Bridges SimonHon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition): I move That all the words after That" be deleted and replaced with "this House has no confidence in the Labour-led Government because in its ambition to be measured on its vague intentions it is proving itself completely incapable of delivering good outcomes for New Zealanders."In the last year we've seen over 200 working groups and we've seen a situation where we've had vague virtuous talk from the Prime Minister and not a lot else. But this year it's OK because it's the—what did she say?—year of delivery. That's what she said. So she came back and on her very first day out on the deck doing the work what did she do? What did she deliver? The scrapping of houses for the KiwiBuild target. Even they're embarrassed. She didn't mention KiwiBuild in the speech she made did she?So let's go through it. From 10000 houses a year 1000 in the first and now they're not even sure they're going to do 300 in the first year. But Winston Peters said at Rātana "No problem at all—we'll make a thousand." Well he's the only one who's saying that. So Phil Twyford: how many KiwiBuild houses have they built so far? This is not a trick question. I'm not asking about the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi our founding document. How many Grant Robertson? Forty-seven. There are more problems with KiwiBuild than there are houses and they didn't even do that. The market under us did. Like so much of this Government it was intentions. It was talk of kindness and well-being—KiwiBuild—and not a lot else. This year we will hear a lot more about KiwiBuild: homes that no one wants that they can't afford and that aren't even being built. Then we come to Shane Jones who's been splashing cash around New Zealand with his $3 billion fund. Again I've got a pretty simple question for him: how many jobs has he created from his $3 billion? What did they say? Fifty-four—a $3 billion fund and 54 jobs. How many staff roles have they created in Molesworth Street and Bowen Street and Lambton Quay to do deep dives to talk about the learnings and to have workshops about his $3 billion fund? How many? One hundred and eighteen. He's pretending to talk because he knows how embarrassing this is. The provincial champion of New Zealand is more the "Minister for Courtenay Place" than he is the "Minister for Kawerau"—big on announcements small on substance. Then we had the Prime Minister's state of the nation address on Friday. After 200 working groups and after talk of kindness and well-being I thought "Surely in that and surely today there'd be some sort of delivery some sort of substance." Well what was there? Nothing. No policy no plan—no nothing. But there was one thing—and we heard it again today. Excuses for the New Zealand economy—that's what. It's all offshore's fault. She's suddenly discovered global conditions and everything that's happening overseas except that's not true is it Grant Robertson? Oh well let's go through it Mr Robertson. Growth at the end of last year: 0.3 percent—the worst in quite a number of years. Grant Robertson—what did he go on about every single day in this House? Growth per capita. He hasn't talked about it in about eight months. Why is that Mr Robertson? It's going down. It's shrinking Mr Robertson. House sales have stalled unemployment is up by 10000 and in terms of NEETs I say to Willie Jackson Kelvin Davis and Shane Jones there are 26000 more New Zealanders young New Zealanders—our people—who are not in employment training or education. Job growth under us: 10000 more people were in jobs every single month for the last two years. What's it under them? Hon Members: 600. Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Six hundred. It has stalled—and that is before the global downturn. Jacinda Ardern in her Prime Minister's statement had the audacity to say that the economy is performing "above expectations". I set one challenge for Jacinda Ardern: find me one credible commentator who will say at the start of this year that the economy is performing "above expectations". Look in the mirror Prime Minister and you will see your anti-growth agenda your anti-business agenda staring right back at you. A country can't re-unionise the workforce it can't change all the overseas investment rules to stop foreign investment it can't pile on more taxes all the time and it can't say no to new oil and gas exploration and expect it is going to be all beer and roses. Talking about well-being in Davos is OK Prime Minister but your Government is delivering less of it here in New Zealand. [Interruption] And if Ruth Dyson—Hon Ruth Dyson: That's not true.Hon SIMON BRIDGES: She says it's not true. Well I know—and the facts don't lie—that we are seeing more food parcels than ever before in this country's history. We are seeing more hardship grants—64000 I think it is