King Colin: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
King Colin: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:665;Page:12776] 
COLIN KING (National—Kaikoura) 
: 
 It is always a pleasure to follow the chairman of the Primary Production Committee who I realise has a wealth of knowledge. I start by making the statement that if there is one reason why Labour members are on the Opposition side of the House it is their total failure to recognise the potential of agriculture in this country. When we look at the 9 years that they wasted in Government we will find that they concentrated on such things as microchipping dogs and that angered farmers. Then the Labour Government pushed the right to roam and that angered farmers. It closed off trade access because it had leaders who said stupid things and that also angered farmers. The Labour Government did nothing for 9 long years and that angered all of New Zealand. The outcome was that the Labour Government was tossed out. It was so preoccupied with social engineering that it did not have time to do the main things such as stimulating the economy. 
During the time that Labour members will now have to observe the Government build the country and make it prosper they will realise that the Labour Government had agriculture on the back-burner. The Labour Government obstructed progress around water management which we know is a key ingredient to growing this wonderful country’s economy. It stymied any initiative whatsoever. It did not go anywhere near the wool industry but sat on its hands and watched the industry shrink and wither. It could not organise the meat industry either and it did not go near that. During the Labour Government’s time in office the greatest deforestation occurred that we have ever seen and that is something that will hang around the necks of the Labour Opposition for many a long year. 
When we look at the challenges in agriculture that are before this Government it is very fitting that we have a very able Minister of Agriculture in David Carter. He is grounded in the farming sector has a great knowledge of the economics is highly educated and out of Lincoln College and sees tertiary education and the alignment of those aspects in the applied sciences as very important. The previous Labour Government whose members are now in Opposition failed to make it happen. There is a lot of work to do and that is why I had to articulate some of the problems around agriculture. To rebuild the communities that contribute and help to grow agriculture and make it thrive will be a demanding job but it is a job that is not beyond this Government and the Minister of Agriculture. 
We have seen the rural schools communities decimated and we have seen maternity services wiped out. Policies of this Government that support agriculture such as bonding doctors nurses and midwives will actually do an enormous amount to attract and retain the quality people into agriculture that this Government sees as necessary. Unless we have the very best and brightest working in our primary industry sectors we will not survive; we will not move ourselves forward to where we want to be. 
There is no doubt that agriculture from the point of view of this National Government led by John Key along with the Maori Party and ACT is the prime mover of this economy. We will engage with the wool industry—and we see the Minister of Agriculture doing that at the moment—to galvanise a relationship where the industry speaks with one voice. That is very important because unless we can get harmony trust and such things we will not rebuild the wool industry back to where it needs to be. 
On the subject of water one of the first activities undertaken by the Minister of Agriculture was to have a meeting of water management interests in Canterbury and to start to move towards enshrining the Canterbury Water Management Strategy in legislation so that we can get to a situation where we have a common view and a focus as a nation—a win-win situation. Again I give full credit to the Minister of Agriculture. 
In relation to trade I pay tribute to Tim Groser for his wisdom and ability. He is able to work with the knowledge of what agriculture means to this country because he saw how we lost so many of our markets. It is an absolute pleasure to be in a Government that recognises agriculture as important. 
Vote agreed to.