SpeechDAMIEN SMITH (ACT): Yesterday marked 12 years since the devastation of the 2011 earthquake in Christchurch and this year's anniversary was made even more poignant by another great disaster recovery which lies before us. All of us in recent weeks have been shocked by the images of destruction across the Hawke's Bay Tai Rāwhiti and the upper North Island as a result of Cyclone Gabrielle and of the Auckland Anniversary weekend floods. And I'm sure many of you like me have felt a similar feeling as to those deaths that followed the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.Christchurch has set a great example of how a city can rebuild with more vibrancy and vitality than ever before. Another parallel can be drawn: 2011 was fresh out of the global financial crisis and the 2010 earthquake; Cyclone Gabrielle is fresh out of COVID. But this is where the similarities end. This time around we're in the hands of incompetent economic managers. Labour has been running this economy too hot keeping it on a knife edge as they spend more than any Government before on expensive ideological projects whose costs have soared beyond all initial predictions.I dearly hope now this Government will finally hear what ACT has said over the last five years calling for a time for spending reprioritisation and a moratorium on projects. We have three options and Grant Robertson has shown disdain for the taxpayer by saying we can borrow more money and make life harder for future taxpayers we can introduce a cyclone tax and make life harder for current taxpayers or we can reduce wasteful spending. The last option is the correct one but he is ignoring it. Auckland light rail will cost $15 billion; three waters $200 billion. Now is not the time for eye-watering expensive projects. We need projects which are outcome focused practical and have solutions.I'm sure the Prime Minister will be happy to hear that ACT has plenty of practical solutions to offer and we also know where the money needs to go where it needs to go most—not on consultants communication staff or middle managers.ACT will be the watchdogs for the people of New Zealand. ACT has shown throughout its fully costed budget how to save up to $7 billion. For five years this Government has focused on projects that have not gone on and on but have been a great boon for the consulting class. At the root of all these non-delivering failing policies has been $1.2 billion on consultants which is quite unbelievable.Under Labour New Zealand has transformed itself from a beacon of freedom into an overtaxed over-regulated and under-delivering political dumpster fire. I think the so-called policy bonfire is more accurately described as a dumpster fire because it's based on the quality of policies in the flames. And we await the Prime Minister to actually announce the further policies that he will not allow under his watch. ACT has a list of ideas to offer the Prime Minister if he wants to come across to our office.We've a difficult road ahead of us and we will recover from this cyclone. ACT realises what the rest of New Zealand does: that the wasteful spending just has to stop right here now. I clearly hope that it's not too late and that we'll be able to navigate this recovery. All around New Zealand now hard-working Kiwis and Kiwi families are bracing themselves for costly repairs relocation life re-orientations higher interest rates and a soaring cost of living. Many are living from pay day to pay day learning to do more with less and asking themselves Why can't Wellington do the same?"This Government must be held accountable for wasting money that it takes from hard-working Kiwis. We need to actually put a moratorium on spending. We need to come together across the political barriers to really get sensible about the New Zealand economy. And as we enter Mr Orr's year-long recession coming up we need to seriously consider: is spending recklessly the answer to this situation? Thank you Mr Speaker."