Tizard Judith: Budget Debate 
Tizard Judith: Budget Debate 
[Volume:618;Page:13731] 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD (Minister of Consumer Affairs) 
: 
 That was a desperate bankrupt speech from a party that has nothing to offer New Zealanders except nastiness bitterness envy and division. It was absolutely astonishing to hear the carping whingeing sneering and division from the Opposition. This Budget is the best Budget that New Zealand has had for a generation. It addresses the needs of all New Zealanders whether they be workers families children businesses health services public health of this country education particularly early childhood education communities and housing. The list goes on and on. 
This Budget is the best Budget for a generation. It addresses the deficits left by the bankrupt policies of a National Government over the 1990s—and the social financial environmental and cultural deficit. It was not just Te Papa the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the Royal New Zealand Ballet that were left short of money. It was our schools kindergartens and childcare centres universities hospitals general practitioners struggling in the communities to fix New Zealanders’ well-being and health primary health services mental health services and public services across New Zealand and we all paid for that. We paid huge prices for that. 
This Government has said that it will not follow the mean divisive savage sour policies of the conservative National and ACT parties. We know the cost of the services used by New Zealanders. But we also know the cost of not providing decent services. We know the cost and the cost to people. We have worked really hard and this Budget is a triumph for all New Zealanders. It has a new approach. We are offering leadership and good public services across the board. We are offering partnership with business the community and local government across the board and we are seeing the results. We are looking for growth and innovation to grow the cake and now the time has come to pay back the New Zealanders who have worked their guts out for the last 10 or 15 years and seen no return to their families and communities in the services they need to raise the capacity of their families and communities. 
We are seeing more money go into science and research and supporting export and business. One big business in Auckland Central said to me: “We’ve looked at our results and we always do well under a Labour Government. We support you because what you’ve done in this Budget is put money in the pocket of small businesses working people and communities.” 
Stephen Franks 
: Name it. 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD 
: I will happily name it. Colin Giltrap. [ 
Interruption 
] I do not accuse my constituents of being liars and hypocrites. I see the way that that member treats his supporters. I do not treat the people who support me like that. This Budget is about opportunity for all. It is about fairness and security. It is all very well for the ACT party to go on about people being safe in their homes. What did ACT do? It saw a National Government hack into police community services housing community groups local government and all the basic services that New Zealanders need for growth in our community country and businesses. 
This is the best Budget for a generation. In particular I want to talk about Auckland. I am the Minister with responsibility for Auckland Issues and I am very proud of what this Government has done. I will be delighted to tell members across the House what we have done. We have grown the New Zealand economy so that Transfund now has nearly $400 million a year more to spend on New Zealand transport. We have gone from a total budget of less than $900 million to over $1.3 billion a year. We have grown the Auckland share of that from the pathetic average of less than 22 percent that that Government allowed to over 32 percent. For the first time ever in history Auckland is getting its fair share of the transport spend across New Zealand. 
We have taken the National Government’s stupid anti-environmental and anti-business capping off public transport. We are allowing for the growth of public transport because that is good efficient and makes sense. We have spent more than three times what the National Government spent on public transport in Auckland. We have brought back the rail corridor that Ruth Richardson flogged off with no protection and no requirement for investment for $1. We have taken it back. We are doing things like double tracking the western line so that we can put good passenger services alongside freight services. 
This is an excellent Government that has set new targets for Auckland to work in partnership. Auckland is New Zealand’s main international city our main export and import centre the main service centre for the whole of New Zealand and we want Auckland to get working. We are not giving Auckland anything that we are not doing for the rest of the country. For the first time we are giving Auckland its fair share. 
We are looking at roading projects looking at linking up the northern motorway with the western motorway and finishing State Highways 20 16 and 18. We are looking at the connections with the airport. We have done them all. Later I will table a chart from Transit New Zealand that shows where Auckland’s projects are. I will show what that bankrupt National Government—which had no plans no funding no partnerships and did not care about New Zealand—has done which was very little of anything. We now have major projects that are being finished like the Grafton Gully project the Puhinui interchangeand all of those major investments in New Zealand. The National Party left office in 1999 with the Albany to Puhoi realignment built but nothing else. There were no plans no funding no consents and National did not care. 
We now have Dr Brash saying that he will fix Auckland’s transport problems by lunchtime. But what do we have? We have the member for Epsom saying: “But the eastern corridor’s not going through my electorate. It won’t happen.” Dr Brash has said that after he gets into power the eastern corridor will be built in 10 years. That is as good as National’s other promises. It will come to nothing. 
However it is all right we are safe because New Zealanders know that what the National Party offers is despair envy and division. The National Party will sell Kiwibank privatise accident compensation scrap the nuclear-free policy and cut health housing and education. We will go back to the politics of envy and division. National would send troops to Iraq or anywhere else that America or Australia told it to. Every time there is a war National will just say: “Let’s jump. Let’s see how high.” 
Some very good comments have been made about this Budget. Who said that it is a landmark redistribution from the rich to the low paid and critically the not so low paid? John Armstrong said that in the  
New Zealand Herald 
. Who said: “I felt he”—Steve Maharey—“really got what I was saying. I went down there not pro-Labour but I came back pro-Labour. He explained to me the big picture that there were phases of implementing policy from the poorest up and I understood it.” The Waihi family who starred in the  
Sunday Star-Times 
 said that. Who said: “The package is a welcome signal. The government is saying to the country that it values people who want to work and it’s prepared to provide rewards and incentives to back it up.”? Who said that? The  
National Business Review 
 stated that. 
When we have papers like that stating that this is the best Budget for a generation I can only say that I agree with them. This is the best Budget for a generation. This Budget is a real commitment from this Government to all New Zealanders that we will work with all New Zealanders to make this economy this society our communities and our nation a place where we will be proud to grow old because our grandchildren will have opportunity. They will have training hope and an opportunity to make a difference.