Chadwick Steve: Budget Debate 
Chadwick Steve: Budget Debate 
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Hon STEVE CHADWICK (Labour) 
: 
 I was not quite prepared for this but I will be speaking on the Budget. I sat and listened to National’s Budget with great interest. This is the third Budget that I have felt deeply saddened by. We were given little frissons about this Budget. Little pennies were dropped out there in the weeks before the Budget was delivered. We were softened up by the media that it would be a zero Budget and I do not think anyone expected pennies from heaven in this Budget. All New Zealanders knew that we were facing hard times and we all knew we had to be part of this recovery. I listened to that Budget then went away and analysed it in the areas in which I am most passionate about politically. I found that this Budget hurts. It hurts New Zealanders whom I care about. I believe National likes to care about them too but it is about where we make our balance of decisions in the Budget. This Budget hurts the New Zealanders in society whom we should be caring about in the future—the children of tomorrow. 
The Budget hurts those on Struggle Street. [ 
Interruption 
] I am now the seniors spokesperson and Mr Auchinvole is right; I am not a new look for Labour. But I am a granny and I am proud of it. That is why I stay here to make this place better for my grandchildren and those children who will be the economic powerhouses of this country in the future. I want them to have a reason to stay in this country. This Budget gives them no reason no hope and no aspiration of a brighter future. My children are all hurting. 
I just wonder what side of the street we all walk along. I wonder whether those people over there go out and go around places like the food banks in their communities which is where I went. I heard the story from the Salvation Army in Rotorua that there had been a threefold increase in requests for food parcels from families in Rotorua prior to this Budget and it has grown over this recession. This wonderful Salvation Army gentleman told me that a baker gave him a bag of doughnuts which they all felt like eating but he said he would give them to a family that he visits and he knew they budgeted because they are under the wing of the Salvation Army. The father took the basket of food thanked the Salvation Army then cried and said: “This is the first favour of food my children have had in 3 months.” I wonder what sort of people Government members meet every day in their lives when they can stand up in this House and say that this Budget is wonderful and it gives a bright aspirational future for New Zealanders for tomorrow. Well it does not. It hurts those families and it hurts the seniors whom I visit. 
I went to Dannevirke along with the wonderful candidate— 
John Hayes 
: That’s right! 
Hon STEVE CHADWICK 
: No not that one; I went with the Labour Party candidate who is doorknocking on every house—thousands of houses. I think he has doorknocked 6000 houses. He joined me in visiting those good people of Dannevirke. Do members know what hurts them? It is the cost of just living. What are they worried about? They are not able to save to buy the mum and dad investments in our State-owned enterprises when they are hocked off. They are not the ones who have any spare cash in their pocket. They talked to me about the cost of electricity and the cost of food that is increasing week by week. They know this; they are on a fixed income. They do not have a lot of savings. They are the ones who are worried too about the cost pressures on families in the future. There are also those people in the middle—that huge group of New Zealanders who are trying to do a job trying to bring home the bacon for their families and are struggling to literally make ends meet. 
I am proud to be part of a party that has come up with a plan the Agenda for Children. We believe just like Sir Peter Gluckman has been telling his leader in the House—and I do not think he has been listened to by Paula Bennett—that the way that we invest in reducing inequality and targeting poverty in this country is the way we get people out of dependence on the State in the future. We agree with Sir Peter Gluckman that every dollar spent on growing healthy children is a dollar that we do not have to spend on building prisons which the National Party in Government is spending up large on. We believe in investment. 
We looked in this Budget at the cradle investments. I saw a little bit of money coming in to new mothers—first-time mothers. That is great but do they not see that at the same time as they announced the new money for maternity services Paula Bennett went out there with welfare reform and said: “We will focus on beneficiary reform in this election and we will punish mothers. We will have kids at home with nobody there to look after them because we will make those beneficiaries go back to work.” Who hurts? It is not those mothers but our children. Those children will be left at home. Heaven knows who will be looking after them. What will happen to them? 
I heard compassionate liberals like Chester Borrows talking in the House yesterday about the extra bit of money for children in care. Does he not see that if we do not invest in the early years of a child’s life those children will be falling through the gaps with cuts to early childhood education and not being able to achieve educationally? They will become the offenders in society and they will be incarcerated. Why are we spending that money on children in care and not investing in the first 6 years of a child’s life? Labour’s agenda for change led by Annette King says that every child in this country will be registered with a Well Child provider. It is logical it is sensible and it is simple. No child will then fall through the gaps. 
Why did they say that first-time mothers are vulnerable? Yes we know that but should not we be targeting those who are most vulnerable and identifying them at birth? They should not be saying it is just first-time mothers. That is such a patronising view of parenthood. Midwives know that that investment will make a little bit of difference but in that maternity investment where was the announcement of supporting midwives so they can get on with birthing? Where was the announcement that gave them equal value for service delivery as those in primary health organisations get? Zip; nothing—midwives are to do the work. Actually it is more for less. Midwives commented on that saying: “Wonderful Minister putting money into first-time mothers but what about those who provide their care? Give us a little bit of assistance to get on with our job.” 
Yes it is good to see money going into maternity services and it is good to see money going into rheumatic fever prevention. But as I heard our health spokesperson say it is about the drivers of ill health. Damp homes poor and overcrowded housing unemployment and poverty are the drivers of ill health. This Government has spent money over the last 3 years on more surgery because it is sexy to go out and tell Grey Power that we are doing more hips knees and eyes. There is nothing about health and wellness. Government members have cut public health funding. They cut public health funding to Healthy Eating - Healthy Action; that has gone. We built a cafeteria in Rotorua so that children had healthy lunches. That money has gone. That service has gone. What is this Government doing in terms of working out how people can remain healthy stay well and look after their bodies? No money is going into helping them to remain healthy. 
We will see burgeoning costs and we have already seen that there is a $127 million shortfall in this Budget. The Minister of Health was rattled in the House today. He knows he obfuscated fudged and blurred the funding lines. He admitted that $165 million in health has to be funded from savings and doing more for less which means cuts. All the Minister can do to find that $165 million is cut services. We are seeing it already in home help for seniors we are seeing it in mental health cuts and we are seeing it in public health cuts. He will have to find that money from savings. Savings means cuts to services or increased charges for patients. I do not think this is a Budget that will build strong families or resilient families that can take knocks in the future.