Mapp Wayne: Employment Relations (Flexible Working Hours) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Mapp Wayne: Employment Relations (Flexible Working Hours) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:624;Page:19673] 
Dr WAYNE MAPP (National—North Shore) 
: 
 That was a speech from a tired old unionist—so tired that Mr Tamihere had this to say about him: “Mark Gosche never delivered for them so they’re bringing in Maryann Street…”. Mr Gosche is so tired he could not even deliver. We heard Mr Gosche go on about family values ballet and so forth. Right throughout the electorate I serve and right throughout the electorates all National members serve we can go to sports fields to ballet classes and to an enormous range of activities that parents support. Mr Gosche is simply not telling the truth. I guess that is why Labour has had to bring Maryan Street in. She is a militant unionist but I guess Labour thinks that at least she provides better value than Mr Gosche. 
It is extraordinary to hear the justification given for this bill because it is actually a bill in search of a problem. The problem the Green Party talks about simply does not exist. I guess the one thing we can say about the New Zealand workforce today more than at any other time is that it is flexible open and dynamic and that people make a whole variety of choices—choices that in fact meet their particular needs. When I listen to the ultra-leftists that the Greens are it seems to me that they have never heard of negotiation flexibility choice or the practical experience of people in the workforce. That does not surprise me because the Green Party and the Labour Party are chock-full of unionists and people who simply have never had to negotiate in small business. In small businesses up and down this country people make arrangements to suit their needs. 
Let us look at the real facts rather than the allegations. The number of women in the workforce—and to be honest I guess we are largely talking about women here—has increased 16.1 percent in the last 4 years. Those women are making choices that suit their particular circumstances. A large amount of that increase involves part-time work. Who takes part-time work? It is mothers with children at home. They choose a flexible approach that meets their family needs. We do not need legislation to achieve that particular outcome. 
The Government and the Green Party refer to Europe. Europe is their mantra and mentor. We have heard about all sorts of European countries and Britain is one of them. There is a reason why they choose Europe. They do so because it is the European centralist bureaucratic model that they admire. That model is all about low productivity high taxes and European decline. That is what it is about—European decline. This Government loves the European model. This Government would ally itself with the European model on every single option that it can choose. Unfortunately it is voting on the wrong side of history. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Simon Power 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am quite happy to sit on this side of the House and indulge in a bit of jousting with Government members—that is the custom of this place—but a comment made by the “Associate Minister for Communications and Power Lines” was completely unacceptable. If Dr Mapp did not take offence I certainly did. The Government whip has also made comments indicating that it was unacceptable. The Minister should be made to withdraw and apologise. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: The Minister will stand withdraw and apologise. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: On the basis that— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: When the Minister stands he just withdraws and apologises with no comment. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
Dr WAYNE MAPP 
: I guess that is the sort of comment that causes Mr Tamihere to have such opprobrium for that particular Minister. The trouble with this legislation is that it is a bureaucratic centralised solution to a non-existent problem. I guess it is not surprising that the Green Party chooses the European model and I guess it is not surprising that the Labour Party chooses the European model. Those are countries with low productivity failing economies and low growth. National aspires to a country with high productivity and flexible negotiations—situations in which people can make real choices. That is why this bill is simply not necessary.