Dean Jacqui: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDean Jacqui: General Debate[Sitting date: 19 August 2015. Volume:707;Page:5951. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki): It is always very good to follow the Hon Phil Goff in a debate because it just makes me look so reasonable by comparison. Goodness knows that if Phil Goff became the mayor of Greater Auckland that would solve the housing crisis—right—because everybody would just up sticks and leave. Representation like his is something that Auckland does not need.An extraordinary thing happened in this House at question time today. Around about question No. 3 I believe it was the Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little—Dr David Clark: A chicken ran out of the House in a flap.Mr SPEAKER: Order!JACQUI DEAN: Speaking of chickens Andrew Little got up to ask a question and got outmanoeuvred perhaps by the Government. What did he do—what did he do? Did he get up and fight the fight on behalf of the Opposition? Did the Leader of the Opposition get up during his showcase moment in this House—question time; the time for the Leader of the Opposition to show his people his caucus the kind of man that he is? [Interruption] Well he did actually. At the beginning of question No. 3 today Andrew Little did not get up; Andrew Little sat down put his hands up and said: “Oh OK. I won’t ask the question.” What happened in the seats behind him when the Leader of the Opposition sat down and said: “OK. I give up; I didn’t want to ask the question anyway.”? What happened? Nothing—nothing. Nothing happened. There was no smile; there was no noise—perhaps just the sound of knives being sharpened quietly behind his back.In fact it reminded me of another moment that we had in the House relatively recently. Does this bring back any memories of the snapper debate? Well that worked well did it not David Shearer? Today showed exactly why it is so good to be a member of the National Party in the third term of this John Key - led National Government. I will tell you why: this is a Government that follows through. This is a Government that is not afraid of the hard moments. This is a Government that does what it says it will do. Let me think—oh yes I know: the flag referendum. What did we do—what did National do? Coming into the last election it was our policy to have a flag referendum to see what New Zealanders think about changing the flag. So after the election we set up the process for referendums on changing the flag and here we are. We have been through the legislation and now it is New Zealanders’ turn to have their say.What did Labour do? How did it go into the election? What was its policy on the flag referendums? Well funnily enough it was Labour’s policy to have a flag referendum because it thought the time was now for New Zealanders to have their say. Labour campaigned on it and then what did those members do? They sat down in their seats they put up their hands and they said: “Oh! Oh no! No no. No we don’t want to any more.” That is Labour all over and that is why New Zealand does not support Labour and that is exactly why New Zealanders support this National Government.It should come as no surprise that I want to focus particularly on the regions because I am a strong supporter of New Zealand particularly South Island regional New Zealand and I want to talk about the investment that this Government is putting into the regions. It is so ironic that people like the Hon Annette King stand up in the House and in other places and say: “New Zealand is out of touch with the regions.” Well I would like to let Labour members know that none of them actually represent the regions so they do not tend to be very well connected with the regions at all. But they are tending to stand from their places in the cities and cast aspersions on us. Meanwhile people like me Mark Mitchell Barbara Kuriger and all of our National colleagues arranged across this side of the House are working hard for our regions every single day of the week.Let me think about a couple of things in particular that are happening that are important to me. The recent announcement by the Hon Michael Woodhouse about immigration—what a great difference that is going to make to Central Otago in terms of filling those skills shortages that are so important to the winegrowers to the fruitgrowers and to the hospitality sector in my part of the country. It is that care of the regions and it is that leadership by John Key that is making this a Government that gets things done.