Hipkins Chris; Rurawhe AdrianRt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Prime Minister): Budget day is a day for details a day for plans a day for vision. We just heard none of those things from the Leader of the Opposition. The biggest blowout that we have seen today was the release of hot air from the Leader of the Opposition opposite. It is no wonder his own colleagues have started to refer to him as Captain Cliché" because after three years to come up with a credible plan for what National would do for New Zealanders we heard nothing today from the Leader of the Opposition about what a National Government would stand for about what a National Government would do. All we heard as we have heard for the last three years is more running down of the New Zealand economy more running down of New Zealanders—how out of touch can you get?This is a great day for New Zealanders. It is a great Budget for Kiwi families. In a cost of living crisis New Zealanders know that they can trust this Government to have their backs and to work to ease the pressure that they face because that is exactly what we have done today. We know that families are under the pump at the moment; they are feeling the pressure. We know that household budgets are stretched and the answer to that needed to be a Budget that is going to support families not just now but also in the future one that lays the foundations for a better future for New Zealand because that is what this Budget does. This Budget unashamedly is about balance. It is a proudly Labour Budget about making targeted and affordable investments in the cost of living in providing relief for New Zealanders who are needing that and it is also about making sure that the future can be better.When I became Prime Minister in January I said that we would get back to basics and that is what we have been doing. I said that we would prioritise bread and butter issues like the cost of living and investing in the public services that New Zealanders rely on every day and that is what this Budget does. I said that we would be focused on infrastructure because this is the Government of infrastructure. You might hear others talking about it but they don't deliver. This is the Government that is delivering when it comes to infrastructure. This is a Government focused on creating the conditions for a growing economy.I heard the message from New Zealanders that they thought that in some areas we were doing too much too fast and that they wanted to see us focus on the basic issues that are affecting them right here and right now and that is what we have been doing. The first step of that was a reprioritisation exercise making sure that the Government's energy its resources and funding are focused on the issues that are most important to New Zealanders right now. That meant focusing on the issues that are about supporting working families supporting people in need supporting our businesses and building the infrastructure that we need and that is what we have focused on.We have saved $4 billion in this Budget to reinvest in those most important priorities to focus on the things that matter. We've continued to deliver for families for students for older New Zealanders. We've freed up more money and more resource so that we can focus on making sure businesses have access to the skilled labour that they need. We have continued to boost funding for the public services that New Zealanders rely on every day and of course I am very proud of the work that we have done in the past few months to progress our international trade agenda including through bringing into force the free-trade agreement with the United Kingdom—something that is going to be a boon for New Zealand exporters.We've continued to work on improving the pay and conditions of New Zealand workers because on this side of the House we believe that if you work hard you should be able to get ahead and that that is not the preserve only of those on the highest incomes; that should go to those who are on the lowest incomes as well. We don't call them "bottom feeders" on this side of the House; we call them Kiwi workers. They deserve a Government that's got their backs and that's what they have.This is a Government that is focused on ensuring that New Zealanders get the support they need and that our Kiwi kids get the best start in life possible and I am so proud of the work that this Government has been doing in that area. I'm also proud of the work that we have been doing to support older New Zealanders. We have increased superannuation—one of the biggest increases to superannuation that our older New Zealanders have seen in quite some time. There have been minimum wage increases to make sure that the Kiwis who go out to work every day and flog their guts out actually get rewarded for that and can actually make ends meet. We are making sure that our benefits are keeping up with the rising cost of living and we're providing support for students. These are all things we have invested in in this year's Budget. We've supported over a million Kiwis with the winter energy payment—thank you Grant Robertson for that.We are building 3000 new classrooms because we are not content to have kids learning in hallways and gymnasiums and libraries which is the situation we inherited from the last Government and we are very close to putting 1800 extra police on the beat since we became the Government because under the last Government the ratio of police to New Zealanders went backwards. We have been focused on keeping our community safer by putting more cops on the beat because again those members might talk a big game when it comes to law and order but they just don't deliver. And I make no apology for the fact that under this Government our teachers our nurses our doctors our firefighters our police our social workers and our front-line public servants have been receiving the pay increases that they deserve which stands in stark