Bennett David: New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income (Pro Rata Entitlement) Amendment Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBennett David: New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income (Pro Rata Entitlement) Amendment Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 16 September 2015. Volume:708;Page:6724. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East): This is one of the most tragic bills that has come before this House. It is an attempt by a party that has no sense of any moral compass with regard to immigration. It is an attempt by a party to differentiate between New Zealanders. It is an attempt by a party to not accept and understand the power and success of people who are over 65 years of age. This is a bill that is really the disgust of the New Zealand First Party coming out in legislation again.Let us go through some of the parts of this bill. Basically if somebody is not—Tracey Martin: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I have listened to the speaker for a few moments and I actually can see no relevance to or any reflection upon the bill that Mr O’Rourke has put before the House. I wonder whether you could direct the member to speak to the bill rather than to the party.Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: No I will not at this stage. I look forward to hearing his very relevant speech.DAVID BENNETT: Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker. It is common practice by Opposition members when they do not like a speech to raise points of order and there will be a few other points of order I am sure during this speech because they will not be able to handle the heat in the kitchen. They can give it out but they cannot take it over there in that party.So this is what happens. Under this bill if somebody is not born in New Zealand they are treated differently from other New Zealanders. This bill treats people born outside New Zealand differently from other New Zealanders. That is the disgust of this bill. New Zealand First members are saying that if you are not born in New Zealand you are not a true New Zealander. That is what this bill says. I say to members of that party that half of them probably were not born in New Zealand so half of them should not be getting New Zealand superannuation—and how are they going to work that through?It is a disgrace for this Parliament to even have to debate this bill. Why should we be differentiating between our citizens on the basis of where they were born? If somebody is a New Zealand citizen they are a New Zealand citizen. They should get superannuation. Their right to superannuation should not be removed. What is next? What about health care for non - New Zealand - born residents? Do they deserve health care in this country? I want to see the New Zealand First Party bringing in legislation around that! What about education? Are non - New Zealand - born citizens not entitled to education in this country? That is what the New Zealand First Party should be doing if it actually believes what is in this legislation.The New Zealand First Party is a disgrace to this Parliament. It is a disgrace to the modern world—Ron Mark: Point of order—DAVID BENNETT: Oh again we get another point of order from the man who cannot even handle—Ron Mark: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I have been very conscious that we have a young audience and they have to endure this but I would really like it if the speaker would talk about the part of the bill that he thinks actually makes us a disgrace as a party.Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: I do not need any assistance—[Interruption] Sit! I am on my feet. I am surprised that the member who took the point of order could actually hear what the speaker was saying because his own members were making so much noise that I had difficulty hearing. I am conscious of people in the gallery; I am pleased that they have an opportunity to see the full colour of the Chamber.DAVID BENNETT: To those young people up there: all New Zealanders are the same. We are all the same people. It does not matter if we are born somewhere else. We are not like that party. They want to go back to the 1950s. If you are not born—Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member—[Interruption] Order! The member does not speak to people in the gallery. The member addresses the bill that he is supposed to be debating.DAVID BENNETT: Let us address the bill if you want to talk like that. The New Zealand First Party starts off with a line stating “no effect on most people”—no effect on most people. The New Zealand First Party is quite clearly open to the prospect of treating differently the different people who are resident in New Zealand. The New Zealand First Party does not believe we are all equal. It does not believe that everybody has the right to superannuation.The New Zealand First Party says that this is not about superannuation in the long term. But I say to everybody out there who is in the superannuation camp or will be to remember New Zealand First. Those members are the ones who have brought legislation to this House to take away the universality of superannuation. What is next? What is next for those poor superannuitants out there?New Zealand First has shown its true colours. It will attack superannuitants; it will go and do that. What is next? Is it going to means test superannuitants? Is it going to say that superannuitants who do not live in certain areas or do not pay a fee to the New Zealand First Party do not get any support?Clayton Mitchell: Point of order Mr Speaker.Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: It had better be good.Clayton Mitchell: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. He is talking about nothing of relevance to the bill whatsoever. He is just throwing stones at New Zealand First. It is just his speculation of what this bill is about—Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: I am on my feet. The member can sit down. He has been here long enough to know the rules and the rules are that the Chair is the determinant of relevance. I certainly do not need any further help in respect of that issue which has now been raised by New Zealand First members three times. I did not come down in the last shower and I am not going to be taught how to suck eggs by you.DAVID BENNETT: Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker. There will be more though because a previous speaker said that the time bomb for the future is high net migration. I say to tell the people of New Zealand who came from other countries who work in our hospitals who work in our schools that they are the time bomb for the future of this country. They are not. They are genuine New Zealanders who should be treated the same and should not be treated in the way that that disgusting party does.Another thing in that legislation is that if you are a New Zealand resident if you are born in New Zealand and you go overseas and work then you are going to come back and your superannuation will be reduced by the number of years you have been overseas. They are even saying to New Zealand - born people that if you go overseas and earn an income and work you do not get the same rights as other New Zealand - born residents. What is it about that? What about the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act? The Attorney-General says that is discrimination.The other bit in this legislation is—and this is a party that will go around at election time go to every rest home that will go and say: “We look after the people who are over 65.” Under this bill if somebody is over 65 they do not count. Their contribution to New Zealand does not matter. If a person is over 65 that does not count as making sure that you can be equated to having superannuation. I say that may be true for that party. Everybody in that party is over 65 and none of them have contributed anything to this Parliament in the entire time they have been here especially the leader of that party Winston Peters who is gallivanting around the world at this time when he should be here.Tracey Martin: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am sure that you know of the Standing Order that says that you are not allowed to refer to the absence of a member in this Parliament. I ask you to uphold those Standing Orders. I have finished—I am asking you to uphold the Standing Orders.Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! When you have finished—thank you. When you have finished normally you sit down. Yes it is a rule that a member’s absence is not referred to. The member knows that. Obviously within the passion of the debate it momentarily slipped his mind. I am sure it will not happen again.David Seymour: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. As a point of fact the Business Committee has actually agreed that the Rt Hon Winston Peters is on the premises for all intents and purposes during this period.Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: I do not need any more assistance—[Interruption] No I do not need any more assistance in respect of this matter. The member should not have referred to the leader of New Zealand First in that regard. He should carry on with his speech—the time for which is rapidly evaporating.DAVID BENNETT: Another thing: the New Zealand First Party has gone out there and asked to increase the refugee quota. Under the refugee quota—so they want to have 1000 refugees come in but the refugees would not be entitled to superannuation. What is going to happen to the refugees coming in? And all New Zealanders would have to go through a process to evaluate whether they had been overseas for a certain period of time and that would mean a huge increase in costs to the system.So in summary this is a bill that treats people who are not born in New Zealand but are New Zealand citizens who could have given 40 or 50 years of their life and probably saved some of New Zealand First members’ lives in hospital—they have the inability to get superannuation and that is unfair. The second thing: even if you were born in New Zealand they are going to means test you. They are going to means test you on the ability for you to have stayed in New Zealand and they will reduce your superannuation by the number of years you have been away.I say to all those people who are looking at retirement: do not trust them. Do not trust them because this bill shows their true intention. They want to reduce universal superannuation. They have shown it through legislation. What more can you do than show that through rising in this House? They want to say to superannuitants: “If you are over 65 whatever contribution you make to this country does not matter.” That is what the New Zealand First Party is signalling and it is a disgrace to this Parliament. It is a bigoted party that should not be in this House.Ron Mark: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am sure you heard that word that was used. It is unparliamentary and I would ask that he be asked to withdraw and apologise. It was thoroughly offensive.Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: I did not hear what the word was—Ron Mark: He said we were bigoted—he said we were bigoted.Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you. If the member has taken offence then the speaker should withdraw and apologise. I will remind the member taking the point of order that many of us who have been here for a long time have borne witness to a number of members using a number of words that are unparliamentary and have declined to take umbrage. If the member has taken offence then Mr Bennett should stand withdraw and apologise.DAVID BENNETT: I withdraw and apologise.