Marcroft Jenny; Williams PotoJENNY MARCROFT (NZ First): Thank you Madam Assistant Speaker. Kia ora koutou. It is a pleasure to stand and speak on Budget 2018 and I'd just like to acknowledge our finance Minister the Hon Grant Robertson for presenting to us a fantastic Budget. Governments have priorities and sometimes those priorities are of the Government's choosing and sometimes they're thrust upon the Government due to circumstances—and sometimes because of catastrophe. Catastrophe is immediate; it's obvious. But sometimes catastrophes are slow-moving and the implications are less obvious.There are many worthy causes and many projects with merit to deal with and distinguishing between them is a big part of the work of Government. Now these distinctions represent the values of a Government. New Zealand First believes that Budget 2018 addresses many of the immediate concerns left by the previous Government's rundown of core public services. Fiscal prudence means that we can't do everything that we'd like to straight away but a platform has been created by this Budget to get New Zealand on the right track again.Urgent action is required by this Budget to rebuild critical and crumbling public services—$6.5 billion extra will be spent over the next four years to get our State institutions functioning properly again. It's really easy to run things down and it takes a while for people to realise just how bad things are. We see biosecurity threats coming at us like never before because of the size and complexity of global trading systems and a National Government—a National Government—that claimed to represent the interests of farmers but it failed to respond to the biosecurity challenges that the giant moat around New Zealand used to protect us from. Psa myrtle rust and now M. bovis—they could have jumped on that latest nasty disease but they dithered. National just didn't rise to the occasion and snuff it out and now look where we are today. The costs dealing with the disease have escalated and our options are now very limited. Making sure we provide the funds necessary to do this job is where the rubber hits the road and this Government is determined to make sure that money is available where it is most needed but of course it doesn't just end there.We can't stop something like kauri dieback just by throwing money at it. We have to be committed way beyond just allocating funding because to defeat kauri dieback we need the cooperation of all New Zealanders. What we're talking about is a mobilisation of all Kiwis. There is just a tiny fraction of our kauri forest left and it's difficult to overestimate how important it is to save what is left. Economically ecologically and culturally the loss of kauri would be a really massive loss to New Zealand and to New Zealanders. So let's be clear the potential loss of these giants of the New Zealand forest now has to be considered a real possibility. We know what the disease is; we know how it spreads. Kauri we know are the keystone species in our forests—critical to the survival of other flora. What we have signalled in this Budget by this coalition Government is a determination to turn back the tide on kauri dieback. Budget 2018 sets a platform—a platform we will use to rebuild New Zealand's critical public services; protect our natural resources; take action on child poverty on housing on homelessness; and promote economic and regional development. These are big things and this Budget shows that the Government is facing up to these challenges. This coalition is a coalition built on collaboration a collaboration which is smooth and functioning with common objectives tying us together. New Zealand First is delighted with the direction of this Budget. It starts the process of regeneration and it includes an important and constructive input from New Zealand First.It was easy for a Government that lacked ambition that always took the path of least resistance—that was the previous Government. We have a new Government now. We have a leader and a group of three parties that understand why this country needs to be seen and heard overseas too. It's a Budget that organises priorities sets the platform for the rebuilding of New Zealand and it will face up to our problems and recognise our opportunities.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): Order! I apologise to the member; your time has expired. The Hon Dr Nick Smith I understand—Hon Dr Nick Smith: Madam Assistant Speaker the—ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): Excuse me. I understand this is a five-minute call?Hon Dr Nick Smith: Split.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): Thank you.