Bennett David: Holidays (Full Recognition of Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Bennett David: Holidays (Full Recognition of Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 27 March 2013. Volume:688;Page:9006. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East) 
: 
 I would just like to defend our Prime Minister today from that attack from the far corners of this Chamber which was most uncalled-for. That member Brendan Horan should not be making those attacks in this Chamber. I am sure that members of this party would not want to see that happen in this Chamber. 
This bill the Holidays (Full Recognition of Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day) Amendment Bill was debated questioned and thought through at the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee in a very concise and meaningful way. I felt that the members of the select committee actually enjoyed this bill. I would like to pay tribute to David Clark the MP who brought it forward because I think he has done a good job on it. He has got a slight problem in his political career in that he keeps on yelling out something about the worst 50 years in the political history of the Labour Party. But apart from that one line that he keeps on yelling out all the time this bill is evidence of somebody who has some potential in Parliament and we would hate to see it lost by that one line that will go down in history as what he is known for. He will not be known as the person who gave holidays to New Zealanders; he will be known as the person who can yell out one line in Parliament. That is a shame for somebody who had potential. 
It is very disappointing too for someone coming from Dunedin because Dunedin is a city that historically has had a large Labour representation in this House. It has had a history of great Labour MPs I must say like Pete Hodgson—those great Labour MPs who were here when I came into this House. 
Chris Auchinvole 
: We respected them. 
DAVID BENNETT 
: We respected them. We did respect them. Michael Woodhouse has taken over that respectable role now. It is a shame that that current member from somewhere in Dunedin has not taken on that responsibility. 
Chris Auchinvole 
: That mantle. 
DAVID BENNETT 
: That mantle has been lost. The National Party is very grateful for the opportunity to pick that mantle up of course but this is a bill that could have defined a political career. It could have been the start of a good political career but it will not be because that political career has been surpassed by his one line. That one line is what he will be known for in this House. That is a shame— 
Iain Lees-Galloway 
: Is this why you’re voting against the bill? 
DAVID BENNETT 
: The next member over there is Mr Iain Lees-Galloway. Do we need to talk about representation in Palmerston North now? That great city which will fall to National at the next election has had many great Labour members. I remember that great Labour MP who was the member for Palmerston North. What was his name? 
Scott Simpson 
: Joe Walding. 
DAVID BENNETT 
: Oh was that one of them? No there was somebody else who is now involved with some university there. But Iain Lees-Galloway has not taken up that mantle either and that has been disappointing for me. I have been very disappointed to see how the Labour members have not delivered for provincial New Zealand. In provincial New Zealand people need that delivery and it is not happening under those members. I say that just in recognition of Mr Clark who did a fine job in the select committee with this bill but has lost it through the rest of his parliamentary career. 
Iain Lees-Galloway 
: What a shambles. 
DAVID BENNETT 
: Now Mr Iain Lees-Galloway is calling out again from the other side of the Chamber and— 
Dr Cam Calder 
: Which faction is he in? 
DAVID BENNETT 
: Which faction is he in? Somebody is asking which faction he is in. He is the Simon Crean of the New Zealand Labour Party. He will get the word from David Cunliffe. David Cunliffe will say: “Come to my office. Come and see me.” and he will talk to him and tell him that the member needs to go out on the next holiday—on the next day that there is a holiday—and go to the New Zealand public and say: “I have a deal for you by lunchtime.” On the next holiday we will see this from the Simon Crean of the New Zealand Labour Party. He will come at the next holiday and make it quite clear what Mr Cunliffe is intending to do. But would you believe that Mr Cunliffe will actually hold “Mr Crean” or Mr Iain Lees-Galloway—on the next holiday—to his word? No you would not. You would not believe that and that will be very disappointing for another member of the Labour Party. 
This is a serious bill. This is a bill that the select committee took great time in looking through. I must admit that when we had people coming in and submitting on the bill the arguments were very strong on both sides. You know there were people who came in and said genuinely: “We respect what these days mean and we want to see them retained in that way.” Then there were other points of—[ 
Bell rung 
] Mr Chair. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch) 
: David Bennett 5 minutes on the bill. 
