Horomia Parekura: Budget Debate 
Horomia Parekura: Budget Debate 
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Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Labour—Ikaroa-Rawhiti) 
 Mihi kau ana ki te hinga o te mama o Rahui e tangi hoki te ngakau. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
I acknowledge the passing of Rahui’s mother and the heart grieves 
.] 
Tena tatou. I have sat here this afternoon and been really interested to hear a lot of the overheated platitudes about how great this Budget is. Of course it is not great and members opposite know that. We listened to Tim Groser painting an incredible picture of the macro-infrastructure in this country that the National Government has supposedly created with this Budget. If members understand the macro and the micro they will understand that a balancing act is played by those who stretch the truth. First they cut funding then they deny having done so and then they take out of the system a whole lot of resources and finances. That is what has happened. Then they come along with a whole lot of puffery and suggest that they will patch it up and that people need to look forward to that happening. 
The previous speaker Amy Adams talked about superannuation which is what I want to talk about. In respect of the issue of intergenerational adjustment I say that a large number of young people will be relying on superannuation over the next 35 years. Is it not amazing that the Minister of Finance believed that one of the planks and cornerstones of the Budget was to ensure that New Zealand received a decent credit rating from Standard and Poor’s? If that is what John Key has hinged this Budget on then God help us because this is the same organisation that sent Fannie Mae down while people have been trying to rebuild General Motors in America and in all of those countries that are struggling like anything. The more-than-wealthy people in the constituencies of members opposite do not and will not understand that we need to ensure good social outcomes whilst ensuring that there is good prudent fiscal management. Michael Cullen gave this country that; he gave it in bucketfuls. 
Members opposite have talked about the issue of redundancy in respect of the 90-day bill but what has that legislation done? The previous speaker talked about energising the labour market to ensure that people get jobs. I inform the House that in September 2008 the number of Maori on an unemployment benefit was 24000 while the number of unemployed was 23000. Today the Maori unemployment rate is just short of 40000. What does that tell us? 
Members opposite can pontificate and say that this Budget is a great Budget but they should tell that to the eight people in Dannevirke who lost their jobs last week. They should tell that to the people in Napier who are wondering whether the factory will be open on Monday. We see the bluffing from members opposite and we see their low-down stinking fibs. People were Pied Piper-ed to the polls by John Key who said that if they voted for him they would get tax cuts. One of the most deplorable actions in modern politics happened in this House the week before last. National did away with the tax cuts but 30 percent of the initial tax cuts went to 3 percent of the people. It went to people like the fellow opposite from Hamilton. 
Members opposite have this notion that a number of jobs will be created. The cycleway will create some jobs but that reminds me of a great song: 
Ridin’ along on my pushbike honey 
Sh sh ahh sh sh ahh. 
Do members remember that song? The words “Tryin’ to find out where you are” got into Mr Key’s head. He is riding along on his pushbike and trying to find the future pathway for his next two Budgets. He will not be putting together a fourth Budget and the Mt Albert by-election result tells us why. 
This Budget talks about new policemen but the problem is that there are no cars to take them around in. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: They will be on pushbikes. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: They will be put on pushbikes. That is why Mr Key will build the cycleway. I have just worked it out! There are not enough cars for the new policemen and policewomen so they will be put on pushbikes. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Bobbies on the beat. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: That is right; the member from the Bay of Plenty is old enough to know that. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: In touch with the people! 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Well this Budget has really distanced the Government from the people. The Government has blamed the recession on Labour but it should give that up. The recession is an international trend and if Government members do not understand the fundamentals of that then God help the people of this country. 
The Government talks about the growth in the Public Service and this Budget is the first deep hint of privatisation in that sector. 
Hon Member 
: Oh! 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Oh yes. Minders will be assigned to chief executives but those people have a direct contract with the head of the State Services Commission and should not be interfered with. So we are looking at a new hook in respect of employment rights in this country. It is like the 90-day bill: things are shortened up so that everybody gets a seasonal job and so that workers can be laid off whenever it suits employers. That is really really dishonest. 
We have heard all of this talk about a larger injection of funds into education. Most of that talk is about capital infrastructure and fixing school buildings. The last Labour Government did the adult and community education sector proud; no one can say that we made an 80 percent cut to that sector. 
Bill English made an interesting comment to a Maori business breakfast the other morning. He said: “We do not want Maori sitting at home smoking or having babies.” How deplorable is that? Most Maori do not do that. How disgraceful. He said that Maori could invest in the infrastructure of this country and that Maori could get going with their businesses. Well Maori do not need the Government. This is real papa State stuff. It is interfering. 
Hon Steve Chadwick 
: Paternalism. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: It is paternalism. This is real papa State stuff. 
The Government has spent a long time waxing lyrical about the fact that Labour did not do the right things. We ensured that there were income-related rents. We ensured that prescriptions were affordable. We ensured that a lot of other issues that are relevant to those who have less were looked after. 
We hear talk about military training. That is the sort of mindset that some people have—“Stand up polish your boots don’t piss on the ground get up at 4 o’clock in the morning and you’ll get yourself right.” It is disgraceful. International studies of military training have been undertaken. Three major reviews over the last 10 years have told us that it does not work and that recidivism actually accelerates as a result of military training. I could be smug and say that military training makes people fitter so they can run quicker! 
To stop funding superannuation would be outrageous. Any fine financial mind will know that if we do not fill up the gap now we will start to race up investments to try to double the booty in order to get to where we need to go. That trend will accelerate out over 11 years and it will be interesting for whoever has the mundane job of ensuring that we fill up that hole. People in Mt Albert have been telling us that they are afraid. People in my constituency are asking what is happening to superannuation. Those are real real worries. What is happening to the tax cuts that have not arrived? 
This Budget is a whole lot of smoke and mirrors. The regional rural development programme in Tai Rawhiti which saw an increase in production of nearly 61 percent on properties and outgoings has been cut. There is no more support. That is the sort of thing this Government has done. In respect of the putea for research and science I ask what the first thing was that the Government did away with. I have heard members opposite squawking and saying: “We’re going to invest so much in researching what size of bike to put on the cycleway.” It is a laugh. It is a joke. The Maori Party made a long list of promises. None of them have made their way into Mr Key’s Budget. There is always a fluffy promise.