Nash Stuart: Regulatory Reform (Repeals) Bill — First Reading 
Nash Stuart: Regulatory Reform (Repeals) Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:670;Page:16918] 
STUART NASH (Labour) 
: 
 If the House will indulge me for a couple of minutes I will explain the rationale behind my very spiffy outfit. At 10.47 a.m. on 3 February 1931 a 7.8 magnitude earthquake destroyed Napier. What was not destroyed by the earthquake was totally ruined by a fire that swept through the city. The city of Napier was razed to the ground. I will tell members what happened in 1931. The people of Napier stood up they had a plan and they had a strategy. The people of Napier rebuilt the city in 2 years. They rebuilt the city in 2 years. 
The reason I am wearing this outfit is that this weekend is Art Deco Weekend in Napier. We will have thousands upon thousands of people coming into the wonderful city of Napier. Some would say—in fact most people who live there and everyone who visits it would say—that Napier is the best city in the country. Napier is the best city in the country. People come into Napier for Art Deco Weekend for an absolute celebration. People can walk down the streets of Napier and be taken back to the 1930s. New Zealanders are taken back to the 1930s. Visitors from all around the world marvel at the absolute spectacle of the Art Deco festival. In fact the Art Deco festival is the only New Zealand festival listed in the Lonely Planet guide that lists international festivals and places to be. It is fantastic. 
I am wearing this fantastic outfit—a genuine 1920s suit trilby hat tie and two-tone shoes—in celebration of Napier. It is a celebration of Art Deco Napier because I believe in the city. I believe in the people of Napier. I think it is a fantastic city. But goodness me there is a lot of work to do there to bring the city back up to what it once was because after 2 years of this Government the people of Napier are struggling. 
Is it not interesting? I will make my analogy. The city of Napier was rebuilt in 2 years pretty much—2 years. There has been 2 years of a National Government but it has not rebuilt the economy—in fact it has torn it down. There has been no plan or strategy to drive growth drive down unemployment and get this country up and running. 
The Regulatory Reform (Repeals) Bill is an example of what is going on at the moment under this Government. Labour supports the bill because we support any bill that removes regulations that have been on the statute book for a long time. One of the Acts the bill repeals has been around for 127 years—the District Railways Purchasing Act 1885—but I wonder why the House is spending time and energy repealing that Act at a time when 158000 New Zealanders are unemployed. Could the bill not have waited until a Labour Government returns gets the economy up and running and gets the fiscal situation sorted out? Then we can tidy up such things. 
I do not know whether the press gallery are aware that the New Zealand Institute of Journalists Act 1895 is included in the bill. I hope they are and that there has been wide consultation on it. That Act has been on the statute book for 117 years yet the Government wants to remove it at a time when the country is in a double-dip recession the worst since the 1930s and the worst since stylish gentlemen were wearing suits like I am wearing. 
The bill will not create employment for the 160000 New Zealanders who now class themselves as unemployed. The bill will not help companies export more products. It will not help companies grow and create employment. The bill will not get our unemployed youth back into education or training. It will not help them develop a sense of self-worth. The bill does none of that at all; it repeals 31 Acts—for example the Potato Industry Act Repeal Act. I do not know how the 7000 unemployed people in my region of the country will feel about the repeal of that Act but I do not think they will be jumping for joy in the streets. Repealing the Potato Industry Act Repeal Act will not make headlines as a plan for economic development. The bill repeals the Poultry Board Act Repeal Act. Repealing that Act is not earth-shattering and will not create jobs. The Government has no plan for economic development and this bill is an example of that. 
The previous speaker Aaron Gilmore when it was his turn to speak on the bill talked about the Government’s economic reforms. Well that is a bit of a joke. Aaron Gilmore stood up to speak on a bill that repeals the Potato Industry Act Repeal Act but talked about economic reforms. I tell him that the people of New Zealand want to see a plan about real economic reform; they do not want to see the Government wasting time on a bill that repeals 127-year-old Acts. 
The Regulatory Reform (Repeals) Bill is simply a travesty. It was introduced by Rodney Hide. Goodness me the business people of New Zealand must be disappointed in that member. He came in and said he would cut red tape for every business. He said he would make it easy for businesses to work. Today is the second time this week I have spoken on a bill that will not help businesses in any way shape or form. The bill does nothing for businesses. If Mr Hide champions himself as the true driver of economic business growth of the free market then why is he introducing bills like this one to the House? 
The bill is one reason why ACT will disappear this year. Not even ACT has a plan. When the Hon Simon Power stood up at question time today and said he agreed with the Hon Sir Roger Douglas on economic policy I realised that a lack of a plan—except for selling State assets—is the major problem facing this country. It really is a travesty that instead of MPs spending time visiting constituents and dealing with issues we are spending time on a bill that is not about a plan will not create any benefits and will not create jobs. 
I will quote Mr Hide speaking on the bill. He said: “Through regulation government has the power to affect the lives of every New Zealander.” In a way Mr Hide is right but this bill will have no power. It will not affect the life of any New Zealander. I say to Mr Hide that if regulation can affect the lives of every New Zealander he should put forward a bill that actually does that. He should put forward a bill that shows there is a plan because this sort of bill shows there is no plan for economic growth and no plan for creating jobs. I think the people of New Zealand are a little bit sick and tired of these sorts of bills. They are a little bit sick and tired that over the past 2 years they have seen this country go backwards into a double-dip recession. 
The city of Napier was rebuilt in 2 years. It has stood since 1931 and it is celebrated. I do not think that in 80 years’ time the people will be celebrating the 2 years of this National Government. This period will go down in history as one of the worst 2 years this country has experienced. We have a double-dip recession and 7 percent unemployment. That is an absolute travesty. 
Labour is supporting the bill but it shows that the Government has no plan to drive economic growth and no plan for jobs. Thank you very much.