Hutchison Paul: General Debate 
Hutchison Paul: General Debate 
[Volume:668;Page:14866] 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON (National—Hunua) 
: 
 I heard only a few weeks ago from one of New Zealand’s leading children’s organisations that the former failed Labour Government under its Working for Families policy failed thousands of New Zealand children. 
But there is good news. Health is better sooner and more convenient. We notched up yet another success last Friday with the opening of Waiuku Health Plus a primary integrated medical health centre by the Minister of Health and me in the excellent Hunua electorate which is by chance the very electorate that I am privileged to represent. It is yet another sign of the significant gains to health services under the National Government. Firstly I congratulate Dr Mark Eustace his wife Jo the many medical staff and other colleagues and the developer. They were prepared to put in their own personal capital take risks and develop one of the finest integrated centres I have seen anywhere in the world. It will be the lifeline of this rural community for many many years to come. The facilities include doctors’ surgeries specialist facilities physiotherapists pharmacy facilities even a hypnotherapist and much much more. This is a magnificently designed building that will serve the primary-care needs of that rural community and it will be replicated throughout the country over the years to come. 
The point I want to make is that this was done with a sympathetic district health board in a climate in which the public health system and the Minister of Health collaborated with the private system unlike a phenomenon I recall from some years ago when Helen Clark the then Labour Prime Minister refused to turn up to the opening of the futuristic and excellent Ascot Integrated Hospital because she said she did not believe in a private health system. What a dreadful indictment! 
It is no coincidence that the Waiuku doctors had wanted to carry out a public-private partnership on the site of the old Franklin Memorial Hospital 5 6 or 7 years ago. But at that time under the climate of a Labour Government they were literally obstructed. There was nothing they could do. Instead they took the initiative into their own hands. They were prepared to take the risks and they have built this very forward-looking excellent community facility that will serve the community for so long. The National Government will encourage this exercising of choice for the people of New Zealand. 
The recent passage of the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Amendment Bill was historic in that all submitters agreed to it as did all parties—even the Labour Party. This means that New Zealand health services will be not be subject to the electoral swings that have occurred vastly over the last 20 or 30 years. An insightful National Government has brought in well-crafted legislation and that legislation ensures that we run an efficient effective health service in which every health dollar counts which is something that the former Minister of Health the Hon Annette King failed to do in the health system which was reflected by the Labour Government’s doubling the amount of money spent for no extra services. 
The other thing that the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Amendment Bill will do is ensure that back-office bureaucracy is minimised and the resources moved to the front line which is something that will be more and more prevalent under this excellent National Government.