more hardship grants Carmel Sepuloni and we were seeing rent increases of $30 more each and every week last year. The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment told us just yesterday that people are paying another $10—that's $40 more in rent that people are paying. Grant Robertson and Jacinda Ardern say we can't afford tax indexation so New Zealanders can keep more of their money against those increases in cost.Let's go through the things that matter in the Prime Minister's speech. The economy: getting worse. Housing: getting worse. Transport Phil Twyford is getting worse. The Whangarei to Auckland four-laning Shane Jones is cancelled. The East-West Link four-laning: cancelled. The Mill Road four-laning: cancelled. The Cambridge to Piarere four-laning: cancelled. The Tauranga Northern Link—by Phil Twyford himself—is cancelled. Mount Messenger to Awakino is stalled because one department is fighting another. The Ōtaki to Levin four-laning is cancelled and instead they'll get two lanes sometime in the never-never. The Nelson Southern Link is cancelled and any intention of Christchurch to Ashburton four-laning is cancelled—and absolutely nothing to show for it from this Government. There are no new projects.Health: getting worse. Deficits in literally every district health board (DHB) around the country are going up. We have had health targets cancelled under this Government for the same reason that they cancelled the KiwiBuild targets: they know they ain't going to meet them. They know they're not going to get there. I would say this Grant Robertson—[Interruption] We've already used those lines. I would say this Grant Robertson: this is from the most open and transparent Government supposedly we've ever seen and all targets have been done away with. Don't take my word for it; that's what the cancer experts around the country have said about this. They have made it really clear that there are people now dying because without national standards there is nothing to drive those waiting times and those accountabilities. They're laughing about this. They're laughing about health targets and what is happening. There was a case over summer where a 37-year-old man was waiting for eight weeks and so he went private. Under us in our targets it was four weeks and that's the difference.Pharmac: a $200 million saving—some would say a cut—that could have been reinvested into life-saving drugs and that's not to mention the cochlear implants and that's not to mention the $100 million gone from mental health initiatives. There are nine new working groups that will have hui all over the country in relation to that.In education Chris Hipkins how many working groups have we got?Hon Nikki Kaye: 18.Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Eighteen working groups Nikki Kaye. There are strikes literally every other day. It is a sector that is in absolute disarray thanks to what they're doing. Well I tell you Chris Hipkins we will back parents and local communities over bureaucracy and centralisation every single day. And all the while free fees—so there isn't money for those teachers and there isn't money for those schools. We will find out I think in the next day or two that there isn't money for polytechs. He's laughing. Fifty million dollars was wasted from students who stopped turning up under his stupid wasteful scheme.In justice Andrew Little—what have they done? What have they done? Well I thought we were going to have some sort of nirvana where we didn't need prisons anymore. Well I tell Andrew Little every single day we will back the victims—that's where our heart is; not with the criminals. The Government has done nothing. In terms of the environment James Shaw you might have thought that after—what is it?—20 years in opposition they'd come in and they'd try and do something. And I know Winston Peters that they're not really in Government; I get that. I get that. Let's not rub that in. A Kermadec sanctuary has been put on ice. What should be the fourth-biggest global sanctuary in the world—where is the Green Party on that?I haven't agreed with him often but Russel—with one "l"—Norman wrote an incredibly good article the other day. What did he say? That the Hon Nathan Guy was a good fisheries Minister and that bloke over there is not doing anything. Let's run through the points he's making. [Interruption] Cameras on fishing vessels have been scrapped Marama Davidson. I think that's because she's too concerned about the "c" word and not concerned enough about the seafood. Look at her; she's pretending she's not listening. The situation under the most transparent Government ever is that an independent inquiry into fisheries has been scrapped; there are piffling fines for dumping fish waste instead of real meaningful penalties; and there are big increases in fishing quotas for the companies. I say to the Green Party: what