McAnulty KieranHon KIERAN McANULTY (Labour—Wairarapa): Thank you very much Mr Speaker. The other day when Chris Luxon said the words wet" and "whiny" I didn't realise he was giving us a preview of today's general debate speech. Here we are in election year; one might think that the Leader of the Opposition might actually talk about what they want to do instead of spending five minutes complaining and whingeing and getting down to absolutely nothing except pointing out what he thinks is wrong. That is nothing to do with what New Zealanders want; what they want is a plan. They say they've got a plan but actually they never talk about it. I think it's quite clear why: because one and one doesn't make three. They're trying to make it out that that's the case but it simply doesn't. They can't promise to cut taxes they can't promise to pay off debt and they can't promise to pay more. Yet that's what they're doing. Every single day they're going around telling New Zealanders what they want to hear but not telling New Zealanders how it's actually going to stack up. Mr Luxon's net ratings are falling through the floor. He is getting so negative that he's now barking at every passing plane. That is where we're at: he wants to grab every opportunity to complain and to whinge and to moan. He called New Zealand businesses "soft". He called New Zealand beneficiaries "bottom feeders". He's now having a crack at the Royal New Zealand Air Force; is anybody safe? Perhaps his childhood heroes the Crusaders are the only ones that will escape his criticism and his complaints. All the New Zealand public need to see is to look over at what the Government has in store over the next three years: a plan that adds up to start with a plan that will help those that are struggling the most that will keep people in jobs and will invest in core service that this country needs. Here's the thing: if you cut taxes like the National Party are proposing they also have to explain what they're going to cut. They were finally pushed into a corner to explain how they were going to pay for something and they found $400 million of savings from consultants. The problem is they've spent that four times over. It doesn't add up. If they cut taxes that will disproportionately benefit the rich it is the rest of us that will miss out because we need to continue investment in health we need to continue investment in education and the severe weather events that have just happened show that we need to continue investment in infrastructure. Why is it that the National Party never want to talk about their history in investment in infrastructure? Because that investment doesn't exist. For nine years they froze maintenance funding for State highways and then they have the gall to turn around and complain about potholes. There is a simple premise here: if you invest in infrastructure it doesn't fall apart and when you finally get a Government that does invest in infrastructure we're having to play catch-up with their lack of investment and also invest in the future. They hate facing up to facts and this is also the same for the water services reform. They have never shown their numbers—they laugh they always laugh—but a simple question and a simple challenge: show us your figures. Nothing. Silence. They're going around pretending that the status quo will deliver for New Zealanders yet we can prove that unless we reform ratepayers will face bills they cannot afford. They don't want to talk about that. They want to scaremonger they want to race-bait they do not want to talk about the issue that in a cost of living crisis New Zealanders can't afford their rates. We've got a plan to deal with it. They're ignoring the issues like they have on so many other things.So my challenge to the National Party is quite simple: if you've got an alternative proposal tell us how it's going to work. Tell us how you're going to pay for it. Don't stand there and announce something and a very simple question "How are you going to pay for it?"—you can't answer. Say "Oh well we'll sort it out in a future Budget". My pick is they won't have a future Budget. My pick is that New Zealanders will see that—as it was just shown to us in that last speech—there's no passion there there's no belief. They don't believe in what they're proposing because they know it doesn't add up. New Zealanders aren't dumb. They know how things work. They rejected Paul Goldsmith's proposed Budget the last election; they're going to reject Nicola Willis' because they know that one and one makes two not the false promises that the National Party are putting forward."