Sabin Mike: Imprest Supply DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSabin Mike: Imprest Supply Debate[Sitting date: 06 August 2013. Volume:692;Page:12403. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Third ReadingMIKE SABIN (National—Northland):That is a very wise choice Mr Assistant Speaker I am sure. I have such a commanding presence in the House Mr Cosgrove so I was the obvious choice. I want to focus a little bit on my electorate and the region of Northland and what this Government has been doing in that area. I am very pleased that this conversation will be heard by another Northlander Shane Jones. That will be welcomed. Northland is an area that is blessed with potential and dogged with underperformance. As a new MP—Rt Hon Winston Peters: Especially from the MP.MIKE SABIN: Opening an office in Whangarei Mr Peters does not make the New Zealand First Party suddenly become a massive presence in the lives of Northlanders. That is about all show and no do Mr Peters. I will welcome that member at any time to come up north and lock horns with me about what we are doing versus what that member is saying about Northland. That member has got a lot to say but he does not do much at all—he does not do much at all. Just visiting thewhānau back there in Whananaki does not make the difference. However I will refocus.Rt Hon Winston Peters: How many roads have you done? How many roads are tarsealed? Come on.MIKE SABIN: If the member took time to actually drive around the electorate he seems to now have such a love and affinity for he might know. Get up there and have a look—get up there and have a look. It is not just about having a coffee in your office. I will come back to my point. Mr Peters will I am sure enjoy my invitation to come and experience what Northland is actually about versus what he can see from the windows in his office.What I did as a new member of Parliament was to say: “What is the economic picture of Northland?” and we put together whole-of-region economic summits two in the middle of last year and asked 14 of the economic sectors of our economy to tell us what the enablers and constrainers were—Rt Hon Winston Peters: And then what happened? Nothing.MIKE SABIN: Listen up Mr Peters. Listen up. The member might learn something about what is happening in Northland at the moment. So what we did was we asked what the enablers and constrainers of the Northland economy are and what will help bring the potential to realisation. What we found was that across those 14 sectors 89 percent of the enablers and constrainers fell into nine very clear core themes. They were led off by infrastructure followed by local government the Resource Management Act the perception of Northland in the hearts and minds of New Zealanders theMāorieconomy the opportunities and the challenges around minerals the energy supply and the high-tech economy that Northland has to offer and is obviously waiting to unleash.So the purpose of the economic summits was to put together an action plan as to how we could develop—Rt Hon Winston Peters: No.MIKE SABIN: Listen up Mr Peters. Listen up. There is plenty to learn. The idea was to ensure that we had a whole-of-region economic plan that ultimately could be driven across sectors so that there was cohesion in how we actually realised that potential. The Northland Economic Advisory Group was born from that. It works with Northland Inc. in terms of a delivery mechanism to help work up—Rt Hon Winston Peters: And what’s happened?MIKE SABIN: —the potential from that. Well if the member listens I will inform him. Some 12 months on—he is leaning forward; he is waiting with bated breath for this—I will give some headlines as to what has happened. In terms of the infrastructure let us focus on that. Mid-next year we will be kicking off the fast-tracking of thePūhoi to Wellsford road of national significance a road that might not have started until 2017 possibly 2021.Rt Hon Winston Peters: That’s good for Dargaville!MIKE SABIN: We will be kicking that off—well it is actually good for Dargaville. If the member took the time to go and talk to some of his friends—the one or two that he has—over there what he would actually find is that the most significant and important component that they see to unlocking the potential of the Kaipara is actually the road of national significance. Those Matakohe bridges—do not worry because I have got a plan for those as well—will be aligned. They will be aligned.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Oh really?MIKE SABIN: Yes absolutely. There is going to be plenty of work going on there. That member will talk about it; I am doing something about it. In terms of the ah—Rt Hon Winston Peters: Oh you’ve forgot your place.MIKE SABIN: No no. I am coming to it; I am just repeating what the member does so often—he stumbles and stammers. When we look at the work that the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee and the Minister of Transport is doing here we are also looking at how to get better synergies across our regional roading networks. There is some very good legislation that I know the member Winston Peters will be keeping a very keen eye on. The review of KiwiRail—I am very confident that Northland’s potential the potential of Marsden Point and that port and the significance of rail infrastructure alongside road infrastructure means that we are going to get home on that.Local government reform—Northland has been dogged by challenges in local government. This Government passed legislation last year to ensure that regions like Northland can reform their local government structure. There is a process in place now for that to occur something that I am sure the Kaipara District Council will welcome with open ears given the travesty that has occurred there. When we look at the Resource Management Act we see that it is a major impediment to business development and the agricultural sector. That is being completely reformed by Amy Adams who I think is doing an absolutely stunning job as Minister for the Environment there cutting red tape simplifying consenting and getting rid of the vexatious stonewalling that we see so often. That has been welcomed with absolute open arms. That will be transformational in its nature.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Why is John Carter coming back?MIKE SABIN: Well I do not know. Ask him.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Well it’s your party.MIKE SABIN: Because he realises that Northland has got so much to offer. Now he is coming back to enjoy it. That is why.No longer will people like Winston Peters use Northland as the poverty whipping boy as the welfare whipping boy and as the poster boy for all that is wrong in New Zealand because this member and this Government is doing something about Northland. We look at the labour force. We look at what is going on in the labour force. We have reformed welfare. There are 90-day trial periods the youth start-up wage and the reforming of the Employment Relations Authority. We are increasing the Youth Guarantee and expanding the trades academies. I could go on but I am a disciplined member and will follow the instructions of my whip.I welcome the opportunity for Winston Peters to come and see what Northland is actually about. This Government is delivering for Northland and it is delivering for New Zealand.