Parata Hekia: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeParata Hekia: General Debate[Sitting date: 30 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19670. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education):Tēnā koe otirā ēnā tātou katoa. The 50th Parliament wraps up this week. It has been a busy term with more than 330 pieces of legislation passed—51 in the past year alone—and thousands of questions answered by our Prime Minister and Ministers. Whatever has been in the headlines unlike others we truly have been focused on the issues that matter for New Zealanders. I would like to pay a tribute to New Zealanders for their resilience in going through the last very difficult period—perhaps the most difficult in a generation—their preparedness to face those challenges their attitude to hard work their continuing commitment to their families and the entrepreneurship that has been evident in the growing and continuing to grow economy that our Government has overseen.We feel a mood of positivity and “upbeatness”—if that is a word—in New Zealanders. That is most absolutely reflected by the strong and aspirational and constructive and positive leadership of our Prime Minister the Rt Hon John Key. Before he even came into Parliament he indicated that he wanted better for this country and for New Zealanders. In the almost 6 years that he has led our nation he has demonstrated that every day in every way. All of the policies of this Government have been about how we support New Zealanders to do better and how we back them to be the successful aspirational Kiwis that we know them to be. Unlike the Opposition which wants to focus on being pessimistic on reporting failure and on personal attacks this side of the House has focused under the leadership of our Prime Minister on what is the very best in all New Zealanders.We have delivered a stable and aspirational Government. Our track record reflects that. What have we done? In the economy that we have managed so soundly under our Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon Bill English we are now in a situation where growth is forecast to reach 4 percent next year. The average wage has increased by $3000 and by 2018 it is forecast to get to $62300. An extra 84000 jobs have been created in this past year alone. That is forecast to grow to 172000. As we have heard in the House today of course one of the key indicators of that confidence in our economic management is that New Zealanders are staying here in New Zealand or coming home from other parts of the world such is their confidence in our economic management. There is more to be done and we are focused on that.We also have a safer environment. In law and order crime is down on almost—well actually on every indicator: violent crime youth crime reoffending. We are focusing more now and into the future on how we prevent young people getting into those situations where they default to criminal behaviour. For that can I acknowledge the Hon Judith Collins and of course Anne Tolley.We have 40000 fewer people on welfare over the past 4 years. That is due to the stellar work of our Minister for Social Development who has focused her considerable energies on how we give people more chances to be successful. We see that in those coming off benefits and going into work. We understand that being on a benefit is no life for anyone. It is a lifeline; it is not a lifestyle. Work is good and we are providing that work. We are giving people incentives to come off benefits.We are investing more and more in education. On every measure in education we are seeing improvements. More kids are participating in early childhood education. More kids are doing better in national standards at primary school. More young people are leaving school with the National Certificate of Educational Achievement level 2. More are getting degrees. This is absolutely due to the hard work of teachers and principals and their board chairs and trustees across the country. They are the ones who deserve the credit. We are backing them to be successful. That is why going forward we are putting $359 million into recognising supporting and growing the skills of teachers and of principals.In health we have seen significant success. This is because we want to ensure that we have well New Zealanders and well families. For cancer it is now 4 weeks from decision to treat to actual treatment. Immunisation for our youngest New Zealanders—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member’s time has expired.