Wagner Nicky: Budget DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeWagner Nicky: Budget Debate[Sitting date: 20 May 2014. Volume:699;Page:18114. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon NICKY WAGNER (Minister of Customs): It is my pleasure to speak on Budget 2014 because I believe that it is a very intelligent well-balanced good common-sense Budget. I would like to thank the Minister of Finance the Hon Bill English because New Zealand is heading in the right direction and this Budget will well and truly help us on our way. It is fantastic to see that New Zealand’s books are back in the black. It is a huge achievement for this country and for our Government. It has taken a lot of hard work from all New Zealanders and the New Zealand economy is the envy of many other countries—other countries that have not managed the global financial crisis anywhere near as responsibly as New Zealand. I think particularly of Australia. Australia is always considered the lucky country but unfortunately the Labor-Green overspending—and I have to say it was interesting to hear that David Cunliffe had supported that spending and actually held it up as a model for New Zealand to follow—has forced the new Government to slash Government spending with very painful consequences. I hope New Zealand never gets into that situation.Here our economy is growing. It is growing at about 4 percent. Wages are rising faster than inflation and this Budget provides more money for families for children and for our most vulnerable. The $500 million package for young families includes the general practitioner visits for those under 13 at no charge extended paid parental leave and parental tax credit and more money for early childhood education and vulnerable children. I think it is a Budget that is supported by most New Zealanders and I and they consider that this is money very well spent.But as the MP for Christchurch Central I am mostly interested in the Budget funding for the rebuild and recovery of Christchurch. From the very first earthquake this Government has supported Cantabrians and now over 12000 earthquakes later it is good to see that the money is still coming. The rebuild is estimated to cost $40 billion and this Government has committed $15.4 billion of that expenditure. In addition this Budget provides for support and services that the Canterbury community needs right now. Firstly it is good to see $13.5 million for community well-being. That is to continue the Earthquake Support Coordination Service to support about 5000 families and counselling services that will provide for about 250 new clients every month. It also includes the ongoing funding for the 0800 support phone line so that there is always someone at the end of the phone to help when people need it. As time goes by more and more people’s lives are getting back to normal in Christchurch but we need to be especially conscious of those who need ongoing support to get on with their recovery as well.Secondly on housing there has been a good debate here this afternoon. I was pleased to see more funding going into housing in several ways. First of all $75 million is going to underpin the housing accord which will rebuild in collaboration with the city council another 180 new homes as temporary accommodation. But once that demand is finished it will be for affordable housing. But we have also committed to $1.2 billion through Housing New Zealand to repair 5000 damaged State houses and to build 700 new ones. That is one every working day for the next 2 years. Finally there is $24.2 million for non-governmental organisation social housing for the most vulnerable. Budget 2014 is certainly supporting huge ongoing housing and building projects in Christchurch.Thirdly on jobs for young people I really love the new apprenticeship reboot scheme. It has been a fantastic boost for young people in our city. I regularly go down to the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology to see the apprentices in action and they are fine young people with a real sense of purpose. They tell me that they fixhouses but they also fix people’s lives. This Budget gives $20 million for a further 6000 places for those apprenticeships bringing the number up to 20000 places for young apprentices.One thing the earthquake has done for Christchurch is it has allowed young people to shine. What I have noticed is that when young people understand that they are needed and that they can contribute to something worthwhile they are very keen to step up and engage. I have to think about what we would have done without the Student Volunteer Army in those early days.Fourthly the Budget includes even more funding for education. This is an extra $16.9 million to deliver the property components of the $1.1 billion spending on the renewing of schools in Christchurch. I have to remind myself about $1 billion. A billion dollars is $1000 million so this is $1100 million worth of money to rebuild our schools. That is particularly exciting to me as an ex-teacher. Christchurch has always had great schools and very good teachers and now we are going to have the very best buildings and facilities for those teachers and our children to work in. What we will be building is the newest the most modern and possibly the best modern school network certainly in New Zealand and maybe even in the world.Fifthly the Budget is also funding to clean up and prepare the red zone for future use. In the residential red zone area 8062 families have been paid out so that they can move on to new homes and new communities. It has been a really tough time for those people. But they are keen to see the area cleaned up and the buildings cleared away. So far about 50 percent of that work has been done and the rest is expected to be completed by the end of the year. But there are already heaps of bright ideas coming out of the community about how that land could be used—maybe as wetlands for conservation or drainage for sport or recreation or for mahinga kai. Very soon there will be a public consultation process where everybody can be involved everybody can have their say and we can make sure that we make the most of this piece of land. It is a fantastic piece of land. It goes all the way from Hagley Park to the sea.Finally the Budget provides another $50 million for the operational funding for the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority. That is to coordinate the rebuild and to deliver on the anchor projects that were outlined in ourChristchurch Central Recovery Plan. The Christchurch City rebuild is a high priority for this Government and we are very aware of the challenges of living in that city. We appreciate the work that everyone does actually every day towards the rebuild and the recovery. We all seem to be dodging roadworks supporting our neighbours patronising new businesses and being staunchly Cantabrian. This Government is supporting that by putting its money where its mouth is spending $9 million every working day on our rebuild delivering on the anchor projects and bringing Government departments back into the city to support commercial development.There is a lot happening in the city with 200 new buildings alone within the four avenues and it is beginning to develop very fast and very excitingly. I want to thank Bill English for an excellent Budget and for supporting Christchurch and Canterbury. The Government’s books are back on track to surplus the economy is growing and more jobs are being created every year. I think the John Key - led Government has managed the international downturn really well. Now it is our job to manage the upturn equally as responsibly. We are certainly not going to hose away our hard-earned prosperity like the Aussie Labor and Green Government. This Budget is abeaut and it will underpin a brighter future for everyone in New Zealand.