Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I too am in the auspicious position of feeling honoured to also submit my commentary on our Prime Minister’s statement that he gave in this House two weeks and one day ago, but before I do that, if I may, I’d like to say “Happy Pongal” to our Tamil community, and I’d also like to say “Happy New Year” to our Chinese communities, our Asian communities. If you’re around Takanini, come to Manukau Sports Bowl this weekend—starting on Thursday—we’ve got the Auckland Lantern Festival. That’s going to be absolutely amazing.

As I reflected on the Prime Minister’s speech—and I reflected on it a lot, for a number of reasons—it’s setting the tone for what our absolute focus is this year, and as we’ve heard, in almost every speech, whether it’s from this side of the House or on the other side, we’re acknowledging that we’re saying we are focused on economic growth. Part of my reflections on the Prime Minister’s speech went back to when I was door-knocking, and I speak about door-knocking a lot because I think that’s one of the strongest ways to keep in touch with one’s community—my beautiful community in Takanini.

During the election campaign, what’s tattooed in my memory is a couple whose door I knocked on in Addison, Takanini. This was a young couple with a little bubba, a little child, and this couple told me that they both had full-time jobs, and that the home they were in was a house they purchased just before COVID. Then COVID struck, and they told me that, for two weeks, they had not had any meat because the finances were quite stretched; the budget was tight. I’ll never forget that they said thank goodness for their parents and their grandparents—who are part of our beautiful Indian whānau in Takanini—who taught them how to cook with grains, with pulses, so that they could get that kind of nutrition without the meat because they couldn’t afford meat.

Then they said to me, “We’ve never voted before, but we are planning to vote this year. Please will you promise us that what your party is saying that you will do, you will indeed do.” One of the things they asked for: “Please, bring in that FamilyBoost”—they had their little bubba—“Please adjust the tax brackets like you’re saying you will. Please get rid of the Auckland fuel tax.” And I said, “I promise you: what I know is that we will be doing this.” I’m so happy, and relieved for them, that those are just a few of the changes that we’ve managed to make that we know are improving the cost of living for those neighbours of mine that are in Takanini.

I reflected on how our Prime Minister commented on this notion of “no”—and the “No-alition” on the other side. I reflected on how if there was a university degree in saying no, the other side of the House would have PhDs in saying no. When we went through a number of the suite of changes—and there’s a lot more to come—what did the “Doctors of No” say on the other side? No to banning gang patches in public—the “Doctors of No” on the other side said that; no to making sure that repeat offenders are not given more than three chances to smash up shops; no to adjusting tax brackets—that’s what the “Doctors of No” said—and no to removing the Auckland regional fuel tax.

I love the fact that in Takanini when I went door-knocking, in Addison again, on the weekend just past, there were a number of people on the street that I door knocked at who said, “Yep, it’s really hard for us. It’s very hard for us.” and they said, no word of a lie, “But please keep going.” There were two people who said, “Keep going and go harder.”, because they know we’re making the difficult decisions we have to make for economic growth, to make life better and easier for all New Zealanders across Aotearoa. We’re saying yes—yes to FamilyBoost, which we have said; yes to a new school for 600 students in Flat Bush; and, in particular, the crème de la crème of yesses on this side of the House is yes to Mill Road—yes, that’s going to happen. I am, as I said, honoured to give my reflections on the Prime Minister’s statement. We’re going for growth.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Growth, growth, growth. That’s what this Government is about. I’ll say it again: growth, growth, growth. Something that’s unusual to the other side of the House, but that’s OK.

If ever there was a region that desperately needs growth, it’s Northland, right? You just have to look at—we’ve underperformed for years. Why? I’ll give you the number one reason why, and that’s called roads, right? It comes as no surprise to our members of the House, particularly on this side. In the last election campaign, the number one issue in Northland was roads, well above cost of living. The irony being that, in 2017, we recognised that and we announced that we were going to put a four-lane highway all the way up to Whangārei, but guess what! Guess what happened when the other lot got in! They cancelled it. But guess what! We had started one bit, and the “Minister of No” at the time—who criticised it for a long time—and who is now the leader of the Opposition, the Hon Chris Hipkins, then actually said, “Well, actually, we’re opening a road. I’ll go and open it, even though I opposed it all the way through.” Feel free to check the Hansard records.

He turned up. He used to call it a “holiday highway”. Actually, it’s now open. It’s making a massive difference to our economy, and we are committed to building the next stage all the way to Whangārei. It is under way. That is all part of our fast-track proposals—

Hon Willow-Jean Prime: Which bit’s under way?

GRANT McCALLUM: I’d like to welcome the former member for Northland—who I wish had actually done her job last time and stood up for that road. It would have been great if she had, but never mind.

Hon Willow-Jean Prime: Oh, true. I saw you opening the Mangamuka Gorge, proudly smiling—

GRANT McCALLUM: Well, that woke it up.

Hon Willow-Jean Prime: —cutting that ribbon.

GRANT McCALLUM: I think—

Hon Willow-Jean Prime: Got the hundred million. Kia ora, you’re welcome.

GRANT McCALLUM: I think—listen, listen, the truth hurts, doesn’t it? Boy, the truth hurts.

ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Maureen Pugh): Order! Order! We don’t need the commentary across the House, please.

GRANT McCALLUM: Thank you, Madam Speaker. Right, and just to put in context the cost of poor roading. When the Brynderwyns—yes, that important piece of road that is just not far from where I live—was shut, it was $2 million a day at least that it cost our economy. That is why we recognise the importance of roads.

Now, there’s another thing that’s quite important in Northland. It’s called power. We’ve had some experience with power—

Hon Member: Keep the bolts done up.

Hon Member: Nuts and bolts.

GRANT McCALLUM: —and power outages. One of the things that—yes, there happened to be a pylon that fell over, and we dealt with that, and all the issues around that are well known. But we have now focused on actually building renewable generation in Northland and exporting it to the south into Auckland to do our people and our cousins in Auckland a favour. Renewable generation. Remember that. We are very focused under our policy that we want lots of solar farms. We’re going to speed up the whole process of consenting. It’s all about fast track.

Now, another thing we are very focused on doing in Northland is irrigation, because we understand the importance of having dams and water to grow things. In fact, you would just have to look back over history to see the benefit of that. You look at Kerikeri today. Its growth derives from a couple of dams built in the 1980s. That is where that growth comes from. Now, there are a couple of new dams being built, one about to be opened and filled up in a moment, another one in the process of, and that will make a massive difference. We are going to continue to back those sorts of projects because that is how you get growth in the North.

The biggest sector in Northland is the agriculture sector, the primary sector, which I’m proud to be a member of. I might like to educate the members opposite, because on 15 January last month, we had into the New Zealand economy from Fonterra, the dairy farmers who work their butts off every day of the year—$2.4 billion was paid in one day. One day. Rumour has it that in the electorate of Rangitata in Ashburton, they ran out of utes. There were so many farmers going in there to buy things. That’s economic benefit. There was no ute tax either, which was quite helpful. I’d just like to make a real big shout-out to the agriculture community of New Zealand. Thank you for your hard work. Keep it up.

