O'Connor DamienHon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister of Agriculture): Madam Speaker thank you very much. What a sad and miserable exhibition that was. That's as good as it gets from the National Party. From a leader that can't get his tax right he's not going to get his facts right; I can tell you that. We are a positive Government focused on tackling the long-term issues and challenges for this country. After nine years of neglect we have a big job ahead of us. We are two years into a journey that will take us I'm guessing about 15 years probably or 18 years to sort out what the National Government took nine years to destroy. We have committed a huge amount of money to mental health. That is an issue that affects each and every New Zealander. When I go into rural New Zealand on a regular basis those people are asking how they can ensure that they get access to that support from central government. They've acknowledged the great commitment that this Government has put in place.We are starting to work with farmers to improve the waterways in this country the vast majority of which are in good order but we have to ensure that we have a story of environmental management that backs up our claim to not only 100% Pure" but to the best finest food and protein for the world's most discerning customers.We've put money into education. Parents don't have to pay for NCEA fees. They don't have to make school donations in what should effectively be a free education system.We've put money through the Provincial Growth Fund. The criticism is that it's a bit slow. Well I say—and Mr Jones will back this up—it's better to be cautious and spend that money wisely than to throw it around as the previous National Government did in its Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) application to agriculture.We've got regions like Buller for example. This is a small district in my electorate that lost hundreds of jobs because the previous National Government destroyed Solid Energy—hundreds of high-paid jobs. Now we have a local rural economy that is booming and in fact the mayor and the community leaders of that district of Buller are now praising the Government for its commitment to regional New Zealand and the things we are doing for them.Roads—the previous Government sweated the assets. We are tipping billions of dollars into a better roading network to support New Zealand and rail and hospitals. We're building new hospitals so that New Zealanders can be assured of their healthcare and of course as I've said before putting money into education which is our future.I have to talk about biosecurity. It has been identified consistently as the number one issue across agribusiness and indeed across New Zealand—those who are concerned about kauri dieback; those who are concerned about the issues that we've had up and down through M. bovis which directly affects livestock farmers. We've had a fruit fly incursion in Auckland that affects Aucklanders but would have a devastating effect on horticulture should it get out.Yesterday I went to the Wairarapa to celebrate what is a world first and that is the eradication of the pea weevil disease. This is a small insect that destroys pea crops would have eliminated the possibility of growing and exporting peas from this country and we have got rid of it. Thank you to Biosecurity New Zealand thank you to the farmers for their cooperation thank you to the local community leaders for their cooperation.We've got to continue that level of collaboration when it comes to Mycoplasma bovis. We were handed that challenge when we came into Government. We've picked it up; we're running with it hard. We've committed to eradication and we are spending literally hundreds of millions of dollars—a lot of that taxpayer funding—and the farming sector is grateful for that commitment through this Government.I've said we've got rid of the fruit fly. We're making changes to the National Animal Identification and Tracing system—a traceability system for animals for livestock in this country that should have been put in place five or six years ago but again was neglected by the previous Government. We'll make changes to the 26-year-old Biosecurity Act an Act that has hampered us in incursion management but we're going through that very very carefully to make sure that we have laws and systems that are fit for the future.We've boosted biosecurity spending—we're well over $20 million. We've put in place X-ray technology we're committed to getting rid of wilding conifers up and down this country and we're focused on keeping out the brown marmorated stink bug and African swine fever too—two of many many diseases that threaten our economy and agricultural systems.Mr Bridges may have forgotten about the farmers but we haven't. We're committed to working with the sector in this country that has consistently carried us forward into the future. There's lots of noise. Lots of noise comes from the traditional party of farmers but no longer I have to say—no longer. They have a leader who ignores farmers who's not up to speed with the challenges and the previous Government ignored the real challenges facing us as food producers into the future.We are a Government of reform. We have been in the 1930s we have been in the 1950s right through the 1980s—doing things that are necessary. As the KPMG agribusiness report in 2015 said in fact it's time to do the hard stuff. It's time to do the hard stuff because the National Government liked to do all the easy stuff.But there are some challenges facing us into the future and that's why we're going to futureproof our farmers and their sectors. We're going to make changes to the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act to ensure that our international champion Fonterra is fit for the future. We've got in place now a Farm Debt Mediation Bill because the fair-weather friends of farmers—the banks—are now looking to exit in some areas. We need protection for farmers and now we have some.We've had a skills working group. The agribusiness sector was crying out for skilled people for years and years. We've stepped in and we're addressing that through the reform of vocational education. We're looking to make sure that we have a system that is fit for purpose and delivers skilled enthusiastic young New Zealanders into the agribusiness and land-use sectors.We've moved to protect our highly productive soils. Literally thousands of hectares have disappeared close to Mr Mark Mitchell—close to him in Pukekohe—and they've disappeared for houses. We are going to protect the highly productive soils. We've committed $40 million a year to the Sustainable Food & Fibre Futures fund. The previous National Government made a lot of noise about its PGP with $35 million a year. We've got $400 million over 10 years to support our innovative primary sectors.We've set a vision through the Primary Sector Council that will be delivered soon and we have come up with a world first He Waka Eke Noa that is a collaboration between Government and between industry to commit to reduce our emissions from agriculture. There's been a bit of talk of it around the world. We will be the first country to bring in agriculture and to work with our farmers and land users to make sure that we reduce our emissions and do our part to reduce climate change and keep global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius.We are helping farmers be the best farmers for the world not just the best farmers in the world. The list goes on: the extension service model; upping our efforts in animal welfare to ensure—particularly in Europe—that we can assure those consumers that we have the highest standards of animal welfare.There are some environmental challenges ahead of us. We have an intensive system of agriculture that has put pressure on some of the soils and some of the water and we're working through with farmers in a collaborative way to make sure that they continue to make profits but we continue to make progress because without a story of integrity around land use around environmental management and animal welfare we will not be able to attract and expect to retain the premiums that we need out in the international market.I am proud to be part of a Government that is taking on the hard challenges that is leading us all into a better future and that is committed to making opportunities available not just for the 1 percent at the top—not just for those who want to wheel and deal in houses—but for each and every New Zealander who wants to live in one of the most wonderful countries in the world and who has got here because of the hard work and the commitment of our ancestors but should not be exploited by the 1 percent that the National Government was happy to entertain over the last nine years. We will do what is necessary to deliver a better New Zealand for future generations."