edithatogo/nz-hansard-corpus huggingface dataset:
Foss Craig: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFoss Craig: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3907. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon CRAIG FOSS (Minister for Small Business):An additional $100 million to protect the biosecurity of New Zealand—an extra $100 million to protect the economy of this country—and ladies and gentlemen Labour is voting against it. Labour is voting against an additional extra $100 million to protect jobs in the region and to protect our economy. Do Labour members agree that the increase in the numbers of visitors to our country means that biosecurity risks are ever increasing? Do they agree with that? I certainly hope so because the Labour Party policy on biosecurity says exactly that.This levy will help to boost the capability of the biosecurity system to identify offshore threats to the many and varied production sectors across primary industries such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome and foot-and-mouth disease. This additional $100 million will protect our nation our country our jobs our regions and our biosecurity. That is what that will achieve.Labour members are actually voting against their own policy which is on their own website. I actually think that originally they were going to vote for this. I do worry deeply. Thank you to the Greens for their support even though they had many questions. My only concern about this is that perhaps we have done something a little bit wrong because we have got support from the Greens. But maybe just maybe this is the new beginning. Congratulations—perhaps I am a bit early—on this new sensible approach of the Greens in dealing with sensible policies from this fine National Government. Is this the beginning of the blue-green revolution Mr Shaw? Perhaps it might well be.Jobs in the regions jobs across New Zealand—it just shows how out of touch Labour is with the regions. It is voting against an additional $100 million to protect biosecurity to protect our land-based industries and to protect jobs. Labour is no longer the party of the workers; National has always been. Once again this additional $100 million to protect regional jobs is a fine worker-friendly and job-friendly policy of this fine National Government. I commend this fine bill to the House.
Roy Eric: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRoy Eric: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3906. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: I call Kris Faafoi—5 minutes.
Roy Eric: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRoy Eric: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3905. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: I call James Shaw—5 minutes.
Smith Stuart: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSmith Stuart: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3905. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]STUART SMITH (National—Kaikōura):It is with great pleasure that I commend the Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill to the House. Thank you.
Roy Eric: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRoy Eric: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3905. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: I am sorry to interrupt the member but his time has expired.
McKelvie Ian: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMcKelvie Ian: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3900. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]IAN McKELVIE (National—Rangitīkei):I will be very brief. I commiserate with Mr Smith; I would not want to be on Grant Robertson’s dinner plate.Two very quick points: the levy will not put an impost on those who cannot afford to pay it. It is worth remembering that. The second point about this is that the levy also affords further protection to the income streams of rural and provincial New Zealand thus boosting the potential for rural and provincial New Zealand to participate in or make a contribution to the Government’s growth targets. I have great pleasure in commending this bill to the House.
Kuriger Barbara: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKuriger Barbara: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3894. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]BARBARA KURIGER (National—Taranaki - King Country):I am in favour of this bill. Thank you.
Barclay Todd: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBarclay Todd: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3893. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]TODD BARCLAY (National—Clutha-Southland):I support this bill.
Tisch Lindsay: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTisch Lindsay: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3892. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): I call Steffan Browning—5 minutes.
Tisch Lindsay: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTisch Lindsay: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3891. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): I understand that this is a split call.Iain Lees-Galloway: I understand that too Mr Speaker.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): OK. Iain Lees-Galloway—5 minutes.
Smith Stuart: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSmith Stuart: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3891. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]STUART SMITH (National—Kaikōura):In response to the previous speaker’s questions around costs 55 percent of the visitors who come to New Zealand are visitors from offshore and therefore the tax or the—[Interruption] It is not a tax; it is a levy and the levy will cover the costs and take the load off our taxpayers as it should. I commend the bill to the House.
Tisch Lindsay: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTisch Lindsay: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3887. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): I call James Shaw. Before the member starts with the barracking across the cross benches it is very difficult to hear. So please give some courtesy to James Shaw.
