Auchinvole Chris: Debate on Prime Minister’s StatementText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeAuchinvole Chris: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement[Sitting date: 12 February 2014. Volume:696;Page:15873. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]CHRIS AUCHINVOLE (National): The previous speaker is normally really interesting to listen to and covers a fair range of topics but the conclusion of that speech was a disappointment to hear from the Hon Maryan Street. She can do so much better than that—than throwing that little bit of rhetoric around.In the Prime Minister’s state of the nation statement he stated that the Government will remain focused on the opportunities to use New Zealand’s natural resources productively while maintaining the environmental standards that preserve and enhance the quality of our environment. I would like to concentrate on that topic and the Opposition’s attitude towards the use of natural resources or its perceived attitude which could be damaging to the future of New Zealand’s economy. The oil the coal the gas and the water are mentioned. We need to earn the money that we require to progress as a nation.Mrs Thatcher once said—and it has been repeated more than once in this party—“The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.” and that is so true. But interestingly in this country we have one party—and I am sure it will not mind me mentioning it; indeed it will probably be pleased—that has asolution for that. The Green Party has a solution for that. The Green Party as I say is made up of nice individual MPs but it is often associated in the public perception with recreational illegal and currently unregulated drugs. It would take a leaf from the fairytale character who spun gold out of straw—spun gold out of straw—because what it intends to do would simply be to print more money.Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi: What’s that?CHRIS AUCHINVOLE: Well it wants to print money but there is an irony attached to that—an irony. This is a $20 note—a New Zealand $20 note. You cannot tear it in half. You cannot tear a bit off it. Why is that? It is because it is made of polymer. And if the Green Party prints more money and at the same time it restricts the use of oil and things that are used to manufacture the plastic polymers it will not have the notes to print because of its lack of support for the mining industry in New Zealand.So one does have to wonder about the raison d’être of a party that is happy to share the association with other natural resources in New Zealand—basically marijuana an underground economy that is riddled with criminality the exploitation of the vulnerable and the young the glamorisation of guns drugs and dreadlocks and the unfettered continuity of an un-taxable parasitic industry destroying the livelihood and lives of many in New Zealand neighbourhoods and communities. If that sounds a little rugged or tough I make no apology for it. I make no apology for it because the Greens have claimed that if marijuana were legalised the industry would become viable and taxable. I have had enough exposure to some of the things that Mike Sabin has experienced in his career and in his constant fight against drug use to convince me that the chances of that happening—trying to organise it on a legal basis—are pretty low.In the ongoing work of creating New Zealand’s narrative National seeks to work with resources that are already available like water minerals oil gas and precious metals. Of course like all things precious and unique these resources are often well hidden they are in fragile environments and they have been this way for a number of centuries.In an effort to release the wealth locked up in the natural currency we must seize and use the strengths of the other valuable natural resource available to us which is ourselves—ourselves. New Zealanders have a tremendous capacity and an international reputation for being problem solvers. It is almost a mythical level that they are credited with having in terms of solving problems. I guess it is a consequence of moving on from the tough and ready pioneering outlook that has carried this nation so far: making the most of what was readily available and light to carry and choosing our bravest to carry out the job with whatever protection was available. Our legislation reflects a growing maturity as we have warmed to a position as a First World country in a world desperately looking for responsible enlightened leadership and well-considered sustainable industry and that is what this Government particularly under the leadership of this Prime Minister is providing.Anyone visiting the West Coast which is something of a favourite area of mine cannot miss the memorial at the Brunner Mine where on Thursday 26 March 1896 an explosion killed all 65 miners below the ground. To deepen the tragedy the widows received no compensation and mostly had to leave town and the men were buried in a mass grave at Stillwater. I pass that on most days when I am at home. The days of old? Well the 1970s were a time when songs like Pete Seeger’s “God’s Counting on Me God’s Counting on You” using the famous lines “… drill baby drill leads to spill baby spill” were written to shine a critical light on sloppy and dangerous mining practices and the people in the mining industry also listened. Pike River where an explosion occurred on Friday 19 November 2010 when 29 men died is still in veryvery recent memory. There are many commemorative sites in Greymouth as well as continuing work to assist the families.The New Zealand mining industry has learnt from this as has the New Zealand legislature. Millions of dollars a lot of expert opinion as well as research and experience from overseas have created an industry that is self-aware self-motivated well regulated and ready to earn for New Zealand. It is an industry that we can be well proud of—worth $1.1 billion of mineral exports according to the Government’sPetroleum and Minerals Sector Report 2013. There are 8000 direct and indirect jobs in the mineral industry as quoted in the 2011 reports of the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research and Business and Economic Research Ltd. The minerals industry believes that if properly encouraged and managed growth in the New Zealand minerals sector could treble in on-the-ground investment and output over time. The average wage for a miner is $105000 which is around double the national average wage—that is also from the sector report. Mining is therefore a good job to have. All the figures have come from the appropriate bodies that have these figures available.Mining supports regions. For example mining on the West Coast earns around one-third of the region’s household income off a footprint of—wait for it—14 square kilometres as compared with the total area of the region of 23000 square kilometres. Therefore mining earns a very high wealth off a very small footprint. No other land use in New Zealand earns anywhere near that amount—none. OceanaGold has calculated that it would take 700 years of farming at Macraes Flat to earn the same wealth as that expected during the life of its East Otago goldmine. And the profits do not just go offshore. Up to 86 percent of mining output stays in New Zealand as salaries taxes rates and other charges and payments to suppliers and contractors. That figure comes from Newmont WaihīGold. The fact is that mining today is a high-tech industry employing skilled people and producing essential materials for New Zealand and overseas markets safely and responsibly.But let us examine the possibility of what might happen if we were to get a Greens-Labour Government. I cannot see how Labour can say that it would not change things. I think it would because it would have to incorporate the Greens into its mix. And good good Labour thinkers—people who have been associated with the party for a long time; I can look across the House and see some of the prominent people—would they be included? Would they be bypassed? “WWGD”—what would the Greens do? Would they be like an overly cautious curator of an art gallery or museum exhibit where they shout: “Don’t touch. Don’t change anything. Leave things for the children.”? Well to put it into a musical context as Matt Bird the underestimated musical genius and ex-Green smoker mentioned in one of his poem rhymes we are the children—we are the children. It is up to us to decide the future that our parents and grandparents bequeath to us.To conclude the thing is that the National Government has plans. We are prepared to back them with well-considered fiscal strategy; not just to spend money not just to make money and not just to try to turn everything back to a pre-currency economy. National has plans that include us the residents of these beautiful islands these jewels of the South Pacific. A Government—