Jones ShaneHon SHANE JONES (NZ First): On the sensation of alarm and fright the last speaker Judith Collins has obviously begun to project her ability to frighten the members of her own caucus. She has raised in the context of this speech confidence. I am confident that the breadcrumb trail related to the current woes that prevent the Leader of the Opposition participating in this debate because he's now worried less about the business confidence in New Zealand firms and boardrooms than about the confidence of the people around him—without a doubt that information has been selectively used to destroy that particular politician. Now we have our theories as to who's doing the leaking just as I have my theories as to who's doing the leaking from the police but I'll speak about that at a later date.Let me now dispel a few misconceptions about the $3 billion Provincial Growth Fund. I identified today—and I have to say a number of the questions that were asked of me today are not unreasonable because they're a reflection of the person on the other side of the House who has to hold me to account and that's not unreasonable that the pint-sized representative from Epsom should try to extend the shadow of his influence over the provinces. I can actually provide him with the political form of a Shetland pony to arrive at these places but he will find that a great locomotive called provincial growth modest Matua Shane Jones" has already arrived in town.Now what are some of the provincial growth initiatives that this Government is pushing? I wait with bated breath to hear what my Labour colleagues will return back to Parliament with in several weeks' time as they venture forward into that area politically forsaken by the National Party of Eastern Bay of Plenty. I give my word that I will advocate with my fellow Ministers that we share the fiscal lucre fiscal wealth fiscal medicine with that part of the country.It pained me that we had to turn down a signature project developed by the last regime called the Ōpōtiki Wharf but we had to stop at $4.85 million committed by the last regime in due diligence which got out of control. Now it's not unreasonable that I show on a regular basis not only are we capable of saying yes to projects; from time to time we have to say no.Now I said earlier today that of the various sins referred to in the Good Book in politics envy is a very corrosive one. Now I wasn't talking about envy of an anatomical nature; I was talking about the envy that drives a lot of the questions which are designed not only to trip up this side of the House—a physical impossibility because we are like the trees that we're growing: erect roots down deep into the provinces and regularly watered with appropriate measures of fiscal waiora water. So I don't mind that we're being constantly challenged because there is a robust process and despite the list member for Epsom alleging that there is no transparency there is not only transparency; there is a great deal of rigour.Now where he calls for transparency in terms of financial transactions between the Crown and a third party go and say to the other organisations such as Callaghan Innovation and the Skycity Casino—no transaction that's governed by confidentiality can be spilled out into the totality of the public. To do that reflects not only bad faith but a very shallow short-term and disappointing approach to growing the regions because our approach is long term. That's why the $3 billion fund is going to lead a host of legacy projects and legacy investments.But I've spoken enough about the $3 billion fund because it announces itself everywhere it goes and the fact that we're going to partially use it to drive KiwiRail—an organisation an entity driven into the ground neglected and forgotten about by the last regime. We with our new chair of KiwiRail; we with the body of people an entity chaired by Wayne Brown formerly our mayor of the Far North District Council—they are going to bring back further possibilities of how the Provincial Growth Fund can aid and grow infrastructure.I want to touch for a moment on the Hon Judith Collins' references to the dollar. Now she does not understand that the nature of our economy is such that the dollar floats. The dollar is a natural stabiliser—something that Steven Joyce with tedious regularity would point out to the House.Now I go back to do the days when the dollar fell to 39c. I go back to the days when in the fishing industry the average long-run dollar was 55c. The fact that the dollar is dropping—it enhanced wealth opportunities; it improves the terms of repatriating earnings back from overseas—is positive for the regions despite the best efforts of the Leader of the Opposition to go to every nook and cranny around regional New Zealand and become more unpopular. I don't really care if he wracks up these bills. I genuinely accept that's a part of what it takes to move around Aotearoa but what I do object to is that people in his own caucus are now practising such a corrosive and destructive type of leaking behaviour because I can't see how they can be an effective Opposition when they're turning to devour themselves.We have every right to expect a formidable and reasonable Opposition to hold us to account. It's only disappointing that they're now falling and sinking their fangs—well they're not fangs really; they're false teeth—into the breasts of each other.On the question however on particular industry groups forestry is an obvious winner. Forestry is a key feature of why the Overseas Investment Office changes are overdue. The last regime allowed the process to remain grit-riddled. It remained stodgy. We've come in and we've said in terms of foreign direct investment to grow this valuable sector to increase the size of the botanical lung of the nation to draw the carbon emissions out of the atmosphere so that future generations will thank us—that is a practical contribution.Now I know for a fact because I have the paperwork that Graeme Hart and his associates did approach the John Key Government—I have the paperwork. That particular proposal bears a striking resemblance to the billion trees strategy that was announced in the formation of our coalition Government and led by our leader here Winston Peters. So I don't care how many statements the member for Nelson seeks to make because at the point at which those statements of defence are uttered and laid out if necessary I'll provide a small level of paperwork affirmation. So forestry is a definite winner.We do also have profound development options for fisheries. We're not going to follow the pathway of "NAIT's Guy"; after failing to create decent system to track animals he then decided to track—DEPUTY SPEAKER: I think you need to use the proper name.Hon SHANE JONES: —fishermen—Nathan Guy; apologies. Apologies Madam Deputy Speaker. We're not going to follow that particular pathway and subject the fishing industry to some sort of State commercial surveillance; we're going to support the Minister of Fisheries to deal with the legacy problems in the fishing industry that have been around for well over a decade. At that point whether there's a case for camera surveillance to augment electronic surveillance then we will consider it at that stage.Now these are business-friendly decisions. These are pro-industry steps that we're taking in terms of our narrative. Forestry—long-term approach significant amounts of investment capital; fisheries—stripping red tape; aquaculture—a further area sadly abandoned and not tended well at all under the stewardship of the last regime but already we are receiving applications for people wanting to grow the value of the aquaculture sector via the Provincial Growth Fund. Subject to it being consistent with the criterion of the Cabinet paper subject to it passing muster with a robust set of decision makers including the independent economic appraisal committee I have every confidence that these key industry areas will grow in wealth health and jobs."