That is how we’re going to grow this economy. It’s by supporting those that actually get out there and are productive and create export goods. Then through the use of trade deals, we’ll get maximum value. It’s great to be able to get up and back our Prime Minister and back this great Government. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Well, I found it extraordinary that that member stood up and spoke about growth under this Government. This Government has had no growth. There is more growth on my face than this Government has had, and that’s a fact! The fact of the matter is that we handed over an economy that was growing—an economy that had 2.4 percent growth per annum. How much growth has this Government had? None. They have gone backwards for every single quarter. The economy under this Government is in recession. They’ve been there for 18 months. No more excuses. It’s your turn. Do your job.

It’s no good just using your corporate speak and saying there’s going to be growth—having a growth summit. Summits don’t create growth. What we’ve got is massive unemployment. We have got 30,000 people more unemployed than when you took your job. That is enough people to fill Sky Stadium. I do not believe Nicola Willis—her crocodile tears—when she says she feels for New Zealanders, because do you know what? She’s doing it on purpose. She means what she’s doing and she said today in this House that she knows that jobless numbers are going to go up. The only thing that that Government can grow is the unemployment queue.

What are they going to do about it? What are they going to do? What’s their answer to this so-called crisis they find themselves in? Asset sales. They’re going to sell our prized assets, but they’re cagey. They’re not going to tell us what they’re going to sell. “We’ll talk about that later.” What are you going to do? Sell our rail again? How did that work out last time? We had to buy it back and fix it up. Talk to your coalition partners before you go out talking about asset sales. Some of your coalition partners do believe in putting New Zealand first, of course. Or are you going to sell our schools and hospitals? Are you going to call up the pension fund and say, “Do you want a slice of this?”

Do you know what? The numbers don’t add up, Christopher Luxon—the maths doesn’t work. They want a return on their investment. That’s just borrowing by another name. That means that our kids will be paying for the decisions that you make. You’ll be putting our kids into—

ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Maureen Pugh): I’ll just remind the member—while the member is in full flight, I’m sorry to interrupt, but please don’t bring the Speaker so much into your debate.

Hon Dr DUNCAN WEBB: Thank you, Madam Speaker. The fact, though, is that Nicola Willis is not in control of this economy and New Zealand knows that. And who have we got in charge? Who’s the CEO? Is he in charge at all? It doesn’t look like it.

Christopher Luxon is watching on with his corporate speak, but while he tells us what he can say about benchmarking, kids are going hungry. While he operationalises some core competency, people are losing their jobs, and while he drones on about a value chain and being results-driven, Dunedin Hospital’s waiting to be built. If he wants to talk about deliverables, deliver some ferries. If he wants a key performance indicator, talk about the performance of the man who’s soon to be Deputy Prime Minister, who, in utter contempt of this place, drove a Land Rover on to the steps of Parliament. If he wants a laser focus on results, how about focusing on David Seymour’s behaviour when he interfered with a police prosecution and tried to get the police to stop investigating someone who was ultimately charged with murder. Or perhaps he should think about a focus—

Laura McClure: Point of order. I believe that that was a misleading comment because the person in question wasn’t actually charged under that investigation. He was not interfering with any criminal proceedings that were yet actually happening. He wasn’t arrested, and I think that what you were saying was—if you could clarify, please, I would appreciate that.

Hon Dr DUNCAN WEBB: Speaking to the point of order.

ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Maureen Pugh): It’s not actually a point of order, but your views are noted. Thank you.

Hon Dr DUNCAN WEBB: Well, Philip Polkinghorne was charged with murder, if I recall correctly. Perhaps he’s talking about someone else who was charged with sexual assault, who David Seymour sent the victim’s wife to an ACT Party lawyer instead of to the police. So whilst Christopher Luxon’s talking about action plans, David Seymour seems to be running the country—running the country into the ground with his divisive and racist Treaty principles bill, with his surreptitious Regulatory Standards Bill, with the legislation that puts the Treaty second and puts himself first. This Government is a disgrace.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, and unlike the negative Nellies on the other side, I’m delighted to speak in favour of the Prime Minister’s statement because actually I’m proud to be part of a Government—

Hon Dr Duncan Webb: Point of order, Madam Speaker. That was a split call. The other half of the call was to go to the Labour Party.

My apologies. Sorry, I was distracted. Thank you.

Tēnā koe e te Māngai o te Whare. Tuatahi māku, ka tika te mihi ki ngā mate o tēnei wā. Kua whakahuangia ngā ingoa ki roto i te Whare nei, nō reira ki a koutou mā kua wehe atu, haere, haere, haere atu rā koutou katoa. Hoki mai rā ki a tātou, te hunga ora, tihei mauri ora.

[Thank you, Madam Speaker. Firstly, for me, it is appropriate to acknowledge the many recently deceased. Their names have been mentioned in this House, and so to you all who have departed, rest in peace all of you. I return to us, the living, vitality to us all.]

This is my first opportunity to address the House this year and I should be excited, but so underwhelming was the Prime Minister’s statement it almost isn’t worth rebutting. They say it’s about “growth”. You don’t have to go far in Ikaroa-Rāwhiti—not you, Madam Speaker; people in general don’t have to go far in Ikaroa-Rāwhiti to find out how off the track indeed this Government is.

On this side of the House, we understand that growth starts at the roots. If it’s all about growth, and economic growth means to this Government abusing the aroha of locally grown grassroots-based businesses, then this Government is indeed on track. Businesses like Kai Aio in Ruatōria, who will continue to deliver 500 school lunches between Tokomaru Bay and Wharekāhika, a 90-kilometre one-way trip, and inland 37 kilometres to Mata School, at a loss, subsidising it with other areas of this business. They are going to do it at a loss because they understand that growth starts at the roots and our tamariki are more than just the bottom line. Anyone who thinks you can make a lunch and deliver it 90 kilometres for $3 really shouldn’t be purporting to be the economic geniuses that this Government are.

When this Government says “growth”, I think what they actually mean is, “Let’s stunt the growth and development of workers by cutting initiatives like progressive procurement.”, an initiative that has been directly credited with opening and then keeping open roads in Tairāwhiti during and after Cyclone Gabrielle, mainly on State Highway 35; a road members opposite, other than Dana, probably aren’t familiar with because it is not a road of national significance according to this Government despite the significant amount of product that traverses that highway making a significant impact to our GDP and, you guessed it, the growth of this country.

I’ve said growth starts at the roots, and on a recent trip home to Rangitukia—and I didn’t just want to say Rangitukia, this happens to be where it happened—I was able to visit another home, land which just recently landed for a whānau with six children, one of many homes initiated and actually delivered by Labour. We understand that, when you have a roof over your head, the world is your oyster. Growth starts at the roots.

In spite of this Government’s attempts to dim the light, it shines bright in Ikaroa-Rāwhiti. Though times are harder, people can see the light; they have the power to change this Government in just over a year and they’re just waiting.

