Anderton Jim: General Debate 
Anderton Jim: General Debate 
[Volume:649;Page:17773] 
Hon JIM ANDERTON (Minister of Agriculture) 
: 
 I move  
That the House take note of miscellaneous business 
. This week we have finally heard some policy from the National Party. What was it? National will sell Kiwibank. That is National’s one policy alongside its policy on tax cuts and it will sell Kiwibank to pay for them. It is irresponsible to sell the family silver to buy the groceries. If selling Kiwibank was such a good idea why would National not tell the public first openly and plainly? This has an eerie resemblance to the infamous response of David Lange when he was asked why he had not told the public of New Zealand about the secret policy agenda of the then Labour Government. He answered with extreme honesty: “They wouldn’t have liked it.” That is why Bill English was telling someone privately and not publicly. We have heard this before. This is a return to the hollow men and to the failed policies of the 1980s and 1990s where Governments got into power by saying one thing and then doing exactly the opposite. 
So what does National say now about Kiwibank? Well members should not take my word for it; they should take the words of the esteemed political journalist John Armstrong in the  
New Zealand Herald 
 this morning. He said that National has not just one policy on Kiwibank but five—all at the same time. The first policy is that “National has no plans to sell Kiwibank”. Well that seems clear enough; that is policy No. 1. The second policy is that “National will eventually sell Kiwibank” which is a bit confusing. The third policy is that “National will not sell Kiwibank”. The fourth policy is that “National is unlikely to sell Kiwibank”. The fifth policy is that “National will not sell Kiwibank in its first term in government.” Which of those is the real policy? I do not have the faintest idea. But somebody who talked to Bill knew and Bill said he did say it. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Order! 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: Mr English said he knew and the policy was that National would sell Kiwibank eventually. But he should not have said those words; they were “mis-spoken”. I have heard that before—it was a “mis-speak”. The trouble is that Mr English having admitted that he said it faced the incredible humiliation of having Mr Key come out and say “No no he didn’t really say it even though he said he did. The tapes have been doctored.” Mr English did not come out and say the tapes had been doctored; he said “I said it.” National cannot even get that story right. Mr English and Mr Key were standing together outside the caucus room; Mr English was saying “Yeah I’ll fall on my sword—I was an idiot; I said all that stuff.” and then his leader went on  
Morning Report 
 this morning and said “No he didn’t. The tapes were doctored.” Why did Mr English not think about that? I cannot believe it. When Mr English thought no one was listening he really told the truth. So in actual fact he was caught telling the truth: National will sell Kiwibank eventually. Of course National has to sell the assets of New Zealand to pay for its tax cuts. Where have we heard that before? Plenty of Governments in the history of this country have sold New Zealanders down the river. 
Where have we heard the statement that National is “almost certainly likely” to sell Kiwibank? Where have we heard that statement before? Actually we heard that from Mr Key. You see National members have their lines taught to them but they get them mixed up. Mr Key has been told that when he says something he thinks might be unpopular he should qualify it. The words are “almost certainly likely” so National is likely to sell Kiwibank eventually. But when Mr Key was asked whether National would sell the Accident Compensation Corporation he thought about how he had been taught to qualify things and he said it was “almost certainly likely” that National would sell it. 
This is a party that wants to govern New Zealand. But every time someone hears National members say something it is either five versions of the same thing that all mean something different or it is “almost certainly likely” that they might do something if they ever get around to it. And people are supposed to trust them! I say to this House that it would be a piece of economic sabotage at a time of international financial uncertainty to sell the only New Zealand - owned nationwide bank we have and National stands indicted on that.