is the point of that Green Party over there? What are they doing? [Interruption] There's always good news. [Interruption] Oh they don't like that because at 5 percent he knows Vernon Tava's coming for him.But here's—[Interruption]. Calm down. I've got about 10 minutes of material to fit into six minutes—be quiet. Here's the good news. [Interruption] Calm down. They may be a do-nothing Government but on this side we're not going to wait for them. We're going to get out and we're going to deliver over the next year. National will lead the serious policy debate in 2019. We have eight policy documents out this year and the first James Shaw—unlike yourself—will be on the environment because we know what matters to New Zealanders and we'll be delivering it.We'll hit the ground running. Actually I forgot foreign affairs. And I want to come back to that because Winston Peters is laughing. What did the Prime Minister say in her statement? "The Government has demonstrated a new kind of leadership." That means: let Winston do whatever the heck he wants even if it means ruining a $29 billion Chinese economic relationship. Look at him; he's laughing.We will be prepared with our policy work. A National Government that I lead would among other things repeal—[Interruption] Oh calm down. You can tell they were surprised by that poll. We'd repeal a capital gains tax. We would have no new taxes in our first term we would repeal needless restrictions around foreign investment and we would repeal the terrible industrial law changes aimed at re-unionising the workforce. We would reform the Resource Management Act we would repeal the oil and gas ban and we would reintroduce health targets because we actually believe in having measures and accountability. We would introduce Dr Shane Reti's fine and comprehensive medicinal cannabis regime to New Zealand—actually do the work. We would reinstate charter schools we would reduce class sizes and we would ensure there are second languages taught in the classroom. We would repeal the regional fuel tax; we would ensure there were no new petrol taxes in our first term; and Winston Peters we would pull out of the United Nations migration pact.He's laughing. They weren't laughing around the Cabinet table. Someone got quite angry didn't they Winston?SPEAKER: Order!Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Winston Peters the right honourable.We'd reinstate Better Public Services targets. We would strengthen sanctions to ensure beneficiaries meet reasonable obligations and don't languish on the dole queue Mr Davis. And we would have tax indexation to ensure New Zealanders keep on top of their costs and are not going behind. You see in the last year and this summer we've been working hard and when the Prime Minister announced nothing in her state of the nation speech actually we've done the detailed work we've done the costing and we have an enduring policy on tax.Hon Grant Robertson: You have not.Hon SIMON BRIDGES: He says we have not. He didn't ask a single question. We oppose a capital gains tax. This Government collects more than enough. He talks about a fiscal hole. Since the election Grant Robertson is stealing $17.7 billion more from New Zealanders. That is $10000 a household. We know Winston Peters that a capital gains tax will be bad for farmers it will be bad for small-business owners and it'll be bad for New Zealanders who are saving a nest egg and just trying to stay up and play by the rules. It is the last thing that we need in the New Zealand economy at this time—and the uncertainty that goes with it.But the funny thing is we're not the only people in this Parliament who think that. As someone else in this House said in 2017 on the election trail "It's very clear. It's off the table." Who was that? The Rt Hon Winston Peters. And he also said quite rightly in 2017 of Labour and a capital gains tax "This is yet more confusion from a party that has had nine years to get its tax story straight." Well nothing's changed except it's a decade on Mr Peters and we still wait for them to get their act together. In contrast we've got the policies on tax indexation. We understand that New Zealanders deserve to keep more of their hard-earned money. Jacinda Ardern in her speech today in writing has made three key points. She says they're growing the economy. Well it's slowing. She said it was all about well-being. Well actually for New Zealanders in terms of rent costs and hardship grants it's getting worse. And she said there'd be new leadership. Well that's code for letting the Rt Hon Winston Peters do whatever he wants when it comes to fisheries when it comes to racing when it comes to China—you name it. In the year of delivery where the Government doesn't have a plan and things are getting worse we're not waiting for them. We have a plan and we will deliver it for New Zealanders in 2019 and 2020."