Peters Winston: Social Assistance (Portability to Cook Islands Niue and Tokelau) Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumePeters Winston: Social Assistance (Portability to Cook Islands Niue and Tokelau) Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 16 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4444. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First): We do not want people rewriting history tonight. The reality is the “section 70s” and those people who are caught by this legislation were first promised to have it fixed up by New Zealand First and no other political party. Those are facts. Go and look at the manifestos and you will see who it was—the political party New Zealand First—who realised that these anomalies are there for the “section 70s” and for the people of Tokelau the Cook Islands and Niue and who set out to redress them.If you look here you will see that some people in the Government still do not get it despite the fact that my colleague Andrew Bayly has been in the Cook Islands assuring all those people that he will give it his best intentions. He has given those Cook Islands people all sorts of assurances that when he gets back he is going to fix it up.Sue Moroney: Really?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: That is what Mr Bayly did yes. He went to the Cook Islands New Zealand retirement people over there and gave them that assurance and my colleague the very esteemed Alfred Ngaro said as his excuse: “I wasn’t there.” Oh really? So who cast his vote without his authority? I know my friend Alfred Ngaro is an honourable man and I hope that Mr Bayly from up Hunua way is also an honourable man and tonight they are going to say they will support the New Zealand First Supplementary Order Paper because that is what they told the people in the Cook Islands down at the Swordfish Club. I have got the evidence. I do not blame them because 5 years ago Murray McCully promised exactly that as well.But you see you have got a Minister in the chair Anne Tolley who on the question of the purpose does not get it. If you look at the purpose clause clause 3 and read it very carefully and then you go to the Minister in the chair’s speech she repeats this line on the question of the purpose: “We must also bear in mind that without the 5 years’ residence over 50 rule there would be nothing preventing a person born in New Zealand who then lived overseas for most of their life returning to New Zealand at 65 years and claiming New Zealand superannuation.” I heard that and I thought: “That sounds rather familiar.” Well of course it is on page 6 of the Ministry of Social Development’s February report. Page 6 there it is—the exact same words parroted from paragraph 5. She parrots the identical same words and they are false and that is my point.My plea to the National Party is surely there is someone over there with some honour who could possibly do something to support those people it promised so much to before. When Mr Doocey was last on his feet on this matter this is what he said: “What I must say”—this is on the purpose—Matt Doocey: I’m glad you’re listening.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: I know it is laughable but you should not laugh yet. [Interruption]Oh we know it is laughable. This is what he said: “I must just challenge the minority view of New Zealand First. Really it has no shame to say ‘Compare this to the generosity of giving full New Zealand Superannuation entitlement to non-New Zealand citizens from non-reciprocal pension countries after just 10 years’ residency.’ I would challenge New Zealand First to stand up and show us the data for that. Normally individuals have to spend 10 years here to get 50 percent and 20 years to get 100 percent. This is just typical migrant bashing by New Zealand First—absolutely appalling and especially so with a bill like this.”You know they say in England that the malady of the ignorant is to be ignorant without knowing it but I have got chart after chart here that will tell the Government precisely how many people in the last 15 years have done just that. The number is 73985. [Interruption] And it is not a laughing matter Mr Doocey because your colleague Mr Bayly was down at the Cook Islands Swordfish Club promising these New Zealanders who worked hard for this country and who are critical for the Cook Islands community and its infrastructure that he would do something about it. What we do not like in New Zealand First is people who go overseas who are very fast on the lip and slow on the hip. He gets back home here and he is not going to do a thing about it. Look go to the library. All this information is here Mr Doocey. So next time do some homework rather than coming down here and showing us all what you do not know.Seventy-three thousand is a cost structure factor that the Ministry of Social Development keeps on telling a wayward Minister is a concern. I am talking about fewer than 100 people getting a fair go—I am talking about these people getting a fair go. One of these days I am going to tell you what is going to happen. New Zealand First is committed to fixing this at the very first opportunity and it is going to be very soon. If they do not see it our way tonight I want to tell all those people in the Cook Islands listening as we speak and I know they are—not all in the Cook Islands; they will be in Niue and they will be in Tokelau listening. I am going to tell them tonight that we will fix it up at the first chance we get. In fact it will be a bottom line. We know it is not a great number of people—maybe only 79.We will give Mr Ngaro this very esteemed representative from Auckland—a Cook Islander himself no doubt—a chance to cross the House and show some courage. I know it is not easy. I know it is not easy but come over for the fellowship. It is important because this is a very God-fearing country and they do not like people who say one thing in the church and something else outside—or do one thing in the Swordfish Club meeting all the members. Then he gets back home and what is Mr Bayly doing tonight? Mr Bayly? Are you Mr Bayly going to support the Supplementary Order Paper from New Zealand First? [Interruption] Oh that is sad. This is so sad. This is so sad because what the National Party is concerned about of course is always numbers. If these numbers were big like all of the beneficiaries falling through the cracks they would read the stuff from Crosby/Textor and do something. But it is a small number and so they think they can ignore them.Well let me tell the National Party this: there are backbenchers who are going to go down in the next campaign because of that behaviour—oh big time. I have seen the latest polls. [Interruption] Oh yes I have. Do you know what they do say? Do you know what they say? There is one party that the people in this country trust more than any other party. It is the second-highest choice of all the people across the great divide—the second choice which means we are the least hated of them all.Make no bones about it. This is a very important bill. So Mr Doocey perhaps you could demonstrate that you have learnt something tonight and cross the House when it comes to the amendment to ensure that New Zealanders who went across there to work as shipping people to work for various official groups over there—as we once used to provide them with 4 years’ assistance as teachers—to do rural or island support over there which means critical things will be done for the infrastructure are not punished by people being too weak to honour what Mr McCully promised them 5 years ago in the Cook Islands as my friend Alfred Ngaro knows; he promised them.Before I sit down I want to say that nobody is beyond redemption and I want to give Mr Ngaro a chance tonight knowing that all those Cook Islands people are listening—oh yes they are. He has got a chance now to stand up for them to be able to say: “I was a person who ran for the National Party under the label of being a Cook Islander so that I would bring some ethnic diversity to the party. But more important I am going to make sure that they hear my people’s word.” Now tonight Mr Ngaro is a date with destiny. It is time to cross the House—and bring Mr Bayly who was being so fast and loose at the Cook Islands Swordfish Club with you. Then we will know that this Committee stage debate is not a waste of time.