Blue Jackie: General Debate 
Blue Jackie: General Debate 
[Volume:673;Page:19390] 
Dr JACKIE BLUE (National) 
: 
 I also extend my sympathy and condolences to the people of Canterbury in the wake of the recent earthquakes. On the back of the September earthquake and the more recent ones on 22 February which caused massive destruction these recent earthquakes are yet another body blow to the people of Canterbury. I tell the people of Canterbury that we are all with them; they are not alone. My colleague Nicky Wagner who is doing a wonderful job in Christchurch told me there was huge relief when after the earthquakes the Prime Minister announced that he and the Government were just as determined as ever to rebuild Canterbury and get it back on its feet. 
This Government has a plan to get our economy back on track and Budget 2011 will do just that. The Budget was carefully considered and it will do just that. It is not based on borrow and hope; it was well-thought-out. It firmly sets out the next steps to build faster growth and create jobs savings and productive investment. It is about ensuring that the Government gets into surplus by 2014-15. It will effectively halve our deficit next year and halve it the year before— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: You mean the year after. 
Dr JACKIE BLUE 
: —the year after. Then we will be on track. 
We are a Government that is focused on the issues that matter to New Zealanders. We are not focused on the little things such as paint jobs at Premier House and we do not get distracted by the BMWs that were bought by Helen Clark. We are a Government that will not be spending up large on a lot of uncosted policies. We are about investing significantly more in health and education while continuing to protect the most vulnerable New Zealanders. 
As we promised we will be setting this policy out very clearly so that New Zealanders can decide on 26 November. There will be no lolly scramble. It would be irresponsible to engage in a big spend-up thereby putting our economy at risk when New Zealanders are working so hard to pay off their own debt. Equally the Budget is not a slash-and-burn exercise. It is about building faster economic growth around higher national savings setting a credible path back to surplus repaying debt and importantly for the people of Canterbury rebuilding Christchurch over the next few years. 
We are planning to extend the mixed-ownership model to our four State-owned energy companies and reduce the Government’s majority share in Air New Zealand. We plan to offer investors shares in Meridian Energy Mighty River Power Genesis Solid Energy and Air New Zealand. This will free up between $5 billion and $7 billion to pay for new public assets such as schools and hospitals. Importantly we have set the bottom line that the Government must have the majority stake. That way we will keep ownership of those companies. 
We asked whether New Zealanders if they had the choice would want a stake in failed finance companies or a stake in these rock-solid companies. I think we all know the answer to that question. We know that many New Zealanders are keen to invest in solid productive assets that have the potential to pay good dividends. Our mixed-ownership model puts New Zealanders at the front of the queue when it comes to buying shares. 
We are also determined to ensure that this mixed-ownership model will not disadvantage New Zealanders who rely on the services these companies provide. We have looked carefully at the rules governing these companies and we are satisfied that they will protect New Zealanders from unprecedented excessive increases in power prices. In fact we think there is very very strong evidence that this type of model will benefit consumers. It will be good for the business and for consumers. 
The mixed-ownership model will free up billions of dollars for the Government to spend on important assets such as schools hospitals and public infrastructure. It will guarantee Government control over these five important companies boost New Zealand’s sharemarket give more Kiwi companies the opportunity to grow and give Kiwis a fantastic opportunity to invest in this country’s future. Mixed ownerships will achieve those things while ensuring that our country does not get deeper into debt. It is a smart policy and it will strengthen New Zealand’s economy. A stronger economy is the only way we will create jobs boost incomes and provide the high-quality public services we desperately need.