In the meantime, I’m very proud to represent Ikaroa-Rāwhiti in this House, a region with, incidentally, the highest proportion of reo Māori speakers, a region where, in Tairāwhiti, Māori collectives hold 73 percent of the food and fibre sector asset base—growth starts at the roots. In Kahungunu, 61 percent and in Wairarapa, a whopping 87 percent—growth starts at the roots.

I love the feedback I get from my constituents, and a message I got today was: “Go hard girl, give them the huss.” That’s what Ikaroa-Rāwhiti is going to keep doing and that’s what Aotearoa whānui are going to keep doing: we’re going to keep giving it the huss until Labour’s back in Government and people can finally have hope again, because we know about growth, we know it starts at the roots and we know we have to grow together. Tēnā koe, Madam Speaker.

Mark 2—here we go! It’s really interesting, because some of the things that that member spoke about was absolutely at the heart of why growth is important. She spoke with passion about the people she represents, because what she wants to see is an improvement in the quality of their lives, of whānau, of hapū, of iwi—their ability to live in warm homes, to have stable jobs, and to put great kai on the table. There’s only one way you get there, though, and you can’t sit back and wish or hope for growth. You must be deliberate. You must be intentional. You must take actions every single day to grow opportunities. That’s what this side of the House understands. If I think of an expression that represents the coalition Government in 2025, it’s that we thrive in 2025, because that’s what we want for the people we represent.

I’m really proud to be part of a Government that is making things happen. If I think about our first year—man alive!—those things in those 90-day action plans that were just absolutely pumped out, because the New Zealand public needed to know and have trust and confidence in a Government who would actually deliver what they said they would, because they’d had six years of the opposite.

Now, unfortunately, we see an Opposition that is really kind of struggling. They’ve got no plans, no policies, no ambition, and definitely no positivity. It is very clear why going for growth is important, and it’s not because we want fancy stats or fancy figures; it’s about what does growth provide. I enunciated it before and, actually, I think, secretly, members on the other side, they know we’re right. They know we’re right, particularly those who are electorate MPs, who hear it and see it from their constituents day in and day out. The coalition Government talks about growth, will focus on growth, and will deliver on growth because we know that New Zealanders want and need to share in the benefits of that growth.

Often, the Opposition will kind of criticise me and my or our Government’s ambition to reduce the number of people on the jobseeker benefit by 50,000 by 2030. So, yes, the numbers have gone up and that is, unfortunately, the reality of a low-growth environment. I could sit here and complain about all of the circumstances that we inherited, but, actually, we’re just getting on and doing the job, and doing the job because we know how much better off people are in work, whether it’s creating their own income, forging their own way in life, creating opportunities, providing for themselves and their children, being part of a community and contributing.

That’s why, despite knowing unemployment was due to go up—the same forecasts the previous Minister of Finance had; we had the same levels. We had the same forecast projection in terms of the unemployment rate getting to 5.1 percent. It has still projected to go further. I’m acutely aware those aren’t just statistics; they are people who have lost their jobs, who have lost their employment, and who are doing it tough, which is why our side of the House is unwilling to sit back and allow that to continue. Our approach with a very active system in terms of welfare—I’m enormously proud of the work that the front-line staff at the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) have been doing: intensive case management, working with 70,000 of those people on the jobseeker benefit, because they are unwilling to tolerate that that’s as good as it gets.

With that figure that I gave before—33,000 job seekers in the six months to December who exited into a job in this challenging labour market—is an extraordinary result. It didn’t come by accident; it came by very deliberate, targeted, integrated work to get an outcome—22 percent increase on the same period a year ago. The reality is, for every one of those people that are now in a job when they weren’t, we know the difference it makes to them and their communities.

Members opposite were like, “Oh, well, you know, you’ll never achieve that, so you should never have a target.” Probably that’s why they took all the health targets away, by the way. If you don’t measure anything, then you can’t be held accountable for the outcomes. Well, New Zealanders aren’t stupid—New Zealanders aren’t stupid. They know what the coalition Government arrived to in 2023, and we know that fewer people on welfare means fewer children in benefit-dependent households and fewer children in poverty, which is why we have set one of our priorities to reduce the number of children in material hardship. It was interesting, there have been comments today on the State of the Nation 2025 report by the Salvation Army and the increases in child poverty. That was the 2023 data—June 2023. We just say it’s not good enough, which is why we are taking actions.

What are some of the things we’ve done to support employment in addition to what we’ve done in the welfare space? Making sure that job seekers know what their obligations are, know the steps they need to take to find employment and consequences if they don’t. And do you know what? One percent—only 1 percent of our job seekers—aren’t complying with their obligations and under a sanction, which is a remarkable result, because those on the jobseeker benefit actually know. They take steps. It improves their chance to get a job. That’s tricky.

One of the things that has obviously also been a change for me this year is taking on the responsibility as a Minister for Tourism and Hospitality. What do our tourism and hospitality businesses need? They need customers. Who are those customers? International visitors. It is absolutely appalling that we are sitting at 84 percent of the international visitor numbers that we had in 2019. We absolutely have to unleash and make sure that international visitors know that New Zealand is open for business and we welcome them with open arms. Whether it is to Ikaroa-Rāwhiti, whether it is to Papakura in South Auckland, whether it is to other parts of the East Coast, we welcome visitors anytime, anywhere, anyone, instead of putting restrictions on who should come, where they should go to.

In addition to visitors and an increase in visitor numbers, I’m very clear that the second part of the priority in going for growth in tourism is ensuring that more New Zealanders get jobs in tourism and hospitality. When that side of the House talks about unemployment and talks about people going on the jobseeker benefit, since 2019, 30,000 jobs were lost in tourism and hospitality—30,000. Thirty thousand people and their families were impacted in that period. That’s what I’m at work on. I want to make sure that we have visitors back so businesses all over New Zealand have more customers. Yes, it’s directly affecting the tourism and hospitality businesses, but it’s the bookstore, it’s the petrol station, it is the supermarket, it is the dairy. It is far more in terms of spend and investment and value that tourism provides.

One small example: the digital nomads absolutely went off. That’s when you realise—oh, we know; we live in a very, very special part of the world. We live in an amazing country, and so to give more visitors the opportunity to have a workcation here on our shores, as well as spending money in our businesses, is of course a great opportunity. I am so proud to be part of a Government that is going for growth, improving the lives and the lifestyles of New Zealand and New Zealanders, and that is why we are positive, we are optimistic, we are not resting on our laurels each and every day. This is a coalition Government, and all our MPs are working hard in their electorates, making a difference in the lives of New Zealanders.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. It’s a pleasure to stand on behalf of New Zealand First in reply to the Prime Minister’s statement, which we absolutely support.

I’d just like to acknowledge the Hon Louise Upston, who’s just resumed her seat—about the positivity on this side of the House, because I think that’s a really important focus for the Government. It is one of our purposes, which is to ensure that we have absolute focus, we have a definiteness of purpose, in terms of achieving economic prosperity, not just for those who have a business but for everyone in our society.

