Auchinvole Chris: General Debate 
Auchinvole Chris: General Debate 
[Volume:674;Page:20050] 
CHRIS AUCHINVOLE (National—West Coast - Tasman) 
: 
 I ask members to picture 47 years ago a 19-year-old young Scot called Chris Auchinvole arriving in New Zealand. He came here he joined his brothers because this was a country of egalitarianism and entrepreneurialism it was a country that offered personal reward for hard work—Jack was as good as his master—and there was a supportive hands-off Government. That is where we were and it is where we need to be. It is where we will get to with a National Government and a continuation of the excellent policies we have seen over the last 2½ years. 
The business and aspirational banner of New Zealand under Labour had been battered bruised and trodden on by a Labour Government that used its base to grow government not the wealth of taxpayers. National has picked up the banner. Nowhere have National policies worked better than in the West Coast - Tasman electorate. West Coast - Tasman—that absolute jewel of an electorate—defies a lot of analysis other than that one has to love it and it is a hard-working revenue-generating electorate. 
Labour walked away from the West Coast - Tasman electorate from 2002 through to 2005. In 2008 the electorate responded by voting overwhelmingly for National in the party vote and I was privileged to be elected as the electoral MP in the electorate vote. The West Coast - Tasman electorate voters are a canny lot. They sensed and contributed to a change of Government. They decided that they would be best served by having a Government MP as their electorate MP. They are still clearly of the same mind. 
What are the drivers in West Coast - Tasman? There is tourism dairying modern mining and timber on the West Coast and there is tourism horticulture dairying and timber in Tasman. There are tandem interests. People often say that West Coast - Tasman is an electorate of two halves. In fact there are more similarities between the two regions of the West Coast and Tasman than there are differences. Neither has a tertiary city of its own both are rural and small urban communities and both have similar challenges in topography demography and geography. They do very well because they have entrepreneurial skills. They flourish and have flourished under a National Government and the policies that are offered. 
What are those policies? My colleague David Carter gave voice to them. Let us check them over again. First there is a tax system that enhances growth and rewards individuals. That is nice for the West Coast and Tasman because as people have more of their own money left in their pockets they spend it in their small local communities; secondly we have an improved education system which will continue to improve under a National-led Government; and thirdly we are expanding our infrastructure and we need to expand it further. We have to rationalise government and rationalise and reduce regulation. We need more science innovation and more infrastructure. 
On the West Coast there is a recovery in forestry. That is something Labour largely walked away from. We have brought it back to a point where we are practically breaking even. There has been a large investment in forestry and it is well on the way to giving a solid sustainable service for years to come. Economic recovery is expected within 3 years—the West Coast and Tasman will play no small part in that. Picking up the banner the West Coast and Tasman will raise it restitch it restore it and make it resplendent. They will continue to vote for a National Government they will continue to be canny and they will continue to have their National MP as their electorate MP. Thank you.