McKelvie Ian: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMcKelvie Ian: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3886. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]IAN McKELVIE (National—Rangitīkei):Well the last speaker Annette King certainly showed up her leader. She got more words out in 10 minutes than he got out in 20. Unfortunately that speech was about as factual as his speech was the day before yesterday. I just need to point out a few facts in the process of supporting the two Ministers who have spoken before me on the Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures Levy) Bill. For a start a levy is a levy a rate is a rate and a tax is a tax and clearly the Labour Party has not worked that out. Secondly the Government is charged with running the country. The Labour Party has clearly forgotten that it had a turn at doing that a while ago and did not do much of a job of it.The issue we have got here is that we have a large number of people coming into this country demanding a service of this country and creating a threat to this country in that we need to protect our border at all costs. We now have some 5.2 million people coming here annually. Well over 55 to 60 percent of those people are foreign visitors coming to this country. We have seen from the fruit fly just very recently in Auckland that there is significant risk to New Zealand.I just want to make a couple of other points before I finish. Firstly the taxpayers of New Zealand have been paying for this service for a long time. The average taxpayer in my electorate never leaves this country. The interesting thing about this is that most of the people who use this service are people who can afford to pay for this service and consequently I think there is a very fair way of allocating a levy or a charge to achieve a result for this country that will be much better than what we have seen before. It gives us some security it gives us a permanency of payment and it alleviates the need for a large number of New Zealand taxpayers who never use or have an interest in this service to contribute to it.One other point I want to make in this debate is that this country is significantly tested around infrastructure by the large number of visitors we have to this country. I think it has been pointed that some 5.2 million people came to the country last year. In my electorate I have a couple of little towns Sanson and Bulls. Some 14000 vehicles a day go through those towns. Those local ratepayers or taxpayers have to pay every bit of that bill. I think this is just another case of exactly that sort of thing going on. I have a great deal of pleasure in supporting this bill. Thank you.
Tirikatene Rino: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTirikatene Rino: Border Processing (Arrivals and Departures) Levy Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3880. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Rino Tirikatene: Thank you Mr Speaker. [Interruption] I am pleased to be able to—The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): Order! I have not even called the member yet mainly because I am getting some noise from Mr Bennett yet again. He is on a bit of a warning.
Shaw James: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeShaw James: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3878. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JAMES SHAW (Green):Yes Mr Speaker. You referred to Speaker Kidd’s earlier ruling about some element of confusion. If Mr Mark has been hearing stories that there are MPs off campus and the Government whip is saying that they are not then that to me seems like an element of confusion.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): I do not think I need any more assistance. The rules in the House have been very clear. A whip’s assurances having been given are taken for people who are casting votes and that will continue to be the case. I will tell members that from my personal experience without naming the particular member I have myself on occasions gone down to a local tavern and hauled out someone who I knew did not have leave. People are very very careful when casting votes to make sure that they are properly cast.
Mallard Trevor: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMallard Trevor: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3878. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): James Shaw do you still want to make a comment?
Brownlee Gerry: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBrownlee Gerry: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3878. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Leader of the House):With all due respect to Mr Hipkins’ view we are 20 years into MMP. There has not been a case where a whip has been proven to have misled the House—Hon Annette King: We’ve never tested it.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: Well I do not know what happens in the New Zealand First caucus; I have got no idea.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): I just warn the Hon Annette King not to interject again.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: What I can tell you is that Standing Order 144 is very specific about the role the Speaker has in determining whether or not there should be a personal vote and the points advanced by Mr Mark are not called on in the test that you have to apply.