DAVID BENNETT 
: Just as we start on the bill I would like to pay tribute to Mr David Clark and his political career which is known for one line and not for this bill. But no in all seriousness when we did do this bill the arguments put forward by the proponent of this bill were very strong as well. Nobody wants to deny anybody any rights or responsibilities in life and I think this was a genuine attempt at a member’s bill. So I pay tribute to those who have supported this bill and to all those people— 
Darien Fenton 
: Patronising as always. 
DAVID BENNETT 
: This is the Labour Party saying “patronising”. That is the Labour Party of old. We are looking for the Labour Party of new with the new “Simon Crean” from Palmerston North delivering the new Cunliffe of the day. 
When we look at the submissions I think they were very real. People did say that they would like to enjoy those holidays in some ways as the promoter of this bill has been saying. But in some ways the Government has to make decisions and when we have to make decisions we have to weigh up things. We have to weigh up you know what happens and the timing of these decisions. 
One of the big issues around this bill—and I think that something I would like David Clark to take a call on is to actually go through the dates for the next time that this bill will apply. I think he needs to make that clear— 
Grant Robertson 
: Is this a filibuster? 
DAVID BENNETT 
: —for all members of this Committee including Mr Grant Robertson and for all the members of the public who are listening. He may have to say the dates three or four times because we have heard today that Mr Robertson has got some issues about remembering things and also understanding. David Clark may actually have to write it down in big print for you so that you can pick it up. That would be interesting to see. What is the real effect of this bill? Is this bill merely talk or will it have a real effect? 
Chris Auchinvole 
: Will it walk? 
DAVID BENNETT 
: Will it have a real effect and will it talk in the words of that immortal—immortal I say—speaker from our party Chris Auchinvole who is well known around the world now as one of the leaders in the marriage equality debate and— 
Iain Lees-Galloway 
: That’s later. 
DAVID BENNETT 
: —he will be on later I am sure with another fine rendition of his great speech. 
I would like Mr Clark to just take that time and say what this legislation is really going to mean for New Zealand workers this year. Will it deliver anything for New Zealand workers this year if you are looking at a holiday? Will it deliver anything for New Zealand workers next year? Will it deliver anything for the next year? That is the question I want Mr Clark to answer. Mr Clark may be able to tell us when this bill might actually deliver the holidays that he intends for it to do because I do not know whether Mr Clark has made clear to the public the effect of this bill in the next few years—the next 1 or 2 years. It is all right talking about 10 years’ time. It is like the Labour Party’s superannuation policy. We hear about that in 10 years’ time but what we need to know is about the next 2 years. In the next 2 years what will be the effect of this bill? I do not know what that effect will be until Mr Clark tells this Committee what it will be because I think he understands the issues involved. It may be— 
Chris Auchinvole 
: Will he tell us? 
DAVID BENNETT 
: No he will tell us. I have got great faith in Mr Clark because I have found him to be an honest individual. 
Chris Auchinvole 
: He won’t duck? 
DAVID BENNETT 
: I do not think that he will duck from the question but I do think that he is not to use the line that this is the best legislation in the last 50 years. No he cannot use that line with regard to this legislation and he cannot use the line about the next 50 years and talk about holidays over those years. We want to know about the next 2 years—just the next 2 years—to just before the next election. That is what Mr Clark should concentrate on the time before the next election. Will this bill make any difference? I do not know whether he is going to find that this bill makes any difference to ordinary New Zealanders in that time. It would be disappointing if this House was spending time on a bill and that member has staged his political career on a bill that achieves nothing—a bill that achieves nothing in the next 2 years. 
Grant Robertson 
: This member would know a lot about that. 
DAVID BENNETT 
: Is that what this member is going to talk about? Mr Robertson there says: “You’d know all about that.” Well I would like to see Mr Robertson come to Hamilton and campaign. I want to see him come and campaign when we have got a $2 billion expressway going through our city that is going to be the best thing— 
The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch) 
: Order! 
DAVID BENNETT 
: Sorry Mr Chairman. Mr Robertson distracted me for a moment there and I would hate to be distracted on a bill like this.