Hughes Darren: General Debate 
Hughes Darren: General Debate 
[Volume:624;Page:19250] 
DARREN HUGHES (Labour—Otaki) 
: 
 I know that in the last little while—in the last couple of days—people at the fringes of politics have become very excited about a report from a United Nations committee regarding the Foreshore and Seabed Act. But I think it is very important to put on the record that that overseas committee considered that important matter for simply 35 minutes and that it was not a committee made up of countries that we could say have a better race relations record than New Zealand does. Indeed if we look at what the New Zealand Government did in relation to the foreshore and seabed issue we see that Government members travelled for 18 months around this country holding public meetings and hui trying to engage with all New Zealanders from all cultural backgrounds in order to raise awareness on that issue. 
It was not easy. The foreshore and seabed legislation was a difficult challenge for the Government to try to address but after 18 solid months it came together with legislation that I think most fair-minded people say achieved a balance of what all New Zealanders Maori and Pakeha said they were looking for. For the first time in this country Maori customary interests are recognised in law. Never had that been achieved before the passing of the Foreshore and Seabed Act. In terms of delivering for Maori I know that the Minister of Maori Affairs Parekura Horomia has worked very hard on aquaculture issues in order to ensure that there is a space for Maori in that exciting new economic development. So let no member come to Parliament and say that this Government does not deliver to Maori as it delivers to all New Zealanders. 
In the next 6 months the Government will have to hold a general election. We go to this country with a clear record about the economy having one of the highest growth rates in the OECD. We have the lowest unemployment rate in the OECD our crime rate is at its lowest since 1982 7000 young New Zealanders are working as Modern Apprentices giving them a chance to go ahead in their life and 100000 fewer New Zealanders are relying on welfare for their main source of income—the figure was 400000 but under the Labour-Progressive coalition Government it is now 300000. So we will go to the polls not having delivered perfection in New Zealand but having a record that we can be proud of. We have achieved some real gains for ordinary New Zealanders. 
What do the Opposition go to the election with? Well 6 months out one would have thought that the National Party—the once-great National Party—would have a very clear policy and approach. But we now know that the entire National Party strategy rests on one book written about Don Brash. Let us be fair: Don Brash has achieved a lot of things in his life. But I never thought he would be interesting enough to have an entire book written about him. I personally thought it would be a struggle to get a pamphlet out about him but sure enough a book has been written. It was written not by some independent historian political commentator or political analyst but by a National Party candidate—somebody very keen to ensure that he is shoved up the National Party list come the general election. 
We have found out all sorts of things about Don Brash by way of that book. I would think that if I were the leader of a political party I would say that if I was going to do a book I would make sure it was perfectly timed for the election so that it showed me in the best possible light. But having looked through that book I cannot see a single positive thing that has come out of it for the National Party. I cannot see that National Party members could look at that book and say: “Thank God they wrote that book about Don Brash because we’re really taking the country by storm now.” In fact when he states in the book that he quickly realised he was out of his depth with the Latin beat we see that it is not only South American music the man has a problem with but with staying in beat with New Zealand politics and being able to put himself across to our country. 
We know from the story that he is a man who vacuum cleans his garage which is slightly odd but people can do their own thing. The strangest thing about that book is the things the man was prepared to reveal: “At the Australian National University in Canberra Brash befriended Jack Dowie. Despite their differences they became close and developed a small daily ritual—almost sacramental—where they would sit and eat oranges together in their rooms. Surrounded by orange peels they would debate the issues of the day and life. It was an intellectual fellowship of the sort dreams are made of.” Of the sort dreams are made of! When one is sitting around with orange peels trying to talk about the future of a country! 
The book is a huge embarrassment. It must have the work of Murray McCully behind it. Murray McCully has of course managed five National Party election campaigns. When Murray McCully took over National Party strategy that party used to have 48 percent of the vote in New Zealand but after Murray McCully’s genius-like strategies he has now driven it down to 21 percent—and that was before the book came out. This book about Don Brash is the only book in the country for which when people front up at the shop to buy it the bookseller insists they take an exchange card. Booksellers know that people will be so disappointed. It is an absolute disgrace. Don Brash now has his book on one side and his hidden agenda on the other as the only things he can go to street-corner meetings around New Zealand and try to talk about. He actually says at one stage: “Almost all of us—me often included—forget what a fantastic country this is.” It is a fantastic country and it is a great place to live but Don Brash is having to hide his true agenda for New Zealand concerning asset sales—the selling off of our family silver—and concerning what he would really do about superannuation for people over the age of 65. 
We know that he cannot decide whether he would have gone to the Iraqi war. The man is a joke!