Pugh MaureenMAUREEN PUGH (National): Thank you Madam Speaker. I recall when the Minister of Finance was delivering his Budget speech he talked to us about rebuilding social infrastructure. He said that this Budget would pave the way for a better tomorrow. So how does a Government create a better tomorrow? Well I'd argue that they do that by making today the absolute worst that it could possibly be. Today has become a nightmare for workers. It's become a nightmare for businesses and communities and this Government is racking up debt at a rate that this country has never considered ever in its history. He also said that other countries were a lot worse off than New Zealand. I guess that we can wonder why that is. I would argue very strongly that it's because when we had the last major financial disaster in this country the global financial crisis we actually had a Government—a National Government—that maintained control and disciplined financial management. We were criticised by the current Government members when they were in Opposition for not throwing more money around and for being too controlled but while being disciplined we also knew where Kiwis' money was best spent. We also were cognisant of the fact of who would have to pay that money back. We kept a focus on reducing debt and that meant making some sacrifices and there were some wage rounds and some capital expenditure that was pushed out. But things still didn't stand still even in those days. Decisions were balanced against the need to continue to grow this country against the financial discipline of maintaining a really low debt level for New Zealand and its future. A couple of the major infrastructure spends that were spent in West Coast - Tasman were the new two-lane bridge between Hokitika and Greymouth or the Te Nikau Hospital that is about to open in Greymouth—major infrastructure spend. But a further example of sensible investment that happened during those tough times was the rollout of high-speed internet across this country—the very infrastructure that allowed this country to continue to operate during our recent lockdown. It's kept kids in education it's kept people in entertainment in their homes it's kept communications open between families and it's even kept business and Government ticking over. Thanks National. That rock star economy set us up well but it took discipline. In the middle of the pandemic lockdown what discipline did we see from the very person who was meant to be fronting the health response in this country? None. He was too busy driving to the beach or driving to the bike trail so he could go for a bike ride. If Kiwis are looking for financial discipline they will not find it on that side of the House and that's glaringly clear with the financial rabbit-hole we are heading down.Some of the wasted spend that's going on in this Budget is almost eye-watering and I'd like to turn my attention to $1.1 billion that went to the Department of Conservation (DOC). DOC is going to use $1.1 billion to cut down wilding pines pull out some weeds and get rid of some pests. But it's a oncer. It has no financial return to this country. If we're going to destroy and shoot pests why aren't we making use of that? We've got a local abattoir that would value the carcasses. Why don't we work with the local industry so that we can put that product through and actually generate some income? Merinomink is one of the best products and best fibre mixes that we've got in this country—possum and merino wool—beautiful product. But no; these animals are going to be shot and left to rot in the bush. Pulling weeds—well a problem with pulling a weed is you turn your back and it grows back again. It's pouring money down the drain. This country needs disciplined financial management. It's not going to get it from that side of the House I'm afraid.I'd like to bring up one other point of spending. We were told how much the primary sector played a part in getting us through this pandemic and generating income. But what did it get? Less than 1 percent of new money. How valued do the primary sector feel with that level of investment in the very backbone of industry that has kept New Zealand afloat? This is a dreadful Budget. New Zealand is heading down the drain.