggie Barry: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I understood it was a convention that you are not brought into these sorts of calls and that debate should not be read word for word from a script, as if the man was a comic genius—which, clearly, he is not.

💬 Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The Speaker should not be brought into the debate, but that is a matter for the Speaker to determine, and it is not something that should be raised by any member in this House. It is a robust debate at all times. The member has not crossed any lines, and he can certainly continue with his speech.

That is right, Ms Barry. Thank you very much. It is amazing how many good tips I have seen in just the last few months, Ms Barry. For example, if you are in a position of power and you have the ability to fund projects people are passionate about, do not threaten to pull the plug if they disagree with you—that is bullying. If you have got access to Official Information Act material and the law says it should be released, you do not have to be a rocket scientist to guess what it means if you do not. If you ever find yourself in an important meeting, staring out the window, daydreaming about maybe being on a boat in the harbour, try to keep it to yourself. You would not want to tweet that to the rest of the world.

Watching National Government Prime Ministers has been another really good source for advice. For example, if you are new and you are worried that people might not like you, putting spaghetti on pizza or making weird videos will not make people like you. It is OK to have a brain fade—it happens to everyone—but if you are always having them, and only having them on tricky issues, you might want to ask yourself: “Should I see a doctor, or is something else going on?”.

Lastly, one other piece of advice I have picked up after watching National for 9 years is that there is no such thing as a free lunch, especially if you are poor, hungry, and do not have lunch—maybe if you are an oil company. The moral of the story is that if you want advice on living a good life, do not follow National’s example on running a good country. Secret recordings, hush money, funding threats, ministerial bullying, dirty politics, Official Information Act abuse, releasing people’s private data—this is all on top of growing pollution, poverty, homelessness, and inequality. They say that familiarity breeds contempt, and after 9 years that is exactly what I have for the ethics of this Government. For 9 years we have seen a steady erosion of standards. Our rivers are dirtier, and so are our politics.

For 9 long years we have seen lying, yelling, the spreading of rumours, bullying, keeping secrets, and name-calling. We would not tolerate these behaviours in our children, but we have come to expect them from the party in Government. But Kiwis do care. They know that politics can be done differently. The Green Party knows the values we instil in our children are the values we should be using to run our country—fairness, respect, responsibility. If someone makes a mess, they should clean it up.

We face so many big challenges as a country, and it is going to take grown-up politics to address them. The Green Party that knows politics can be done differently. It is time to clean up the Government.

It is a pleasure to take part in this debate. We are seeing the results of some very good planning and investment strategies of this National Government. I was at the ceremonial opening of the Waterview tunnel by Prime Minister Bill English and Ministers Bridges and Joyce. The excitement there was huge. We know that thousands of people want to go through that tunnel, walk through that tunnel, cycle through that tunnel before that tunnel opens for drivers. I know it was several months ago, but it feels like it was just a couple of months ago, that I was with Ministers Bridges and Goldsmith when the tunnel boring machine Alice had just finished boring those tunnels. The anticipation for its opening was enormous. This great infrastructure project, delivered under the watch of this National Government, has been delivered as it was promised.

This project has several highlights. Of course it will change the way that people in Auckland move, but as we heard in question time, from Minister Bridges, it employed 11,000 people. It gave the opportunity for employees to upskill at work, because we know this has been a most complex roading project. The tunnel boring machine, Alice, required some seriously high levels of engineering technique. This project also gave the opportunity for young people to take part in the competition that was run to decide the name for the boring machine. I want to acknowledge Branden Hall, as his name of Alice for the boring machine was accepted.

When I was talking to people in Mount Roskill, because this tunnel is going to make a huge difference to the traffic flow in Mount Roskill, I saw they were really eager to drive through this tunnel. I know that when this tunnel opens next month there will be a lot of people wanting to drive through it, just to experience it. Yes, it is going to open next month, for drivers. This is the biggest milestone in Auckland’s transport network in more than half a century. It is a project of $1.4 billion. We know that the economic benefit of it is estimated to be around $430 million, with increased productivity and reduced travel times.

We are able to deliver such a great project only because our economy is doing so well. We are investing hugely in our economy. We are diversifying our economy. Someone who has been outside of New Zealand, who has seen the world, knows that the world is becoming an increasingly interconnected place. The internationally friendly image of New Zealand, under this National Government, is attracting tourists, supporting our economy, and it is attracting international students, supporting our economy. We need that kind of investment from overseas, in all sectors.

Actually, our international education industry is a star performer. It is worth $4.5 billion, creating more than 30,000 jobs. That is what the Labour Party wants to kill, with its immigration policy proposal. Labour wants to kill that support to our economy of $4.5 billion. It wants to kill those 30,000-plus jobs, making 30,000-plus people unemployed. I ask—where will we get more money to invest in education? Where will we get more money to invest in health? Where will we get more money to invest in infrastructure projects like I have just spoken about?

It is the same Andrew Little who was posing for the media with those international students, for his political reasons—students who were being deported because they had submitted fraudulent documents—saying that the Government should allow those students to stay in New Zealand. Now it is the same Andrew Little who is attacking that international education industry, and attacking international Indian and Chinese students.

Our position was clear then, and our position is clear now, too. We highly value our international education industry. We highly value our international students. We want them to have a really good experience here in New Zealand, while they are here, studying. But if there is any fraudulent activity, there will be consequences. These international students are not only providing economic benefits but also helping us to create links with our trading partners. They are also giving us the experience of different cultures. Cultures are to be enjoyed.

So, under this National Government, we want to see that the economy keeps growing, that we keep doing well, and that we remain well connected to the world. Thank you.

We have heard the National Government speakers today try to deliver speeches about the tunnel, as a way of trying to dig a tunnel out of here, because they are in trouble and they know it.

I want to refer, firstly, to the fact that we are 94 days away from an election—94 days away from an election. The public is watching. The public is making a decision about whom they want to govern their country. I want to acknowledge our leadership on this side of the House. I want to acknowledge Andrew Little because he has the hardest job in this place, as the Leader of the Opposition. He, as a competent leader, has been working tirelessly with our deputy leader—getting out there, genuinely engaging with New Zealanders on issues that matter to New Zealanders.

They have been out there, informing people, discussing with people, and learning from people, to bring together fresh ideas for how to run this country. They have a vision for New Zealand, and New Zealand will be able to see that on 23 September. At this time, a politically tumultuous time, on this side of this House we are very proud of the fact that we have leadership with integrity that is beyond reproach. New Zealanders deserve that. They deserve leadership with integrity, and they expect nothing less from a Prime Minister.

Let us contrast that with what we have on that side of the House. The question has to be asked: “Did Bill English stand aside while Todd Barclay lied?”. The other question that has to be asked is: “Did Bill English lie about the situation?”. If the answer to either of those questions is yes, then how can it be tenable for the Prime Minister to continue in his role?

These are not white lies that we are speaking about. They are serious. The police have been involved. There have been cover-ups. There are staff members who have come out, party members, making accusations that are serious. Todd Barclay’s resignation today does not change anything. The Prime Minister’s astonishing lack of discernment regarding this matter reflects serious flaws in judgment and serious flaws in leadership. We are concerned, and so should the whole of New Zealand be concerned.

The Prime Minister’s credibility is absolutely on the line, over the Barclay debacle. No one can question that. In the space of 4 hours yesterday, English first claimed that he did not know whom he had told that Barclay made secret recordings of his staff. Then, 4 hours later, he admitted that he told the police that Barclay himself had told him about the recordings. The fact is that English did not do a U-turn yesterday morning about not remembering who told him about the recordings; he misled the public. You can dress it up, you can call it a brain fade, but it is simply a lie.

What we heard today in the House was a continuation of those lies. We heard Paula Bennett get questioned in the House as the Minister of Police. She said that no Minister of Police was informed about the fact that this matter had been taken to the police. Well, I have spoken to a very credible former Minister of Police who informed me that, actually, when she was the Minister of Police there was a weekly briefing given to the Minister of Police, and at that briefing any matters that were sensitive, particularly matters involving high-profile New Zealanders, particularly matters that might involve MPs, would be included in the briefing.

So for the Minister of Police to stand in this House today and say that the Minister of Police was not informed at any time about the fact that this matter had been taken to the police can only be deemed a lie. This whole situation places major question marks over Bill English’s competency as the leader of this country. It also lets the country know that we have a tired Government. After 9 years the level of arrogance has gone through the roof and is leading to behaviour that is unacceptable with regard to MPs and also the Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Kia ora e Te Mana Whakawā. Around 3 years ago, around about that time, I was appointed as the National Party candidate for Port Hills. From there it was around 100 days where I had the opportunity to get out there and also campaign on behalf of the National Party to get to this House. What I am saying here is that the rest is history. But over the last 3 years I have been out there, working hard on behalf of the Port Hills residents. I have been out there getting to know the Port Hills people, and I have been out there getting to know what actually matters to our Port Hills constituents.

One of the most important things, particularly when we talk about what we have been through in Christchurch and Canterbury—back to 2011, back to 2017; I am talking about earthquakes and fires. One of the things that really matters is the rebuild of our infrastructure. When I think about that, that is really why, when I talk to our people on the doorsteps and when I talk to Port Hills people, it is about infrastructure, and it always has been. So when we look at the Port Hills and look at what has happened since the last sort of 3 years in particular, it has actually been about the construction of that infrastructure.

Just look at the way a lot of the roads and highway systems in Christchurch—we are all enjoying that as part of Port Hills residences, and also of Christchurch itself. Millions upon millions of dollars of infrastructure spend, under this Government, has actually resulted in what we are experiencing today. When we look at the construction of cycleways, particularly across the Port Hills—cycleways where people can walk and run and enjoy it—there are huge benefits in this. These cycleways go right across the Port Hills, and there are more to come.

When I look at the infrastructure that this Government has invested in, particularly around education, I only have to look at the western side of the Port Hills, where the first school that actually rose from the rubble was Halswell Primary School. That was also the first school that was introduced, and it was built under that modern learning environment. So that was the first one—a brand new school; investment in educational infrastructure. When I think of Cashmere: Cashmere High School; Cashmere Primary School. When I think of Halswell Residential College—all of these are beneficiaries of the incredible work that this Government has done under the investment in infrastructure.

The other part of this is—let us just go across the Port Hills, to the Port of Lyttelton. It is the largest port in the South Island; the third-largest in New Zealand. When you look at that now—this Government put in an infrastructure plan called the Lyttelton Port Recovery Plan. What we are going to have out of that now is a completely reconstructed port. We are going to also have one of the most modern cruise ship terminals in the whole of New Zealand—$56 million will be spent on this new cruise ship terminal. That is a reflection of what this Government has done since those terrible, terrible situations of earthquakes and fire.

The other part is that the Port Hills people are telling us that this is the Government of infrastructure. When they looked at the last Budget—and they can see that they are going to continue to benefit from these incredible investments that we are doing, particularly around all of those different things, such as education, infrastructure in roading, cycleways, and even when we are looking at the manufacturing industries, and all of that. This Government here is the Government of infrastructure, and this Government will continue to deliver, particularly to the Port Hills people. Kia ora tātou.

The debate having concluded, the motion lapsed.