Tabuteau FletcherFLETCHER TABUTEAU (Deputy Leader—NZ First): Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. First I'd like the opportunity to address some of the comments made by the Opposition there. I suppose first of all I'd like to congratulate Mr Young and Mr Muller on their impassioned contributions. They've kind of decided where they want to position the National Party and they've stuck to their guns—Chris Bishop: Yeah on the side of jobs and growth.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: —and they've sent a message to the country. To Mr Bishop—who is doing his usual thing but anyway—to the National Party and to the country I would like to say to the country please don't listen to those members of Parliament opposite. Please don't hear the words that they are saying because they are not what this Government is trying to achieve. This is not the future of New Zealand and I hope now to outline what the future of New Zealand looks like.I think Mr Muller spoke about legislation defining a Government. Well I stand up on behalf of New Zealand First in this coalition with the Labour Party supported by the Greens to say I am happy to be defined by this legislation because what we are doing—and there are so many things that need to be addressed from the other side. It kind of piles on top of one another so forgive me if I jump around. In fact Mr Muller himself said we were banning exploration now". Those were the words he used in his contribution to the House despite the very fact that every Minister and every member on this side of the House—and the reality of the legislation is that this is that line in the sand which I spoke about in the last contribution about a transition. It is a transition that 7000 submitters in the Environment Committee said to this Government "Move in that direction." It is a transition where I personally engaged with New Zealand Oil and Gas prior to the announcement to talk to them and ask them—[Interruption] Are you guys all right over there? What they did was—Chris Bishop: I should ask you the same question.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: Well actually as I said there's so many wrongs being kind of—[Interruption]DEPUTY SPEAKER: Can we just focus on the bill in front of the House?FLETCHER TABUTEAU: Well it's hard with all the distractions. Perhaps if you keep those guys in line Madam Deputy Speaker. Sorry.DEPUTY SPEAKER: At their risk. It's your speech.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: Yes. My apologies Madam Deputy Speaker. Anyway—Chris Bishop: Just try and make a speech. Make a point.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: Yeah good advice. Thanks mate. They spoke of being fast followers. What I want to say is that New Zealand isn't trying to keep up with Europe; we can't keep up with Europe. They're so far ahead of the curb in terms of the transition to renewable energies.Mr Young spoke about employment in Taranaki and yet we had statistics enunciated in the House from one of our previous speakers: in this quarter about two thousand more people being employed unemployment decreasing employment increasing and the region itself going from 5.3 percent I think it was to 4 percent unemployment. That is actually what's happening here. We are a Government that has deployed the just transitions programme. We are working incredibly hard to make sure that we transition forward in this renewable energy space. Can I actually take this opportunity to shout out to the local council there. They understand how hard this is right now for their town and we all do right? But it's a 30-year transition. They are working with this Government because they know that this is the way forward. I commend them for that because what they're being told by those members opposite—and they certainly have a voice in that district so by goodness it's frustrating sometimes to hear what's repeated back to us. It is a transition where we are working through this legislation on making sure that it is fair and just over time.In fact I think the Minister Megan Woods spoke of 10 20 or 30 years and I think in this House actually if the petroleum companies come to us and talk about a good reason to extend their permits I think we're talking about the opportunity to extend that even further. This is the opportunity now for New Zealand to move on. But to allay the fears of those members opposite I want to point out the reality that what we have is an opportunity for those oil companies to drill now. I wrote down the numbers for the contribution last week: 20 wells going down now.Jonathan Young: Yeah I know. Approved by us.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: And then 31 on the books confirmed going down now. He says approved by him—Jonathan Young: Well it's the previous Government work.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: —and yet—Hon Dr Megan Woods: No he was never a Minister.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: No no—not. But they continue Mr Young—they continue.Jonathan Young: Business as usual.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: Yeah thank you. There he said it himself: "Business as usual". What an insightful observation from the member opposite.I spoke in my previous contribution about how exciting the transition to these renewable energies is. It was only last week that I met with a big transport company who were talking about hydrogen now—now. Hydrogen right now. They are going to generate it themselves. They're going to deploy it within their own fleet and they're going to do it now. That's the commitment that they are making. I tell you what—to have that conversation firsthand was incredible. It was an opportunity. The Minister has just returned from Japan engaging with Ministers and big business in Japan about the transition into hydrogen. She's also been speaking about the construction of wind farms and I acknowledge the construction this year Minister of the wind farm being built now.Chris Bishop: Well it's not her call.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: So—no. I acknowledge the construction. Thanks Mr Bishop. So we are transitioning now. It's an exciting time. So for me Madam Deputy Speaker it is a pleasure to stand and commend this legislation to the House. Thank you very much."