Sabin Mike: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Sabin Mike: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Sitting date: 30 January 2013. Volume:687;Page:7672. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
MIKE SABIN (National—Northland) 
: 
 Welcome back and a happy New Year to you Mr Deputy Speaker and to all members of the House. It is a pleasure to take a call in this debate on the Prime Minister’s statement. Firstly can I just acknowledge the Rt Hon John Key for the leadership that he has shown through some very very difficult and challenging times not only in this place but in New Zealand. His unflappable positive and aspirational approach— 
Sue Moroney 
: Are you calling his stand-up comedy routines leadership? What a joke. 
MIKE SABIN 
: That member will of course tune out entirely from this because it does not make sense to members on the other side of the House this sort of language and I will come back to that. 
Can I just acknowledge the Prime Minister for his leadership and acknowledge the Cabinet of this Government—a very disciplined Cabinet. While I am at it I would like to acknowledge the Hon Kate Wilkinson and the Hon Phil Heatley for the fantastic contributions they have made to this country over the past 4 years. I congratulate the new Ministers Michael Woodhouse and Nikki Kaye on their worthy promotions and I look forward to the contributions they will make to this caucus and this country. I congratulate also the Hon Simon Bridges on his entry into Cabinet and Tim Macindoe a terrific gentleman who will take up the role of junior whip as Louise Upston has now taken on the role of senior whip and of course “Mr Whip-it” our junior whip Jami-Lee Ross who is a man who commands a lot of respect across our caucus. I welcome him to that role and wish him all the best in that. 
 I really want to focus on what I believe sets this caucus apart from other parties in this House and that to me fundamentally— 
Dr David Clark 
: Its economic record. 
MIKE SABIN 
: No it is not the same old material Mr Clark—it is not the same old material. It is discipline and belief. It is discipline and belief that I believe fundamentally set this caucus apart. It is a disciplined caucus in great part because of the leadership of our Prime Minister and because of the personalities of the people on this side of the House but in the main I believe that it is because we on this side of the House know just what sort of focus and what sort of discipline this country needs in these very challenging times. 
Since the Labour Party was in Government we have seen some unprecedented economic challenges both with the Canterbury earthquakes—which shaved more than 10 percent off GDP devastated our second-biggest city and brought many challenges for those involved in this entire nation—and with a global financial crisis unparalleled since the Great Depression. This requires nothing but absolute discipline to overcome and that is the main focus within this caucus—the discipline to ride out these tough times. I believe that that sets us apart from an Opposition that does not want to acknowledge those two significant events unless they serve its political point-scoring efforts. That to me says a lot about the focus of that particular Labour Party and its friends across the Opposition benches. 
I do not need to speak about the indiscipline that we have seen from the Labour caucus. I think the whole country has seen that played out at the recent conference no less and no doubt will see it over the next week or so. I do not want to dwell on that other than to say that whatever is going on there its focus is inward whereas on this side of the House our focus is outward—outward on Kiwis who need a Government to responsibly manage finances and who need a Government— 
Sue Moroney 
: But not affordable housing. 
MIKE SABIN 
: —I will come to that; I will come to that—to deliver better public services after they had become bloated and ineffective in many ways. A big Government is not necessarily a better Government. Our focus is also on building a more productive and competitive economy and rebuilding Christchurch. Our four priorities are nothing new to this House and we reiterate we repeat and we talk about them day in and day out. Why? Because that is our focus that is our discipline and New Zealanders expect and want that. We are absolutely focused on delivering those things for New Zealanders and that takes discipline—that takes discipline. The other important difference I believe is belief—belief in New Zealanders led again by this Prime Minister who has an unflappable belief in the Kiwi spirit and in the fact that we will get on and do what is required in these tough times as a nation. 
Some of the founding values of this National Party are rewarding hard work and enterprise freedom of choice and personal responsibility. These are the founding values of our party and I think they resonate through the core of the policies and the priorities that we see in this Government in our busy schedule and in those four priorities I have mentioned. Our policies fundamentally demonstrate a belief in our fellow Kiwis and their abilities their desire and motivation to succeed and overcome the challenges that they face individually and we face collectively their willingness to work hard and their belief that they should be rewarded for that work. 
Sue Moroney 
: But they’re not. 
MIKE SABIN 
: If we take a look at the work—again from the other side of the House we hear exactly what I am speaking about and that is a total lack of belief in Kiwis. Even in the interjections those members demonstrate their total lack of belief. 
Dr David Clark 
: We let the facts get in the way. 
MIKE SABIN 
: Worst line in 50 years Mr Clark. 
As for the work in welfare that is going on as a member of the Social Services Committee I am very proud of what the Minister for Social Development and what our chair Sam Lotu-Iiga and the members of that committee are achieving and I think it epitomises what we are trying to do for Kiwis in very tough times. Our welfare bill is $22 million a day and although that is a travesty in financial cost the human capital—the human cost—is immense. It is something that has played out I think in so many ways in the last 20 or 30 years and we are addressing that. We are taking an investment approach in solving that problem. We are getting around in particular young people who without this support are staring straight down the barrel of a long time on an adult benefit. We are getting around those people and providing them with skills support and incentives and we are backing them and backing their belief that they have a dream that they can achieve. That takes a different approach other than throwing them a bit of money and keeping them beholden—something that the Labour Party had become so accustomed to doing over the years. That is about belief. 
We also see it when we look at employment—what we see in the 90-day trial period what we see in the youth start-up wage and what we see in the tax reforms and the small businesses that are the heart and soul of this country. And we see it in the way in which we have tried to bring together small business in New Zealand and young people who want a chance because that is about backing young people and it is about backing businesses to get on and do what they can do and what only they can do. We have just got to make it happen and put the conditions in place for them to do that. That is fundamentally about believing in them and that is where wage growth comes from not from members of the House who want to legislate minimum wages. If we could do that why not make it $100 an hour? In fact why stop there? That is not what it is about. 
In every aspect of delivering our four priorities there is belief. There is belief in people there is belief in the Kiwi spirit and I think there is belief in the brighter future that this country is heading towards under this leadership. 
It is a great time to be in Opposition and deep in their hearts those people on that side of the House know that because they can sit there and throw all sorts of comments around that they like knowing full well that we have just got to deal with those challenging times. 
Sue Moroney 
: But you’re not. You’re not dealing with it—that’s the problem. 
MIKE SABIN 
: The belief in New Zealanders and the discipline that we are showing is what is delivering for us on that score and the noise that is coming from the other side demonstrates that in my belief. What we do not see in the Opposition parties is the ability to turn that discipline and that focus into what is right for New Zealanders instead of what is right for them in their inward focus. 
 They talk about wanting to be a hands-on Government. Well we know what that is. Remember the showerheads? 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Hands in our pockets. 
MIKE SABIN 
: Yes hands in our pockets—hands in our pockets. It is about more bureaucracy more tax. It is about more cost. It is about less belief. This Government has adjusted to what Kiwis need in these tough times. That is what is making the difference. We believe in Kiwis we are disciplined and that is what Opposition members are not. That is why they are there and long may that be the case.