Williamson Maurice: General Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Williamson Maurice: General Debate 
[Sitting date: 27 February 2013. Volume:687;Page:8250. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON (Minister for Building and Construction) 
: 
 We are coming up to around about 16 months into the second term of the current National-led Government and it is about a time at mid-point when it is worth while looking at a comparison between what is on offer between either side of the House. I do not think the differences could be more stark. If we look at the circumstances under which this Government came to office we came in in the year when the global financial crisis had decimated the world’s economy and we were then smacked by the most incredible natural disaster this nation has ever experienced called the Canterbury earthquakes—about 11000 of them—and the huge loss of wealth and income that those quakes caused. I would have to say that that plus a number of other issues along the way would normally have taken a Government to its knees. But what has happened is that the public in the current polling is suggesting that they still have confidence in where the Government is taking this place— 
Andrew Little 
: It depends which poll. 
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON 
: —under incredibly trying circumstances. I was hoping my Labour colleagues would interject because I now want to quote from one of the most luminary people from the media in this country—not a friend of mine not even a close friend but actually someone whom I do not normally agree with. Brian Rudman of the  
New Zealand Herald 
 said today in an article headed “… Labour should be making inroads”—I want members of the House to listen to what the wonderful journalist Brian Rudman of the  
New Zealand Herald 
 had to say—“Despite the best efforts of Opposition politicians single-issue campaigners and me and my colleagues in the media most Kiwis seem resolutely unconvinced that this country is heading for hell in a handcart.” 
There are about five little nuggets of gems in that little statement. Does “the best efforts of me and my colleagues in the media” for example not give you an idea that this is now official? It is actually official that Brian Rudman and others are indeed the official Opposition of this country. He has declared it. He has actually not just said it; he has finally declared something that we have suspected for a while. He has declared it. But the New Zealand public have not been hoodwinked by that—no no no. They realise the incredibly difficult circumstances. So when Labour members get up and talk about whether there have been as many jobs created as there should have been most members of the New Zealand public immediately say “Well actually I think the Government’s done a damn good job based on the circumstances that it faced.” 
I want to give the Opposition a good example of a general manager of an Asian airline when I was speaking to him back in the 1990s—about 1996 or whenever the Asian financial crisis occurred. He said “Maurice every time I meet with my chief executive back in our home base I am held to total absolute targets and if I don’t achieve them I’d lose my job. But do you know what’s happened this year? Because of the Asian financial crisis and the total meltdown I’ve been told ‘Just do whatever you can because the circumstances are so ghastly. We won’t hold you to anything. Do your best.’ ” The New Zealand public have looked at this Government and looked at a track record of incredible successes along the way in some of the most trying times and said “Well actually that’s good. Well done. We’re going to stay with you. We’re going to back you on it.” 
Then they look at an Opposition who cannot even determine who their leader is. I mean it is the most open leadership race that has ever been. Normally there is only one person there and another person challenging but I think there are 34 of them who could be the leader. In the next ballot they could all be having a go at it. It is the most open ballot. What I found interesting was that in their last ballot for leader—I think this is delicious—there was only one candidate. It was a little bit like the Mugabe leadership challenge. There was only one candidate and he did not get 10 votes from his own people—10 of them did not vote for him. How does that happen? I would understand that if there had been a really good challenger taking on David Shearer. I would understand that. There was no other candidate and yet 10 people still did not vote for him. That is why the public do not think they can be a Government in waiting that is why the people will not ever support the Labour-Greens Opposition and that is why the public are staying with the current National-led Government.