Chadwick Steve: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Chadwick Steve: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:637;Page:7288] 
STEVE CHADWICK (Labour—Rotorua) 
: 
 The Prime Minister’s statement today in which she called for sustainability was as visionary for New Zealanders as Norm Kirk’s nuclear-free status two decades ago and it met with a cynical and hysterical response from the “boys’ own” - type Leader of the Opposition who was surrounded by men other than the senior whip. It was a response that was hollow rhetorical and lacking in substance. We did not see any policy. 
All aspects of this Government’s business will be involved in this long-term strategy that is both compelling and timely. There will be economic management society will be involved in environment and nationhood and the three planks of this Government policy—economic transformation families young and old and the New Zealand identity—will respond. The carbon footprint reduction will be stamped on our Government policy development and I find this incredibly exciting and visionary. It is hardly the vision of a worn-out and tired old Government. 
The invisible hand of the market did not deliver a sustainable nation in the 1990s and tax cuts will not deliver a sustainable nation in the 2000s. The Leader of the Opposition was a little too fast and furious today with his reaction especially at our deputy leader’s tabling of a statement on the mortgage levy discussion held by the co-leaders in his office. 
Let us look at other flip-flops of the Leader of the Opposition: on the Department of Corrections climate change the Employment Relations Act Iraq nukes and civil unions. It goes on and on. Can this smiling assassin be trusted? It will not be long before we see his true spots and the true colour and cut of his cloth. 
I am going to speak on two aspects of this visionary statement from the Prime Minister today: economic transformation and families young and old. In our community we will see Scion in Rotorua a Crown research institute pick up the challenge of the biofuels target in looking at alternative fuels. I think it is really exciting. That company will be in there for the research funding that David Parker encouraged Richard Branson to commit to this country. I have been involved in land-use change meetings right through summer with the lakes residents in our community. They are accepting the need to change land use and they are also confronting the need to retire farms around the lake margins in our community. They are committed to this difference. 
Young people and domestic users of electricity will also appreciate the commitment here to energy-wise retrofitting of homes solar water heating subsidies etc. It goes on and on. We accept in Government that a highly skilled and educated workforce is the goal with our tertiary education strategy. Our community is mobilising with the Waiariki Institute of Technology and introducing trade training and partnerships with industry training organisations and the previous old private training establishments which are tired and worn out. I saw in Kawerau just yesterday at the NorskeSkog mill a MaintainNZ engineering apprenticeship involving Fonterra the enterprise agency and Kawerau College and it is so exciting. Every boy and girl who has gone through the engineering apprenticeship at this institution has graduated and gone on to jobs—a great new story. 
But we accept that the best form of social security is a job and figures show that these jobs need to be underpinned by fair labour law increased wages good public health-care and education and affordable housing. We are doing all of that and we have more to do—not just tax cuts and muesli bars seen as candyfloss to the masses by the Opposition. 
Charity begins at home and that leads me to the families young and old. We are investing in young children making healthy young children building resilience and not stigmatising an underclass which is the terrible cant that the Leader of the Opposition has come out with. We are investing in newborn hearing screening extended dental care and obesity prevention. The Leader of the Opposition says that we have a hunger problem. I would suggest that the problem we have is one of eating patterns rather than hunger especially when we have an obesity epidemic in this country. We need to change the behaviour of eating patterns. From July this year every child in a family on a benefit will be at least a packet of Weet-Bix better off—$10 a week better off—and this Government is aiming to sort out the intrinsic things that make families strong and healthy. 
Our Working for Families package will reduce child poverty by 70 percent and has already helped over 61000 children. We do not stigmatise those children and those families as being part of an underclass. The women’s caucus of Labour visited Miller Avenue School a decile 1 school in Paeroa just last week. The principal there said: “Our kids deserve the best and they’re getting it in terms of standards of education. And thank you for the Fruit in Schools project. It’s fabulous. The kids aren’t chucking their lunches out they are eating the lot and toilet paper consumption’s gone up in the school as a measure of how well these children are beginning to eat.” 
I just want to close on the issue of family violence because this is a joined-up approach of this Government. We set up a ministerial taskforce after a 1-day hearing on domestic violence which no members of the Opposition attended. We are now going to launch a community campaign saying that there is no tolerance of domestic violence. We have SKIP programmes which help all parents—including grandparents solo parents and new parents—to manage their children and suggest strategies to use. We have the police responding more hastily to domestic violence call-outs and that helps in getting those women moved through benefits and out of dependency. Last Thursday we went to the Bay of Plenty District Health Board and heard that it is one of two boards that are training staff to screen for domestic violence. 
Those examples are not rhetoric or hollow promises. They are actions on the ground. The Prime Minister’s statement today about supporting section 59 of the Crimes Act was a wonderful statement for us and for those who believe in ridding this country of domestic violence. 
We know that we have a huge work programme ahead of us but we are delivering on the ground and we are delivering policies of substance not just hollow rhetoric. I cannot wait to hear the Leader of the Opposition come out with one statement that gives anybody any aspirational help to believe that National intends to really make a difference on the ground for those at the grassroots who build the backbone of this country. 
I am proud to be in this Labour Government. The Prime Minister’s statement was aspirational and lofty and we are going to get on with the policies that will deliver those goals. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Members are advised that New Zealand First will split its 10-minute speech between two members and for the benefit of members the bell will ring when 1 minute remains.