Pillay Lynne: Address in Reply 
Pillay Lynne: Address in Reply 
[Volume:628;Page:161] 
LYNNE PILLAY (Labour—Waitakere) 
: 
 The first thing I want to do tonight is to acknowledge the two previous speakers the great things they said and their commitment not only to the environment but to workers’ rights—to all the things that the Labour Party holds dear. I think it is really important that we stand and acknowledge the things that are happening. 
I also want to acknowledge our previous speakers from the Labour Party—Shane Jones and Sue Moroney—who I think did us proud in the House tonight. They stood and spoke about the things that they hold dear the things that made them want to stand for Parliament and the things that they want to represent their people on. I felt a real pride when I heard what they talked about today. I cannot go past acknowledging Sue Moroney who comes from a racing background like myself. I see my friend over there in the Opposition Lindsay Tisch; he is probably not quite from the same area. The Moroneys train horses and I think Lindsay Tisch and I have more to do with the riding side of things. We are a little bit disadvantaged in the height stakes. 
But I also know that they acknowledged Helen Duncan in their speeches. I think that was a wonderful thing that Sue Moroney did. I want to take a little time to acknowledge all that Helen Duncan did. She was here to represent workers to represent families and to represent all the things that she holds dear. It was really wonderful for us on this side of the House to hear her recognised in such a wonderful way today. 
It is time now to reflect on my first term because I am coming into my second term as the MP for Waitakere. I was really happy to win that seat again. It is time to reflect on what our Government has achieved in that time. There have been many achievements but I want to talk about the things that are special to me. We know that under this Government we have had the best job prospects in decades. We have the lowest unemployment rate we have had for years. We see training in skills. Our initiatives are really coming to fruition. If we look at other countries or if we look at Paris at the moment we see young people who do not have those opportunities. They are dispossessed. We can compare that with the opportunities and the success stories that we see with our young people. 
 Very recently I attended the Gateway programme in Waitakere and I was very disappointed not to see any members of the Opposition there. John Key did not manage to get there. However it was really great for me as one of the local members to represent my colleagues David Cunliffe and Chris Carter and my former colleague John Tamihere and to see the success of those young people in getting into training and skills. The uptake was the biggest ever from the Gateway programme and the reason that it has been a major success is not just the result of what the Government has put in but also because of the way that people—the stakeholders the employers the schools the parents and the young people—have embraced it and are moving forward with it. There have been major successes in that area. 
Then I went to the prize-giving at Massey High School. Again John Key could not make it. I do not know what he was doing that night but it was wonderful to see that celebration of success—a multicultural plethora of young people going forward and succeeding. Those are things we can celebrate. They represent a real future for our young people. I have talked before about apprenticeships. We are looking at there being no interest on student loans not only while young people are training and studying but also when they graduate. 
Now we are looking towards the future. Homeownership is not a dream but a reality with our savings incentive of $1000 upfront to encourage saving. We encourage that. After 5 years of saving towards a deposit for a home the Government will give people $1000 for every year they have saved. That is absolutely wonderful. It equates to $10000 per couple after 5 years of saving. That is good news for young people and it is good news for New Zealand. 
Let us look at early childhood education. There will be 20 free hours of quality early childhood education for every 3 and 4-year-old in New Zealand by 2007. There is a bit of self-interest here: I just may be a grandmother in a few years’ time. 
Lindsay Tisch 
: Go on! 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: I know that Lindsay Tisch probably is a grandad and Wayne Mapp too. They certainly look as though they are. But I know we will all be celebrating for our young children because we know that early childhood education gives a real basis to achieving later in life. 
We have talked about the support for Working for Families. The Working for Families package will put much more money into the pockets of families with children. Families who earn from $45000 up to $70000 a year will benefit from that package. We know that if we invest in families our country will thrive and do well in the future. We know that we stand really proud on the world stage. 
I can see members of the Opposition looking kind of desperate. They are hanging their heads in shame. What I see when I look at them is New Zealand’s own answer to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Is that how I say his name? Members know the guy I mean—the one with rippling muscles. We have our own PC eradicator. Intellectually Wayne Mapp is exactly—perhaps he is not quite up to scratch—at about the same level as Arnold but the rippling muscles have yet to come. He does not look like an eradicator. 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: He looks like a plonker. 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: A member is saying that he looks like a plonker. I would not be as rude as that. At the moment Wayne Mapp does not— 
Lindsay Tisch 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The word the member used is I think unparliamentary. Maybe the member could explain what she actually meant by using that word in referring to the good Dr Wayne Mapp. We know he is the eradicator but the word the member used is I think unparliamentary. Maybe she could use a different word. 
Rodney Hide 
: If we are to start saying that this word or that word is unparliamentary then it is getting a bit precious is it not? The word “plonker” is not unparliamentary; it has not been ruled out as being unparliamentary. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The issue has been raised. We will move on. Thank you for raising it. 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: I will try to refrain from being too robust; the member is obviously a little sensitive. As I said intellectually Dr Mapp may not be quite there. I think he is almost at the same level as Arnold intellectually.I have big hopes for Wayne Mapp’s future in terms of the rippling muscle department—if the member would stand up I would not see it as an interruption—but we know that the member is not quite there yet. There have been rumours that he has been pumping down at the gym. We support that. Already we are seeing the buttons on that shirt just slightly straining—I am not talking about around the abdomen; I am talking about those biceps and chest muscles. We are looking forward to seeing that. 
But seriously what does eradicating political correctness really mean? It really means getting rid of the things that we hold dear and that we see as progress. The same thing happened under the Employment Contracts Act—suddenly “union” became a dirty word. That is what is happening with regard to political correctness now. I ask members what we have if we do not have political correctness. 
Dr Richard Worth 
: Common sense. 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: That is quite novel. I look back to the time when I was brought up. I know that kids adults and families were made to feel less than whole because of something that was perceived as being different about them. It might have been that they were Maori or of a different ethnicity—they might have been Indian or Chinese. It might have been that they came from a single-parent family. It might have been that they were gay. It might have been that they were elderly. It might have been that they belonged to a union. It might have been that they were low-income earners etc. etc. 
I do not know whether Dr Mapp has taken a call yet but I ask him to really explain what is so wrong about being inclusive in a society. I ask him what is so sexy about making anyone who does not fit in with the National view of the world or of the mainstream so wrong. It is a cheap shot and I know it has now become a slight embarrassment to the National Party. 
Steve Chadwick 
: A huge embarrassment! 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: A huge embarrassment.