contrast to the nine years prior to the time that we became the Government. I want a country where if you work hard you can get ahead. I want to live in a New Zealand where the circumstances into which you were born do not dictate the opportunities that you have in life or hold you back. I want a country where parents who work hard can provide a better life for their children a better life than the one that they might have had through their hard work. I want to live in a New Zealand where effort and contribution are recognised and celebrated and rewarded and where all New Zealanders get a share in the future prosperity of this country. I want to live in a country that is proud to care for the most vulnerable among us and that is what our Government is delivering. But I also want New Zealand to be a country that is optimistic about the future that is outward looking and that is confident and ready to take on the world and that is what this Government is committed to delivering. We are not running down the country; we are proud of New Zealand. We are proud to be Kiwis and we are proud to represent New Zealand on the world stage with optimism and with confidence because we know that that is what is going to deliver a better deal and a better economy for New Zealanders.I spoke about the work we did after I became Prime Minister around reprioritisation and today's Budget is the second step in that plan. It is the Budget that sets out our new focus and new direction one that supports Kiwi families today and builds for tomorrow. The cost of living package in this Budget will make a real difference for millions of New Zealanders and it will make lives better. One of best investments we can make as a country is the investment we make in our children our tamariki and I am so proud of the work that we are doing in early childhood education. Through this Budget 40000 additional Kiwi kids will be eligible for 20 hours a week of free early childhood education. It was a Labour Government that introduced 20 hours a week of free early childhood education and it is a Labour Government that is expanding it. We are committed to addressing issues around the cost of healthcare and making sure that cost is not a barrier to Kiwis living healthy lives. The work that we are doing in this Budget to scrap the $5 prescription co-charge will deliver for New Zealanders. It will help to keep people out of the health system when they don't need to be there. It will help those New Zealanders who aren't collecting their prescriptions because they can't afford to have them and those are many of the same Kiwis that end up in our health system avoidably because cost is a barrier. The work to scrap the co-payment is in stark contrast with the last Government who increased it. When the times got tough—when the going got tough they decided to clobber New Zealanders who needed healthcare by increasing co-payments for prescriptions. Our Government recognises that when times are tough making sure Kiwis can access the healthcare they need is one of the most important things that a Government can do and that is exactly what we are doing. Reportedly 135000 New Zealanders went without collecting their prescriptions because they couldn't afford to collect them. This Budget delivers for them. It delivers for elderly New Zealanders who rely on those prescriptions. It makes sure that Kiwis can access the healthcare that they need. Costs should not be a barrier to healthcare. But furthermore there is more around the cost of living. Making sure that Kiwis can get around is also a very important priority for this Government. This year's Budget extends free public transport for five- to 12-year-olds indefinitely so that our children can get around on free public transport and it extends half-price public transport for 13- to 25-year-olds which is a real boon for our students getting around and a real saving to Kiwi families who are wanting to support their kids through their educational journey. It will make a very big difference: 1.6 million New Zealanders are now eligible for free or half-price public transport. To put that into context for the average Kiwi family with two kids using public transport each week they will be saving $30 a week. That is going to make a difference. Since coming into Government we have provided cheaper public transport fares for 2.7 million New Zealanders. We're working to reduce their power bills too with the Warmer Kiwi Homes retrofits: 100000 more homes are warmer and drier because of the investments that we are making in this year's Budget. We know that after the last 18 months it's been tough for New Zealand families. Treasury is now forecasting yearly economic growth of 3.2 percent and they are suggesting that we could avoid a recession altogether. That's not by accident; it's by careful economic management and I want to acknowledge the work of our finance Minister Grant Robertson and his careful stewardship of our finances.Most importantly the Treasury are forecasting that our inflation rate will get back to within the 1 to 3 percent target rate by the end of next year. That will help New Zealand families to get ahead. One of the most important things that we can do in this Budget is to make sure that we keep the inflation rate pointing downwards and that is what this Budget has been focused on doing. But Budgets need to be about more than just the here and now; they've got to also be about investing for the future. Even in a cost of living crisis we need to be building for tomorrow and planning to come out the other side of the economic challenge that we have experienced. This Budget sets aside an additional $6 billion to build community resilience and haven't the events of the recent six months shown just how important that is. We want to build back better. We want to build back more resilient and that is what we will do. We inherited a housing crisis when we became the Government and if there's one