Peters Winston: Budget Debate 
Peters Winston: Budget Debate 
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Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 I just want to say at the start of my address that in the long time I have been in Parliament I have never before seen what I have just witnessed today. Members from one political party were prepared to listen to their leader but after he had spoken they were “ 
Gone with the Wind 
”. They are bad-mannered intellectual philistines who are not prepared in a debating chamber to hear the alternative views of other parties on the biggest debate on any given day in any Parliament. A party that is not prepared to listen to the views of others is not worthy of governing. That is a disgrace. Mind you it is that party’s problem because those members will miss out on some great dialogue from here on in. 
These debates are where New Zealanders look to for vision hope and leadership—not the kind of vision I have just heard from the Opposition side of the House which was more like an ingratiating nightmare but real leadership and vision. Then there are others who cynically see Parliament as a soap opera. As I said after the last case of hot air from the leader of the National Party National members vanished or went with the wind. There was a little bit more drama here and there and the most predictable lines were played out to well-worn plots. That has certainly been true of the contribution we heard in reply this afternoon. There was no original script and no original lines at all. It arises because this House—in the case of so many of those National members over there particularly the new members—is full of prima donnas. They could fill the cast of  
Shortland Street. 
So the real question is what new performances have we seen in this Budget year thus far? We can see that for Labour this Budget is all about trying to find “ 
Friends 
”. Labour now hopes that by “ 
Mucking In 
” its poll ratings will rise. That is predictable. Although there are some people who have questioned the Government’s “Agenda” the fact is that there is much that is commendable in this Budget and those people cannot deny it. Much of what was in the Budget I am pleased to say my party has argued for over years. Even at this late stage I am pleased to see that it has now become the mantra of Parliament. 
New Zealand businesses have been waiting to get the economy into “ 
Top Gear 
”. Cutting the tax rate to 30 percent which brings us in to line with Australia will go somewhere towards achieving this. But if our businesses are to really see “ 
Happy Days 
” again we must go a lot further. There is much good work that is being done to build our export capacity in Export Year 2007 with further initiatives in this Budget. But how much better would things be if all new export profits were taxed at 20 percent and we pursued some of the policies of successful economies—like Ireland or Singapore? 
Rodney Hide 
: Why just exporters? 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: Why just exporters? I say to Mr Hide that that is because we are an export-dependent country. That is why. Coming in here with ill-applied American ideas—which is a totally different economy—is what has so constrained this country for the last two decades. We should focus on exports because like so few countries we are export dependent. I say to Mr Hide that instead of going off to  
Dancing with the Stars 
 maybe he should pay attention to what is going on in New Zealand’s economy. We must encourage our businesses to do better both at “Home and Away”. It is the only way we will grow. New Zealand First fully supports the Government’s efforts— 
Rodney Hide 
: You’re just jealous. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: I am jealous? Excuse me? I am jealous of that spastic exhibition I saw on TV? For God’s sake the only person who would be jealous is TanaUmaga—he cannot do a spear tackle that good! The member must be joking! I am jealous? Jealous of what? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Order! 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: Well I was asked—and one can see why. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Could the member please return to the debate. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: We fully support the Government’s efforts to build our savings base. The reality is that in Australia and elsewhere they have been playing “ 
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 
” for 15 long years. In fact New Zealand’s savings strategy until today was like a Lotto draw—hoping and wishing that things would go away. I have to say that the announcement by Dr Cullen today for New Zealand First is a bit like going “ 
Back to the Future 
”. I recall all of those comments that were made 10 years ago about New Zealand not having a savings plan. I recall all of those comments in particular from a party that claims to be conservative—but is just plain reactionary—that went up and down this country opposing a national savings strategy and that put Jenny Shipley who was hopeless incompetent and unprepared in the job of Prime Minister. Where is she now? She has taken a “Slow Boat to China”.  
Hon Members 
: Who was Treasurer? 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: Well the Treasurer at the time was of course none other than yours truly. Today I am looking at a man Bill English who not only campaigned against the savings strategy but in his next Budget got rid of the programme designed to spend road-tax collections on roads. He will get up today and say otherwise but if one looks at the 1999 Budget one sees that that is exactly what he did. So before people accuse New Zealand First of being “ 
Supernanny 
” over compulsory savings we suggest they look across the ditch and then tell us who was right and who was wrong. 
Hon Members 
: We were right! 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: I say to those laughing backbenchers over there that they are not going to be here for 5 minutes if they keep on laughing like that. I saw Mr Borrows on TV. 
