Adams AmyHon AMY ADAMS (Minister of Justice): I did want to begin my contribution to the general debate by acknowledging and congratulating the MP for Mt Albert on taking over leadership of the Labour Party. I must say that I look forward to the day when the gender of a person taking on a role like that stops being a point of interest in the discussion and whether it is a man or a woman ceases to be relevant and actually the interest is in the quality of the person taking on the role.This party—our party; the National Party—over the last weekend put out our party list for the 2017 election. I am incredibly proud of that list. It is the most diverse party list that we have ever put out ahead of an election. It represents people from all around New Zealand from all walks of life from so many different ethnicities and from so many different backgrounds. The reason that we see so many New Zealanders of all different types wanting to be part of this team is that they know and they see that we are a Government and we are a party that came here to represent and deliver for all New Zealanders.When you come to this place you know that making a change for New Zealanders is not going to be easy. It is going to require some issues that are incredibly challenging—there are not easy options simply waiting out there to be taken. These are hard issues that we tackle every day. They are challenging they are tough and they bring with them incredibly robust debate. Making progress on those issues takes a number of things. It takes obviously a group of people who are dedicated who are committed who are hard-working who have a clear vision who know what they want for New Zealand and who are relentless in pushing for those outcomes for New Zealanders. You have got to have a strong belief in this country you have to have a belief in its people and you have to have an absolute determination to deliver more and more for them.We want to deliver jobs. We want to deliver better incomes. We want to deliver opportunities for every single New Zealander. We want the best health. We want the best education. We want the best connectivity. We want our streets to be safe and our communities to be healthy. This has to be a country that is a good place to do business where people want to come and invest. We want as I say our communities to be good places to raise children. All of that requires a number of things. It absolutely requires and is underpinned by a strong economy. This Government knows that it is not Governments that create jobs and raise incomes and pay taxes to fund all the things we do; it is hard-working New Zealanders who have the confidence to invest. That is what this Government understands. There is one other thing that that absolutely requires. It requires strong stable leadership that remains focused every single day on getting the task done.Every day that you spend in Government—Iain Lees-Galloway: New Zealand's answer to Theresa May.Hon AMY ADAMS: —looking internally fighting with yourselves fighting with other parties working out how you are going to arrange yourself is a day you are not focused on the outcomes for New Zealanders.I can tell you that this is a party and a Government that every day comes here not looking inward and worrying about how we sort ourselves out and not in spats with our support partners—and name-calling. This is a Government that focuses instead on getting the things done that New Zealanders need.It is very simple really. If you cannot manage yourself you cannot manage a country. You cannot run your own system and work with other parties in this House cooperatively and constructively. Yes you can disagree but you can do it in a way that is respectful and mana-enhancing and that advances the debate. That is what delivers for the people of New Zealand—not infighting not division and not spending all of your energy on your own internal struggles.What has that approach of strong stable unified hard-working support meant for this country? Well I will tell you what that has meant. It has meant an economy that is growing at 3 percent which is one of the best growth rates in the OECD and that has meant more jobs. We have had an increase of more than 200000 jobs and the average wage is now up to nearly $60000 a year. That is an incredible increase. It means families in New Zealand are better able to afford the cost of living. We have seen those real wage increases far outstripping inflation. This is not some inflation-fuelled increase in wages; this is more money for New Zealanders.Of course just in this year's Budget you saw us pass the Family Incomes Package which interestingly enough Labour opposed even though it put more money into the pockets of some of our most vulnerable New Zealanders. Labour when push came to shove did not want to support that because it did not suit its political agenda of opposing the Government and that showed more than anything that for those members it was a case of the politics. If the politics means that they should oppose it even though it helps New Zealanders that is what they would do. Well not this Government. We are focused on delivering for New Zealanders. We have delivered for New Zealanders over the time that we have been in Government and we will continue to do it on the basis of a strong stable leadership of a strong stable team.