Ardern JacindaGENERAL DEBATEJACINDA ARDERN (Leader of the Opposition): I move That the House take note of miscellaneous business. They say a week is a long time in politics. I can tell you that just 24 hours can feel like a very long time in politics too. Imagine then what can be done what can be changed what can be achieved in just over 50 days.I did not come into politics to be an Opposition member of Parliament. In fact every single person sitting behind me sitting beside me did not campaign to be in Opposition. We are here because of our inherent belief that New Zealand can be better than this. Every single one of our Labour team will have a story to tell about when they realised this simple fact—in fact they will have many stories to tell and daily reminders of that simple fact.I have often spoken about my very short time living in a small forestry town plagued by unemployment and plagued by poverty. But when you are a child you do not see politics. You see unfairness. When you are searching for your first home or facing an increase in your rent you probably do not see politics. You just see a lack of hope. When your bills outstrip your income again and again and you are looking for ways to bridge the gap you probably do not see politics. You just see the next countdown to another pay day.And yet all of these challenges can be different. No one is asking politicians to provide a silver bullet but they are asking for ideas that give them hope and that give them change. Our vision is for a better fairer future for New Zealand—a place where everyone no matter where they live or what their income has the best education and the opportunity to flourish. That concept is as true now as it was when Peter Fraser stood and said that all persons whatever their level of ability whether they live in town or country have a right as citizens to a free education of the kind for which they are best fitted and to the fullest extent of their powers."Our education policy does this and I am proud of the work that our education spokesperson Chris Hipkins has done on it. It is a policy that stops treating schools like factories and children like products that need to be standardised tested and dispatched. It acknowledges that a child's creativity peaks at 7 and fosters that creativity.Our vision is for a place where everyone who has the ability has access to decent work and not just for the work that presents itself now but for the jobs of tomorrow. That means investing in lifelong learning starting with giving work and hope to every one of the more than 70000 young people not in education training or employment; that means a country that calls a home a right; that does not sell State houses but builds them; that recognises market failure and steps in to build the stock we need; that sees homeownership falling and sees that the next generation risk even greater inequality as those who have become those who inherit and does something about it.It is a place where small to medium enterprises thrive. They are our job creators our innovators and whether it is our R & D tax credit our plans to incentivise investment our focus on building the talent they need or just our belief that they deserve a level playing field and for multinationals to pay their fair share of tax just like they do small and medium sized enterprises are key to New Zealand's future. Our future is for a better fairer future for New Zealand.Finally we are the people's party and the people of New Zealand have an inherent connection to the land in which they live. Governments have been latecomers to something Māori have always known. We can be world leaders on environmental challenges of tomorrow. Let us not just legislate our climate targets; let us use them to innovate to our advantage. We are young. We are smart. We are a beautiful country. It is time though to make it even better. It is time for Labour."