Lee Melissa: Debate on Prime Minister’s StatementText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLee Melissa: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement[Sitting date: 01 March 2016. Volume:711;Page:9265. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MELISSA LEE (National): I would like to take the opportunity to speak to our Prime Minister’s statement to the House for 2016 and to commend it. I fully support his statement. We are incredibly fortunate in this country I think to have such a great leader who is working for families and supporting the needs of ordinary New Zealanders. I think it is well recognised that the people in New Zealand the public actually also recognise that in the Prime Minister.The great work this side of the House is achieving can be seen through fantastic sets of policies and I would like to kick off with the tourism portfolio which the Prime Minister has been responsible for. Since 2008 this Government has invested $700 million in tourism and tourism promotion. In the year ended December 2015 we saw a huge rise—a more than 30 percent increase—in international visitor spending. That is up to $9.7 billion—not $9.7 million but $9.7 billion—in international visitor spending which is an increase of more than 30 percent.I would also like to talk about the great achievement of our finance Minister Bill English. He got the books back in the black and that is not a small achievement considering the fact that we have had a huge global financial crisis and that New Zealand was faced with a lot of issues including the Christchurch earthquakes that devastated the economy. We recently marked their fifth anniversary.In 2015 this House saw the successful completion of the free-trade agreement with Korea my birth country. Many members have already extolled the virtues of free trade. Last month we saw the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement one of the biggest free-trade deals in the world and a deal that will bring huge benefits to all regions of this country and to many people in poverty and hardship in developing communities around New Zealand.It is a real shame that there are people in this House who do not actually recognise the amazing opportunity that exists for New Zealanders in this deal—a view that even the previous Labour Government saw with China. That free-trade agreement has actually boosted this economy. I see that the Hon Phil Goff is sitting over there. We know for a fact that he supports free trade and there are other members in his caucus who actually do recognise the benefit of free trade as well.This partnership is going to revolutionise our markets and the way that New Zealand companies can engage with the global market. Whether they are squash and fruitgrowers on the East Coast or deer velvet suppliers in the South Island we on this side of the House recognise their need for the reduction of tariffs and an end to trade barriers when we are dealing with international markets and we are actually selling to those markets. I recently saw and actually posted on my Facebook as well cherries that are being sold to Asia. We are seeing a huge openness in the market. Looking at Korea for example the tariff that it actually had was 25 percent—it is gone. The 25 percent tariff that it used to have is gone and it means that it actually gives access to the market without tariff.We will be able to send our world-class wines and other luxury goods to Japan without tariffs and restrictions. We also will see many New Zealanders export to our free-trade agreement partners tariff-free. This will greatly improve our market access in those countries and support more New Zealand industries across our country. I think free-trade agreements—the likes of the Korea free-trade agreement and TPP—are something that we should all support and actually welcome.The Prime Minister’s statement also shows what a fortunate nation we are to have strong leadership and the economic opportunity this country actually has. This year benefits for families with children will increase on top of inflation. This week actually saw the minimum wage rise to $15.25 an hour. We are getting more support for after-school care and more cutting of red tape to give small businesses the tools that they actually need.I am here to support the Prime Minister’s statement. This Government is in good spirits and is doing great work.