Hipkins Chris: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHipkins Chris: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3877. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]CHRIS HIPKINS (Senior Whip—Labour):I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I fully accept the ruling that you have made and that there will not be a personal vote on this. I wonder whether you might take up with the Speaker when he is available and with the other presiding officers a wider issue which is that the vote system that we have at the moment certainly relies on a degree of honesty. I keep very clear records the National Party keeps very clear records and I am sure all of the parties keep very clear records of who is in the building and who is not. I have also read the Speakers’ rulings and most of those relating to personal votes predate MMP when votes along party lines were not as common as they are now. In fact they are now the default and the other way personal votes are very rare. I wonder whether this may be something that presiding officers would now like to consider and come back to the House on—whether there are any circumstances under which the House may consider if you like an audit of whether in fact parties are voting with the numbers that they should.Although it is an honesty system and members are all trusted on it there does need to be now and then some check on that. As a whip I fully accept that from time to time the Government may wish to check that I am doing what I say I am doing and we may wish to do that. There is actually very limited provision it would appear under Speakers’ rulings and the Standing Orders for that to happen at the moment. That may be something that the Speaker and the other presiding officers or perhaps even the Standing Orders Committee may wish to consider given that now we are well into MMP and this is a new issue that has not really ever been tested.
Mark Ron: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMark Ron: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3877. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]RON MARK (NZ First):I understand that. I would simply make a request in accordance with Standing Order 144 which states: “A personal vote may be held after a party vote if a member requests one …” and it goes on as you know “and the Speaker considers that the decision on the party vote is so close” and the rest is up to you. But it actually says that a personal vote may be held following a party vote if a member requests one. I am so requesting.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): I have been around here long enough to remember this coming up and I may well have been involved in it myself. There is a ruling of Speaker Kidd which is 69/6 and it reads: “The fact that the House may on a party vote divide rather closely might well be a pattern on every vote throughout a session.” and I think that obviously there is a possibility of that applying at the moment. “It is clearly not intended by the Standing Orders that there should be a personal vote more often than not. Closeness on a party vote is not enough of itself for a personal vote unless there is something that might make a material difference. This might arise for example out of some elements of confusion.”I would just add to that that I have sat through the majority of the third reading on this bill. I have heard nothing from for example a minor party or any member that has indicated to me that a member’s intention was to vote in any way other than the way the votes have been cast by the whip. As I indicated to the member earlier if it is his understanding that members are not present who should be present that is something that should be taken up with the whips who are the persons responsible for that.
Hayes Joanne: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHayes Joanne: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3877. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JOANNE HAYES (Third Whip—National):No. All our members are on site. Thank you very much.Hon Members: How do we know?JOANNE HAYES: Because we have evidence of that. Thank you very much.Ron Mark: Mr Speaker—The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): Well I think we are in danger of getting outside a normal approach but I will hear from Ron Mark as long as it is relevant. I will warn the member that if there is a question of evidence of members whose votes he knows have been cast being off the premises the appropriate way of doing that is to raise it with the whip of the party. If there is a question of people’s votes being recorded incorrectly by a whip then the initial thing that the member should do is to raise that with the whip or the person who is casting the vote. It is just not appropriate to raise it with me.
Mark Ron: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMark Ron: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3876. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]RON MARK (NZ First):I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I request under Standing Order 144 that a personal vote be held. Our reasons in New Zealand First for doing so are twofold: one this is the most controversial piece of legislation that is being passed under urgency in the House at this time; and secondly we continue to hear reports of MPs being seen off the premises who we believe should be here.
Scott Alastair: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeScott Alastair: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3876. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ALASTAIR SCOTT (National—Wairarapa):The point that Mr Hipkins makes is absolutely right. The beneficiaries or the winners of this current policy are the middle and upper-class high-income earners. The people we really want to help are those beneficiaries who are not participating in this scheme. That is why given a choice we prefer to dedicate a $790 million package $25 a week for each family with children on a benefit rather than just an opportunity to take $1000 from the taxpayer to put in their bank account to accumulate over a number of years without any contribution of savings at all. That is the choice.I am pleased to stand and support this bill because it demonstrates that we on this side are fiscally responsible whereas on the other side they have given no alternative. All other things being equal where are they going to find that $500 million that we have found? There are only two choices. They either borrow it or they tax. That is what they would have to do. They would have to borrow that $500 million or they would have to increase the taxes of middle New Zealand and that is why I do not support their proposal. That is why I commend this bill to the House.
