Yates Dianne: Appropriation (2002/03 Supplementary Estimates) Bill — Second Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
Yates Dianne: Appropriation (2002/03 Supplementary Estimates) Bill — Second Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
[Volume:609;Page:6391] 
DIANNE YATES (NZ Labour—Hamilton East) 
: 
 What a litany of whines and moans and groans from Lynda Scott—which explains why the National Party is now on 24 percent in the polls. If there is one thing we can say about Lynda Scott it is that she actually contributes to the poor performance of the National Party. That is probably her great talent. 
The public health organisations are part of a marvellous scheme for distributing funds to those who are in need. It is population-based funding and we thank Annette King the Minister of Health for introducing the scheme. I remind Lynda Scott that $9.5 billion is going into the health sector. This year’s supplementary estimates show that there is an 11.3 percent increase from last year. While we are talking about the money in this year’s Budget I remind Lynda Scott that the health sector has received the largest increase in funding—31 percent or $443 million of new money. What is next? Education. That sector receives $437 million. That is 31 percent new spending. Growth and innovation receives 4 percent new spending. Social services justice and the environment are other areas with increased funding. I will go through those again. Health has had the biggest increase. 
Can I say to Lynda Scott that I as an electorate MP can remember when the National Party was in Government. I remember that many many people came to my office. I am talking about people who were on accident compensation and were constantly waiting for operations. I am talking about people who could not work in their usual jobs because they needed hip replacements or other operations. I have not had one of those people in my office for months and months. Lynda Scott should get real. People are getting their operations. People have rung me and said: “I waited while that National Government was in power for my operation. I was unable to work. I was unable to take part in my normal occupation.” That was the legacy of 9 years of National. I say to Lynda Scott that she should get off the grass look at what is happening and look at what her Government delivered for the 9 years it was in power. At least this Labour-Progressive Government has some new policies some new ideas and creative people in it. We can see from those members opposite and their rating in the polls that they are absolutely bankrupt of ideas and bankrupt of personalities. National is literally a bankrupt party. 
Government Member 
: Impotent. 
DIANNE YATES 
: “Impotent” is the word I hear from a colleague behind me. National is a totally impotent party. In this House and even in select committees there is actually very little contribution from the Opposition. New Zealanders are showing through the polls that they agree with what I have just said. 
As we are talking about the supplementary estimates and the amount of money that this Government is putting into New Zealand I want to say that the Budget is a good Labour Budget. The priorities are health as I have just said—the biggest increase in spending is going into health—and education. There is more money 31 percent new spending going into education. More than 700 new teachers are being paid for. While we are talking about education I want to congratulate a couple of schools in my electorate. Waikato Diocesan School for Girls and Hamilton Boys’ High School were today finalists and runners-up in the Goodman Fielder School of the Year award. Two schools from Hamilton were in the final: one is the secondary school Hamilton Boys’ High School and the other is the Waikato Diocesan School for Girls which was a runner-up in the combined schools contest. I thank Goodman Fielder for running that contest. It is a very very good scheme. It was very encouraging and great to see the young people here in Wellington and I was pleased to celebrate their being in the finals. More than 90 schools entered and two schools from the Hamilton East electorate were in the final. So I say a big “Congratulations!” to the principals to the boards of trustees to the teachers and to the young people themselves on being in that award ceremony. 
The education sector as I have said is where there is big spending. There is increasing funding in health education and housing. We have not said a great deal about housing. The 2003 Budget injects almost an additional $100 million over the next 4 years into the Government’s State house purchase programme. That means another 318 houses in addition to those State houses already planned. Can I say that one of the most horrendous things that the National Government did was to sell off State houses. National sold off 13000 houses. No wonder we have waiting lists! That is the situation that National left us with. Can I also say—and I am really pleased about this—that Steve Maharey is encouraging the third sector and local government to be in partnership. Sixty-three million dollars in the Budget is to be spent encouraging greater involvement in housing by third sector groups and local government. So that is an extra amount of money that is going into partnerships with those who are involved in social housing. I commend Steve Maharey for that particular initiative. I trust that local government and those who are involved in social housing will participate to the full in that partnership. So that is the situation with health education and housing. 
I come now to the job situation and that is where we can see that the Labour-Progressive Government is particularly proactive. I thank Jim Anderton for the involvement in the Regional Partnerships Programme. Twenty-six regions involving 57 local authorities have taken part in regional partnerships and spending has gone into that area. The Waikato Innovation Park in Hamilton forestry training in Rotorua food processing in Napier and wine research in Marlborough are particular highlights of that programme. I commend those people in my electorate and the Minister and the trusts that have been involved in that community partnership. This Government is about partnership not only in its rhetoric and not only in its work with local government. The Government is putting its money where its mouth is and it is coming up with its share. It was particularly good in Hamilton to see Jim Anderton pitch in and say “Here’s my money.” then say to the city council and the local trust “Where’s yours?”. That partnership is creating 2500 jobs in my electorate and I thank the Minister for Economic Development for that initiative. 
There is job creation through Industry New Zealand. Steve Maharey a proactive Minister is putting $85 million into job training. For 10 years a National Government wound down modern apprenticeships. What did we get? We got the leaky buildings problem. That problem was not caused by George Hawkins I can tell members that. George Chapman a National Party stooge was put in charge of the Building Industry Authority. That was when Mr Prendos first wrote in 1998 to George Chapman and said they had a problem with leaky buildings—a problem that was largely due to deregulation a National Government that got rid of apprenticeships and a number of other causes. I thank Lianne Dalziel the new Minister who is working on new legislation on building. She is doing an excellent job in bringing forward new legislation to straighten up one of the major problems that was created by the National Government. It is interesting that a Labour Government has had to clean up the messes of the incompetent National Government. What did the member call it? 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: Impotent. 
DIANNE YATES 
: An impotent National Party had a great belief that it could do everything through market forces. That has been totally impossible and we have inherited the messes. Look at what has happened to our airways and our railways. The Labour Government has had to clean up an enormous amount of mess. I reiterate once again that the emphasis in the supplementary estimates is on education health housing and jobs.