Allan KiritapuHon KIRITAPU ALLAN (Minister of Justice): If that is not the most negative speech I have almost ever heard—it's almost anti - New Zealand what we just heard from negative Nicola. Now I'm not sure what the rumours are up in those Auckland chambers of commerce but we might have just heard from somebody believed to be New Zealand's next Prime Minister. My goodness me New Zealand if this negative vision for Aotearoa is what's on offer then this country is in trouble.But fear not—fear not New Zealand—because we have at the helm Christopher Hipkins aka Chippy. This is a man that is focused on the bread and butter issues. He's out there on the streets born and raised in Upper Hutt. He has worked diligently for a New Zealand that we can all be proud of. On top of that he's just been named as one of the best dressers in the world. Kudos to Barkers.But that aside I want to talk about what we have done. This Government has invested in our regions. Just last week I traipsed up and down the East Coast region looking at the people we had invested in looking at the roads that we had invested in looking at the businesses up and down. All throughout Aotearoa our regions are filled with New Zealanders committed to staying in their regions because our Government has invested in this place here.Now though we've heard from the Opposition. We've heard that they want to bring about cut cut cut cut. They want a coalition of cuts"—that's all we've heard. I just want to remind New Zealand of the last time that the National and the ACT Party—the "coalition of cuts"—were in and what they did to New Zealand's justice system. If you remember they closed police stations. They didn't fund the police. They froze the police budget year on year—that's right. They tried and they failed to get firearms prohibition—Hon Mark Mitchell: New Zealand was much safer.Hon KIRITAPU ALLAN: —orders over the line. Well if Mr Mitchell thought New Zealand was safer then either (a) his memory's a little foggy or (b) he just doesn't read the stats. New Zealand was not safer back then but he can plead all he likes.One thing though: whilst we're on a little bit of history reflection let's reflect on the ghosts of the past. Oh that's right. One thing about this current iteration of the National Party: they clearly aren't the party that was the John Key and Bill English Government—I'll tell you that. That was with a Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance that denounced prisons as a moral and fiscal failure. That was a Government that said "We know that a key to reducing crime in the long term is to stop young people entering the justice system in the first place." This approach is also a central principle of New Zealand and international laws and guidelines—steering young people away from a life of crime and ensuring they don't get caught up in the justice system increases the chance that they will reach their full potential. Now that was the basis of the John Key of the Bill English justice policy. However the "coalition of cuts" is now promoting a half-a-billion - dollar investment. That is what the National Party is supporting: a half-a-billion - dollar investment into kiddie prisons—kiddie prisons. This is the one thing that I think the "coalition of cuts" has done that the Mongrel Mob will actually like. You are literally creating a kiddie kindergarten for criminals and gangs. That's a half-a-billion-dollar investment. That is the National-ACT justice policy.On this side of the House we take an evidence-based approach. The things that we do: we put an extra 1600 police on the front lines. That's what this Government has done; one that takes law and order seriously. We've increased the police budget every single year. Now how's the "coalition of cuts" going to pay for extra police? No no—that's right. They're going to find some more money to invest in kiddie prisons—kindergarten prisons. This is a Government focused on New Zealand and we are so proud of the work we have done."