Why is it so important that we do have economic prosperity across New Zealand? Well, we live in a really abundant country, and we really should be focusing on how we manage those resources that can turn into pūtea, so that when we need to invest socially we have the money, as a country, in order to do that, whether it’s into housing, whether it’s into hospitals, to education, or other social needs. But we have to have money in the bank to do that. Our purpose, of course, is to focus on our economic prosperity, and we have a burning desire on this side of the House to achieve that.

We will do that by removing the red and the green tape, because those are the blocks that are stopping a lot of the growth around the country in various sectors. I liken it to this: the roots don’t cause the growth; it is the creation of a fertile soil in which you plant the seed to germinate, to grow, and to multiply itself again and again and again, so that what was originally one small seed becomes countless millions. That’s having that fertile soil. Creating that opportunity for that seed to flourish is all about removing the blocks that stop. We have, on this side of the House, what I’d like to term as an abundance consciousness.

In an earlier contribution from the other side of the House, during this debate, the Green leader said no one is entitled to make a profit. Now, that’s an outrageous statement, and that is a statement which shows absolute poverty of consciousness—it’s conditioned thinking; it’s negative, constrictive thinking. When you have thinking like that, the economy will definitely not grow.

We are focused, in New Zealand First, on very practical, pragmatic solutions to the problem the country faces, and we come up with great ideas. We have been able, through our coalition negotiations, to develop the Regional Infrastructure Fund—also known as the RIF, which was formerly known as the PGF, the Provincial Growth Fund. We are able to, through Matua Jones, spread out that $1.2 billion across the regions.

The Matua preaches the gospel of growth, and he’s been doing that all of last year with his regional summits. Many of you have been in attendance, as electorate MPs, to some of those regional summits around the country. I’ve been privileged to attend those in Whakatāne, Southland, up in the North, and in Manawatū as well. Rebuilding a more dynamic, productive economy, increasing prosperity, and boosting opportunities for all New Zealanders—we need strong local industries that are vital for our regional communities to become economically resilient. That $1.2 billion over three years—the RIF is extremely well run and it is delivering concrete opportunities already.

We’re also putting money through the RIF, in collaboration with Minister Potaka as well, into Rātana. Money has been spent there for structural upgrades of the Rātana Pā. In Waitangi, the Treaty grounds have received $10.2 million. Now, not only is it the location of the first signing of the Treaty of Waitangi but also it’s our number one tourism destination: 160,000 people visited the Treaty grounds over the last year. It’s a really important place that we put some pūtea into. Just noting today is 12 February, actually the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty 185 years ago by the largest group of Ngāpuhi chiefs, who did the signing on the 12 February at Mangungu in Hokianga. Today they’re commemorating that, so I thought it was worthwhile mentioning that as well.

The RIF is also providing some really amazing small community energy projects to ensure those small communities, like those up in the North where they experience power poverty—Te Kao Community Microgrid project will be receiving money so they can construct a solar- and wind-powered microgrid which will be connected to a community battery for all those in Te Kao village. A low-cost energy supply to the community—that is an absolutely important piece of infrastructure that is currently missing in that community. That will ensure they’ve got power security. Waimamaku Community Solar Resilience Programme, also about solar power connecting up to battery to ensure that the community and businesses there have a supply of power.

Flood resilience has been a really important part of the RIF, and $200 million has been set aside for various projects. New Zealand First believe that climate response is about adaptation, enabling communities to have security with these adverse weather events that we’re seeing more often. So $200 million has been put aside, and 42 projects have been identified, $101 million there, and they’ll be co-partnered alongside their relevant local authorities, co-investing the balance of those. Stopbanks, pumping stations, groynes, and culverts—that is the really sensible, practical, and pragmatic solution New Zealand First has been providing.

I have some time left and I really want to talk about the blue economy, as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries. Our blue economy is an economy that can grow, and we can increase the sector to $3 billion by 2035. That’s going to be done in a number of ways.

Dan Bidois: Mussels.

JENNY MARCROFT: Seafood production—and talking about mussels, it’s really important because to grow mussels you need spat. That’s the little itty bitty babies. The wild-caught spat has a very limited ability to survive when it’s been transferred on to the mussel farms. Only about 5 percent of the wild-caught spat actually survive, so there is a project under way—alongside the University of Auckland, the Coromandel Marine Farmers’ Association, the Marine Farming Association, Aquaculture New Zealand, Greenshell Spat Co., and Sanford—to develop an innovative nursery culture system so that we provide some certainty, stability, and sustainability to the mussel-growing sector.

Ocean Beach. If anyone’s had the opportunity, I do recommend every member of Parliament heads to Ocean Beach—it’s the old meatworks down in Bluff. It looks pretty grotty; it’s an old factory. It looks dilapidated, but go inside the doors and what you’ll see is the most amazing amount of marine farming under way. Thousands of baby pāua being grown. Lots and lots of little whitebait—Manāki Whitebait are there growing their whitebait; they make excellent fritters. Also, Asparagopsis, which is the red native seaweed, which has, potentially, marine inhibiting properties—that is being grown in that factory as well. But while you’re there, wait, there’s more. You must check out the Bluff gin distillery, which is also on the site. Multiple reasons to go there; I do recommend it.

Aquaculture permits are really important to ensure that our marine farmers are able to work into the future—$6 million has been saved by four marine-farm owners—around 200 of them, because the Minister has extended the permits out to 2050. That’s been a really important piece of work that has been done to give that industry some certainty.

Just very briefly, I’d like to also talk about sustainability being a bottom line for our fishing industry, which is an absolute success story in New Zealand. It generates about $1.6 billion in exports each year—we should be pleased about that. It employs 9,000 people directly. But wait, there’s more we can do to improve productivity and efficiency, rather than just increasing our catch volumes, and that is a focus of the Minister.

The blue economy has so much more room to grow. It’ll enable the productivity and the certainty for those that work in the industry. We have a great product that the world wants, because we have—

Hon Rachel Brooking: Tell us about shipping.

JENNY MARCROFT: —the most amazing, clean protein. Lots of noise coming from the other side of the House—clearly doesn’t eat fish. I’m really pleased that we have a focus, in this Government, on the abundance, and harvesting that abundance, that New Zealand produces. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

The next call is a split call from the National Party.

I’d like to begin my contribution today by acknowledging the recent terrifying events in my community in Birkenhead, namely the stabbing last week and an armed robbery that happened just outside my parliamentary office, in fact, yesterday. This will be very upsetting for many in my community. I’ve spoken with the police and there will be an increased presence. I’m confident that police will apprehend the offenders of both instances, and I’m equally confident that when they do, they will face a tougher justice system with the sentencing reform laws that are going through Parliament right now. That is a part of our plan to restore law and order and make our communities safer.

We know it’s tough times out there. We know that people are struggling in a cost of living crisis. We know that people are losing their jobs and that the impacts of profligate spending from the last six years is coming to fruition. The harsh reality we face as a country is this: we have public debt in the order of $175 billion—that is equivalent to 42 percent of New Zealand’s gross domestic product.

