Hayes John: Local Government Law Reform Bill — In Committee 
Hayes John: Local Government Law Reform Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:632;Page:3797] 
JOHN HAYES (National—Wairarapa) 
: 
 I would like to bring a view from the Wairarapa electorate. My electorate covers five councils and all of the mayors from those five councils—Central Hawke’s Bay Tararua Masterton Carterton and south Wairarapa—came to Parliament to meet the Associate Minister of Local Government Nanaia Mahuta and give her a message. The message they gave her was that this proposal of hers was a nonsense they do not support it their communities do not support it and if it is passed those councils will put it at the bottom of their list of priorities. 
I have come to this Committee today to talk some sense on behalf of the people of New Zealand. I want to tell this Committee the truth—that this legislation to microchip dogs is a nonsense. I have been getting calls to my office all day the last one as recently as 20 minutes ago from people telling me to put an end to this nonsense. Well let me tell this Committee— 
Jill Pettis 
: So why did you vote for it? 
JOHN HAYES 
: —and my learned friend from Wanganui who is on her last jelly legs—that this legislation will not stop any dog from biting any child or any adult. But there is a cost in relation to this legislation. Roger Barton from my electorate a farmer from Woodside says it will cost a minimum of $100 a dog and a total of at least $8 million a year. I am really concerned about this. What I have seen happen in this Chamber—and I have seen it very clearly this afternoon—is people like Winnie Laban our colleague from Mana telling us that we are making investments in communities. She has forgotten the word “subsidy” and the word “benefit”. This Government is trying to work out the long-run perpetual Labour administration and it is copying the Swedish model. which is that a Government should tax like hell then give it back to the middle class which will vote for it. This Government is doing that; the same amount of money will be recycled. 
The second thing the Government is doing through these silly damn policies is putting costs on an increasingly aged community. More people are moving on to fixed incomes and they cannot afford these policies. A couple of weeks ago I was in Dannevirke at a Grey Power meeting in a room where there were 5000 years of accumulated wisdom. These people who are on fixed incomes are saying to me that they have to pay more for freight more for fuel and more for electricity and they have to pay a 10 percent rate increase because the stupid Government in Wellington is doubling the cost of their town debt by a water policy they do not need and a dog microchipping policy they do not need. This Government is taking ideas and forcing them down the throats of the community which cannot afford them. We are an ageing community. More people are on fixed incomes— 
Jill Pettis 
: Show me a poor farmer. 
JOHN HAYES 
: I am talking about people in my community of all ages who are ageing and who are on fixed incomes. They cannot afford the constant load of costs from a Labour Government that is trying to bribe people by giving benefits to people who do not need them. It is trying to destroy initiative and enthusiasm. When it cannot find enough people here in New Zealand to give money to with its silly policies it adopts stupid policies in the Pacific. Two weeks ago the learned Minister of Foreign Affairs gave US$179000 to the people of Niue and they did not need it either. 
We have a serious problem in this country. Whether it is water charges dog microchipping or wasted aid we are promulgating legislation here that has no value but imposes increasing costs on communities that cannot afford them. This Government is killing productive enterprise. What is the result? People are leaving for Australia because they are sick and tired of the nonsense being imposed on them by this Government. 
The five mayors of my electorate have come here to see the Maori Party the Green Party the ACT party and the Associate Minister. I ask Nanaia Mahuta who is in the chair whether that is right. They gave the Associate Minister the message that they would put this legislation at the bottom of their list of priorities. In my electorate 2883 people signed a petition asking that this House get rid of this legislation because it is a nonsense. They want us to chuck it out. They want to see common sense. I ask the Associate Minister to get rid of this policy.