Woolerton R Doug: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Woolerton R Doug: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:623;Page:18210] 
R DOUG WOOLERTON (NZ First) 
: 
 I am pleased to follow the Hon Dover Samuels in this debate because he has said that it is hard to criticise success. I do not want to be critical; I admire the member and I am sure that he will do very very well. I am sure Mr Harawira does not have a show in Te Tai Tokerau electorate. 
I am telling my friends in business that they will never ever see a year like 2005. If they have any problems with cash flow or they are worried about the economy or anything like that I am telling them to forget about it. What we are looking at with this election on the Labour Party’s part is something I recognise: good old-fashioned pork barrel politics. It starts in April with a $1.2 billion families package that was announced last May—we will wait until April to see it. I presume it will be May or June by the time that money flows through the economy by which time we will face another Budget and there will be another dollop of cash which will start coming through the economy 6 weeks later. Then there will be more in August or in early September or whenever the election is called. It will be looking real good. 
I suggest to members that right now the world economy could fall to pieces and New Zealand would not know the difference until after the election. Then look out whammo it would all be hauled back again. But it is pork barrel politics and the people of New Zealand should know that. It is modern pork barrel politics guided by spin doctors and daily polling. It is very very sophisticated pork barrel politics but that is what it is nevertheless. 
But people should understand as we talk about those things that we are looking at a consumer-driven economy at the present time. The proof of the fact that the economy is consumer driven—and I am not sure that anybody knows this although most people should—is that we faced a record trade deficit last month in a time when our consumer products that we send overseas are reaching record prices. The people of New Zealand should know that we are in trade deficit. Why are we in trade deficit? It is because despite our poor beleaguered farmers working double and triple overtime to produce more and more off each hectare of land—for which they are being criticised I can tell members—despite their doing all of that the economy is still not keeping up with the profligate spending of New Zealanders. I could add that it is not helped by increased immigration etc. which would only add to my case. 
But the case I want to make is that not all is as it should be. I have a brother who lives just outside of Hamilton. He is not exactly a poor man. He is farming 1000 cows on 1000 acres less than 5 kilometres from the centre of Hamilton and he is making a living. But that is what is happening all around the country; we are getting bigger and bigger farms which is hiding the fact that farmers cannot make it on 100 acres any more. They cannot even make it on 200 acres any more; they have to have in excess of 300 acres. If they have been going for a few years like my brother they will have up to 1000 acres. 
I do not take anything away from the enterprise of those people; I just sound a warning for what is coming in this country in the future. I hope that will not be so and I hope we can see through those times ahead. But I answer Mr Dover Samuels by saying that if things were as good as he says they are we would not be having trade deficits month by month.