Yates Dianne: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Yates Dianne: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:623;Page:18215] 
DIANNE YATES (Labour—Hamilton East) 
: 
 It is hard to believe that the previous speaker Dr Lockwood Smith was once a TV announcer because he does not seem to realise that we have microphones in this House that one does not need to shout quite so loudly to be heard and that one is heard on the radio just by speaking through the microphone and not trying to bring the walls down. There was a lot of noise about nothing in that speech. I think that Dr Lockwood Smith was a former Minister of International Trade and I cannot think of one treaty or agreement that he signed when he was the Minister. So I do think that speech was a lot of hot air about nothing very much. I cannot even think since he was not mentioned by Winston Peters today of what faction of the National Party he might belong to. Perhaps he does not belong to any of the factions in the National Party since Winston Peters failed to mention him this afternoon. 
Lockwood Smith did not refer to his own leader in any way at all. He did say that National had an agenda but he did not annunciate what that agenda was. He just seemed to get louder and louder. 
Darren Hughes 
: Yes he did. He was angry about everything. 
DIANNE YATES 
: He was angry about everything but he had no agenda for the National Party and I found that speech to be a lot of hot air about nothing. Towards the end of last year in Hamilton—I have the privilege of being the member for Hamilton East—there was an unveiling of a statue in the middle of the main street a statue of Riff Raff which was really controversial. To unveil that statue we had a function and a whole street full of people ended up by dancing to “The Time Warp”. This afternoon when I heard Dr Brash speak I really felt that “The Time Warp” was what he was referring to. 
The statue we unveiled in Hamilton was a tribute to a song that was written at least 30 years ago by a former Hamiltonian but I could not help thinking of Don Brash. He is in a time warp. He does not look like a 1970s man; he looks like a 1950s man. He speaks like a 1950s man he thinks like a 1950s man and I believe he reasons like a 1950s man. In fact he looks to me as if he could have come straight out of  
The Stepford Wives 
 especially in the way that he has been treating the women in his party—he is demanding unthinking allegiance. He dumped Georgina Te Heuheu which I think was an extremely rude thing to do to someone from a family that gave a national park to New Zealand. Now it is Katherine Rich’s turn for neither confirming nor denying for not toeing his party line and for not being obviously in the right faction within the National Party. 
I find it absolutely amazing that like Dr Lockwood Smith Dr Brash has no real analysis of welfare no policies and is not even listening to international precedents. Dr Brash is constantly falling back on his own old outdated positions. I think Don Brash should listen to Riff Raff—Richard O’Brien. Richard O’Brien came to the unveiling of his statue and I was very impressed by his speech because it brought out some of the values that Helen Clark brought out today—Kiwi values. He said that one of the reasons he was able to get ahead in the world and become world famous was his Kiwi values. He was referring to Kiwi values around class around colour and around creed. He said that because he did not understand class—he was brought up in what he believed was a classless society—he was able to walk through the classes in Britain. He ignored them. Why? It was because he had been brought up in the society we have today where there is decent housing where there is a decent education system and where there is a welfare system for those people who are unable to participate in the way that those who are more fit are able to do. We as a Labour Government are continuing with that. 
Richard O’Brien also talked about colour and ignoring colour as a barrier. I will say as Jill Pettis said tonight that when we have been sitting in the House listening— 
Darren Hughes 
: A very good member. 
DIANNE YATES 
: A very good member. We have been listening to the Opposition and it seems that every time the word “Maori” is mentioned there seems to be some kind of knee-jerk fit reaction as if it is no longer appropriate to talk about Maori the indigenous people of New Zealand. 
Darren Hughes 
: They’re embarrassed. 
DIANNE YATES 
: As a Kiwi with Kiwi values I find the Opposition embarrassing. It is even worse when we talk about new immigrants. I heard Dr Brash talk about the changing face of New Zealand which I found rather strange. I think it was a rather subtle reference to the fact that there may be people from Singapore or other Asian countries in our country. I found it a very strange reference for Dr Brash to make in his speech. 
The third thing that Riff Raff talked about was creed. I have listened to a great deal of what I call really strange comments in our society of late when people have been extremely intolerant of other people’s religions and beliefs. I find it really strange that family values have become a euphemism for any kind of right-wing knee-jerk reaction to anything in our society. I find that insulting to families in New Zealand. We are all part of families and not just nuclear families. We are part of extended families. We are all somebody’s son daughter brother sister mother or father. We all have families and we all respect our families. Even bad families or dysfunctional families are still families with values and we have to respect those as much as we respect other people’s religions and beliefs. We need to respect everybody in this country for what he or she believes and how he or she believes it. 
The Prime Minister mentioned a number of things in her speech today in particular the crime rate. I am particularly pleased that in Hamilton we have a very much reduced crime rate. She also mentioned the funding going into education and in particular into early childhood education. I thank the Minister of Education for two new pre-schools in our area which is a growing area. I thank the Minister of Education for the new teachers. I am very proud that in the Waikato we have below 3 percent unemployment which is lower than the national average. That is something that this Labour Government has delivered. Not only that we are getting nearly $200 million to upgrade our hospital and improve emergency services. 
Labour has put new funding into science and technology. In all the time that the National Party was in power I did not see that funding going into science and technology in my electorate. I am very pleased with the improvements in accessing health care for young people and old people and through primary health organisations. I do not have people coming to my electorate office as I used to in the past when we were in Opposition talking about being on a long waiting list. 
One thing that has been very good is the increase in public housing and affordable rental housing. That has made a tremendous difference to people. One of the most horrible things we inherited from the National Party was the lack of the 13000 State houses for lower-income people. Those houses which we are now rebuilding and putting back into our electorates give security. They mean that children stay at the same school get some stability and get a better education and that is showing in educational results. Even in the lower decile schools in my electorate the children are getting very good results which is to the credit of the Minister of Education. 
I am also pleased that a considerable amount of money is going into infrastructure—into roading. I heard someone say that no funding is going into roading. Well I am getting a bit tired of roadworks between Auckland and Hamilton. It is never as much as everyone would like but millions and millions of dollars are going into that four-laning. 
In terms of what is happening in relation to social work the Social Workers in Schools programme and support for families we have at least 17 new social workers in Hamilton and more are on the way. 
Tremendous things are happening in this country at a local level and at an electorate level as well as nationwide. The Labour Government is delivering and is continuing to deliver. We will be offering greater security more for families more in terms of saving and more in terms of people acquiring their own homes and having greater stability. I was talking this afternoon to one of the leaders of people who are concerned with the retail industry. I was told that they are very very happy with the way the country is going and they foresee that it is to continue and the polls are telling us the same thing. I look forward to a Labour Government at the 2005 election.