Robertson H V Ross: Budget Debate 
Robertson H V Ross: Budget Debate 
[Volume:655;Page:4286] 
H V ROSS ROBERTSON (Labour—Manukau East) 
 Kia ora tatou no reira e te Whare e nga iwi e nga reo e nga hau e wha. When I rose to speak in the Budget debate on 2 June near 6 o’clock the Chamber was near deserted but not today. Let me tell the House why we in the Labour Party disagree with this Budget. Let me elaborate and in doing so I speak for the 185 different ethnic groups that reside in the boundaries of Manukau City. 
I along with my colleagues from Manukau George Hawkins Su’a William Sio and Dr Ashraf Choudhary disagree with this Budget for three reasons. First it fails to invest in people and to develop the innovation and the skills and training that will give us a platform for a strongly based economy. That is the first reason. Second it fundamentally undermines the future well-being of New Zealanders by creating a $37 billion hole in the future funding for superannuation. I am concerned about those in the 40 to 50-year age group. The third reason is that it repeals the tax cuts promised by the National Party in the election campaign when its members knew full well that they were unable to deliver. 
That brings me to leadership which is about the ability to motivate and inspire. Although the Prime Minister might have done that during the election campaign he has let down the people of New Zealand. It is a question of integrity and it is a question of honesty. Where I come from a man’s word is his bond. The Prime Minister failed on all of those accounts. When I visited the schools in my electorate after the Budget I was devastated at the savage cuts that had taken place. In the extension of high standards in primary schools across Otara decile 1 schools—the most vulnerable in our society—have had cuts. We have had cuts to Bairds Mainfreight Primary School and to Dawson School and I challenge Pansy Wong to stand up because that school is in her electorate. We had cuts to East Tamaki School Flat Bush School Mayfield School Rongomai School—another of Pansy Wong’s—St John the Evangelist School Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate junior and middle schools Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o PiripouoOtara Wymondley Road School and Yendarra School. All of those have had cuts to extending high standards across primary schools. That will be axed from 31 December this year. Yet nationally all of those schools signed up for 3 years. What does that mean? It means absolutely nothing in the hands of this Government. 
It would be a shame if the economic constraints facing us today mean that South Auckland is further disadvantaged by the management of this economy and by this Government. Then there are the secondary schools—again another hit on the most vulnerable students in South Auckland. Improving academic writing for decile 1 secondary schools is gone from 31 December. Who is affected? It is students at Tangaroa College Hillary College McAuley High School Otahuhu College De La Salle College Southern Cross Campus Mangere College Tamaki College and Porirua College. Tamaki College is in the electorate of the member for Maungakiekie and I ask Mr Lotu-Iiga to get off his hind legs and take a call and justify why his Government is cutting the funding from decile 1 schools.