Hon Member 
: Who? 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: Mr Borrows. I saw Mr Borrows on TV complaining about flak jackets not being carefully fitted and being too small. I wondered how the police could possibly know what would be the right size if they were all going to look like Mr Borrows. 
We do share one of Mr Borrows’ concerns and that is on the issue of law and order. We initiated the recruitment of 1000 extra front-line policemen and policewomen. But our concern for example about the Department of Corrections today is that it is beginning to look more like “ 
Prison Break 
” and “ 
Getaway 
”. We have to do something about it. Our gangs are completely out of control on our streets at the moment. We have our own version of “ 
The War at Home 
” and it is not pretty. We can and we must do better. The time has come to declare war on gangs and to say that enough is enough. The time has come to give the image of Maori a chance instead of the degrading vision so often on TV at night at 6 o’clock which is that very abhorrent vision that the Maori people in this country do not want. The time has come to act now. In South Auckland on any given day and at any given school—and sometimes this will be for one classroom—one can find 15 kids with serious weapons on them mostly knives. Ask any teacher who knows. This is way out of hand and the sooner we do something about it then the better we will be. 
What sort of environment are we providing for our young people to learn in under those circumstances? We have heard from all of the apologists—all the sociologists. We have heard them say that it is too hard or that we should give these young people a chance—well we in New Zealand First say that they have had their chance for four long decades. We say that it is game over. The war on gangs is now a “ 
Game of Two Halves 
”. We are now entering the second half and New Zealand First says that it is time for the right team to start winning. We will outlaw the gangs hunt them down shut them down and rid our society of their scourge. [ 
Interruption 
] For those members who laugh let me say that they laugh because they know nothing of the society in which they live. How can they with their pristine backgrounds? That member from Hamilton has never done a day’s work in his life. He probably thinks that manual labour is the President of Mexico. I ask members to have a look at him. 
I say that the gangs have had their warning. Any party that seeks to work with New Zealand First after 2008 will meet the condition requiring their support which is the assurance that gangs will be shut down once and for all. One could say that they could be “ 
The Departed 
”. I heard a lady on Radio New Zealand National today between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. Her name was te Heuheu. She has been 30 years in that world of association with the gangs and she was as certain as I am that they should be outlawed. She is Maori; she is sympathetic but this abomination must go and go now. 
We are pleased with the $400 million extra going into the elder-care sector—it desperately needs it. It is long overdue. We hope that it also relates to proper wage adjustments within the aged-care sector. We cannot have women of 55 or 60 years of age who are experienced and conscientious getting the lousy wages that they have been getting. So I am pleased and delighted—as are my colleagues—for that $400 million extra going into the elder-care sector. 
We applaud the increased funding for making free health-care more accessible for children under 6. But we ultimately hope that that will extend to all primary school - aged children. New Zealand First believes that there should be a little “ 
Nip/Tuck 
” when it comes to the administration where health care is concerned. There should be much less administration. Far too much of our health sector looks like “ 
ER 
”—one dramatic crisis after another. New Zealanders deserve better. 
New Zealand First is pleased with the massive increase in overseas aid with most of it going to the Pacific. I am also delighted with the greater expenditure on the one agency that is our image abroad—the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. I am grateful for the Government’s support on that initiative. It is desperately needed if we are in an economic sense to match the First World in the 21st century and also fulfil our obligations to our own neighbourhood. Success in our own neighbourhood makes us strong in the eyes of others miles and miles away—in the European Union the US and Asia. It is important. One could say that we believe in being good “ 
Neighbours 
” but I will speak more about that later. As we strengthen our own neighbourhood we make our future more secure—the two things go hand in hand. 
This Budget is an MMP Budget because this is an MMP Parliament. New Zealand First like United Future welcomes efforts on reducing business tax. The United Future party though I am sad to say seems to be going through its own version of “ 
Downsize Me! 
”. Some parties deserve this and some do not and New Zealand First feels genuinely sorry for Peter Dunne and his remaining colleague on this matter. We know exactly what it is like to have people ride into Parliament on one’s coat-tails. We know about all the effort the sacrifice the expenditure the door-knocking and all the work over years to get them here and then they suffer from delusions of grandeur and stab one in the back. The soap opera about which I speak reminds of that called  
“Rome 
” 
where someone has been left with a knife in his back. The explanation on  
Morning Report 
 this morning was a disgrace. How can a person call himself a Christian when the first act of his party is 5 months of deception against his leader and the troops that put him here? 