thing you know about a housing crisis it's you don't hock off the limited affordable rental houses you have; you build some more. That is what this Government is doing and that work is continuing with the extra 3000 public homes that we are investing in in this year's Budget.I make no apology for the fact that we are spending an extra $1 billion on our health workforce. The people who go out there and deal with some of our most vulnerable New Zealanders every day—they deserve it. Our Budget is backing our exporters and it's backing new and emerging sectors of our economy—our game developers our digital and tech sectors—because we know those are where the jobs of the future are going to be. In the 20 minutes of hot air that we just heard nowhere did we hear any suggestion of where the National Party think the jobs of the future are going to come from. Not one new idea about creating a higher-value economy or how we could grow the economy or how we could grow incomes—nothing from them about it. But we did hear about that in the Budget because that is what the Budget is going to help to deliver for New Zealand.This is a positive and pragmatic Budget. We're looking at programmes that work and we're making sure that they continue. A programme I am very proud of is the Apprenticeship Boost programme. After the global financial crisis what did we see happen with apprenticeships under the last National Government? We saw them reducing the number of people in apprenticeships.If we want to know why we've got critical skills shortages in areas like building and construction now it was because of the under-investment of the last Government. We will not allow those mistakes to be repeated. Apprenticeship Boost is keeping our apprentices in work and it is resulting in more people taking up apprenticeships. That is going to be good for our future as a country and we are focused on making sure that we are increasing the opportunities for our exporters. This Government doesn't just talk a big game when it comes to international trade we actually deliver. If you look at the trade agreements signed by this Government versus the trade agreements signed by that Government—the last Government—I will back this Government every day of the week.But more importantly when we go abroad we're there to talk up New Zealand not talk New Zealand down. We don't go around the world complaining Kiwi businesses are too soft; we go around the world promoting Kiwi businesses because we are backing Kiwi businesses to create jobs and to help New Zealanders to get ahead.We know that there are serious issues facing New Zealand and what have we heard from the Opposition about what they might do and what their plans are? Well so far the biggest issue that seems to be confronting the National Party is that they think that they should start issuing tax receipts for New Zealanders. Well I hope the National Party kept their receipt the last time they traded in their leader because I think there's a few backbenchers who are going to be looking for a refund because after that woeful contribution that we just heard I can tell that Nicola Willis is out of the House already because she's back in the boardrooms around Auckland touting her future prospects.The "coalition of cuts" opposite has no positive and optimistic plan for the future of New Zealand. We know what would happen under a National Government. They haven't really said much but we can read it in the tea leaves and we can read it in their statement: Apprenticeship Boost—gone; Fees Free for those future workers like our future teachers nurses doctors—that would be gone under National; progress on climate change—gone; winter energy payments—finished; free and healthy school lunches—gone under National; school funding—reduced. As for workers' pay and conditions we know that they would be on the chopping block as well. Money for rail—chopped; State houses—sold off because that's what they did last time; the 10 days of sick leave introduced under this Government—back on the chopping block under a National Government. I'll tell you there's one thing New Zealanders can be certain of under a National-ACT Government: one of the things that is absolutely clear is that both of those parties want to cut superannuation. They have both made it clear that they have plans to reduce eligibility for superannuation in New Zealand; they are united on that. The only question is: how deep are they going to cut it?The ACT Party—for all of their faults at least they have a plan which is more than the National Party have. So it's the team without a plan or the team with a plan. It's probably the ACT Party's plan that's going to hold sway and New Zealanders should be very very worried about that because the only thing that the ACT Party want to do if David Seymour was Minister of Finance which he seems to be lining up for—he's nodding his head—is cut cut and cut. That is what a National-ACT Government would stand for.But enough about them. Let's finish on a positive note and that is that I want to thank Grant Robertson for the work that he has done to support Kiwi families and to support Kiwi businesses. We know that the global economic conditions that we have faced in this Government have been tough. We know that there have been some tough choices in this Budget and we know that Grant Robertson—as he always has over the last six Budgets—has handled those well. He has given us a balanced approach to managing the New Zealand economy one that is delivering for New Zealanders and one that will help to create a brighter future for New Zealand not by ignoring the future but by making sure that we are investing in it.This is a Budget for the times. It is a no-frills Budget that's delivering for New Zealanders. Well done Grant Robertson; I am proud of the Budget that you have delivered.SPEAKER: Just confirming that the question now is that the amendment in the name of the Leader of the Opposition be agreed to."