Turei Metiria: General Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Turei Metiria: General Debate 
[Sitting date: 28 November 2012. Volume:686;Page:6867. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
METIRIA TUREI (Co-Leader—Green) 
: 
 This National Government has failed. It has failed on jobs failed on asset sales and failed at looking after our environment and our rivers. The National Government has failed our children and failed New Zealand families. In the lead-up to the Christmas break many New Zealand families are struggling to find the light at the end of a long and dark financial tunnel. Families are preparing for the Christmas break bracing themselves for the costs of Christmas Day and the traditional Christmas camping holiday. But these usual preparations will be so much more difficult for so many more families this year because of the National Government’s failures. 
National’s failed economic management has again been highlighted with the most recent linked employer-employee data report which confirmed yet again that tens of thousands of jobs have been lost under its watch. John Key has been cherry-picking the numbers for quite a few weeks now finding the numbers that suit him best for the story he has made up in his head. But the facts from the Government’s own reports show that the number of people looking for work has increased in the 4 years of his Government. Thousands of jobs have been lost. Unemployment is up. John Key’s deliberate ignorance of these facts means that the families who are suffering from his economic failure are invisible to him and to his Government. 
Perhaps this deliberate neglect by John Key of these families is because the Government is far too busy attacking the people who are slogging their guts out to keep New Zealand clean and beautiful. It is far too busy attacking the people who are working to protect our environment in order to protect our economic future. If we want to create decent sustainable jobs for those thousands of families who clearly need them we must invest in making the “100% Pure” brand a reality. No one expects it to be absolutely perfect but they do expect that we will make progress. In fact we are going backwards. 
Let us not attack those who rightfully point out that the Government is putting New Zealanders’ jobs and New Zealanders’ incomes at risk by undermining the brand and allowing our environment to be polluted. We have to take these warnings from our own people seriously and it certainly is true that the international markets are. 
Let us not forget that even in this country families with very little money can still take great pleasure in the Christmas camping holiday at their local river but only if it is not polluted and only if it is safe for their kids to swim in without getting sick. Sadly that is too rarely the case now in New Zealand. We protect our rivers not only because of the economy but because clean rivers are the birthright of our children. 
New Zealanders will fight for the birthright of their kids. That is why over 300000 New Zealanders have signed the Keep Our Assets petition for a referendum on asset sales. John Key’s pet project the Government’s asset sales plan for the year has been a complete disaster for him and his Government. It is deeply unpopular with the New Zealand public. We are very hopeful for a referendum next year so that every adult New Zealander can have their say on this crucial issue. Our grandparents built these assets for the long term and expected that they would continue in the ownership of their children and grandchildren as part of their birthright. 
The Green Party will continue to work for the rights of children to a family with a decent income and decent housing to an environment that is clean and safe for them to play in and to an economy that truly invests in their future. Kia ora.