Tabuteau Fletcher: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTabuteau Fletcher: General Debate[Sitting date: 09 September 2015. Volume:708;Page:6437. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]FLETCHER TABUTEAU (NZ First): What a great example from the previous speaker to make my next point. This National Government has become a Monty Python skit straight off “Planet Key”. It is just wonderful to watch. They make noises about how wonderful things are. They make noises about being a hands-off Government and about being a laissez-faire management system—in that this Government should not do anything for private enterprise. This Government has no role to play they say in private business. They tell that to the New Zealand public with pride. But here is a bit of a brief reality check for members on the opposite side. Does MediaWorks ring a bell? Does Rio Tinto sound familiar? Does Warner Bros sound familiar? A hundred million times a hundred million dollars this Government has interfered and intervened in private business—even South Canterbury Finance the company that abused the vagaries of the time. It was given over a billion dollars of taxpayers’ money.New Zealand First can actually understand and support Government intervention in certain cases.Chris Bishop: Oh of course you can.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: It is the inconsistency Mr Bishop. It is the inconsistency of this Government in the message that it tells New Zealand. It tells us that the Government should not intervene. It tells us that it should not pick and choose—Chris Bishop: Trust you guys! You’d pick better right?FLETCHER TABUTEAU: But Mr Bishop you do pick and choose. You do intervene. As with just about every message from the Government it says one thing but then its actions belie the lyrics from that wonderful song sheet that has been written for them: say a nice thing do another.New Zealanders do not need to be reminded of the $12 million payout to billionaire Saudi farmers for a model farm that New Zealand has no ownership of—not even a small part. It makes no sense whatsoever. Yesterday in the House the Rt Hon Winston Peters brought to the House’s attention the arbitrary decision-making of this Government to use a foreign-owned waste management company instead of a purportedly highly effective New Zealand company. There was no tender process—completely undemocratic.Then there is Rocket Lab. We found out in the House today that this Government has been holding Rocket Lab up as a wonderful successful example of Government helping out New Zealand business. But what we found out today is that this is a 100 percent American-owned company and at this stage the Government has handed over about $25 million so far. Stories are told by this Government about supporting Kiwi business but Rocket Lab is an American company with shareholders such as Lockheed Martin a billion-dollar foreign corporate. This Government is giving it money.This Government is selling out. It is selling out New Zealand to large foreign corporates. They do not believe in small New Zealand business. We have been told that Mr Key and Mr Foss cannot even be bothered to turn up to the of small New Zealand businessannual conference and apparently this has been going on for 3 years. They just cannot be bothered. What this Government needs to appreciate is that it has agreed to new Government procurement rules and that means they give no preference to New Zealand companies. But they give no cognisance to the fact that a million dollars spent in New Zealand results in an average of 10.5 new or sustained jobs $105000 taken back in tax and $130000 saved out of welfare payments. It is not racist—as New Zealand First is often accused of being—to be proud and to stand up for New Zealand and New Zealand first. It is in fact absolutely common sense.This Government continues to be short-sighted in its decision making to sell off Kiwi land Kiwi homes and Kiwi businesses. The strategic partial sale of energy assets makes no economic sense whatsoever. In fact it is theft from those Kiwis from the past who put the toil in to create those Kiwi-owned assets and it is theft from future generations. New Zealanders whether they be brand new or born here must be proud to be New Zealanders. As so many examples from around the world show us quite starkly—