Pettis Jill: Budget Debate 
Pettis Jill: Budget Debate 
[Volume:631;Page:3368] 
JILL PETTIS (Labour) 
: 
 That speech was made by the honorary consul for Monaco Richard Worth. An extraordinary revelation was made this week and I think it is important to debate it further because it has not received much coverage. I refer to the release of the email from the Exclusive Brethren to David Henry the Chief Electoral Officer. This issue has nothing to do with David Henry. He was quite properly and professionally responding to questions that the Exclusive Brethren put to him. Those questions were around statements such as: “We a group of Christian businessmen have put together an election programme with a budget of $1.2 million with the goal of getting party votes for National.” We had thought that the amount was $500000 but the email now reveals that it was $1.2 million. 
The Brethren church asked the Chief Electoral Officer questions such as: “1. Does it compromise National’s position if we communicate to MPs and candidates our strategy? 2. Does it compromise National’s position if we show them draft publications before they are published? 3. Is there any legality prohibiting us printing ‘Vote National Vote Brash’ and including a photo of Dr Brash on the pamphlets? Can this be done without compromising National’s funding position? 4. To what extent can we legally advise direct assist communicate with other National MPs and candidates?”. It is very very clear that the Brethren have been dishonest and the National Party has been dishonest. It is no wonder they are such good friends. 
I have been actively involved in politics all my life really but more actively involved as an adult since 1972. I have never ever seen Brethren members at a political meeting in my life until the last election campaign and I would have been to more party political meetings than any of those five Tories sitting together in Opposition. I have been going to political meetings since I was aged 8 in the Hylton Hall Somme Parade Aramoho in Wanganui. Chester Borrows said at the Grey Power meeting in Hawera two Mondays ago that some new National MPs have never been to a political meeting in their lives and that when they came into Parliament it was the first time they had ever been in such an intense political environment. That comment was made by one of National’s own MPs at a public meeting. 
The Brethren were involved donkey deep in the last election campaign. They were involved in telephone polling. They were leaflet-dropping as late as 6 p.m. on the Friday night before the election. We have always played by the rules in our electorate. In the electorate of Whanganui the old National Party always played by the rules and we had a very good gentlemen’s and ladies’ agreement whereby we stuck to the rules. But the Brethren were delivering leaflets as late as 6 p.m. on the Friday night before the election. That had not been seen or done before. When will those National MPs who are washing their hands like Pontius Pilate and saying it was not them because they do not know any Brethren come clean about that? 
 At National Party election night functions when those MPs had to concede defeat we looked around the rooms and saw the same old National Party faces—the same old National Party tried and true supporters who have turned out year after year and done the donkey work which is not particularly glamorous. No Brethren were to be seen at those National Party functions at all—not a Brethren in sight. All of the hard work the pamphlet deliveries the telephone polling and the megabucks of dollars that were poured into the National Party campaign came from the Brethren. It did not come from the usual loyal National Party supporters. 
It is time that the National Party and the Brethren came clean because we know what this issue is all about. It is about a $4.5 million return to the Brethren over 3 years in education funding—a $4.5 million return over 3 years. That is a 450 percent return which is better than the return on Telecom shares. The Brethren are no slugs. They know that getting $4.5 million from National is far better than the return available from Telecom any day of the week. The Brethren are not slugs when it comes to managing money. They get $1.5 million already for their 12 Westmount Schools. National said it would double the funding of private education so that is $3 million per year for the Brethren—$4.5 million of extra funding over 3 years. There is not a word of denial from those Tories over there because the new ones know that they would not be here without the Brethren. 
It is time the Brethren and the Tories came clean. The Brethren tried to say they were motivated by moral issues and did not like the Civil Union Bill. Well what about some of the members who sit along National’s front bench if we are talking about moral issues and voting history? The Brethren were not concerned about moral issues at all; they were just concerned about power influence and money. We were not born yesterday and the Tories can try to convince us as much as they like that their mates the Brethren were not involved in the campaign. We know they were involved because we saw them at meetings and we had never seen them before. They did not open their mouths of course but they were there and some of them turned up to the polling booth. You can bet your bottom dollar they turned up to the polling booth! 
The National Party is not only dishonest about its association with the Brethren but is disloyal to New Zealand. The National members run New Zealand down for political gain. They should be honest and tell us how many of their children or siblings have gone overseas in the past. It is a good thing that New Zealanders go overseas and gain overseas experience. In fact John Key bragged about his overseas experience and the success he had in the finance sector there. I do not think it was a bad thing that John Key went overseas; I actually think it was a good thing that he went overseas and gained some experience. He came back at a time when taxes were the same as they are now so I ask the National members not to hand me that rubbish about National being concerned about matters of taxation. 
The other totally dishonest thing about National is its position on race relations and race-based issues. The National Party members would love a Cronulla Beach - type riot. It would be absolutely right up their alley and they would salivate should something like that take place in New Zealand—not that I think for a moment it ever will because most New Zealanders are very fair-minded. I am just amazed and surprised at the friends that the National Party has. I remind the Maori Party of the old adage: “You’ve got to have a long spoon if you want to sup with the devil.” 
Our Labour Government is delivering for New Zealanders in ways that have not been delivered before. The transport component of the Budget was particularly exciting for those MPs who live in provincial New Zealand. I am thrilled at the roading works that have been accelerated in the South Taranaki - Whanganui area and in Taranaki itself. The Bell Block bypass the Rugby Road underpass the Normanby bridge realignment the Tangahoe bridge widening and several Wanganui projects moved up the list quite considerably. I am delighted that $58 million will go into industry training and the Modern Apprenticeship scheme. There are 8000 apprentices currently in training in New Zealand. Apprenticeships are a brilliant scheme but were abolished by National in 1991. One of the first things that Bill Birch did when he became Minister of Finance in 1991 was to help to get rid of the former apprenticeship scheme. That was a shame and a disgrace. The National Party talks about training but forgets to mention that by the way the National Government abolished it. The other exciting expenditure is on tourism. New Zealand is a country that has a lot to show off to the rest of the world and I commend the people involved in winning the silver award at the Chelsea Flower Show. 
We are proud of this country and Labour is prepared to back it.