Hipkins Chris: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHipkins Chris: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3876. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]CHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka):I want to make one final contribution in this debate and one point in my final remarks on that. That is to the members opposite who have talked about the need to target assistance to those most in need. The point that I will make to them is this: the people most likely to be in KiwiSaver now are the people who are on middle and higher incomes. They are the ones who are most likely to have already benefited from the $1000 kick-start. The people who are now most likely to miss out on the $1000 kick-start are those on lower incomes who have not already signed in. A child from a middle-class family who has been signed up is going to get a better deal than someone who is on a minimum wage now and wants to sign up tomorrow. That is wrong. That is the unfairness.
Bayly Andrew: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBayly Andrew: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3876. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ANDREW BAYLY (National—Hunua):I have listened diligently and studiously to all the arguments from the Opposition and the reality if you go back to first principles is that this is a piece of legislation that is really about helping families in need. This is about delivering $790 million of assistance to the people who really need it in New Zealand. That is why I believe that this bill is an appropriate thing to do. I commend the bill to the House.
Dyson Ruth: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDyson Ruth: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3875. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills):It is a very sad day for Parliament to be passing legislation that puts us back in terms of changing the social and financial security of older New Zealanders in the future—people who are just children or young people now. It has been a really bad day for the Government actually. It started off particularly badly when Todd McClay when reading his speech notes for the second reading said that he was speaking on behalf of the Minister of Finance. This legislation is so rushed that the Hon Todd McClay did not even know it was in his name. I think that is a first for this Parliament. It kept going downhill after that. The Hon Gerry Brownlee suddenly had a rush of blood to the head and he told David Bennett that he had had a rush of blood to the head and was going to take the next call. David Bennett had a rush of blood to his face. The tension was extraordinary as Gerry Brownlee took David Bennett’s call. They could have been advised to take some of his other calls later in the debate. I think it would have helped the National Party’s credibility.In 2008 John Key made a very serious and consistent promise to the New Zealand public and that was that there would not be significant changes to the KiwiSaver scheme despite National voting against it when it was originally introduced in 2006. That broken promise is now matched by the other broken promises about no new taxes or delivering a surplus. I do not know how new National Party members feel about going out—I am sure they had every honest intention—when it turns out that they have lied to people. How do they justify that? How do they say: “That’s OK. I will just go back to my electorate and forget what I said.”? People remember. I think that members of Parliament should have a conscience about what they committed to. If there is some genuine reason for them not being able to deliver a promise or heaven forbid breaking it they must have the courage of their convictions to go back to their constituency or to the people around where they live if they are a list MP and explain that to them.I do not think that one National backbencher will do that. They are just voting fodder. They are just being used as voting fodder. None of them seems to have had the courage to question or stand up to the people who made the decision. My understanding is that a very small number of Cabinet members made these decisions around this legislation and that is a very bad place for us to be.I just want to conclude by saying that helping the most vulnerable people in our society is a good thing but it does not ever need to be and it should not ever be at the cost of young savers just a couple of rungs up the ladder. That is what this KiwiSaver legislation does and that is why I am very proud to have my name on the Noes side and to be voting against this bill.
Mallard Trevor: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMallard Trevor: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3875. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): Order! I apologise to the member. I omitted to give her a warning bell but her time has expired.
Hudson Brett: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHudson Brett: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3873. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]BRETT HUDSON (National):It is an absolute pleasure to rise in support of this bill in its third reading. A speaker on our side remarked earlier on today that it was almost like a parallel universe. What we see with this magnificent Budget introduced by this National-led Government is that this National-led Government is supporting those in most need with the first increases to real benefits in 43 years—43 years. In that time there have been two Labour administrations neither of which did the same thing. In terms of this this bill what Labour is doing instead is advocating for middle-class welfare. So we have National supporting those most in need by doing something real and Labour seeking to hand out money to people who by and large do not need it. That is a wonderful wonderful thing to see and I commend our leadership for its vision. I am fully supportive of this bill.I just wanted to respond to a couple of things that the Greens speaker Mr Shaw had to say. He basically said that the primary incentive for people to be in KiwiSaver is the $1000 the Government is giving. He basically said that people join KiwiSaver for that reason alone. That is not saving; it is simply Government expenditure. What we are doing is saying that instead of spending it that way we will reprioritise it to those who need it most. That is helping the people who are in the most need. That is making the best positive difference to New Zealand.Mr Shaw asked what was going to incentivise saving. Well that is easy. It is called growing the economy and creating more jobs and higher paying jobs and what we have been seeing over the term of this Government is average wages rising faster than inflation. So if you want to help people to save Mr Shaw get in behind our Business Growth Agenda. That way you will do something that is positive and will work. I commend this bill to the House.