In our view, there are two ways out of this mess: we can tax our way out of it, like the other side will want to do; or we can grow our way of it. That is what this side believes we should follow. It is all about growth. As my colleague Cameron Brewer said, there is a famous quote: “It’s all about the economy, stupid.” Not that you are stupid, Mr Speaker; it is, in fact, part of the quote. We are serious about going for growth, because it is through a better, brighter future and through a growing economy that we can build ourselves up, get out of the mess we’re in, and build a better, brighter future for our kids and grandkids right here in New Zealand.

I want to speak about our growth agenda, because, as an economist, it comes down to, really, three big aspects of growth: the first is capital accumulation, the second is skills, and the third is innovation, and the mixing of those three together. Let me refer to those one by one and tell the House and the public what we are doing in those areas.

First, on capital accumulation, I am really proud of the fact that we are taking foreign direct investment seriously, that we will be welcoming foreign investors from around the world here in March, and pitching to them why they should be investing in New Zealand businesses. I’m equally proud of the fact that we are taking up the ambitious programme to reform our Overseas Investment Act to make it easier to invest in this country, because it’s all about saying “yes” and not about saying “no”. “Invest in New Zealand”—that’s what the Prime Minister said in his statement. We’re going to set up an organisation devoted to promoting investment around the world, encouraging investment in our communities. So that is the first area, it’s around capital accumulation.

The second is around skills. We’ve got a great Minister in Erica Stanford, who is ensuring that we are getting the basics right in our education system. Up and down in my community of Northcote, educators and parents are saying the same thing: they love what we’re doing. We’re getting back to basics: mathematics, literacy, numeracy, and making sure we’re giving the kids the core skills so that they can get better jobs, and better incomes as a result.

The third area is in innovation. I’m really encouraged by the announcements in our science sector to amalgamate a lot of the core Crown research institutes so that we are getting more outcomes and focused on economic growth—focused on economic growth.

We know there’s a lot to do to turn around six years of wasted opportunity. We know that, actually, there’s a lot to do to turn around decades of underperformance in our economy, but we’re up for that challenge; we’re going for growth. Thank you very much.

It is my pleasure to speak in the House today in support of the Prime Minister’s statement; 2025 is going to be a great year for Mt Roskill. This year is going to be a great year for New Zealand. Why? Because 2025 is the year of economic growth for this Government, because we want growth, growth, and growth. No more saying “no”; we want “yes, yes, yes.”

The previous Government was a Government of no. They loved to say no; no to everything. And guess what! Under them, what did we learn from them? The cost of living goes up, rents are going up, inflation going up, interest rates going up, food prices going up. They hold a few records; let’s see what record they’re holding: record number of ram raids, a record amount of wasteful spending, a record number of gang members, a record number of people and children living in emergency housing. And what’s happened to that Government of note?

Mt Roskill and New Zealand people say no to them. People in Takanini say no to them. People in Northcote say no to them. They will say yes to our plan because we will get New Zealand back on track. Economic growth is important and it’s time for us to say yes to economic growth, yes to more overseas investment, yes for more trade, yes for more science and innovation, yes for more business opportunity, yes to more job opportunity, yes to rewarding our hard-working Kiwis, and yes to more money in our Kiwi bank accounts—and, most of all, yes to getting New Zealand back on track.

What does economic growth pay for? This means we can say yes to our better transport network, we can say yes to fixing our roads, we can say yes for a better healthcare system, we can say yes to better education, and we can say yes for better investment.

What does saying yes and economic growth mean for people in Mt Roskill? It means we can say yes to more housing being built in Mt Roskill, we can say yes for more tax relief for people in Mt Roskill, we can say yes for more opportunity for Mt Roskill residents, we can say yes for better and more education and opportunity for children, we can say yes for high income, we can say yes to spend more time with our family and our loved ones, we can say yes to a better public service, and we can say yes to a better future for the next generation. Also, it can mean yes to more resources to go into Mt Roskill schools, parks, roads, and services, because this is what the people of New Zealand, what the people of Mt Roskill want.

We want to focus on economic growth because this is what the people of New Zealand want. This is how we can help our people of New Zealand have a better lifestyle. We are doing it because we are a Government of people; we work for the people, we listen to the people, we are the people of people. Always say that: it’s all about the people, the people, and the people. But doing this, we need to have economic growth. We need to be growth, growth, growth, and more yes, yes, yes.

The next call is a split call for the Labour Party. I call the Hon Rachel Brooking.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for this opportunity to talk on the Prime Minister’s statement and all this growth that we’ve been hearing about this afternoon. Now, I want to talk about some growth: the growth in pollution, the growth of broken promises, the growth of cynical political moves, the growth of undermining our conventional safeguards, the growth of economic policy via text message, and the growth of a radical departure from previous conservative National Governments that we are seeing from this Government. I only have five minutes, so we’ll see how we go.

On pollution and undermining safeguards, I have to, of course, talk about fast track, which almost every Government MP has spoken about as if somehow it has safeguards—and this is a word used by one of the Ministers in question time today—for the environment. It does not. The purpose of that Act is to facilitate projects, full stop. There is no mention in that purpose of sustainable management or the environment.

Then we have 149 projects that will benefit directly from being listed and named individually in a Government bill. That benefit is because some of those projects would not otherwise be consentable. Some of them have already gone through a process and they have been rejected. There is no protection of the environment and it is a way to pollute. Shame on everyone in that party—particularly the National Party—because this is not something any National Party has done before. You can speed up a process, you can have a fast track—Labour had that. You can have a one-stop shop—that’s a new innovation. But this fast track is a way to pollute and it is a way for specific businesses to get a private benefit from a Government project, and it is shameful.

We’ve also seen the cutting of what this Government likes to call “green tape” and the defunding of conservation. This will lead to pollution. It will ruin New Zealand’s clean, green image. That is our competitive advantage. I’m interested in growth that leads to more money being in this economy and a better life for all New Zealanders. That means having exports that are high value. We need that clean and green reputation, and this Government just wants that gone.

It’s also important for tourism, which this Government seems to be relying on for growth. I would remind them that tourism jobs are normally low wage and that in areas like Queenstown, they do not want more volume of tourists because that comes with a lot of costs. We want tourists to stay in the country for longer periods of time and learn about our wonderful country.

We’re undermining our safeguards against corruption, and this Government’s been doing things for lobby groups that are in their ear. This decreases trust and stability in our system. It’s that “trust and stability [of our system] … that makes economic growth and prosperity possible in the first place.” That is a quote from Justin Tipa that he said on Waitangi Day in a very powerful speech that I would urge all members of this House to read.

Then we have growth in broken promises. We have growth in cynical political moves. We’ve seen that with the Dunedin Hospital, where the Government announced, to some relief for many people in Dunedin, that there will be a hospital built on the site that had long been planned for, but it will have fewer beds and fewer theatres than what Labour promised and many fewer than what National promised. What a cynical move this is that the expectations are set so low that the promise before the election was changed from building a grand new hospital to perhaps retrofitting a hospital that is in no way fit for purpose that then it feels like a win because that is how they set their expectations. This Government is terrible.

