Mark RonHon RON MARK (Minister of Defence): It is an absolute pleasure to rise and take a speaking slot for New Zealand First. Never in the field of New Zealand Government Budgets and appropriations was so much owed by so many to so few. All over the land New Zealanders concerned about our security the environment our fisheries our resources human trafficking transnational crime drug running and our reputation as a credible and reliable nation committed to the rules-based order that underpins our ability to trade to travel to live and prosper are rejoicing. All over the world our strategic partners and friends—and even our only ally Australia—who value our contributions to the United Nations to the multinational force and observers and to coalition peacekeeping operations in the interests of restoring maintaining and advancing peace are astonished and amazed. All over the Pacific nations who are bearing the brunt of climate change and who live daily with the consequences of more frequent more destructive less predictable weather patterns cyclones tsunamis volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are breathing a collective sigh of relief and are thanking us—this Government—for the Wellbeing Budget and the historic investment by this Government in defence. All over the motu throughout our homes our communities and our nation people—young and old men and women adults and children—are welcoming the historic commitment of this Government to the wellbeing of our veterans and their families and to the wellbeing of our women and men in uniform and their families and are voicing their approval their gratitude for this Government's historic commitment to our military. Internationally there is only one thing and one thing alone that matters when it comes to a nation's foreign policy a nation's strategic defence policy a nation's defence capability and its plans for the future and that is credibility. This Budget from this New Zealand First - Labour coalition Government has put the capital C" in the country's credibility in the eyes of the world. Why do I say that? Well contrary to the predictions of some in the Opposition that this Government would cut defence expenditure would not meet its commitments internationally would not fund deployments and would not meet the challenges of the capability deficit bow wave that had been created by successive Governments in indeed may I say it probably the last 18 years and the last nine years in particular this Government contrary to those predictions has done quite the reverse. It has announced the largest investment in defence that this nation has seen. In the veterans and defence space in this Wellbeing Budget we've seen an increase in baseline funding for defence. We're seeing $185 million additional for defence force operating funding over four years to support the delivery of the Strategic Defence Policy Statement of 2018. We've seen investments for navy army and air force capability and for personnel growth remuneration growth vital military enablers such as health security and ICT and in defence for estate maintenance right across camps and bases. We've made the big decisions and funded them—not just talked about them; funded them. The P-8s: here we've made a big decision in defence capability that is a generational change a decision that has been deferred and deferred and deferred to the point where our P-3s are going to come to the end of their life and the capability will be lost unless the Government steps up and addresses that question. It is with great pride I stand here and say that the $1.704 billion of capital funding for the P-8s has been appropriated. Brett Hudson: The Greens aren't happy about those war machines. Hon RON MARK: A total of $2.4 billion Mr Hudson. Nine years Mr Hudson—who is chipping in—of being out there on the streets and telling people at Ōhākea and Linton and Burnham and Waiōuru and Papakura and Whenuapai that that Government cared about defence and our reputation internationally and nine years went by and no decision. Brett Hudson: Good to see you're implementing our white paper. Hon RON MARK: No decision Mr Hudson—no decision not at all. Mr Mark Mitchell has to go down in history for sure as the laziest Minister of Defence ever. I take my hat off to Mr Brownlee. I can look back through the Cabinet papers and see the decisions. Next year Aotearoa will sail into New Zealand waters—congratulations Mr Brownlee. A Cabinet paper well thought out a capability so desperately needed and it will be delivered. This Government will make sure of that and is making sure of that. That project will be completed. That is the mark of a worker. That is the mark of a Minister of Defence who was actually interested in the portfolio and had some clout at the Cabinet table to get the decision made. Congratulations Mr Brownlee and we mean to ensure that that project comes in on time to spec and to budget. Brett Hudson: Good. We'll be watching. Hon RON MARK: It does not excuse other Ministers of Defence Mr Hudson from ducking and shirking their responsibilities to the security of wellbeing of the people of this nation and the Pacific but we've done it. Better than that we've gone on Mr Hudson. Those P-8s are necessary to conduct flights over our vast territorial area of responsibility which makes up 11 percent of the globe Mr Hudson. It doesn't matter where I go: in Shangri-La Dialogue recently the South Pacific Defence Ministers' meeting travelling with the Hon Tim Macindoe travelling with Simon O'Connor—the plaudits that are coming back to this Government are real and they speak of nations who are respecting the decisions in the defence space that this Government is taking. This Government is not ducking its responsibilities and not shying away from its responsibility to its men and women in defence; it's meeting them. The operational funding for the Ministry of Defence: an extra $8.3 million over four years to take care of that outstanding problem left to us with the Kaikōura earthquake which saw the destruction of their headquarters building. Veterans: $4.1 million allocated over the next four years to address deficiencies within Veterans' Affairs in terms of its staffing and capability for case management. That is commitment to the wellbeing and this is not just about the veterans; this is about the families of those veterans who live day to day with these effects of deployments carried by their loved ones increasingly becoming very obvious and of very great concern. That's why I applaud this Government's funding in mental health. The defence force personnel who returned from missions are thanking the Government for that extra focus and attention to mental health and so too are the loved ones and the families who live with the consequences of deployments day in and day out. I am thanking the Government from the bottom of my heart as one who deployed and who has good friends who deployed and who need that help day in day out and sadly I am reminded of those who took their own lives because that care was not available to them. Veterans are very happy with this Budget. The families of the servicemen and women throughout New Zealand are very happy. I thank those members of the Opposition who have worked with me in trying to find a higher level of consensus so that we might collectively as a Parliament be able to support our women and men in uniform going forward together without the political nonsense because that's how important this part of the Budget is. Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker."