Hide Rodney: Adjournment — Sittings of the House 
Hide Rodney: Adjournment — Sittings of the House 
[Volume:669;Page:16481] 
Hon RODNEY HIDE (Leader—ACT) 
: 
 First of all on behalf of the ACT Party I wish you Mr Speaker and your wife a very happy Christmas. Also on behalf of all New Zealand I thank you for your service as Speaker. I think everyone appreciates the good humour and the grace you have brought to the job of Speaker your fairness in the application of the rules and your sense of appreciation of the importance of Parliament in any functioning democracy. Certainly you have improved question time out of sight for the people of New Zealand if not for Government Ministers. Certainly you have made question time relevant and I thank you for that. 
I acknowledge in this Parliament—and I am sure others will appreciate this—our VIP Transport Service driver Jimmy who has retired after 33 years of service to sit on the beach at Waihi. I also note the very sad loss of Twiss who passed away early this year who was a friend and confidante of us all. It was a sudden and very great loss. 
I acknowledge all the work of Ministerial Services and the Parliamentary Service in particular the messengers who have to sit through some pretty mind-numbing speeches— 
Stuart Nash 
: Speak for yourself. 
Hon RODNEY HIDE 
: I was thinking of Mr Nash. I also acknowledge the Hansard team because not only do they have to sit through those speeches but also they have to type them up. I wish that Mr Nash would think of that more often. But I have noticed that they can take Mr Nash’s speeches and make them read rather well so I thank the Hansard team. 
I acknowledge the tremendous work throughout the year of Mark Ford and the Auckland Transition Agency in producing the new Auckland Council; the Chief Executive of the Department of Internal Affairs Brendan Boyle and his team; and also the staff of the old councils who worked assiduously to produce a good result in Auckland and of the new Auckland Council who are working so well to make it work for the benefit of Auckland and the rest of the country. 
I acknowledge the Prime Minister John Key who undoubtedly is doing a fantastic job as Prime Minister which is acknowledged by the people of New Zealand. As a Minister I have found him fantastic to work with. I also acknowledge my ministerial colleagues. I acknowledge all the ACT staff in Wellington and in Auckland and our new MP Hilary Calvert. I also acknowledge the people of Epsom who support me as their MP. 
Phil Twyford 
: Do they? 
Hon RODNEY HIDE 
: I hope that one day Mr Twyford can convince the Labour Party to let him stand for a seat in Auckland and he too can ask people for their vote. I thank the people of Epsom and also all the ACT members and supporters. 
We promised the people of New Zealand that if they voted for us in Epsom and with their party vote it would effect a change of Government and we would go from a Helen Clark - led Government to a John Key - led Government. That happened as a consequence of the vote in Epsom and the vote for ACT. We promised the people of New Zealand that ACT would ensure not just a change in Government but also a stable Government and we have delivered on that. It has not been just a stable Government but also a better Government as a consequence of the party vote for ACT. We have done that. 
The highlights for us for the year undoubtedly include ACT’s achievement in passing “three strikes” legislation to ensure that people will be safer in the street. We certainly know that the people of New Zealand have been asking for it for a very long time and they were delivered it by giving their party vote to ACT. I believe that the change we made in Auckland has been successful and that it will make a big difference not just to the people of Auckland but also to the people of New Zealand. 
I look forward to one year the Labour Party getting positive and starting to make a contribution in our Parliament instead of sitting there even on this pleasant day carping away miserable in Opposition. I guess they are feeling hurt because the barbecue season is upon them. No one knows that more keenly than Mr Cunliffe and Mr Goff. 
We are also proud of the fact that we have done the work to open up accident compensation to choice and competition. We have opened up the opportunity for more people to get work through our changes to legislation with regard to the 90-day trial. I must say what a pleasure it has been for me to work in special education and to see how well the special education review that this Government has done has been received by principals teachers and parents alike. 
On Saturday we passed into law the establishment of the Productivity Commission which will no doubt make a big difference to New Zealand. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: We did the work—give us some kudos. 
Hon RODNEY HIDE 
: Lianne Dalziel is already shouting her support across the Chamber for the work that the ACT Party has done. I appreciate her support in getting the Productivity Commission up and running. I look forward to next year introducing the Regulatory Responsibility Bill to further clamp down on red tape and the Taxpayer Rights Bill to get on top of Government spending after years of neglect by the previous Labour Government. 
I appreciate enormously the work the ACT MPs and the ACT team have done in campaigning against not just Labour’s 2004 foreshore and seabed legislation but also the present Government’s attempt to improve on that legislation which in fact makes it worse. I also appreciate the team campaigning against the emissions trading scheme and ensuring that this Government has a proper review next year so that we do not impose unnecessary costs on New Zealand producers households and families to no net advantage to the environment. 
I end by wishing the Labour Party members the Green Party members the ACT Party members the Maori Party members and the National Party members all the very best for Christmas. Mr Speaker we look forward to seeing you back in the new year. Once again we thank you for your service and your work as Speaker. Thank you.