Then, in the context of economic policies by text message, we’ve seen messages to the Korean Government to say, “Oh, those rail-enabled ferries that are so important to the productivity of the South Island and our economy—no. No thanks. We won’t have those.” “Oh, maybe, Bill English, can you do an independent review of Kāinga Ora which will lead to no more public houses?”

The member’s time has expired.

Talofa, Mr Speaker. This is my first opportunity to speak in the House, and I wanted to acknowledge you and thank you for your support, and well done with the Samoan citizenship bill. I also would like to thank the Rt Hon Gerry Brownlee for his support as well.

ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Teanau Tuiono): Welcome back.

LEMAUGA LYDIA SOSENE: Can I also thank the Rt Hon Chris Hipkins and my Labour colleagues, who had to pick up all my duties, and I want to thank them for their aroha and their support. Lastly, I thank my Māngere local community and my family, because they have helped me get back to the House. I’m really pleased to give a contribution to the Prime Minister’s statement, and I just wanted to acknowledge tuahine the Hon Marama Davidson for her return. Fa‘afetai.

What a shambles this Government is. I want to cover off a few points that are really important in my local Māngere community in South Auckland. This Government is failing the New Zealand economy. It is pulling out billions of dollars of financial support that had been supporting New Zealanders through this tough time; reducing financial support, that used to cover so many services across Aotearoa, for Kiwis who were in programmes, who were receiving really good financial assistance, support—they no longer have it. The loss of jobs, the extensive programmes for Pasifika, for iwi, hapū, Māori children, young people—many of those programmes have been cut by that mean-spirited Government. Allowing Kiwis to go without the basics—what kind of country are you creating?

An absolute U-turn on vital services that were helping many whānau across Aotearoa. It’s my job as the representative in Māngere, South Auckland, to bring those issues up to that Government—so mean-spirited, deliberate, targeted. Jobs have been lost throughout many sectors of the country, and we’ve heard many of the speakers on this side of the House talking about all those Kiwis that have gone offshore—what a shame.

Today in oral question time, the Prime Minister—I just wanted to quote how he talked about the encouraging signs in the economy. Where? Sure, landlords: $2.9 billion. What about the tenants of those landlords? Who’s helping them? Who’s caring about them? Ministers on that side of the House have specifically told officials to cut vital services—jobs desperately needed: 33,000 people who were working last year, the year before, are no longer. Those jobs have gone. A deliberate, targeted, mean-spirited Government.

What about the local communities? In Māngere, we had an outstanding budgeting service. Gone. That was a service that provided language and culture for over 600 families—

Hon Louise Upston: Someone else has got the contract.

LEMAUGA LYDIA SOSENE: I know the Minister is commenting, but, Minister, that service is gone. Just lastly, what I want to comment on—

Hon Louise Upston: Someone else has got the contract.

LEMAUGA LYDIA SOSENE: You’ve had your contribution, Minister. What I want to comment on is school lunches. There seems to be a lot of messages and phone calls from principals who are advising—and I know Minister Seymour, there was a question in the House today of conduct. Minister David Seymour, your programme of school lunches, a reduced lunch programme, is not working in my local community. The lunches have not turned up; the lunches have turned up at 10 minutes to 3 p.m. What is the point? Those school lunches—our tamariki are saying, “Who’s going to eat that crap?” I am only quoting the words of our tamariki. You cannot grow our tamariki’s brains and knowledge and education if we do not have good support so they can get nutrition. That Government is arrogant, is mean-spirited, and is a shambles. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

The Prime Minister stood in this House and delivered his Prime Minister’s statement, which outlined his Government’s vision: economic growth, personal responsibility, and getting New Zealand back on track. What I heard was a vision steeped in ableism, a broken vision, one that actively leaves behind disabled people. Ableism is insidious, and it takes effort from all of us to learn about it and do better. Ableism operates by determining whose lives and contributions are valued and whose are dismissed.

Under this current Government, it’s crystal clear that those born poor, marginalised, disabled, and without access to stable housing are not prioritised—out of sight, out of mind. Under this Government, the worth of individuals is measured by their economic contribution, instead of their innate value as a person—their innate value as a person who is part of a community—and a person who is part of a modern society.

This statement didn’t include how this very Government has treated our disabled communities over the last 14 months, but we have heard every day from people who don’t know what their futures look like. We know that 1.1 million New Zealanders have a disability, and we’ve all got enough life experience to know that at any time, any one of us may face access barriers due to an accident or an injury. Knowing that this Government has made decisions that have profoundly harmed our disabled communities is distressing, and it is not moving our country towards a vision of an equitable and a fair future.

The last 14 months included restrictions to disability support funding and access to equipment like wheelchairs; the scrapping of the minimum wage exemption which ensured that 900 disabled workers were treated with respect and dignity; and the transfer of disability support services from Whaikaha to the Ministry of Social Development without, again, consultation with the communities that it affects. It has also stopped Enabling Good Lives. This current Government is clear and it has prioritised cost cutting over human rights.

I’ve talked to families who are uncertain about their futures because of this Government’s decisions. When we boil it down, all we really want is stability, safety, and love, and we can have that when we prioritise access for everybody in our society.

The PM spoke about responsibility, and we all, as lawmakers, have a responsibility to listen to and work with our disabled communities. Under this Government, ableism isn’t just an attitude; it’s embedded in the policies that govern our lives. We have to do better and we have to listen to our disabled communities. The systemic barriers, the lack of access, the withholding of dignity—it’s a deeply entrenched form of discrimination that continues to make life harder for disabled people.

The Green Party has a vision, too—one that includes disabled people at every step along the way. This is what true partnership is: listening and learning from the people who actually have lived experience. It is a vision that is designed by and for disabled people, one that truly enables good lives.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to take a call on the Prime Minister’s statement.

Now, we have heard a lot from the other side about “growth”, which is a bit new from them. Last year, we were hearing about the cost of living, and I was wondering why we’re suddenly hearing about growth when cost of living is currently still the main concern for most New Zealanders and hasn’t really been fixed. I wonder if it’s because there are 33,000 more people unemployed under this Government because the unemployment rate is so high, because for Māori workers, it’s 9.7 percent, and for Pasifika workers, it’s a shocking 10.5 percent. One in 10 Māori unemployed; I wonder if that’s why. We know that the best way to address the cost of living is through having people in work—creating the type of economy that keeps people in work and lets people do meaningful work and have meaningful jobs. This Government has failed on that, so now they’re talking about growth, but as we’ve heard, there isn’t much of that either, sadly for them.

I do have a warning for New Zealanders, because we have heard very clearly in some of these headline statements that the Prime Minister has made at the beginning of this year that if New Zealanders do not chuck this Government out, as they should do at the next election, this Government is going to privatise New Zealand’s assets. It is going to sell the very things that our ancestors and our parents and our grandparents worked so hard to hold in New Zealand ownership. We don’t know exactly what they will sell, so we call on the Government to rule out these changes and these asset sales but, even better, we call on New Zealanders to chuck this Government out and not risk their privatising agenda.

