Williams Andrew: Mixed Ownership Model Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Williams Andrew: Mixed Ownership Model Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
[Sitting date: 19 June 2012. Volume:681;Page:3062. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
ANDREW WILLIAMS (NZ First) 
: 
 I rise on behalf of New Zealand First to oppose the Mixed Ownership Model Bill the bill that is also known as the “Flog Off the Family Silverware Bill”. Firstly can I just put the member from Dipton in his correct place. He stated earlier and he lay down a challenge asking whether any of the Opposition parties would categorically assure the Committee that the State-owned assets that are sold off would be taken back under State control. Can I assure you that New Zealand First in accordance with its past principles of being the one party that has stood up for the retention of State assets and not selling State assets has submitted an amendment in the name of our leader the Rt Hon Winston Peters which provides the right for the Crown in the future to take back these assets and gives the Crown the option to exercise its right to take back the assets—and this is the point—at a price no greater than the assets are sold at. So this is forewarning and the Government is on notice but the people of New Zealand moreover are on notice that when this Government is removed in perhaps 2 years maybe fewer and maybe in a very short space of time and there are new Ministers on the front benches taking control of this country with New Zealand First involved in that we will assure the New Zealand public that we will move to acquire these assets back. That is an assurance we have. We have a precedent here with KiwiRail when New Zealand First worked with Labour to buy back KiwiRail. So there is a precedent and we have managed to get KiwiRail back on its feet as a result. Once again we will buy these assets back. 
I would like to read something. I would like all members including those on the other side of the Chamber to listen to this very carefully and tell me at the end of it who they think may have written this. The words are: “New Zealand’s economy depends on natural resources and energy to survive and thrive.” Are you listening Leader of the House? I want you to work out who said this. “Almost all our exports—from tourism to agricultural produce—have a major component of these in production processing or transport. In a world increasingly starved for available affordable energy and other commodities many countries are threatened—but our indigenous natural resources make us one of the world’s richest nations.” 
It goes on to say—and I hope I have given you enough clues and I hope the National members have had enough clues—that its leading technologies “will provide secure affordable and environmentally acceptable energy and other important products to help make”—and listen to this important point—“our economy one of the most competitive and to support the standard of living New Zealanders expect for many decades into the future.” The source of that statement is Solid Energy on its very own website. The State-owned enterprise of which this Government is about to flog off 49 percent says that for the future of New Zealanders we depend on the assurance of having them. It is amazing that one of our own State-owned energy companies Solid Energy would say how important these resources are to the future of New Zealanders. 
Many New Zealanders do not really realise—they hear this comment about “Oh there’s three power companies being sold off and Air New Zealand.”—but I want to bring it back to what these power companies actually are. Firstly let us think about Mighty River Power. It has hydro power stations on the Waikato River from Taupo all the way down to the lower reaches of the Waikato including great dams like Karapiro and like Atiamuri. Mighty River Power also has four geothermal power stations in the Taupo-Rotorua area and we have all driven through that area of the North Island and seen the wonderful geothermal power stations that are owned by Mighty River Power. It also has a gas-fired power station. It is one of the top 10 companies in the world in geothermal energy production and it has interests in South America in North America and in Europe so it is an internationally recognised company owned 100 percent by the New Zealand people but bringing profits and resources back to New Zealand from its international investments. 
Meridian Energy has seven hydro power stations and again they are iconic names such as Ohau Benmore Aviemore the Waitaki and Manapouri. The Manapouri scheme was you know such a marvellous scheme for New Zealand. They also have four wind farms in New Zealand one in Australia and one in Antarctica. They also have a solar farm in California. That is Meridian Energy. 
Then there is Genesis Energy and it has three hydro power stations including the wonderful Tongariro scheme running through the centre of the North Island the Tekapo scheme down there at Lake Tekapo and the Waikaremoana scheme at Lake Waikaremoana in the Ureweras. Genesis Energy also owns 31 percent equity in the Kupe oil and gasfield in Taranaki and supplies 100 percent of the gas from the Kupe field to the New Zealand gas reticulation system. These are the sorts of incredible assets that this country has which this Government wants to sell 49 percent of. You look at all those hydro power stations you look at all those geothermal power stations you look at the gas-fired power stations the wind farms the solar farms in California and then that supply control but also the major equity interest in the Kupe oil and gasfield and this Government wants to flog those off for between $5 billion and $7 billion for resources that will be there this month next month next year in 10 years’ time in 20 years’ time in 50 years’ time and ongoing. But the Government wants to sell them off now for $5 billion to $7 billion and that $5 billion to $7 billion I will tell all New Zealanders will all be gone in 6 months—gone in 6 months at the rate that this Government is increasing debt from $52 billion to over $70 billion in the next couple of years. 
So Mr and Mrs New Zealand if you are listening to this tell this Government: “In 2 years’ time you will be gone. You will be replaced by responsible members of Parliament who will bring the likes of this amendment into being the Rt Hon Winston Peters and we will take these assets back and we will ensure that these resources and the wonderful generation of power the gas and the fuels that come out of these companies will be returned to New Zealanders where they rightfully belong.” 
As I said at the very beginning this is the “Flog Off of the Family Silverware Bill”. This is a situation where in many countries this would be seen as being a traitorous act of treason on the part of the Government. To sell off your power and to sell off your natural resources is akin to treason. This cannot be condoned. I urge every New Zealander around New Zealand if you have not yet signed the “Keep Our Assets” petition sign it tomorrow sign it this week sign it in the coming week. Tell this Government. Hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders need to sign it. Tell this Government: we want a referendum on this. We want to take you to task. We want to hold you accountable and we will not allow our precious resources and our power schemes and also our national airline—we can throw it in the piece—to be sold off just so that these short-sighted National people can make 6 months’ profit on it.