King Colin: Debate on Prime Minister’s StatementText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Colin: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement[Sitting date: 12 February 2014. Volume:696;Page:15893. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]COLIN KING (National—Kaikōura): What a wonderful presentation and speech there by Alfred Ngaro. That really got to the very nub—the very nub—of the Prime Minister’s statement. The aspiration the passion just emitted there. You could sort of pick it up by osmosis by sitting a couple of seats away. So that was really really inspirational.We have been well through the Prime Minister’s statement in this debate. Let us just recap what it is all about. The House had a speech from the Prime Minister and the motion that was moved was that the House express confidence in the National-led Government and commend its programme for 2014. That motion was amended by the Leader of the Opposition who said that New Zealand has become more and more divided and that those in the middle are struggling and those at the end are going backwards. I would tend to suggest that that description by the Leader of the Opposition fits the Labour Opposition caucus at the moment. When we look at those members they are divided. The Labour Opposition is bereft of good policy and therefore I cannot support the amendment.But on the other hand in the Prime Minister’s statement the Government is focused it is united and it is building a positive growing economy into the future and that is very very important. When we look at the monthly indicators around the economy everything is heading in the right direction. This is during a very very difficult time and we should give credit to the Government to the Prime Minister to the Minister of Finance Bill English and to Cabinet. We have economic growth of 3.5 percent. Unemployment is at 6 percent and heading downwards. Inflation is very low at 1 percent. Interest rates because of those good policy settings are staying lower for longer.When you stop and think about it we are a small country trading on a global scene. That requires a lot of carefulness because if we do step out of line the effects of other countries’ economies will come back on to us. To succeed we need to be near our bestif not at our best all the time. It needs a Government that works alongside its citizens takes them forward and builds the confidence so that they will invest and create jobs. It needs a Government and a Prime Minister that has a clear vision and clear goals and that is able to articulate those in such a way that the working man and woman and the families are able to see what the goal is rather than developing a protectionist economy where businesses are not truly exposed to the realities of life.When we look across the Ditch at the moment we see some of the harsh realities of being able to stay for say the last 20 or 30 years producing cars over there. They are making decisions today that New Zealand made 30-odd years ago. Our economy needs to be both productive and competitive.My colleagues over the many hours of this debate have very eloquently articulated the achievements and the focus and the structure of the Government’s agenda going forward that I have mentioned myself. The interest rates are at an all-time low. Economic growth is at 3.5 percent. I just want to focus on those two elements of the Government’s agenda for a small time. In the electorate of Kaikōura there is approximately 80 percent of the nation’s wine industry and in 2010 it would be fair to say that it tanked. There was oversupply there were some issues and there was a lot of debt and yet it was because of the tax package or the tax switch that this Government implemented in 2010 along with the policy settings that have kept interest rates lower for longer that we are actually seeing in 2013-14 the wine industry back on its feet and doing better than ever. It is producing probably 100000 tonnes more wine than it was back in 2010 and it is able to find markets for that wine due to the trade access settings that have been achieved by this Government.Crime is down. We have got a 30 percent lower crime rate today than we had when we inherited the Government benches. Our health system is functioning with 20000-odd more operations being conducted each year.I just want to make the point that all of this will mean nothing if we do not succeed with our younger generation with our children. So for the remaining time I would just like to focus on the importance of getting it right around education because the old adage must hold true in this case that if you want a first-class health system a first-class education system and first-class law and order and if you want to afford as the Opposition says social justice then you need a first-class economy. That is what a National Government under the prime ministership of John Key will deliver.I just want to acknowledge the wonderful work done by the education Ministers be it Hekia Parata Nikki Kaye or Steven Joyce because part of the Government’s agenda has been Better Public Services. What better public service can we provide than the goal of having five out of five of our children succeed in education starting off with ECE the early—Hon Trevor Mallard: What does that mean?COLIN KING: Well what it means is that everybody realises the opportunity they have. The member over there might be pointing out what Labour will do but effectively what this National Government will do is make sure we achieve 98 percent of children going into early childhood education. At the moment in 2014 we have got 96 percent of children going into early childhood education. We will achieve that goal of 98 percent in 2016. A point worth making at the moment is that New Zealand spends more per child on early childhood education than any of the other OECD countries. This is a Government that really has its priorities right. National standards is one of those very very important policies that have been implemented so that youth can succeed. There are a lot of people who will be negative about it but if you cannot measure it you cannot achieve it. What we saw around the Education Review Office was poor use of data collected.Leading on from that we can be enthusiastic about the vocational pathways and how they are going to set up our children to succeed in the trades and skills areas. We have seen our education system lead in many many ways but when we get into the trades and skills areas for too long we have been troubled by the fact that our trades youth are not able to be independent learners. That is because they are not able to have the skills to read write do maths comprehend and fulfil the theoretical side of their trades and skills.I would have to say that there is so much more one could contribute in this debate supporting this Government—Andrew Little: What a pity you won’t be here to do it next time.COLIN KING: Next time we will have to talk to Mr Little about how much money that other side wasted when they were in Government. In education we have spent those dollars wisely. Our Better Public Services targets will improve the opportunities for every New Zealander and for every new citizen who comes across into New Zealand and has the privilege of becoming a resident or a citizen in the longer run.I speak in support of the motion that this Government’s agenda will take the country forward and my grandchildren and your grandchildren will be the beneficiaries of that.