Tremain Chris: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Tremain Chris: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
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CHRIS TREMAIN (National—Napier) 
: 
 The John Key opening address was a jobs machine. It was a jobs factory a machine that will create jobs throughout this country. The Hon Ruth Dyson stood up and said in her speech that no jobs were planned. That is absolute rubbish and it shows the distinct difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side. You see on this side of the House we know that businesses create jobs. Members on that side of the House think that only the Government does that. That is absolutely crazy. Those members want programmes but it is actually businesses that create jobs. They quote Australia and the jobs that have been created over there. Are those jobs coming out of Government programmes? No way. It is because that economy has grown and because those businesses employ people. 
The only small thing I would give members on that side of the House is to say that they created some jobs through the bureaucracy over the last 9 years where they lifted it by 11000 jobs. The reality in any economy—it does not matter how big or how small it is—is that businesses create jobs. We need a plan that gets out there grows the economy and makes it easier for businesses to grow. 
I will talk through this jobs plan this jobs machine that John Key outlined. It is not just some whimsical small plan; it was in a 9000-word document that covered all sectors of the economy. It is a jobs machine something that will help to grow this economy and take us forward. Let us look at the various parts of that jobs machine. I will relate it to how it will affect a regional economy like Hawke’s Bay and talk about how it is creating jobs in places like Hawke’s Bay Tauranga Rotorua the Waitakeres and all around the country. This plan is a jobs machine. Firstly let us take tax. The Opposition spokesman on finance said that there was no step change. This is a $4 billion tax package—$4 billion. There was only just over $1 billion before the last election. If this is not a step change then I do not know what we are looking at. 
We are looking at addressing property owners and for the first time we are looking at that area for taxation as part of the economy. The working group made it pretty clear. There is $213 billion invested in residential property and only $50 billion invested in the New Zealand stock exchange. Tax regularly comes out of the stock exchange and we have $500 million in tax credits coming out of the residential investment market. That whole property market—and I have been part of it for much of my life—is not paying the tax that is fair to the rest of the economy. In the Prime Minister’s statement he said that this is not fair and that there needs to be a rebalancing of the economy. There needs to be a change in the incentives a shift from that investment to hard-working Kiwis who are out there in jobs to get them to work harder. We will be lowering the middle-income tax brackets and the higher-income tax brackets and improving the incentives for people to get out there and work. This is a jobs machine. 
The Prime Minister went on and talked about improving science and innovation and about taking that forward. He talked about trade. If there is anything that will grow jobs it is Ministers like Tim Groser and Murray McCully who are overseas creating free-trade agreements. They are improving the opportunities for New Zealand businesses to export. What does that do? It creates jobs. It will take this economy forward and help to reduce the unemployment level which none of us in this country are happy about. Minister Bennett is not happy about where unemployment levels are at but she understands that we have a jobs growth plan to take this economy forward. The Prime Minister outlined what we will do in housing justice law and order health and in relation to the Treaty of Waitangi and how we will take the economy forward. 
Let us look at our Treaty of Waitangi options. This Government is making settlements over and over again exponentially improving the number of settlements. What does that do? It empowers iwi with financial resources to create jobs. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: Oh don’t be so patronising. 
CHRIS TREMAIN 
: It is not patronising; it is empowering iwi to create jobs. Is that a bad thing? I do not think so. The member is quiet now. Empowering iwi to create jobs is a fantastic thing. We need only look at what has happened down in Ngai Tahu with the way the empowerment of that settlement has taken them forward. 
I am going to change back to the Hawke’s Bay now in terms of what is happening there in Treaty of Waitangi settlements and what is going to happen over the next 5 years. What we are seeing up there is one iwi Ngati Kahungunu and five natural groups that are about to settle. Mana Ahuriri have got to a point now where they are in a position as result of the moves made by Chris Finlayson to actually get to a settlement and reach a mandate. I think it is a great step forward. What I am trying to show is how the overall plan has now been regionalised through the jobs machine. A number of things have been rolled out in Hawke’s Bay not only the improvements in the wider community. Let us a look at Community Max for a minute which is one of Minister Bennett’s initiatives. I was out with Denis O’Reilly who has 12 young men and women working really hard at the Otatara Pa. He is creating jobs for our youth. I was at the Rewi Smith Scout Hall with Sally Dunford where another 16 kids were working getting ready for the workforce and being taken forward. That is absolutely fantastic. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: Out of 88000! 
CHRIS TREMAIN 
: This is where members opposite lose the plot again. I tell Mr Hughes that the way in which we will improve jobs in this country is by quadrupling their number as businesses go forward. 
I come back to a regional basis and some of the key things we have done locally. One of the latest announcements to be made in Hawke’s Bay is that of the cycleway. Fortunately that is another fantastic opportunity in Hawke’s Bay. There is also one in Rotorua and one in Tauranga. It is absolutely fantastic. The cycleway will be a huge opportunity in Hawke’s Bay and my constituents love it. We have three iconic rides in Hawke’s Bay and they will provide an opportunity for a number of jobs. It is a fantastic project. One ride is down the Tukituki Valley the second one is out to the Ngatarawa wine area and the third ride is down to Otatara Pa and around the back of the Taradale area. These rides will create not only tourism opportunities but also opportunities for small businesses and they will provide employment. Once again it is another jobs opportunity. In terms of the Community Max programme which is part of the jobs creation programme we are taking young Kiwis off the dole putting them into employment and really making a difference. It is absolutely fantastic. 
I want to finish this speech by coming back to where I started when I referred to the difference between members on both side of the House. Members opposite think that Governments create jobs just through programmes. On this side of the House we understand that a wider plan for the economy that addresses tax and creates incentives for businesses to go out and employ people is what makes the difference. That is what we have done. The Prime Minister has laid out a map for the economy for the year that will take the country forward and will be a jobs machine. Thank you very much.