Heatley Phil: General Debate 
Heatley Phil: General Debate 
[Volume:673;Page:19602] 
Hon PHIL HEATLEY (Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture) 
: 
 Like many members in the House I am always intrigued by what other political parties are up to. It is fair to say that I have been looking on at the Labour Party in the last 12 months and the last 6 months in particular to see exactly what its strategy is. It has been difficult for me to untangle. Sometimes strategies are difficult to untangle because they are complicated and clever and one simply cannot see something coming. Sometimes strategies are obvious to all and the team is proud of putting them forward and out there.  
It has been difficult with the Labour Party. I must say that in recent times I have actually identified a pattern. There is definitely a pattern when it comes to the Labour Party’s strategy. That pattern is about carving out Labour’s core support. It is essentially setting aside those people who will not vote for Labour and targeting those who will vote for it.  
Labour made a conscious decision. We know what it is. Labour said it did not want the hobbit vote. Clearly Labour does not want hobbits to vote for it. Labour does not want the New Zealand film industry to vote for it. Labour does not think it is important to bring that sort of income into New Zealand. Labour does not want the hobbit vote. Labour does not support John Key making those advances to international film organisations to ensure that the 
 Hobbit 
 movies are filmed here. Labour opposed that. Labour is against hobbits. That was one sector that the Labour Party decided it did not want supporting it.  
Labour then moved to the agriculture and farming sector where we saw a tirade from members over there saying that farmers do not pay tax they do not contribute to the economy they are essentially avoiding tax and the Labour Party does not support them. Furthermore to really kick it to farmers the Labour Party decided to bring the emissions trading scheme forward put unknown costs on farmers and make sure that as soon as Labour is in Government after the next election—and that is Labour’s dream—it will bring farmers into the emissions trading scheme. Labour has set aside the farmers of New Zealand and the farmers say that Labour is making agriculture the whipping boy. Federated Farmers said of Stuarts Nash’s tirade about farmers not paying tax and the emissions trading scheme: “It’s all designed to discredit the farmers of New Zealand.” There is a strategy.  
Labour does not want the farmers to vote for it it does not want the hobbits to vote for it and interestingly enough it has decided to insult the Ratana Church. An article titled “Labour list insults Ratana Church” said: “Senior Ratana minister Kereama Pene has launched a stinging Facebook campaign against what he sees as Labour’s list insult. He said on the social networking site: ‘Every Ratana should show their total disgust and abandon Labour forever.’ ” Labour has decided in carving out its core support that it does not want farmers it does not want hobbits and it does not want the Ratana Church.  
Labour does not want homeowners; it is going to introduce a capital gains tax. The minute it is in Government it will introduce a capital gains tax for all homeowners. Labour does not want homeowners at all.  
It was not enough to decide that it wanted to carve off sector interest groups so Labour decided to go regional. It said to Northlanders that the highway from Auckland to Northland is a “Holiday Highway” and that Labour would can it. Labour does not want trucks cars and buses going to Northland and it certainly does not want those Northlanders coming south to Auckland. Labour has decided it does not want the Northland vote so it went regional.  
As if regional was not enough Labour decided to go international. On the eve of and during the royal wedding which we all enjoyed—not only New Zealanders but the whole world—Phil Goff suggested that dropping the monarchy should be up for discussion. This happened during the royal wedding which we all celebrated. Phil Goff decided that Labour had already set aside and isolated sectors and regions particularly Northland so he went international. Do members know who Phil Goff is? He is the little guy at the back of the church who stands up and puts up his hand when the priest asks whether anyone objects to this couple getting married. That is who Phil Goff is. He is the little guy who puts up his hand and objects when the pastor asks whether those royals should get married. What is Phil Goff doing?