Cosgrove Clayton: Appropriation (2012/13 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Cosgrove Clayton: Appropriation (2012/13 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
[Sitting date: 21 August 2012. Volume:683;Page:4571. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Labour) 
: 
 Well I would like to thank “Dr Dolittle” for that wonderful presentation. It was incredibly enthusiastic—Maurice Williamson almost fell asleep. They are so proud of their programme that the best they can do is the man in the bow tie. What a cracker! The spirit the esprit de corps and the enthusiasm of John Hayes were bar none. John Hayes made a very interesting point. He said that this Prime Minister John Key and the National Government know what they are doing. Well I can do no better than quote one of their mates Rob Cameron the head of the Capital Market Development Taskforce a Government appointment. Presumably he is a mate of John Key “Dr Dolittle” and the others over there. Rob Cameron said that he backed the sale of State-owned enterprises— 
Louise Upston 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It is a longstanding rule that members are addressed by their correct names in this House. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I apologise Mr Speaker. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch) 
: Yes I think the member knows so apology accepted. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I am speaking of course of John Hayes in case there is any confusion for those listening out there. Thank you to the junior Government whip. Rob Cameron said he backed the sale of State-owned assets. He said that the management of the scheme has been “a disaster”. So that is what Rob Cameron a mate and an appointee of the National Government said about John Key’s management and the Government’s management of the sale of State-owned enterprises—and as we know 80 percent of New Zealanders do not want their assets which they already own sold. It has been an utter disaster from start to finish. I have never seen an attempted initial public offering—and I have worked for a number of companies that have been engaged in initial public offerings—so botched by an entity in history in this country. 
In respect of Mighty River Power this is the worst time to sell it. We have the worst economic conditions the worst market conditions and a tribunal hearing hanging over the Government’s head. Why? Because of the incompetence of the Prime Minister because of the incompetence of the finance Minister the State-owned enterprises Minister and the Treaty negotiations Minister aided and abetted by those geniuses in the Maori Party—the weekend warriors—who went around the marae and said they would fix the Maori ownership issues and the property issues. They would fix it. The deal has been done with their paymasters in the National Party and it was done so well of course that the tribunal now is considering the matter and we know from listening to the Iwi Leaders Group and the Maori Council that if the Government does not listen they will be off to court. The sales process has been totally 100 percent botched and now we know that the Prime Minister has talked about delaying the sales. I think that is a good thing colleagues. Anything that delays these sales and gives the people of New Zealand the opportunity with those of us who are on the right side of this argument in Parliament to stop these asset sales is a good thing. We should have a referendum where people will have a direct say—and then there will be no more talk about mandates from this crew over here. 
So this as John Hayes described it—alias “Sir Les”; oh no sorry John Hayes—the Prime Minister and the National Government know what they are doing. Well not in the eyes of 80 percent of New Zealanders and not in the eyes of Rob Cameron. It has been a botched mismanaged initial public offering from start to finish. 
Then what do we hear today? Well Solid Energy another one that is on the block with this crew. Oh hang on Solid Energy’s books are not that good. Why? I do not vent any fault of its own on that but there are international ramifications in terms of China with natural resources and the orders they are putting in for things like coal and other natural resources. Ah the books are not really that good. So the Government has suddenly decided that maybe this might not be the best time to sell—likewise with Air New Zealand. If you actually look at the litany of problems some of these State-owned enterprises have you will see Meridian Energy being put over a barrel in respect of negotiations with its biggest customer the Bluff aluminium smelter. Is this a really good time to get Meridian Energy up and sell it? I would not have thought so given the leverage that is being put over it by some of its clients. So this from a Prime Minister—to quote John Hayes the man in the bow tie in case you missed him: the Prime Minister and the National Government know what they are doing. Well even their own mates say they do not know what they are doing in respect of State-owned enterprises and it is a disaster. 