The main thing that I want to talk about today in my short contribution is jobs and health and safety, which are really linked to my portfolio as workplace relations spokesperson. Now, this Government does not care about keeping people in work, as I’ve already said; they don’t care about workers. They listed all of the things that they’re doing and that they think will be good for New Zealanders, but what about those workers at Kinleith Mill, those 230 workers who lost their jobs? What about the 75 people at Oji Fibre Solutions? What about the 170 people at SolarZero? What about the 230 workers at Winstone Pulp? What about the Karioi Pulp Mill workers—230 of them lost their jobs. Thousands of public sector workers sacked under this Government—what about them? What about their cost of living? What about the growth of their family and their bank accounts? All ignored under this Government.

Also, we can talk about construction: 12,000 fewer in construction, so good luck building and growing without construction—shocking. This Government has failed to protect communities, it’s failed to support workers, it’s failed to protect jobs, and it’s failed to support industry. Where is your industry plan, I say to the Government—where is it? Crickets—crickets from the other side.

Quickly, before I run out of time, I also want to talk about health and safety. Now, I heard it quoted that the Prime Minister in his state of the nation speech had mentioned something about health and safety, and I read the quote, and I couldn’t quite believe it. I couldn’t quite believe that someone who used to run an airline which, fundamentally, is about keeping people safe above all else, would actually say these words. Did he read the draft before he actually said this? This does not sound like someone who used to believe that health and safety was the top priority. Now, what did he say in his speech? He said, “Next, we have to fix our broken health and safety rules” and made a joke about it. He made a joke: he said, “They’re everywhere.”—they’re the fastest-growing industry. I bet that got a few laughs from the dads in the room.

Health and safety is not a joke; health and safety is incredibly serious. It’s estimated that New Zealand loses $4.9 million in productivity from not having good health and safety rules. And what should we do for health and safety? The Prime Minister says, “This year [we’re going to] crack on and make big changes.” Well, he is out of touch with business. I have a letter here signed by Business New Zealand, signed by the Employers and Manufacturers Association saying that John Key’s rules, which are the rules that Christopher Luxon is talking about, are fit for purpose.

Now, I didn’t expect to be defending John Key in this House, but I have to say this Government is out of touch with business, with workers, with health and safety professionals, and with unions on health and safety. They say they want to tear up health and safety; they call it “red tape”, they call it “green tape”. Let me tell you, it’s keeping workers safe and there are going to be terrible consequences if you go down this path.

The next call is a split call from the National Party. I call Nancy Lu.

I rise to take the opportunity to speak on a topic that is of great significance for our nation’s economy, but also for every fabric of our society, including our vibrant and colourful and diversified ethnic and migrant communities around New Zealand.

On that note, I have to use a little bit of my very precious time to take this opportunity to wish everyone who celebrates the Lantern Festival a very happy Lantern Festival, 元宵节快乐.Today is the day of the Lantern Festival, and it’s celebrated by billions of people around the world and hundreds and thousands of Kiwis in New Zealand, particularly with our vibrant ethnic communities.

The Prime Minister’s statement talked a lot about one word: growth. It is about economic growth, because economic growth—making New Zealanders richer and live better—is a matter for our country immediately, significantly, and urgently in front of us. It is the commitment for the welfare and prosperity of all New Zealanders, including our migrant and ethnic communities. It is about creating opportunities to expand—for the opportunities for people to grow and have better workforce skills, better job skills, better outcomes, a better future, better education, and better healthcare for their children and for their family. They’ve chosen New Zealand because they believed in New Zealand, they have hope for New Zealand, and we are a country that many of them came together in 2023 to get us in so we could fix the problem that the last Government left behind so that we could actually deliver economic growth and get our country back on track.

This is what I hear from the ethnic communities when I travel around the country. This is what they’re telling me: we need growth, we need to see our country back in shape, we love this country, and we will do everything to get behind this Government to help this Government to get our economy back on track. For that, I am very proud to be part of the team supporting the Prime Minister to get New Zealand back on track.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would begin by acknowledging the Prime Minister’s inspirational address to the House. The statement was about economic growth and becoming a nation that says yes. For too long, we’ve made a habit of saying no. We used to be a country of can do. We used to be a country that did stuff, made stuff, innovated, and built stuff. We’ve become all too quickly in my working life a nation where it’s too difficult to do things, too easy to say no, and we need to flip that. Lift our aspirations and our ambitions out of the cesspit of negativity and focus on doing, on saying yes, on developing a pipeline of work that contributes to our economy, grows jobs and opportunities, creates export income so all New Zealanders have an opportunity to succeed. A large part of our success will depend on our primary sector.

I’d take a moment to reflect on some of the work that trade Minister Todd McClay’s been doing. The United Arab Emirates deal—$1.3 billion. The fastest ever trade deal; the Gulf Cooperation Council $3 billion trade deal. There’s huge opportunities for our exporters to capitalise on: 24 memorandums of understanding, $340 million export revenue over the next three years. It doesn’t stop there. The Minister visiting India multiple times, and they’ve been here, and if there’s any chance of getting a deal with India or any other country, Todd McClay will do it.

Suze Redmayne: “Trade McClay”!

MIKE BUTTERICK: “Trade McClay”. If anyone can, Todd can. Todd McClay, take a bow.

To the 70,000 businesses associated with the food and fibre sector—they’re in every town and every city across this country—to the 360,000 people that work in it, I thank you. The latest Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries report shows $56.9 billion from the sector.

Suze Redmayne: Take a bow.

MIKE BUTTERICK: Take a bow. Our future is bright. We need to stay focused.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Look, over summer, there was much dissatisfaction around the Government when we were at the barbecue and at the beach. Why? Because, basically, families in this country continue to do it tough around the place. And why might that be the case, sir? Well, simply because this Government is failing on the economy. That has become extremely clear—that this is a Government that is failing on the economy. Nicola Willis seems to talk up her credentials all the time. She talks up a big game, but she is simply not delivering. And all of the indicators clearly do show that.

To assist with this decline, of course, the Government are looking to sell off, hock off, assets and open the door to privatisation. That is very clear that they are looking to open the door to privatisation. It seems that they have already started that particular journey in Palmerston North.

Now, I see that the health Minister, Simeon Brown, is here today. He has no record in health and safety. Let’s just look at his track record in transport and increasing, by a blanket approach, actually, speed limits around the country, concerns that have been expressed by some communities around there. This is a Minister who has taken on one of the most important and vital portfolios in this country, with a track record not concerned about wellbeing, not concerned about health, not concerned about safety.

I say to him: what is he going to do about the children’s emergency department—ED—in Palmerston North? What is he going to do? His predecessor, Shane Reti, who this Prime Minister basically threw under the bus and passed this particular job over to Mr Brown, announced $6 million towards the end of last year to staff the children’s ED in Palmerston North. We have families, Mr Brown, who go to Palmerston North, and that very unit is closed. Why? Because there’s no staff. I say to the Minister: what is he going to do about it? What is he going to do to reflect the hard work that the community who fund-raised for that particular facility is going to do so that tamariki, children, can participate in terms of when it comes to their healthcare?

