Henare Tau: Address in Reply 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Henare Tau: Address in Reply 
[Sitting date: 08 February 2012. Volume:677;Page:194. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon TAU HENARE (National) 
: 
 Can I say happy New Year to all members and can I say to the Hon Shane Jones: awesome speech bro. It is a pity that that sort of speech was not around when he was a Minister—a pity that that speech was not around when Labour was in Government—but it was a good speech none the less apart from the last 2 minutes of drivel on State-owned enterprise sales.  
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: You’re for it now are you?  
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Sorry? 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: You’re for sales now? 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Absolutely. Do you know why? Because we are in charge. I do not know where that member has been in the last 3 years and I do not want to know but the fact is that this is the first time that we have actually had a sale of State-owned enterprises in a way that we will keep ownership of 51 percent and 49 percent is sold to mums dads and whomever.  
Here is something else that has not been parroted about the State-owned enterprises sale: no one is going to be able to buy own or control more than 10 percent. Is that not a good thing? Is it not a great thing that we are still able to control 51 percent? Just imagine if we had been able to do that with Telecom. Just imagine if we had been able to do that with the New Zealand Railways Corporation. My old man would have still worked on the railways instead of being let go by none other than that lot over there.  
I do not bear any grudges but I tell you what: what can we look forward to in this term of the National Government? Well only one thing: back in black by 2014. At least that is our target and we will stick to that target. Issues that have to be dealt with along the way on that journey are these: the Treaty clause obviously; the State-owned enterprises; mining; and Waitangi Day our country’s birthday. If nobody was listening the other day I say happy birthday New Zealand. Not happy Waitangi Day but happy birthday. If those are the words we are looking for then I implore people in this House to next Waitangi Day wake up and say happy birthday to our beloved country.  
I tell you what: this is the best country in the world and I ain’t going anywhere. Some of us will be going somewhere to look for better opportunities offshore. But here is the thing. The Opposition loves to say that our people are going off to Australia where there are better opportunities. Well here is something to realise: the Australian mining industry is a $400 billion industry. Why do you think—sorry Mr Deputy Speaker. Why do people think that our young people go to Australia? It is because there are jobs there. All of those people in this House and outside it who protest against drilling mining and creating opportunities are the reason—they are the reason—why our young people are going overseas. They do nothing to employ those young people and employment opportunities in the Public Service are not going to get us out of the situation that we are in.  
I understand the Greens’ position in terms of the environment—absolutely—and I believe that we should do everything in our power to keep New Zealand green and pure but also I have to say this: you are dealing with between 16 and 20 percent of the population who just happen to be the indigenous population of this country. Those people are looking for a job and an opportunity. I can guarantee that there would be those people up and down the East Coast and people in the north—two zones I think we should actually call “special economic zones” where we should do our utmost to help those people. So I believe that we do need to have a look at what is under the ground and I believe that we do need to drill. I think we do need to do all of those things to make sure that our— 
Grant Robertson 
: Schedule 4? Schedule 4 lands? 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: You know schedule 4 is not the whole of the country OK?  
Grant Robertson 
: Are you ruling that out? 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: I do not rule anything out. Hell I am not even in Cabinet mate; I am on the backbench. I cannot rule anything in or out these days.  
But I tell you what: the other thing that I want to talk about is foreign investment. I tell you that for a small country of only 4 million people we need foreign investment. We need everybody around the world investing in our country investing in our young people and investing in the two zones that I have spoken about. Now I would love for Heinz to come to the north. I would love it because that would offer some of our people some jobs. I know that the north is the jewel in the crown of New Zealand. Well let us get in behind it. Let us make sure that we open up opportunities for our young people and their families.  
Catherine Delahunty 
: Go to Otorohanga. They’ve sorted it out. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Yes absolutely—absolutely. There are schemes that abound around New Zealand that are good for people. But I have to say to those who protest against mining and protest against drilling and who turn up in their big four-wheel drives saying “No drilling!” and “No mining!”—and it is OK because they want to be able to use the resources of Australia Singapore and everywhere else except here—that I find that hypocritical just as I find hypocritical xenophobic and verging on racist the attitude towards the Crafar farms.  
Grant Robertson 
: From whom? 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: From those who oppose the Crafar farms—those who oppose the sale of the Crafar farms. I am appalled but I also laugh at the same time at those same people who are saying “We don’t want the Chinese to buy.” That is what they are saying; that is what it comes down to. If it was an American or an Australian not a problem because we have been there we have done that we have bought the T-shirt and we sold the land for a golf course—we sold the land for this that and the other thing. But when the poor old Chinese person wants to buy it they say “Oh no we don’t want any part of it.” So look deep inside your hearts when you say you are against the sale of the Crafar farms and look also at whom you are supporting: the Michael Fays of this nation. 
Hon Members 
: Tuwharetoa. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: That is right. No not that member. No not that member; those guys over there. I know how that member feels about Sir Michael Fay but let us not go back into history.  
We have an opportunity. We have an opportunity in this country to do good for our kids our grandchildren and the generations after.  
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: In China. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Hang on. Let us not put too many roadblocks in front of them so that they cannot succeed where we should have been able to allow them to succeed. Mining is a good thing. Mining practices these days do not resemble anything of the past 30 40 or 50 years.  
Catherine Delahunty 
: Tell that to the West Coast. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: You know the West Coast wants jobs as well and if the member got off her backside had a look at the West Coast and went and asked all those unemployed people what they want would to do it would be this: “I want a job.”—“I want a job.” And do you know how to get the criminal statistics down? Give the person a job. That will sort them out.