If you look at some of the record of the National Government it knew what it was doing it said in tourism did it not? I note the big silver bullet for the economy where we now have 50000 more people unemployed and about 80000 or 90000 young people are not in work not in training. We have the biggest training opportunity in New Zealand’s history called the Christchurch earthquake but how many apprentices have we had in 23 months out of that? Zip. But the big hit was going to be the cycleway. We had the Associate Minister of Tourism I think— 
Hon Member 
: Who’s that? 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I am trying to remember. It is the chap from Napier—help me—Mr Tremain. He came to the select committee and we said: “OK well if this was going to be the big hit how many permanent jobs has it created?”. He could not name one. How many businesses have been created. He named two—one I think was a fish and chip shop in Napier. As people got an appetite up as they cycled around they whipped into the old double beef burger and chips. They might have bumped into Gerry. Second was a bicycle shop. Well you would naturally think that might pick up the pace if you had a cycleway running down the side of the shop. So the stone-cold end of that were two businesses. We do not know how many permanent jobs but two businesses are going gangbusters and I congratulate those two solitary businesses somewhere in Napier. 
The other achievement of course—remember the financial hub? New Zealand was going to be an international financial hub. Where has that gone? Zip gone gone by lunchtime. Then there was mining in national parks—another “you beaut” Gerry Brownlee bulldozer D9 special; gone botched. And this from a Government to quote John Hayes that apparently knows what it is doing. It knows what it is doing to the extent that 1000 Kiwis talented Kiwis young and old are leaving our shores every week for places like Australia—every week. These guys of course were going to fix all that. They had the ideas they had the brighter future—gone are 50000 Kiwis a year leaving to go to Australia. John Hayes is the big hitter the impact player from the National Party. He is the man National puts up when it really is in trouble I am told to make the case that this is a solid Government that has a growth strategy. What is it? A 120-point plan. There are so many plans so many points so many reviews that they are running out of ink and xerox paper in the Government departments and yet we still have its legacy of 50000 more people unemployed than when it came to office. There are 50000 people a year leaving New Zealand. The 120-point plan—if there is a plan perhaps to get people on the end of the xerox machine copying and typing all these plans then maybe that might be a full employment strategy. 
But the truth is as Mr Hayes knows it and as he expressed with such enthusiasm did he not? He sort of eased and oozed enthusiasm. It sort of dripped from every pore. He was so enthusiastic about his Government’s programme. As he knows it is off course. I just say to Mr Hayes amongst all the hyperbole and all the clichés out of all the sorts of Crosby/Textor spin briefings that he has read can he give us some facts? Why is it I say to Mr Hayes that there are 50000 more people unemployed than when he came to office? Why is it that 50000 Kiwis a year under his Government’s regime are leaving for Australia? Why is it that his Government has botched the asset sales? [ 
Interruption 
] Hang on. We have got Rumpelstiltskin in the corner there having a go. Give us one example where the initial public offering of State assets has not been botched. Give us an example where New Zealand people have got behind this asset sales programme. We know they have not because 80 percent of the polls say the people are against it. Give us an example where progress is being made. 
How many apprentices are we getting out of Christchurch? Look at the Christchurch rebuild—tragic slow. What is the Government’s response? We know one of the big blockages down there is insurance so after 23 months the big fella Gerry Brownlee gets up jumps up and down stamps his feet and says to the New Zealand people: “I am brassed off with insurance companies.” We applaud. We were brassed off 22 months ago. That was I think 3 or 4 weeks ago and what has been the physical or practical action to back up these fine words? 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: A big fat zero. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: Zero—absolutely nothing. And this Government knows what it is doing! Well the people of Christchurch know what has to be done down there but the problem is they just cannot get any action. Clichés and fine words and Ministers being brassed off and stamping their fist occasionally to be followed by zero is not a plan is not a Government in charge and is not a Government showing leadership whether it be in training whether it be in health. Then we look at some of the myopic things they are getting sucked into. Hekia Parata apparently knew what she was doing over the teacher-student ratios. What a botch-up. I could use more colourful language but this is a sacred place. 
Then we have Mr Banks whose greatest contribution is to put a bill into Parliament to get rid of 31 Acts that do not exist. We will not mention envelopes. We will not mention Dotcom. What an absolute botch-up that has been. And this is from a Government to quote Mr Hayes that knows what it is doing. Accident compensation—Nick Smith went troppo really troppo. He checked out in more ways than one. I say to Mr Hayes to show us a Government that knows what it is doing and show us a Prime Minister who knows what they are doing because I am sure that outside this Chamber the people of New Zealand would love to see one as well.