I also say to the new health Minister: what’s he going to do about the surveillance colonoscopies in my particular rohe? What is he going to do? Last night, there was a public meeting in Palmerston North organised by Patient Voice Aotearoa—great turn out—

Arena Williams: Tell us about it.

TANGI UTIKERE: —and these are some of the figures. I am going to tell the House; in particular, I’m going to tell the new health Minister about this. There are 852 people in the MidCentral area who have had their surveillance colonoscopies paused. There is more than an additional 1,600 who have had to have—

Hon Simeon Brown: Not good enough.

TANGI UTIKERE: Yes, it is not good enough. So what are you going to do about it?

Hon Simeon Brown: I’ve got clinics starting on Saturday.

TANGI UTIKERE: Oh, you’ve got clinics starting on Saturday. That’s going to have about 45 people. What are you going to do about the 1,600 that have yet to be assessed? There were people at that public meeting, Minister Brown, last night, who’ve been on the waiting list for 12, 18 months. The recommendation for clinicians’ advice is that it should be a six-week waiting opportunity. In case the Minister doesn’t know maths, it is far too long around that. We need action.

Privatisation; this is exactly where it’s going to have—he sits there. I look forward to hearing from him. What is he going to do for the constituents of Palmerston North? At the moment, he has done nothing. He has done absolutely nothing. This is the Minister who’s riding on the white horse to save you for the National Party, doing absolutely nothing for my constituents of Palmerston North, who are waiting to have a colonoscopy, and your Government, Minister Brown, is failing to deliver.

Then, of course, we know that, when it comes to the cost of living, this has dropped off their agenda for the National Party, hasn’t it? It’s dropped off their agenda. Now, there was some hope, but what did they deliver? Oh, tax cuts—that’s right—but, at the same time, they scrap subsidies for public transport. They scrap subsidies when it comes to prescriptions. They increase rates; they increase insurance—all of these opportunities. The cost of living has dropped off their radar because they do not care about jobs for people. They don’t. When the building and construction industry is losing thousands of jobs, well, it’s no wonder that they’re not really interested in this particular space as unemployment continues to rise.

Recently, Kāinga Ora opened—we had a new development opening in Palmerston North of 50 units. Fantastic. The Government cannot take any credit for that, because they didn’t actually allocate a single cent to it. In actual fact, they have erected bollards in Palmerston North. Sir, you’ll be aware of this, because there is land that’s available for development, had been tagged for development, that this Government are not going to proceed on. I challenge any member of the Government to front up at places like Church Street, other places in Palmerston North, and show us the development that is going to take place to create warm, safe, healthy homes for constituents. It’s not there. Why? Because this is a National Party and a Government that simply does not care for the health or wellbeing of New Zealanders.

Point of order, Mr Chair. There seems to be some confusion over timing. The clock should, I suggest to you, read another five minutes for Tangi Utikere to continue with his speech, given that there are 19 more minutes in the debate, and the final speaker for the National Party is only owed another 10-minute call.

ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Teanau Tuiono): There’s 14 minutes left in the debate, but let me just take some advice on that, because we’re going backwards and forwards here as well. The member sat down, he could have taken the call, but because he sat down—

ARENA WILLIAMS: No, it was a point of order, sir. Mr Speaker, the earlier time I rose was a point of order, but I will seek a call now for five minutes.

ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Teanau Tuiono): Arena Williams.

ARENA WILLIAMS: The Prime Minister’s statement is meant to give New Zealanders a sniff of where this Government is going—some semblance of a vision for not only New Zealand’s economy but our children; our future; honouring the Treaty of Waitangi, our foundational document; and making things better for ordinary people in this country. But what did we get? We got a fast-paced hurtling towards investors being able to buy up our properties if they clear a $5 million landmark; they will be able to purchase State-owned assets later because the Government is working towards an agenda of privatisation. This is cut, cut, cut Government services, and bring on sales to their mates. This is such a disappointing agenda for the Government. It is the most hard-right, neo-liberal Government that New Zealand has had in a generation.

Yet the irony is that members on that side of the House might expect, for that pain, for the pain borne by working people, and for unemployment rates skyrocketing, that they might be getting the economy under control, but they’re failing on the economy. The Prime Minister is nowhere to be seen. Outside of COVID-19, we’re in the steepest downturn in the economy since 1991. When Labour left office, we had annual GDP growth of 2.4 percent; it has declined every quarter since National came to office. That will be the legacy of this one-term Government.

The legacy of this one-term Government will be: saying no to school lunches. It will be saying no to the 2,200 nurses that we need in our health system right now, when they are asking for jobs. This Government did the good work of training them up; that Government sent them packing. It is saying no to more doctors. We have an 8.5 percent doctor shortage in our health system, and a health Minister who released that health plan in late-2024 with no fanfare and no media and then was sacked because he was honest about the crisis that the health system is in and is being presided over by those Ministers. These Ministers are saying no to the health system; they’re grinding it into the ground until it is worth nothing, and then they will introduce more and more privatisation into a system that will mean people who cannot afford it cannot get healthcare.

When we have a Prime Minister who agrees with the premise that failing fast is the right thing to do in our health system, then we will have a health system where sick people get sicker, where people lose their lives from preventable diseases. Where we have a health system that is not like any other in the First World, where people who are sick can get the help that they need. That is a shame and that is not something I would want to be known for, and it’s that side of the House which has brought it in.

Instead of saying yes to economic growth, they are saying yes to donors. Only a few developers around the country are enjoying any of the development benefits that fast track ensures, while all other developers, all other house builders, mums and dads who want to put more properties into a property in the city that they could have built on, they’re not getting any of the benefits of that. They’re saying yes to more fines and fees.

Under that Government, if you drive an electric vehicle, you are paying more. You are paying more if you’re a taxi driver working hard in Wellington City and you are paying more if you’re a taxi driver working in Auckland—exactly the communities that that Government said it would be delivering for with the cost of living promises that it made. Carlos Cheung sits there and he knows that people in his community are hurting now. Rima Nakhle knows that the people in Takanini are hurting because of the fees and charges that this Government has put in place. Tax cuts mean nothing if you’re paying more to drive your car for work.

They’re saying yes to sanctions, yes to new crimes, but not for people who are their mates. They will write letters of support for rich people to avoid criminal sanctions while they bring in more punishments for young Māori, more punishments for young Pasifika, more punishments for young people.

This is a Government that is saying yes to all of the wrong things. This is a Government that will be remembered for doing huge economic damage in our country. It is a shame to sit on that side of the House.

Members, the time has come for me to leave the Chair for the dinner break. The House will resume at 7.30 p.m.

Sitting suspended from 5.59 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.

Good evening. We are on the debate on the Prime Minister’s statement, and we have a National Party call of nine minutes and 17 seconds.

Tākuta Ferris: Point of order.

ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O’Connor): I’m sorry, my apologies—I may be misinformed. Were you expecting to have the call?

Tākuta Ferris: Point of order.

ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O’Connor): Oh, point of order. My apologies.

Debate interrupted.