Tabuteau Fletcher: Appropriation (2014/15 Supplementary Estimates) Bill Imprest Supply (First for 2015/16) Bill — Second ReadingsText is subject to correctionTabuteau Fletcher: Appropriation (2014/15 Supplementary Estimates) Bill Imprest Supply (First for 2015/16) Bill — Second Readings[Sitting date: 17 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4515. Text is subject to correction.]FLETCHER TABUTEAU (NZ First):Minister Bennett spoke of the plan that is working. The trust assumed in this phrase is huge given that no one has seen the plan. Minister Bennett has certainly not seen the plan. That is an example of the arrogance of this National Government. Everyday New Zealanders are losing their trust in this Government at a rapid rapid rate. For all New Zealanders trust has been eroded in all number of issues: for example the trust that was lost on the countering terrorist fighters legislation and the trust that was lost on the oversight of the Government Communications and Security Bureau where the person in charge of holding the bureau to account actually reports back to the Minister. In a by-election the Government made promises that it has no intention of keeping. Then there is the biggest undermining of New Zealanders’ trust with the Trans-Pacific Partnership arrangement and New Zealanders having to rely on the American political system to see them through to the other side of this negotiation safely.The Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment—coming back to appropriations—Steven Joyce was forced to admit that the sums provided for in the last Budget to be fair were misleading. The Government’s Budget announcement of a further $113 million for tertiary education was an incredible exaggeration. The actual increase was a mere $7 million. New Zealand now ranks because of the lack of appropriations—and perhaps this could have been an opportunity laid out in this legislation for a capital injection but no—near the bottom of OECD rankings in terms of tertiary education funding per student. This is what the National Government has provided New Zealanders looking to better themselves. Instead of trying to increase productivity through appropriations through a clever Budget—instead no money.We know from research that there is a positive correlation between people using online technology and business success but yet again there is a divide between the haves and have-nots. Again the 2014 Budget did not address it and there is nothing in this appropriations legislation that deals with the significant problem where the timing of the issue could not be more important. What we are seeing is a roll-out of broadband that is not effective. We are seeing a roll-out of broadband where those in our rural communities and those in the regions are missing out right now but this has not been addressed. What we know is that the roll-out of the broadband is a conversation that is being had now. I use this example because hard data has just been released from Mind Your Own Business analysis. Rural communities have the lowest engagement levels in online services. Only 10 percent of rural businesses have websites and 73 percent of them have no presence whatsoever. The logical conclusion from that is that they are missing out on revenue. Rural operators are significantly unhappier with the speed and reliability of their service.On the matter of transport the Minister spoke out yesterday about increased spending in the regions. Our New Zealand First spokesman Denis O’Rourke described the Minister’s words as perhaps not ringing quite true. The reality is if you adjust what was being spent in the 2008-09 period for inflation in real terms land transport spending in the 2014 Budget was actually less in Gisborne Hawke’s Bay Northland Bay of Plenty Manawatū Wanganui and the West Coast. In Northland New Zealand Transport Agency investment in local road maintenance this year for example is $14.6 million—significantly lower than the $15.5 million average over the last 7 years. Even the $5.8 million investment in local road improvements is significantly lower than the 7-year average of near on $10 million.Whānau Ora has been identified as an issue in this appropriations legislation and New Zealand First has consistently raised concerns over Whānau Ora spending. Scrutiny by the Auditor-General has clearly shown that it has fallen seriously short of expectations. These appropriations have ignored official findings. The Auditor-General’s report found absolutely no evidence that good value for money has come out of the $140 million so far spent on Whānau Ora.It is clear that this Government has got it wrong for our regions. Social services are disappearing in the regions under this Government. Under National there has been a flow of regional closures including services to veterans and youth provided by the Salvation Army and recently Relationships Aotearoa was forced to shut down. It had branches in the regions throughout New Zealand. Government support for social services has fallen away. It is clear in this Appropriation (2014/15 Supplementary Estimates) Bill. It was clear in the Budget. It has fallen away under the Government’s investment approach—widely touted over the past 6 years but it is not working. There is little in the way of increased funding for police—after 5 or 6 years another frozen Budget in real terms. Too many small rural isolated police stations from the far north to the deep south are squeezed for staffing.I put it to this House on behalf of many concerned New Zealanders that our electricity prices have been rising constantly but there was nothing in the Budget and there is nothing to be discussed today unfortunately for the people of New Zealand in the appropriations. There has been nothing from this Government in its policies that even recognises the growing depth of real despair from more and more everyday New Zealanders or as recently coined the working poor. Yesterday we heard that West Coasters and Northlanders are facing higher proposed charges by the Electricity Authority. New Zealand First asserts that big business will be the winner with lower electricity line changes per year and households will be missing out.Here we seem to be seeing a case for the building of corporate welfare particularly for foreign-owned companies—surely a hallmark of this National Government. How on earth are regions like Northland—ignored in this bill—and the West Coast supposed to develop when the likely price increase will be massively greater than inflation? In fact it is unfortunate that what we see going forward is that the lines companies did not actually demand a price increase but we know that they will be blamed for it anyway. The resultant increased electricity line charges will then be used by right-wing elements especially in Auckland to demand the breakup of energy consumer trusts thus enabling private interests to gain access to the trusts’ billions of dollars of assets.I conclude by putting it to this Government that our regions our small businesses our famers the elderly and the working mums and dads will be paying a higher price to bolster private profit. These are the very same people who have been ignored by this Budget by these appropriations and so New Zealand First cannot support this bill today. Thank you.