Bishop Chris: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBishop Chris: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3870. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]CHRIS BISHOP (National):During the course of the debate over the last couple of days some very very silly things have been said by Labour members and members opposite. We had Andrew Little’s comment about how he cannot commit to keeping New Zealand superannuation universal. We have had Grant Robertson’s commitment to bring back the $1000 kick-start. But the one that takes the cake is the comment made by the member who just spoke which was that the Government should resign and we should have an early election. Really? I mean come on!After the worst Budget debate speech probably since Parliament started sitting in New Zealand ladies and gentlemen—after the worst Budget debate speech and a party in total disarray with David Cunliffe David Parker and Grant Robertson doing the numbers—do these guys opposite really want an early election? And after a Budget that raises benefit levels for the working poor and the poor in our society for the first time in 43 years—do these guys really want an early election? I do not think so. So that is going to take the cake in terms of silly things said by members opposite.It has been a very strange debate in the Parliament because what you have in the course of the debate on this KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill is the Labour Party arguing for a form of middle-class welfare and arguing against a Budget that helps the most vulnerable in our society. It is some sort of weird parallel universe and what does it say about their priorities? What does it say about the sense of priority of the Labour members opposite when they are willing to defend something that is sure nice to have but not necessary? And they argue against a Budget that delivers support and help for those who most need it. It is a very good Budget which I and members on this side of the House are proud to support. It is a strange day in Parliament.Mr Clark keeps asserting that this Government is mismanaging the economy. Well actually something interesting happened in the month of April 2015. April 2015 marks the first month since April 1991 that more people have moved from Australia to New Zealand than the other way. So there are a hundred people a net gain in migrants who have come from Australia to New Zealand. And why is that? Members opposite will say the Australian economy is not doing so well; that is true relative to us. But it also highlights the importance of having a strong and fast-growing economy and that is what we have. So nothing could be further from the truth.This bill is another bill put forward by the Government in order to continue to strengthen the New Zealand economy and as part of a suite of measures as part of the Budget to continue the New Zealand economy growing strongly. I commend the bill to the House.
Bennett David: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBennett David: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3868. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East):It is outrageous that that member Grant Robertson gets up and says these things when his leader wants to kick people in the guts when it comes to their superannuation. He does not want to give New Zealanders the ability to retire in dignity; he wants to take away their hard-earned retirement savings by taking away their ability to get universal superannuation in New Zealand.That member said that giving $1000 to anyone who signs up to a bank account gives them dignity in retirement. The previous speaker who will speak again said his reason for having the $1000 is to make them feel good. That is the economic rationale behind the Labour Party: to give $1000 to everybody who signs up to an account.The Inland Revenue Department has just put out a report on KiwiSaver. This report says that 38 percent of people who have signed up have never contributed since. Nanaia Mahuta says that is only the young people who have signed up for it. That cannot be the case because two-thirds of the people who should be in KiwiSaver—low-income New Zealanders who should be saving for their retirement—are not in KiwiSaver. The people who are in KiwiSaver are the middle and high-income earners whom Labour wants to give a thousand bucks to in order to give them dignity in retirement and to make them feel good.That is the Labour Party of old that is the Labor Party of Australia and that is the Labour Party that fails and is not good for New Zealanders or for savings going forward. The members are quiet because they know that that is the reality of what is going on. Their petty politics—they come into this room and try to sell to the New Zealand public that Labour is some kind of glorious party that would give them a thousand bucks. Well every time you give a thousand bucks to every New Zealander who signs up to an account you take $500 million off our accounts. When you do that you put New Zealand further into debt. That is the thing that the Labour Party is advocating for.New Zealanders need sensible economic management. If we are going to spend money in these times we should spend it on the people who need it for the first time in 43 years; we do not go out giving handouts to people who are the middle and higher income earners just to make them feel good and to give them dignity in their retirement.
