Bennett David: Debate on Prime Minister’s StatementText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBennett David: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement[Sitting date: 11 February 2015. Volume:703;Page:1476. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East):When we are debating the Prime Minister’s statement it is not about the convention centre that the last member David Clark talked about. This is a conversation and a debate about the future of New Zealand and what we want this country to look like. When we look at the future of New Zealand we have a clear choice. There is a contrast between what the political parties in this House represent. On this side you have a free and open country that is part of the world. On that side you have a very divisive party that wishes to make New Zealand closed and not part of an open economy. Those members want a controlled economy. We have a positive inclusive outlook on this side. They have a negative and defensive one on that side. This is the choice that New Zealanders have. They have a choice between a future that is open positive and part of the world and those who are against anything and everything that can be done to help this country.Hon Member: They’re not against trying new taxes though.DAVID BENNETT: They are not against that are they? This is a country that needs to believe in itself and have a vision for the future and trust itself and trust its position in the world. We live in a great part of this wonderful world which is growing and the growth that you see in New Zealand is part of that growth you are seeing around the world. We cannot afford to turn our back on that world and go back to the days when we were an exclusive and very defensive country that did not allow other New Zealanders to become part of this great country. We want to be open and free not restricted and held back by political ideology. That is the difference that New Zealanders understand and accept. That is the difference that New Zealanders have voted for in continuous elections.Tracey Martin: You didn’t tell them the truth.DAVID BENNETT: Telling the truth coming from New Zealand First—that would be lovely to hear. We would love to see that happen from you Tracey. Perhaps you need to talk to your leader about that at some stage. New Zealand First is a great example of how those members are trying to hold New Zealand back. Immigration for example is something that many people on the Labour and New Zealand First side of this House have been against.Hon Members: Sell the country.DAVID BENNETT: “Sell the country.”—that is what they are saying. It is not actually the case. It is opening New Zealand up so that people can come here and make their future in this county. What is the problem with that? What is the problem with people wanting to come to New Zealand and bring their families up in this country? What is the problem with their wanting to make New Zealand their home? What is the problem with wanting to make New Zealand stronger? That is the question you should really be asking not trying to pit people against each other—not trying to make people look at each other and say that those differences are reasons they should not be in New Zealand. That is the disgusting side of that party.Brett Hudson: Diversity brings strength Mr Bennett.DAVID BENNETT: Diversity does bring strength. But beyond that we also need a balanced approach that actually enables this country to grow in the way that we look at our economic structure.Our economic structure is one that is in the free open world. We are not in a world that is dominated by European-type economics any more. It is not a world that is dominated by the powers that used to control this world a hundred years ago. It is a world that is dominated by the influence of competition hard work and education. That is the modern world and we have an economy that is doing very well in that modern world. We have an economy that is growing beyond the growth rates of other Western countries. We have an economy that is taking its rightful place in that world order.New Zealanders should not and do not want to give that up. They do not want to go back to being some island State that has some de facto communist basis that the left wants to bring into New Zealand. We look forward to being a place where children can grow up get a good education go to university and work and play in this beautiful country. That is the choice that we have. That is why this Government is delivering the infrastructure and the resources for that to happen.Come to Hamilton. No one from New Zealand First ever will but come to Hamilton and you will see that in the last 2 weeks we have opened two new schools. We have opened a primary school and turned the sod on the new secondary school in Hamilton.Sue Moroney: No that isn’t open. When did it open?DAVID BENNETT: It is going to open in 2016. We turned the sod—turned the sod which is more than Sue Moroney did. When Sue Moroney was in Hamilton which was many years ago Sue Moroney came to this hill and said: “This would be a great place for a school.” She got the newspaper to take a photo of her at that hill and she said: “This would be a great place for a school.” She did not mention the fact that there was no money for it and that it had not actually been designed or anything like that. Sue Moroney campaigned on the platform that she had delivered a school when she had not actually delivered anything other than a photo to the paper. That is the nature of the Labour left. It just goes out there all smoke and mirrors with no reality no ability to go out there and try things no substance and no delivery and people do not like “no delivery”.Sue Moroney: That’s what people do say about you David—you’re quite right.DAVID BENNETT: I am quite right. Thank you Sue. We are quite right because we have delivered for Hamilton and that is true.Hamiltonians are smart people. Hamiltonians want to see a diverse city. We live in a part of the world that is growing strongly. We do have good growth rates. We have a city that has new suburbs popping up all the time. We have so many new suburbs that we gave some to the Hamilton West electorate and that really helped it as well. In the end the people of Hamilton are the barometer of New Zealand. It is a city that is diverse. We have a lot of migrants. We accept and we understand and people get on well and enjoy our migrants and all the people in our community.It is a city that delivers for New Zealand. We deliver export returns. We have a large manufacturing base in our city. The Green members may laugh because they have never actually been to a manufacturing site or a dairy farm but it would be lovely to see a Green member at a dairy farm and have them actually work out how we pay for you to sit in that seat because it does not happen by smelling the roses OK?It is a part of New Zealand that actually works in the modern world. We have growth. We have diversity. We have an economic structure that is based on exports and delivery. We have a strong economic base through our education system which gives all New Zealanders and especially all Hamiltonians that real opportunity.We have the investment in infrastructure—the roading and expressway for example that is being delivered there—and also housing and schooling networks. Those are the investments that are made in people. They are the investments made by a Government in its people to get the success that they deserve. People understand that. They do not want to hear the rhetoric from the left about trying to close New Zealand down. They do not want to hear the rhetoric about how we should make New Zealand divisive and should pit person against person. They want to see a positive Government and a positive delivery of messages. That is what they get and they understand that and they see that in people like John Key and Bill English and the National team.Tracey Martin: Rich white men.DAVID BENNETT: They understand it is positive. It is actually about working together. I think you would want to take those comments back Tracey because you do not—Tracey Martin: A hundred years ago and it hasn’t changed at all—rich white men.DAVID BENNETT: It takes one to say that if you were saying those sort of things Tracey.In this country and in our city of Hamilton we have a choice. You can choose the left which is going to hold your city and your country back and pit people against each other or you can hold to a vision of a New Zealand that is open free and part of the modern world. That is something that New Zealanders will always chose because they know it is the right choice to make. They know in their heart of hearts that that is the way that they will actually be able to succeed and develop as a country and as a city. We look forward to that continuing under this Prime Minister’s leadership. Thank you.