Yates Dianne: Address in Reply 
Yates Dianne: Address in Reply 
[Volume:628;Page:150] 
DIANNE YATES (Labour) 
: 
 First I congratulate the Speaker the Deputy Speaker and the Assistant Speakers on their election— 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: And the caucus secretary! 
DIANNE YATES 
: Yes—and the caucus secretary and the Governor-General for her Speech from the Throne. I congratulate all the new members of the House on winning their seats and becoming members of Parliament. I look forward to further maiden speeches of the quality we have had today. 
As my colleague Jill Pettis has said the National Party went into the election with only one policy and as Pete Hodgson has already said it was a bribe. I recently talked to an American in New Zealand. He was a very highly qualified American who said that he was proud of the people of New Zealand. He said that in America if people had been offered that sort of bribe they would have fallen for it but that in New Zealand people were much more intelligent more community-minded and they did not fall for that bribe. The people of New Zealand have greater intelligence and a much greater sense of community— 
Dr Don Brash 
: You said they were bribed with their own money! 
DIANNE YATES 
: It was Dr Brash who said they were bribed with their own money. [ 
Interruption 
] I did not say that; he said it. [ 
Interruption 
] I am not going to argue with Dr Brash because in 10 minutes he will change his mind. Dr Brash is constantly “Mr Flip-flop”. He is constantly an embarrassment. He constantly did not know his policy on housing. One minute it was one policy but the next minute it was the other. He wanted to be Prime Minister but he could not remember his own policy at election time. He wanted to be Prime Minister but he did not know what his policy on forestry was and then he did not know what Brian Connell was saying. Flip-flop flip-flop—it is a very apt term. Dr Brash was going to borrow then he was not going to borrow then he was going to borrow then he was not going to borrow—flip-flop flip-flop all over the place. He said that no no he would not sell any State assets—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Dr Brash has had his opportunity to speak today and he muffed it. There were members of his own party who got much more applause and much more attention that he did. Why should he yell at me? He has had his opportunity to make a speech. As the leader of a party he muffed his own speech today. He cannot even make a decent speech in this House let alone to the people of New Zealand. [ 
Interruption 
] I cannot say what Dr Brash is the member for because he did not even have the guts to stand for a seat. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: He’s the caretaker Leader of the Opposition. 
DIANNE YATES 
: He is the caretaker Leader of the Opposition. How many times has he stood for a seat and lost? Goodness me. He does not know his own policy on assets. Will he or will he not sell Kiwibank? Does he know where he is from one day to another? The member does not know where he is on any policy. He has only one policy— 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. We are in a bit of a difficult situation because the member’s own caucus is heckling her in an effort to get her back on to the topic. It is a wide-ranging debate on the statement that the Prime Minister prepared for the Governor-General to read which is therefore called the Speech from the Throne. From that speech it is evident that Labour does not want New Zealanders who are hard-working to get more money— 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: What is the point of order? 
Gerry Brownlee 
: They do not want New Zealanders who are ill to be treated in our public health system. They do not want to fix all the problems in the education system. So why does that member not talk about why they do not want those things? 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Thank you Mr Brownlee. 
DIANNE YATES 
: I thank Mr Gerry Brownlee for his interjection. He was the man who insulted the Governor-General and then dared to say what I have said about the Governor-General. I find that extremely rich coming from him. 
Then we had Dr Brash say how much he would spend on roading—and what did that sum end up as in my electorate? It was exactly the same as Labour was going to spend so that was really amazing. Then he did not know what he thought on the nuclear issue. He was going to be pro-nuclear then he was going to be antinuclear then he was pro-nuclear and then antinuclear. That man wiggled all over the place.[ 
Interruption 
] I know that the member opposite who is shouting would not have done that. He would have been much clearer and probably would have make a very good bid for Leader of the Opposition. 
I have listened to Dr Brash and as a Kiwi I have been ashamed of what he has said. Quite honestly I do not think that Dr Brash has read much about New Zealand or lived in New Zealand since about 1953. The sort of rubbish and divisiveness he has come out with was fashionable around 1953. I want the member to tell me what he has read about race issues gender issues or any social issues in this country in the last 50 years. I do not think that having a wife who comes from Singapore will substitute for some decent hard work on where we are what the social issues are what New Zealanders think and what our country is. 
Lindsay Tisch 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The member is— 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: No— 
Lindsay Tisch 
: Do you want me to say what my point of order is? 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: No I understand what your point of order is. I would ask the member who is speaking not to bring members’ families into it at all. 