Tabuteau Fletcher: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTabuteau Fletcher: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3860. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]FLETCHER TABUTEAU (NZ First):This will be a short speech—[Interruption] Again I would like to take the opportunity to thank the National backbenchers. Specifically in relation to clause 5 which amends section 226 (3) New Zealand First has put forward in Supplementary Order Paper 86 the proposal that we replace “$1000” with “$500”. The reasoning behind that is those Government members and Ministers have stood before this Committee they have argued against their own logic and they have told us that they cannot afford it. They cannot afford it despite the fact that they will not acknowledge that they have taken $7 billion in revenue out of our income stream with tax cuts for the high-income earners. They cannot afford it despite the fact that they have grown Government debt from next to nothing when they came in to approximately $80 billion today—approximately $80 billion.What I am asking those members to do is to show New Zealanders some compassion. Government members would not agree that we give some New Zealanders some time. No we cannot give them time to adjust to these changes—that would be abhorrent! The logic behind their changes they argue was that $1000 is not a cost-effective incentive. They are saying: “Let’s take it away.” But they will not give New Zealanders time to sign up and use it. So they are countering their own argument. New Zealand First has said well OK if $1000 is too much to contribute to a New Zealander’s start-up into their lifelong saving habits then show a little bit of compassion. Show a little bit of understanding. Come down off that high horse and halve it—halve it. Make it $500. Give them something. Members on this side of the Chamber spoke about the motivational aspect of this number. It does make a difference. National please show some compassion.
Borrows Chester: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBorrows Chester: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3859. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Chester Borrows): Order! Just a moment—I will take a call in a moment. I just want to make the point that the last two speakers Nick Smith and Grant Robertson strayed a heck of a long way around the park and have given each other a slap. It was one each way and now we are coming back to a more confined debate giving leeway for the fact that there is no select committee process and taking into account all of the things that I am sure there would be numerous points of order on if I failed to mention them in my preamble to the next call.
Tisch Lindsay: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTisch Lindsay: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3854. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): I am going to accept the closure motion. We have canvassed the very narrow provisions of this clause.
Ross Jami-Lee: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRoss Jami-Lee: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3854. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JAMI-LEE ROSS (Junior Whip—National):I move That the question be now put.
Shaw James: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeShaw James: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3852. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JAMES SHAW (Green):I would just like to speak very briefly about clause 3 as well which amends the KiwiSaver Act 2006. Specifically we are arguing the purpose of the original Act. I also want to respond to David Bennett’s wilful misinterpretation of the data. He referred to the 38 percent of people who have not made a contribution since they opened their KiwiSaver account. National calls itself the party of aspiration. The 38 percent of people who have set up an account have done so because they aspire to one day earn enough to put money into the KiwiSaver account. The only reason they have not done so is that they do not earn enough money right now. The $1000 incentive has got them to open up that account and leave it open until the day that they aspire to earn enough money to put in it. So by taking away the incentive you are taking away any reason for them to open those accounts at all. So I would expect that you will see the number of accounts go down as a result of this policy.I have been asking this question over and over again during the course of this debate and I have not received a single response yet: what do you expect to happen to the rate of take-up of KiwiSaver once you have removed the incentive that 92 percent of people understand is there and available to them? Do you expect it to go up do you expect it to go down or do you expect it to stay the same? You have not responded to that question. When you take away the incentives you are going to be lowering the rate of take-up of the KiwiSaver programme thereby undermining the purpose of the original Act.
