Patterson MarkMARK PATTERSON (NZ First): It's an absolute pleasure and actually slightly unexpectedly that I rise to speak on behalf of New Zealand First. What a contrast we have seen in the two contributions to date. We saw leading off for the Opposition the Hon Judith Collins—normally their strongest debater their most enthusiastic spirited advocate. What did we hear? Virtually nothing—a dispirited flat contribution in contrast to Dr Clark's enthusiasm and the message that he had to bring.It all comes from the top of course. Simon Bridges as leader is struggling. After $100000 going around on the taxpayer dime introducing himself to New Zealanders they just do not like him. They've had another six months and in every poll that comes out they like him less and less. The National Party are struggling badly. In fact in the latest Hamish Rutherford piece—no ideas. No new taxes I think was the promise but we've heard that before haven't we? We heard that from John Key but of course then he went and raised GST—a particularly regressive tax. He looked after the big end of town and threw the little guys under the bus. There were rises in tobacco taxes on a regular basis as there was on the fuel excise taxes. There was a brightline test which sounds suspiciously like a capital gains tax but apparently it's not. But that was the extent of their imagination and that's the extent of the new ideas that are coming forward from the National Party: that they won't raise any taxes. But we've heard it all before in this House.They also did things like stop the super fund contributions. That cost us something like about $20 billion in opportunity cost. Then they had the temerity to claim that they are good economic managers. They flogged off many of our State assets often at fire-sale prices—short-term thinking for long-term pain. They've starved our public services. Our hospitals—Dr Clark at Middlemore during the week having to—mould and sewerage in the walls. Absolutely third-world stuff. That is what under-investment did. The nurses the teachers and the police—they're all lining up now because they know that they've got a Government that will appreciate them and won't be screwing them into the ground and we are looking to get fair and equitable outcomes for those valued public servants. The running down of our rail system and that core infrastructure—we're out there at the moment Matua Shane in the Manawatū last week investing again in our rail service. And we can because we've got a $5.5 billion record surplus that we've just delivered 3.9 percent unemployment and an economy that grew at 1 per cent of GDP in the last quarter. So we have got this economy absolutely flowing.I see the Minister of Agriculture come in here and what a great story we've got to tell in agriculture at the minute as our exports are going gangbusters. And of course we've got 17-year-low interest rates as well so it's a great time to invest and that's what we're seeing: businesses out there investing. We heard today that equipment sales are up nearly 8 percent and that is businesses out there investing. That is real money. These are businesses investing in themselves as opposed to the confidence surveys that the Opposition likes to throw up—but all the real data points to this Government performing strongly in this economy going very well. Of course we're back in the regions and while Dr Clark is still here kudos for the investment in the Buller hospital: $20 million. That was a facility that was in serious decline. Matua Shane and the Prime Minister will be on the West Coast tomorrow announcing a significant contribution from the Provincial Growth Fund to that West Coast region that like so many other regions—like Kiritapu's region on the East Coast—have been neglected by successive Governments. In this Government we're back out there in those regions with significant funds investing alongside the local citizens businesses and civic leaders. So this Government has an absolutely fantastic story to tell. We look forward I would say judging by the polls to telling it for a very long time into the future and New Zealand First looks forward to being an absolutely core part of that team. And what a good team it's been.We saw that Opposition was looking for us to fall apart over the employment relations stuff and look how we pulled that together. We talked took our differences brought them together and we came out of it with a great package indicative of a great MMP Government. Thank you.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): Before I take the next call can I just remind the speakers to use members' full names. And for the record I'm pretty sure Matua Shane" means the Hon Shane Jones that the member was speaking of just for the record. I call—MARK PATTERSON (NZ First): I raise a point of order Mr Assistant Speaker.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): A point of order Mark Patterson. I hope you're not going to relitigate my ruling.MARK PATTERSON: Yeah I probably was."