When it comes to the National Party on the soap opera front the only thing I could describe its members as is “ 
Lost 
”. They are several divided tribes who never know whom they can trust and whom they cannot and they are stuck someplace they do not want to be. They went from having “ 
The Odd Couple 
” of Don and Gerry to “ 
My Two Dads 
”—the present couple 
. 
John Key of course is going through his own version of “ 
The Apprentice 
”. First it was Jenny Shipley who got the line: “You’re fired.” Then it was Bill English: “You’re fired.” Then it was Don Brash. The one whom they said was the greatest leader the National Party had ever seen Don Brash was told: “You’re fired.” Then of course there is Nick Smith. He is living proof that still waters run shallow: “You’re fired.” Then there was Gerry Brownlee Parliament’s heaviest lightweight: “You’re fired.” Why was it that John Key today kept on screwing up his notes after he had completed each page of his speech? Why would he be screwing up his notes? 
Hon Annette King 
: Cos he’s talking rubbish. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: My colleague says it is because he was talking rubbish. He was getting it ready for the round filing basket. That is typical. 
Nathan Guy 
: You can do better than that. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: Yes of course I can and I will get to that member shortly. Now we are going through the John Key episode. He and Bill English are playing their own version of “ 
Whose Line Is It Anyway? 
” over everything from tax cuts climate change and dealing with the newly discovered underclass. Of course John Key is right in the middle of an “ 
Extreme Makeover 
”. Everything Don Brash stood for John Key is renouncing. On Treaty policy an extreme makeover; on climate change an extreme makeover; on KiwiSaver an extreme makeover; on 4 weeks’ annual leave an extreme makeover—and I could go on. National’s solution of course has always been based on one of “ 
Outrageous Fortune 
”: tax cuts funded by savings on services cutting services large borrowing and selling off more of the family silver—just like National members did back in the 1990s. For a brief time I was able to stop them but they went straight back to it. [ 
Interruption 
] It was October 1998. Despite all the desperate rhetoric they are really like “ 
Desperate Housewives 
” looking around for a suitor come the next election. I know they will climbing over cut glass. I saw them do it before twice and now they are coming again. 
ACT of course is still reminiscing about  
Dancing with the Stars 
 but all the stars have gone now. In fact we have seen Rodney go from “ 
Two and a Half Men 
” to disappearing “ 
Without a Trace 
” just like his party. For most of New Zealand of course the Greens are a combination of “ 
Fantasy Island 
” and “ 
Fear Factor 
” and although most New Zealanders had wished the Maori Party had stayed on the “ 
Marae 
” we now have those members stepping into “ 
Native Affairs 
”. They are not an option that National wants to entertain. 
Then there is the one drama show that is now topping the ratings because it is original creative and has integrity just like the one political party that now stands out from all others and offers real hope in 2007. The show is of course called “ 
Heroes 
” and the political party is of course New Zealand First. We are the party that has demonstrated that one can have quality policy solutions and that one can argue for them for years and get defeated but those ideas because they are quality ideas will one day become a reality. Today we saw that almost get there in the savings plan announced by Dr Cullen. We have proven that New Zealand can have policies— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: This is like “ 
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 
”. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: Well we know who flew over the cuckoo’s nest in the case of Maurice. He kept on coming back. 
Which party is a hero to our seniors? It is New Zealand First. We want to ensure their quality of life is so much better through higher superannuation through the SuperGold card and through the huge increase in the funding of care for elders. We are heroes to New Zealand business because we have gone for tax cuts. We want to rewrite the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act so that our exporters might get a fair go and that is what we will be arguing to do all the way to the 2008 election. We want a Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act that recognises that New Zealand is a uniquely export-dependent economy. We are heroes to New Zealand families. Young people today and other people on the minimum wage are getting $70 more per week because it is in our agreement to get that. We are heroes to Kiwis who want to see the Kiwi way of life preserved their ideals protected and their quality of life enhanced. 
I close by saying we are heroes to those who want to see New Zealanders as one people—different cultures but bound by shared values. We want to end the politically correct nonsense that has surrounded the Treaty and it will take heroes to do it. You see New Zealand needs political heroes who are prepared to stand up on the tough issues when others will not. Who told me in Rotorua back in 2005: “We can’t afford to pay more to the superannuitants.”? Don Brash did. We stuck it out and it is there today. We know we take a risk in standing up and fighting for ordinary New Zealanders but it is worth it. It is not easy. We now have business tax cuts a huge change in the savings plan $400 million for aged care the greatest ever increase in overseas development aid and 1000 extra police. As they say in the ghettos of North America: “Is that black enough for you?”. I close by saying that it is not easy but that is what heroes do and it is what New Zealand First does best.