DIANNE YATES 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
I refer members to the Speech from the Throne. I am proud that New Zealand has such a low unemployment rate. As my colleagues have said we have more New Zealanders—[ 
Interruption 
] I hear Mr Brownlee saying that we do not want New Zealanders working hard. We have more New Zealanders working hard than his Government has ever had or that we have had in this country for years and years. We have more people in training than we have had for years and years. We have promised another 5000 apprenticeships. The National Party ran down the apprenticeship scheme and trade training. I thank Jill Pettis for mentioning trade training because we have had people complain about a shortage of trade training. We have had a leaky buildings problem and we can blame George Chapman for that one—not the Labour Government. We can blame George Chapman and deregulation for bringing that about. I know that because I sat on the inquiry and so did Shane Ardern. He knows that deregulation brought about that huge problem concerning Kiwi homes. He knows all too well that it brought that problem about. The lack of apprenticeships is just one of those problems. 
We are putting huge amounts of money into tertiary education and I thank Michael Cullen for taking over that portfolio and for looking seriously into the whole issue. We have put more money and we are putting more money into early childhood education. 
Jill Pettis 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am sorry to interrupt my own colleague and I know that Mr Speaker was distracted but there has been an absolute barrage. This is the start of the new term and it is already very obvious that the misogynous behaviour—[ 
Interruption 
] I am in a point of order. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Quiet please. I think I have grasped the member’s point of order. 
Jill Pettis 
: Hang on—nobody minds a fair go. However I am just asking members on the other side of the House to give the member who is currently on her feet a fair go during this debate. 
Simon Power 
: Point of order— 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: No I do not need any more information or any other comments. 
Simon Power 
: We have to listen to her dulcet tones. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I understand the position and the member was talking about too much noise basically. I think it was coming from all around the House but I ask members to give the member speaking a fair go please. 
DIANNE YATES 
: I do not mind. I imagine that Opposition members are like dogs behind a farm gate that sort of go: “Woo woo woo!” and all I can respond is: “Down down down!” There they go again all barking at once which is just fine. It is a lovely image; I can just see them. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: Very excited by sheep. 
DIANNE YATES 
: Yes they are. They are very very excited by sheep! 
We have raised the minimum wage every year since coming to Government and we will continue to raise that minimum wage. We thank New Zealand First for its input into that. We are also lifting the rate of New Zealand superannuation. Primary health is another area where Labour is proud of its record and it will continue. It will continue on with school checks and it will continue to check babies’ hearing and improve the health of New Zealanders—even Dr Brash’s health when he is over 65. [ 
Interruption 
] We will increase the number— 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The issue of too much noise was raised by way of a point of order just a few minutes ago. I think that the level of interjection is becoming not intolerable but undesirable. 
Lindsay Tisch 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My colleague here was wondering how “Woo woo woo!” will be reported by  
Hansard 
 and what the spelling of it might be. That is really what my colleague was asking about and I think that it is a fair question. I am trying to help the  
Hansard 
 reporters on how they would actually spell “Woo woo woo!”. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: That is what he was asking across the floor. The member chose not to answer. 
DIANNE YATES 
 I certainly consider that rather canine noises are coming from the other side of the House. [ 
Interruption 
] I will certainly check my  
Hansard 
 and check the spelling. 
I am proud to be a Kiwi but I am absolutely ashamed that Dr Brash actually said in a television interview that members of the Labour Party were not “mainstream”. Does that mean that Michael Joseph Savage David Lange Norman Kirk and Geoffrey Palmer were or are not mainstream New Zealanders? Does that mean that Dr Brash until he turned about 35 was not a mainstream New Zealander or Tim Groser or anybody else who suddenly had a magic conversion to some kind of economic theory that put New Zealand back 20 30 40 or 50 years? I ask Gerry Brownlee whether that means that the good people of New Zealand who work hard every day are not mainstream New Zealanders. I found that “Woo woo woo” very offensive. That is the sort of noise that comes out of that member and that canine attitude is what is not mainstream New Zealand. 
Mainstream New Zealanders are the Mabel Howards of this world. Mainstream New Zealanders are the people who fought for this country for their values and for a united and not a divided New Zealand—which is the image that has been portrayed by people on the other side during this last election and which has made me ashamed of them. Some of the people on the other side need to look very closely at their values. If those members are silly enough to laugh now they are silly enough not to call themselves mainstream New Zealanders. I think that that is absolutely appalling. 
I look forward to a Labour-led Government and to an inclusive and very valuable New Zealand society that will grow—a society that we will be proud of—and a Prime Minister who will go down in history as one of the greatest Prime Ministers this country has ever seen.