Bennett David: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBennett David: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3851. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East):It is great to be able to take a call on this part of the bill. It is pretty rich for Labour members to come in here today and spout on about KiwiSaver and the $1000 when at the same time they are telling those exact workers that they are not going to be able to retire at 65 and if they do retire at 65 they are going to lose more than $1000 in being income tested. It is all right for them to say that it makes people feel good to have $1000 in their hands when they are 21 but when they are 65 they will still have to be working in the freezing works on the farms and doing that hard labour because the Labour Party will not let them retire. That is the reality of what Labour is saying here today. As for that $1000 Labour is going to borrow that $1000 to put into the hands of people today.There is a report that came out from the Inland Revenue Department today and it showed that 38 percent of people who have gone into KiwiSaver have never made a contribution—38 percent of the people going into KiwiSaver do not put in anything into that programme. What does that show? That shows that the Labour Party is looking after its rich mates—it is looking after its rich mates who can afford to put their kids into KiwiSaver. Labour is looking after those people who actually do not do the work who are not in KiwiSaver who are not the people out there doing the hard yards in our country. It is looking after the people who use and abuse the system. Those are Labour people and that is what Labour supports. They are the 38 percent of people who are in KiwiSaver who have only put their money—Hon David Cunliffe: What a bunch of drivel.DAVID BENNETT: It is not dribble; that is the report.Hon David Cunliffe: Absolute drivel.DAVID BENNETT: It is not. Read the report. Go on to the New Zealand Herald website and read the report and you will see Mr Cunliffe that 38 percent of the people you are talking about are not the people whom we need to be involved in savings and getting ahead in this country.It is really rich for Labour members to come here and attack this bill when Labour does not even look after the people they are talking about. We are looking after those people. For the first time in 43 years we went out there and did something for those people. We did not do what the Labour Party is doing now—looking after its rich mates just to buy votes for the next election.
Mallard Trevor: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMallard Trevor: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3841. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): Yes I think it is fair to say that we have had some repetition—quite a lot of repetition—and some irrelevance. I think some of the arguments have been elegant but it has been a while since we have had anything new. The Committee can decide whether or not it wants to move on to the next clause.
Hudson Brett: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHudson Brett: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3841. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]BRETT HUDSON (National):I move That the question be now put.
Bennett David: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBennett David: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3840. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East):I move That the question be now put.
Rurawhe Adrian: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRurawhe Adrian: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3839. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ADRIAN RURAWHE (Labour—Te Tai Hauāuru):In speaking to the commencement clause if I were to choose a date I would choose 5 August 2016 as the commencement date of this bill. I would do that because it would be a continuation of the legacy set in the 1970s—on 5 August 1976. Next year will be the 40th anniversary of the Government of the Rt Hon Robert Muldoon withdrawing the then-current superannuation scheme. To make further comparisons to that legacy the Rt Hon Robert Muldoon said that that superannuation scheme was turning New Zealand into a Soviet clone. The comparison is that the Prime Minister John Key has said that KiwiSaver was “communism by stealth”. So here is a really tight comparison between that Government then and the Government now and the legacy that the National Government continues today by trying to push through this legislation under urgency.There was an article written in the New Zealand Herald before the 2008 election that warned the National Party not to go down the same path. Well the genius of KiwiSaver put in place by the Labour Government under Michael Cullen was that it has taken this Government eight attempts over 7 years to try to get rid of KiwiSaver. The article I refer to ends with the words: “It would be a tragedy if a new National Government under Key and English made the same dreadful mistake as Muldoon in December 1975.” The Government has made that mistake over the last 7 years by making eight cuts to the scheme. So the commencement ought to be on that anniversary to commemorate the 40 years since the National Government cut that superannuation scheme and denied our country of having a fund of $280 billion for a future for our children.This piece of legislation as has already been stated steals from future generations. Well I am part of the generation that that act of Robert Muldoon stole from—my generation and future generations—and the National Government is continuing to enhance that legacy. It is wrong.I oppose this bill in its entirety but I suggest that the commencement date ought to be 5 August 2016 to give ordinary New Zealanders the opportunity to have the same benefits that members opposite have had and that the whole of New Zealand ought to be able to have as well. That is my contribution to this part of the bill. Thank you.