SpeechDAN ROSEWARNE (Labour): It's my privilege to be taking a call on the imprest supply bill and the appropriation bill. I was recently at a retirement village in the Waimakariri electorate having a yarn about what happens in the House and one of the things that came up was Dan maybe it would be good to discuss the mechanics of what you're discussing when you're in the House?" So for those listening in today the imprest supply Acts are a regular part of the annual Budget cycle and the Crown cannot spend public money or incur expenses or capital expenditure without an appropriation or other authority of Parliament. So spending that occurs outside of these categories is considered unauthorised expenditure and the third reading of the appropriation bill is the final stage in Parliament for passing Budget 2023 by appropriating the various appropriations set out in the schedules of the bill. I first want to highlight how this Budget continues to embody the spirit of our independent nuclear-free New Zealand which is something that's not discussed very often. Recently we discussed in the House the time that we sent one of our Ministers to protest against nuclear tests at Mururoa Atoll. As he sailed vessels across the Pacific—very important in the Pacific with what's happening right now; it's always important to look outwards while everyone else is looking in—it led to the Treaty of Rarotonga where we worked with our Pacific neighbours to establish the world's first international nuclear-free zone known as the Treaty of Rarotonga. This Budget continues that tradition of Pacific cooperation. This Government is investing into building up that Pacific resilience with a $14.1 million investment in Pacific community wellbeing. It aims to strengthen the capability and leadership of our Pacific workforce. There are also capital injections of over $16 million planned for 2023-24 as part of our blue Pacific investment and we're also investing $1 million into the Pacific Cooperation Foundation for the promotion of mutual understanding between New Zealanders and other countries and the people of the Pacific. These are just some of the initiatives in this Budget that build and strengthen our special relationship with our Pacific neighbours. I also want to touch on what this Budget does to ease the cost of living. I'm proud that through this Budget we're tackling the cost of living by putting money back into people's pockets with cheaper childcare free prescriptions and free or half-price public transport for young New Zealanders and we're easing the pressure on struggling families by providing targeted support that won't drive up inflation. Now it's a no-frills Budget but it suits the times with a particular focus on support for families under the pump. There are things like 20 hours' free early childhood education for two-year-olds the $5 prescription fee being scrapped also free public transport for our under-13s—very important—and it being half-price for under-25s and then we can never forget the extra 100000 more Warmer Kiwi Homes. When I'm out and about in the electorate—and I've been doing a lot of constituency clinics over the last few weeks and doorknocking out in Pegasus which is just north of Woodend—people are concerned about what the scrapping of fair pay agreements might mean if an ACT-National coalition came into Government. They're also worried about what the freezing of the minimum wage would mean to them and their families and they're worried about the investment hole that's in the strategic infrastructure plan of what National is proposing—you know that foreign investment and what that might mean to everyday Kiwis—because they certainly don't want to be tenants in their own country. With the Labour Government when we invest in infrastructure the people of New Zealand will 100 percent own it and that's very important. The other thing I just want to touch on is what they feel is at risk. There are a lot of working people in the Waimakariri electorate. There are a lot of tradies and people in physical jobs and they're worried about the increase in the retirement age. They'll get to that stage where they're not in the position to work an extra two years because their bodies are wrecked and with a Labour Government we are committed to keeping the retirement age at 65 which is very important. Now we're also strengthening the economy by investing in the basics for growth with skills that will better position our workforce for infrastructure—science technology and the economy—to address the shortages in our workforce. The economy is through the worst with inflation having peaked and returning to the target range next year. We've got good growth tourism is back and more workers are plugging our skills shortages—we're seeing that firsthand in the Waimakariri electorate where again the Waimakariri economy continues to grow strongly up by 4.3 percent over the year to June 2023—and then GDP is up 1.7 percent per annum in the June 2023 quarter. Waimakariri's housing market remains relatively strong relative to both Christchurch and the rest of the country. Tourism activity in Waimakariri has benefited from the return of international visitors to New Zealand over the past year and with tourists' electronic card spending in Waimakariri up by 14 percent over the year to June 2023 there's a good story to tell in North Canterbury. Guest nights at commercial accommodation in Waimakariri have also grown by 38 percent to the year June 2023 which is very promising. Also I just want to talk about jobseeker support. Recipients in the Waimakariri District in the year to June 2023—that figure has decreased by 7.6 percent compared to a year earlier. Non-residential building consents to the value of over $58 million were issued in the Waimakariri District during the year to June 2023. So this is an increase of around 90 percent over the year to June 2023 compared to the year earlier and this has placed us in a great position to build for tomorrow in North Canterbury. We're also providing a massive boost to our nation's infrastructure across the country which has been tested during the recent flooding and cyclone. We saw roads and bridges as well as telecommunications and power wiped out too easily and we can't let that happen again. We're building back more resilience so that we can be better prepared for more extreme weather events in the future and some of those examples include 300 new classrooms to be built across New Zealand. We've got 100 more resilient roads and 3000 additional public homes. So things are tough right now and we totally understand that but the numbers are moving in the right direction and we're easing the costs for families through targeted investments that will avoid stoking inflation. I'm proud of what this Government is doing for working battlers and young strivers in particular. We're creating opportunities through our prudent management of the economy and building a New Zealand where there are greater opportunities and access to homeownership as we build back better. We're getting inflation under control and back in the target range next year. We've got half-price public transport and then also free apprenticeships and innovation investments to prepare our workforce for the future. In the electric vehicle (EV) space we've got 23 EV multi-charging hubs around New Zealand. Again in the Waimakariri electorate they're springing up in Woodend and out at Rangiora which is great to see and pretty much almost every town around New Zealand is getting additional EV chargers. Then we're also seeing major investments in things like science and skills which is great and we're growing our tech and gaming workforce which is in my view a form of investment. Last week my colleagues and I in the Pacific caucus visited PikPok which is just in town here. They are world leaders in the gaming sector and it was great to chat to them about the 20 percent rebate for game development and how that sector is benefiting. PikPok is a home-grown business here in Wellington and they employ some of our best and brightest people in New Zealand. The gaming sector shows some great promise and so that development scene—we've actually saved it from going offshore to other nations. So it is very very important that we grow raise train and sustain that workforce for the future. Getting out and about in Waimakariri people know that they have a clear choice. They have a clear choice about who to vote for this election. The movement for Labour out there is fantastic and I'm really looking forward to hitting this election on 1 September. Thank you Mr Speaker."