Henare Tau: Minimum Wage and Remuneration Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Henare Tau: Minimum Wage and Remuneration Amendment Bill — In Committee 
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Hon TAU HENARE (National) 
: 
 I start by quoting from the explanatory note of the Minimum Wage and Remuneration Amendment Bill: “The purpose of this Bill is to amend the Minimum Wage Act 1983 to extend its provisions to apply to payments under a contract for services that are remunerated at below the minimum wage.” I now share with the Committee another quote which is from a pretty big icon: “You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income. You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man’s initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.” 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: Oh for goodness’ sake! 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: What was Mauri Pacific’s party policy? 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: I hear the Fabian Luddites across the way. The Fabians just loved to put people in little victim modes and then prey on them. The Fabians loved to prey on victims and to make the victims think they could not do anything for themselves so they had to have the nanny State. I tell members that this country is sick and tired of the interfering way of these Fabians here who are like the Fabians of a hundred years ago people like John Maynard Keynes—the deviant—the Webbs Ellis and all those guys from back about a hundred years ago. They are where the Labour Party comes from. 
Who is the quote from? The quote is from Abraham Lincoln. I would love for Darren Hughes the new Trevor Mallard to be able to get up in the Chamber and say what Labour members really think of Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln had it right: if people try to tear down too many things they will be left with nothing. That is what this bill does; that is exactly the purpose of this bill. The purpose although being one of the Fabians’ mantras concerns the minimum wage. Although the bill sounds nice if it goes ahead it would mean that those who employ people and who pay their wages will not be interested in giving out pamphlets any more. They will not be interested so the downstream effect will see those whom they seek to help becoming unemployed. Those whom they seek to help will not have the pamphlets to deliver any more. Whether those people have been getting $20 or $30 they will not get that any more. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: What would Wilberforce say about that argument? 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Oh Wilberforce. Yeah that is right. He is another one of Labour’s mates. Labour just loves to portray itself as the protector of the workers; the indigenous; women; and this that and the other but that does not wash. 
The downside of this bill is that employers will not pay what they cannot afford. That is what Mr Lincoln was on about. Employers should pay what they can afford and help out people who use the pamphlet drop as a top-up to their wages. This bill will not go through. I do not really know why we are here debating it because we know the numbers already so we might as well have a vote now and get rid of it. But it is good theatre.