Barry Maggie: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Barry Maggie: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Sitting date: 29 January 2013. Volume:687;Page:7569. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
MAGGIE BARRY (National—North Shore) 
: 
 Well unlike David Clark the speaker who just resumed his seat I believe that 2013 is going to be a great year for New Zealand. I was with the Prime Minister last Friday actually when he addressed the North Harbour Club and he outlined the Government’s plan for this year. This National-led Government of course has always been very clear and consistent about our economic programme and we are managing the Government’s finances well getting back to surplus and starting to reduce debt. The plan that he gave to the North Harbour Club and is outlined for us is a detailed plan. It outlines our priorities for this year and they are ones that I believe that this team is very united in supporting. We are very firmly focused on encouraging investment strengthening the economy and boosting jobs. 
Many of the 350 people who attended the lunch earlier on Friday were from my North Shore electorate. I spoke to a lot of them and I can assure you that the initiatives that the PM announced were extremely well received because his vision resonates with the New Zealand public. His stated aim for New Zealand to be a magnet for investment was actually greeted with thunderous applause. As he said we need investment from people from overseas as well as from Kiwis because the more investment we get the more jobs will be created. It sounds really simple but apparently it is way too complicated for Labour and the Greens to grasp. 
On the North Shore we are very keenly aware of the importance of keeping the economy on track and also of being restrained on our spending because that is how we run our businesses and our homes. We know that it is very foolhardy to live beyond your means. My constituents tell me very clearly that they are worried about the unemployment level and especially about jobs for our young people. We on this side of the Chamber understand their concerns and even in these cash-strapped times this John Key - led Government has allocated money to where it really matters and to where it can make a genuine difference. My North Shore constituents have applauded in particular the initiatives to expand and improve apprenticeship training. The Prime Minister announced the introduction of an expanded and improved new apprenticeships scheme which—in case the Opposition forces missed it at the time I will spell it out for them—means there will be an extra $12 million in Government funding allocated to a new and regrouped apprenticeships scheme. The first 10000 apprentices to enrol from about April this year are going to be getting $1000 towards tools and $2000 if they are in those priority trades and the same will be paid to their employers. So it is a win-win situation. This is a Government that is taking a hands-on approach to boosting skills and supporting jobs. 
We have also launched five new vocational pathways that very clearly signpost the subjects that our young people should take to get the jobs where there are shortages of skills. Endless arts degrees are not really going to get people the meal ticket they need and there is just not the work available so instead we are encouraging careers in construction manufacturing the primary and service sectors and as well as that social services. In the trades and services academies there are going to be over 4000 places available and around 8700 Youth Guarantee places as well. 
Thanks to Minister Paula Bennett in the social development area we have had huge gains and we have big plans to continue that. The White Paper for Vulnerable Children which she talked about a few moments ago contains a significant series of more than 30 initiatives and that is part of the Children’s Action Plan to better protect vulnerable kids. I believe as the Prime Minister does that this is a piece of work that will define us as a Government and it does more to protect vulnerable children than anything the opposing forces have done in their time on the Treasury benches. 
Unlike the waffle and the piffle that we have endured hearing from the Opposition parties this afternoon National’s plans are targeted to where it matters and we have proven that we can and we will deliver on our promises. So 2013 is going to be a very busy year. We have some 30 pieces of legislation that we want to put through this year and we are determined we are energised and we are focused to achieve that outcome. 
Conservation and the environment are of course subjects that have always been close to my heart and National is an absolute champion of sound workable policies that strike the right balance of looking after our precious environment and exploring what our natural resources can offer our economy. Earlier in the day we heard from our Minister for the Environment Amy Adams about the Government’s priorities in the safe management of our abundant natural resources. I absolutely agree with the Minister that water is our single most important natural resource and this Government continues to be committed to cleaning up polluted sites. For example so far we have spent $101 million which is more than four times what Labour spent on cleaning up waterways. Most people agree that the Resource Management Act needs reform because of the lost opportunities the time-consuming problems and the frustrating processes that serve only to drive up costs and ultimately put up barriers to growth. Minister Adams is working through a very comprehensive package of reforms with Cabinet in amongst that area of resource management which will be released in the next few months because as a country we know that we need to improve our future planning. 
As a member of the Local Government and Environment Committee I will be working very hard to continue to progress our local government reforms this year despite the relentless negativity of Labour and the Greens. Is not the name of Opposition though entirely suited to the grab bag of the disaffected who occupy the Opposition benches this term? There is a complete lack of innovative affordable and effective policies. The Opposition really does exist only to oppose. It is against tax reform opposed to roads opposed to oil and gas exploration and opposed to Resource Management Act reform and 90-day employment initiatives—all a bad idea. Labour’s new initiative is all about nonsense. Let us take housing. Usually I am a staunch fan of recycling but Labour has piled far too much manure on its ill-thought-out housing policy. It was first announced last year as a bright shiny thing. Once Labour’s costly guesstimates were entirely discredited it reworked it a bit and announced it again in Wainuiomata but it remains as implausible and unachievable as its last crack at it. 
National on the other hand is definitely walking the talk on affordable housing and we have added an extra 2000 State houses to the areas that really need them the most. We have also delivered 50000 upgrades. We have insulated in addition to that more than 190000 homes and by the end of this year every single State house that can be insulated will be insulated. We are also helping more people get into their own homes with the lowest interest rates in a generation. When I bought my first home 30 years ago the interest rates were around 25 percent. I had to save hard for the deposit and it was a struggle to meet the interest rates but that was the reality three decades ago. Our Welcome Home Loan cap has already assisted some 4500 first-home buyers with finance and I very much look forward to seeing what further initiatives Minister Nick Smith will be coming up with. 
Then there are our achievements in health. Our track record under Minister Tony Ryall has been nothing short of spectacular. A highlight personally of my first year as a member of Parliament was the announcement of the $25 million rebuild of the Taharoto Mental Health Unit at the North Shore Hospital. From my first weeks in the job early last year I heard terribly sad stories from families and from patients who needed and deserved a modern fit for purpose facility. When I visited Taharoto I was shocked at how inadequate it was and I was absolutely delighted to be able to announce on behalf of the Minister late last year that funding for a full replacement was being made available. 
When we look at hospital operations they are increasing on average by 8000 patients per year. They are now at record levels: 35000 more patients per year get elective treatment under National than occurred under Labour years. There are shorter waiting times as well for cancer treatment and for accident and emergency. North Shore Hospital which was by anybody’s standards a very poor-performing hospital and a poor-performing district health board has improved dramatically and now more than 95 percent of patients are seen in accident and emergency within that target of 6 hours. So we in the North Shore have gone from having one of the worst-performing hospitals to now having one of the absolute best. 
I am very proud to be part of this team this John Key - led National Government. I think we are a unified coherent group of people who share a vision and share the vision of John Key. We are not in a mishmash of opposing everything holding everything up and actually halting progress where it needs to occur. This is a Government that is making a difference. One of the things that was said last Friday at the lunch was that people were very impressed by the positivity of the Prime Minister and by his ability to encapsulate the vision that all New Zealanders share and what we all want for our children and our grandchildren. We need to act now. We need to act decisively. We have in this Government a stable proven leadership that can conduct us through tough times. John Key is very much a steady hand at the till and he has a very good high-performing Cabinet and I am very proud— 
Hon Member 
: It’s called a tiller. 
MAGGIE BARRY 
: A tiller as well. He is in charge of the ship. He is not under attack by his own members. As a leader he is respected by his caucus and Cabinet team unlike the other parties that sit in this House. We are very privileged to have him as our leader and I am very proud to be part of this National John Key - led Government. Thank you.