King Colin: Address in Reply 
King Colin: Address in Reply 
[Volume:652;Page:1191] 
COLIN KING (National—Kaikoura) 
: 
 It is a pleasure to be back in Parliament and to be on the Treasury benches in a John Key - led Government. From that point of view coming back as the MP for Kaikoura I am very pleased that we have a National-led Government. I intend to talk about educational achievements 90-day employment agreements tax cuts amendments to the Resource Management Act the repeal of the Electoral Finance Act finding jobs and focusing on jobs assisting small to medium sized enterprises getting on with infrastructure reviewing our stifled health system celebrating the Kurahaupo signing of a heads of agreement with regard to the Treaty process and celebrating the fact that we now have a Maori Party member holding the seat of Te Tai Tonga—the South Island. 
There is a lot to talk about. But I would like to go back to probably 2 years ago when John Key became the leader of the National Party and began to map out a positive future a prosperous future for New Zealand. It was from that time that John Key started to dictate the agenda of the political landscape and it was at that particular time that those members opposite became totally irrelevant. They were more concerned about staying in power and retaining control of the Treasury benches rather than doing what was essential for the best outcome for New Zealand. The economic times we find ourselves in today were coming down the railway lines like a goods train. Unfortunately the warnings were totally ignored and we are now in a very very dire situation courtesy of a very tired lame Labour Government whose members are now on the Opposition benches. In actual fact John Key smashed the shackles of envy and the policies of redistribution. As Prime Minister he has breathed a breath of fresh air into New Zealand politics replacing the old stale out-of-ideas controlling way of the previous Government. 
I do not want to dwell too much on the past because we want to leave it there but over Waitangi weekend we saw images of enthusiasm and aspiration at this year’s Waitangi celebrations not only up in Waitangi itself but also down in Otorohanga and all around the place and down in Marlborough at Omaka Marae where we had over 200-odd visitors. That showed that New Zealanders are all focusing on what the future holds. 
Let us go back to that list of things that have been occurring since the John Key - led Government took the Treasury benches. I must take my hat off to Cabinet for its hard work its work ethic and the way it has applied itself. While many New Zealanders were enjoying what was probably one of the warmer and sunnier summers Cabinet was working overtime to ensure it had an agenda ready to roll out and to reinvigorate the agenda of the political landscape. Let us talk about education. It is wonderful when we stop and think about it that this Government is prepared to come to grips with the really hard issues of educational achievement because regardless of what people say unless they can read write and do maths to an adequate standard they are not self-sufficient in today’s economy. It is very important that we come to grips with those challenging issues. We cannot walk away and accept a mediocre standard. 
On the issue of the 90-day employment agreement without personal grievance I say that I had the opportunity in Blenheim the other day to meet representatives of Workbridge. They try very hard to build up a portfolio of employers who will consider taking on people who would otherwise be considered a risk and I was very pleased to see that the 90-day trial was being embraced wholeheartedly. In Blenheim and Marlborough there are more employers saying “Well OK I will give this person a trial. I will give them a go.” That is fantastic. If I was personally to see anyone abusing that provision I would be down on them like a ton of bricks. There is a balance and one of the wonderful things about this John Key - led Government is that it is striking that balance. 
I will now talk about tax cuts. In my electorate we have a majority of small to medium sized enterprises and OK the previous Government did cut corporate tax. However I make the point that in the Kaikoura electorate the majority of enterprises are either partnerships or whatever; they are not incorporated. In that context they did not get any benefits until Dr Michael Cullen was driven to it because John Key was driving the political agenda and he knew that if he did not offer tax cuts coming up to the election that has just gone by the Labour Government would be history. Within our electorate of Kaikoura we will benefit over the next 3 years from those tax reductions. That is incredibly important. 
Another important aspect of the agenda of the John Key - led Government that will benefit the electorate of Kaikoura is the amendment of the Resource Management Act. It is an indictment on the previous administration that we got to the stage where it took longer to get the consent than to construct the infrastructure that one was asking to be consented. 
I will touch for a few minutes on the repeal of the Electoral Finance Act. I think it was laudable that Phil Goff acknowledged on becoming the Leader of the Opposition that the Electoral Finance Act was flawed and that it needed to have cross-Parliament agreement. Having said that I can say that we are looking forward to the introduction of the appropriate bill to repeal that legislation. We can then clear the decks and build back the goodwill and clarity around electoral procedure. The Government of John Key is focused on jobs. It is focused on retaining jobs and training for jobs. The small to medium enterprise assistance package of some $500 million largely around taxation and timing will be greatly appreciated. Of course people will argue about the detail of today’s infrastructure announcements. However there will be action aplenty around housing education and roading. 
I want to relate for one moment a visit to me as a constituent MP the other day by some very qualified health practitioners who work at Wairau Public Hospital. They made a very good point about how they were suffering from “managerialism”. I asked them to explain what this “managerialism” was all about. It was about the micro-management that is occurring within the district health boards and it completely suffocates them. I want to put on record some of the facts they told me which I have no reason to disbelieve. Wairau Public Hospital has two operating theatres and Nelson Hospital has six yet 40 percent of the work is done in the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board area of Wairau. There is a very strong argument for a clinician-led hospital system so I fully endorse Tony Ryall’s initiative around ensuring there is a full and complete review of the health system. 
To finish I say that it was very humbling to be invited by Kath Hemi to accompany the Kurahaupo people at the signing today. It was a privilege and I pay special tribute to Kath Hemi Richard Bradley Raymond Smith Carly Hemi and Julie McDonald. It was fantastic. They are wonderful people and what is good for Maori is good for Marlborough. I look forward to that settlement going forward. Finally to wrap up I welcome the Maori Party and Rahui Katene.