Harawira Hone: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Harawira Hone: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 12 March 2013. Volume:688;Page:8419. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
HONE HARAWIRA (Leader—Mana) 
: 
 Kia ora tatou. Tena koe Mr Chairperson. Kia ora tatou e te Whare. This Government’s line about spending the money it makes from the sale of State assets on new schools and hospitals is a myth that is very quickly exposed by a simple reading of this financial review of Treasury and the Government’s Financial Statements for 2012 which shows a number of things. One even though the Minister of Finance talks up his Government’s target of 170000 new jobs he has no plan to create jobs except to point to a market place that is dumping Kiwi workers and shifting our manufacturing sector overseas. Two even though the Minister says not to read too much into our skyrocketing unemployment figures not only did external agencies correctly predict our current level of employment when the Government could not but those same agencies also predict another 25000 unemployed in the March quarter. 
Three even though the Minister says he cannot understand why unemployment is up but the number of people on unemployment benefits is down he happily votes for welfare reforms that are forcing people off benefits out of their homes and on to the streets. Four even though the Minister says he is optimistic about our future the review shows that Crown debt will go through the roof over the next 4 years and that according to the IMF our external debt is the second-worst in the developed world and will be worse than Greece’s by 2014. 
Five even though the Minister is talking up the sale of Mighty River Power the review itself says that the Crown is unlikely to maximise its return from a public offering of shares in the current economic climate. Such is the climate in which this Government is preparing to sell off assets that we already own. When it says to us: “Hey guess what folks! You know that house that our grandparents built? Well we’re going to sell the kitchen because we need some money to fix the toilet. But don’t worry we can rent the kitchen back for the next 1000 years.” can you see how dumb that sounds? This is our house but we have got to rent back our own kitchen for ever at a rent that will keep going up every year for a kitchen that our grandparents built. 
The fact is that this country is in an economic hole with the second-worst external debt in the developed world and that moneys from the sale of State assets will be used to repay that debt—not all of it; just some of it. And is that not a good idea I hear you say in order to repay debt? Well no because what happens when we have sold off the power companies? The debt will still be there and then what are we going to sell? Schools—oh too late. We have already privatised education. Health? Well we have already privatised health services as well much to the joy of the overseas private health insurance companies making a killing off our pain and misery. And houses—State houses are already being flogged off as we speak today as witnessed by the communities of Glen Innes Porirua and Maraenui. 
The fact is that the rape and pillage brigade has already gotten its grubby little hands on most of the family jewels so this Government is now trumpeting our Third World status and our low wages in an attempt to sell our labour to the world. That is the climate in which this Government is planning to flog off our assets. That is why Mana stood with the New Zealand Maori Council which won its case to ensure Maori rights to water were recognised and to delay the sale of Mighty River Power until today. That is why Mana will support the council’s effort to clarify the extent of those rights when the case comes back before the Waitangi Tribunal later this month. That is why Mana supports Pouakani’s bid to stop the sale of State assets until their interests in the water that drives Mighty River Power have been properly clarified and protected and that is why today Mana was proud to stand alongside Labour the Greens New Zealand First the unions Grey Power and the Union of Students’ Associations in receiving the petition of nearly 400000 people calling for a referendum on asset sales. 
On matters of principle people have to take a stand because despite widespread disapproval from the public over the pending sale of Mighty River Power despite every respected economist questioning its financial viability despite several court cases being brought by Maori over water rights and despite the Government already admitting that the shares will be sold cheaply and that it cannot guarantee that those shares will remain in New Zealand hands this Government still plans to sell Mighty River Power. Today I stand alongside those hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who signed the petition and challenge the Government to put its claim that it has support for asset sales to the ultimate test. A straight referendum one simple question: “Do you support”—