Wagner Nicky: General Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Wagner Nicky: General Debate 
[Sitting date: 13 June 2012. Volume:680;Page:2929. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
NICKY WAGNER (National—Christchurch Central) 
: 
 With all the conflict and economic gloom and doom around the world right now I am really glad to be a Kiwi. Yes we have had tough times in the last few years. We have had a global financial crisis the Pike River disaster the Canterbury earthquakes—all 11000 of them—and the  
Rena 
 spill but despite the negativity of the Opposition actually we have coped pretty well.  
New Zealanders are resilient. They are adapting to change they are making the most of every situation they are working hard to move forward and we are getting results. I am glad to be a Kiwi because we are made of the right stuff. We are smart educated innovative people. We live in a beautiful clean green environment. We have a stable and I must say excellent National Government and we have prudent financial management.  
 Economically most of the world is far worse off than us—the eurozone is in a meltdown the US is just treading water and even China was affected last week dropping its interest rates to stimulate its economy. Unemployment is rife across the world. We are looking at 24 percent in Spain and worse still 50 percent of young Spaniards are out of work. Right across Europe there is about 11 percent unemployment. It was interesting to hear the Rt Hon Winston Peters talk about Nazi Germany because frighteningly the economic statistics coming out of Europe right now are very similar to those of the 1930s. Both Britain and the US have over 8 percent unemployment and so has Canada. But in New Zealand although our unemployment rate is still hovering around 6 percent our job growth strategies are working. The rate has been coming down consistently since early 2010 and job numbers are growing.  
But the most significant thing is that most Kiwis seem to understand financial risk and they are adapting well to the global economic uncertainty. Households and businesses alike are cutting costs they are reducing waste and many are even managing to save. This Government is doing the same thing. We are determined to keep our debt down to deliver more and affordable effective services and to develop a more productive and efficient economy. And we are getting results here too with interest rates the lowest that we have seen for years—something that affects every New Zealander—and growth in nine out of the 10 last quarters. In fact we are forecast to grow even faster in the next 3 years than Europe Britain Japan the US and Canada. We are even expected to match Australia’s growth. When you think of Australia the Lucky Country with one of the best performing economies in the OECD if we are close to them we are doing well.  
I am also glad to be a Kiwi because we are living in the right part of the world. Sixty percent of our exports are going to Australia or Asia and they are the most vibrant and thriving regions in the world. The Government and Tim Groser are focusing on new trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific region that will give us new markets we are investing in innovation and new technologies and we are increasing funding in engineering science and research. So what we are doing is building on our strengths because that is where our future lies.  
I am glad to be a Kiwi because we are developing a more sustainable economy. Tourism and agriculture are predicated on a clean green environment and New Zealanders are absolutely focused on making sure that we look after it. The Government is investing in clean-ups. The Land and Water Forum is looking at water issues. There are toughened standards from Fonterra and dairy companies. All that will improve our water quality and help our waterways.  
But I am really interested in the new environmentally friendly businesses that are flourishing. At the Green Ribbon Awards last week we heard about companies like Eco-Stock a company that is turning waste that would normally go to landfill into valuable animal food. We heard about CarboNZero a Canterbury company that is helping companies all around the world to cut their carbon emissions. We heard about the wineries that claim that their global competitive advantage is being from environmentally friendly New Zealand. There are a host of other innovative and sustainable products.  
But most of all I am glad to be a Kiwi because I am from Christchurch.