Jones ShaneHon SHANE JONES (Minister of Forestry): Kia ora anō tātou. Look I will inject into my speech a tone of characteristic modesty—sentences that are designed to address some of the attacks that have been directed towards the Government but in particular to the Prime Minister. I want to start with some of the falsehoods that have been spread around pertaining to China. I think it's been a very very dim and bleak episode when we had the other side of the House insisting that somehow because our Prime Minister has yet to make her way to China this is somehow hitherto unknown. In 2011 2012 2015 and 2017 John Key did not go to China. Now they never developed the architecture that led to the free-trade China deal. That architecture lies with the largest party on this side of the House. So in terms of our Prime Minister being put under the pressure for not having gone to China know your own history.Secondly the most egregious case recently where matters did get very stressed in terms of exporters in China was under the watch of the other party otherwise known as the Opposition party National when their poor handling of the steel coming out of China being referred to the World Trade Organization—that did lead to problems for Fonterra; that did lead to problems for various other exports including our major kiwifruit exporter. So it's important that Kiwis realise that this is just fiction from the other side of the House. They realise that because we've struck out on a particular direction where we value and do not conceive sovereignty through international popularity we have changed the rules and changed the law so that it is not simply knock on the door and you can have whatever piece of land that New Zealanders own; you can sell it internationally. We campaigned to introduce those restrictions. Now admittedly I did provide some wriggle room for the forestry sector as you would imagine—a forestry Minister concerned about forestry playing a bigger role in terms of climate change—but by and large what we campaigned on has been developed. That should not be construed or manipulated as to some sort of new set of problems in respect of China.I want to now go on to the importance of what Mr Twyford is doing in respect of housing. There are two streams of work which the last regime failed to deliver on. I need to say no more than what Bill English said when he put up the white flag and gave in to the planners of the Auckland Council. He himself said—and I think he may very well have been the Prime Minister when he said it—that those unelected obscure characters had more power than he did. Mr Twyford is bringing forward policy. We will have an uber - mega-authority where those shadowy unelected officials will not be able to thwart the ambitions of New Zealand homeowners or the New Zealand Government. That organisation unfortunately for both him and I takes a tad longer than our rhetoric might suggest but that organisation is going to root out those obstacles which have under the last regime gathered momentum and gathered strength. That's the first thing.The second thing: there are two sources of capital initiative and power to deliver on housing. One is through the State funding developing and owning houses. The other is finding the right mix of policies to unleash the ability of the private sector itself not only to develop property to meet whatever the appetite is in the market but to work with the Crown and within a certain envelope or permission space develop property that can be onsold in partnership with the Crown. Now why should we not harness the ability of the private sector to develop and deliver on those sorts of outcomes because that's what society wants? Now we can't be held responsible that there are land bankers rewarded by the last regime—probably funders to elements in the last regime—who sit and gloat—DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!Hon SHANE JONES: It's all public information Madam Deputy Speaker.DEPUTY SPEAKER: No but there's a very clear Standing Order about it and the member knows it well—he's been here long enough.Hon SHANE JONES: I withdraw and apologise if anyone has taken offence. Please look at the pecuniary interests. After all a number on that side of the House seem to along with that discredited environmentalist Mr Norman—DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Order!Hon SHANE JONES: —do that with mine. However I will continue with my speech.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you.Hon SHANE JONES: I shall continue with my speech. I've identified two sources of power two sources of capital and two sources of initiative. I've identified that these things are long-term challenges because of the period of time that has elapsed since the State was a lot more atavistic in that regard.I want now to turn to transport. Now we've heard from various people both elected on that side of the House and outside of the House—fiscal crock pots—alleging that somehow we are denying the regions of New Zealand roading relief because we're no longer going to continue with this cult-like rhetoric certainly in my area up North that four-lane highways had one been funded; two the designations had been; and three they were just an insect's distance away from starting—absolute rubbish. The four-lane highway mirage up North had never ever been funded. It has been allowed to gallop as my own regional transport committee unfortunately fouled by the presence of certain National MPs in that committee—what have they done? They have continued to use that committee as an echo chamber. That is wrong—in fact that is wrong in politics and I put them on notice: I'm not going to allow that sort of behaviour to be continued to manipulate and misrepresent what the Government is doing in terms of regional roads.Of course now I get to KiwiRail. KiwiRail was on—well it actually wasn't on life support because the last Government hated rail. Now this Government is investing in rail. Now once again these large capital infrastructure projects do take a long period of time to gather momentum. First thing you do is you change the settings. Second thing you do is you provide fiscal certainty. Third thing get into execution and delivery and this is the year of delivery. So we are already expanding KiwiRail's reach into the regions. We are already endowing KiwiRail with capital to build new hubs to build new logistics centres. Why? Because we want to effect the transfer from the roads of heavy transport and freight on to rail. And wait there's more: we're now going to turn our attention to coastal shipping. However I won't steal the thunder as I'm wont to do from time to time from Mr Twyford.I want now to turn to some of the foolish things that have been said by Epsom salts" otherwise known as Mr Goldsmith.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Order! I really don't think that that is within the Standing Orders. Every member is entitled to respect.Hon SHANE JONES: Right—OK. Let me elaborate what I'm meaning to say: there is too much sulkiness from that member when he stands against regional New Zealand who are embracing who are promoting and who are owning the investment initiatives which are enlivening the economy of provincial and regional New Zealand. What do Kiwis see? They see that number one the National Party hates the idea. We've already had it stated by them: they're going to close it down and they're going to use that money for tax cuts—that's what they've said—or they're going to use that money because there's not enough money to fund all these absurd promises they're wandering around the country and making. Kiwis do the maths: there is not enough pūtea for them to honour their promises.But the reality is that deep down it's National Party grandees within the regions—and I'm not personally antagonistic towards them—who are bringing proposals and desire to see the fund dedicated to that purpose and dedication is what we represent. For the next year 18 months until our date with success—whenever the next election is—you will find that we will roll out our projects and we will continue to fund them. We will not be deterred; we will not be put off by these sulky remarks emanating from the list member of Epsom. Now to suggest in some manner or form that that's breaking the Standing Orders—I fail to see that.Look my final point is that I want to stand with Mr Nash. Mr Nash has been very strong to ensure that our fisheries policy is a blend of environmentalism and industry. To suggest as Russel Norman has done that somehow he is breaking the law or breaking the rule I say to Russel Norman—a known offender who's been in our courts—look in the mirror.DEPUTY SPEAKER: I didn't interrupt the member but I will warn the member that you do not argue with the Speaker. You were disrespectful to a member. That is not within the Standing Orders and if you do it again I'll send you from the House."