Macindoe TimTIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West): Happy New Year to you Mr Assistant Speaker and to all members and gong xi fa cai to all New Zealanders—including my very good friend Melissa Lee—who have been recently celebrating the new Year of the Fire Rooster in the Chinese lunar calendar. I am delighted to take one of the final calls in this debate on the Prime Minister's excellent annual statement to the House on the Government's plans for the year ahead. I want to put on record my huge admiration for the great start that the Rt Hon Bill English has made to his time as Prime Minister. Back home in my Hamilton West electorate I am hearing constant praise for his style his dry humour—people love that—the intelligent decisions he has been making his shearing skills and his general performance to date. It has been a very smooth transition to our new leadership and the Rt Hon Bill English leads a team that is freshly energised and highly motivated. In this all-important election year the race is on. I want to congratulate the four new members of the Prime Minister's ministry including my very good friend the Hon Alfred Ngaro who is sitting behind me and also my good friend and neighbouring colleague in Hamilton East David Bennett. News of his elevation has been warmly welcomed back home in our city of Hamilton where it has to be said we have not had our share of Ministers over the years and where we are still hoping for a few more. I also want to acknowledge—Hon Clayton Cosgrove: God did you say that with a straight face? TIM MACINDOE: Ha ha! I also want to congratulate and acknowledge the four new select committee chairs and wish them well especially my very good friend Jo Hayes who has been a very loyal and valued member of our whips' team for the last 2 years so I know that she will do a great job chairing the Social Services Committee. I wish her well. I also welcome our new third Government whip Barbara Kuriger to our team. I am really looking forward to working with her. Could I congratulate Michael Wood. I enjoyed his maiden statement. I congratulate him on his election and I wish him well in his service to the people of Mt Roskill. Could I also congratulate my friend the member for Mana Kris Faafoi on his elevation to the position of senior Opposition whip. As long as he is reasonable and always does things my way I know we will get on just fine. On a sadder note could I extend the condolences of all my National Party colleagues—and in fact probably all members of this House—to the New Zealand First whip Barbara Stewart on the recent death of her husband Gordon. A number of us were privileged to attend a lovely memorial service for Gordon in the Salvation Army centre in Cambridge last Friday. It was a warm and fitting tribute to a larger-than-life character—somebody I had been privileged to know for about a decade—and we send our sympathy to Barbara and her family. As a Hamilton MP I am hugely relieved by the news this morning that the little girl who was lost overnight has been found safe and well. What a terrible ordeal that was for her and for her parents and extended family but could I put on record my huge thanks to everybody who worked so hard overnight to try to find her. They are often the unsung heroes in our community and I know that a large number of people were out doing a wonderful job. It has also been a tough week of course for many people through fires. I extend my sympathy to the community of Port Hills and in particular my condolences to the family of Steve Askin who tragically lost his life in the helicopter accident while fighting that fire yesterday. Also up in a town I know and love very well—I was married in Havelock North—the communities of Hastings and Havelock North have also been battling with a terrible fire this week. Finally on this theme I would also like to just acknowledge the personal battle of one of my new friends Chris Brady of Christchurch who is currently battling serious illness. He is an avid watcher of this House and I imagine he may be watching now. As he fights his serious illness I want to say to him Chris you will always be the Minister of sport in my ministry—knock this one for six mate. This is a Government that remains full of energy determination and ideas. The huge success of our roll-out of the ultra-fast broadband programme is literally transforming personal communications and the way that New Zealanders do business. The incredible progress that we are making with vital infrastructure projects around the country and particularly in my Waikato region is stimulating our economy providing new jobs and GDP growth improving road safety and enhancing the quality of life in our regions. In particular the Government's major investment in the Safer Communities programme is warmly welcomed. It is a more than half-billion-dollar investment to boost police resources. That announcement has gone down very well back home in my electorate as I am sure it has right around the country. So this is a Government that is investing in people lifting up New Zealanders and helping those who need our help. It is a Government that is focused on what needs to be done. We have a great record to take to the election and plenty of new ideas and I am looking forward to being a part of the campaign.