Foss Craig: General Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Foss Craig: General Debate 
[Sitting date: 01 August 2012. Volume:682;Page:4163. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon CRAIG FOSS (Minister of Commerce) 
: 
 This John Key - led Government with our coalition friends and partners is investing in the future of New Zealand. It is investing in our future getting on with the leadership and the governing of this great country—of this great country—and not being distracted by sideshows and not being distracted by gotcha politics which the current leader of the Opposition said he was not all about when he was appointed late last year after the election. 
The previous speaker David Parker asked what was going on in the regions. Well let me point it out. We learnt today that in Wairoa of the great Hawke’s Bay region more investment from health is in fact going into the medical centre up in the region of Hawke’s Bay. It is amazing how the Bay has turned since it turned blue just a few years ago. The cycleways that the other members seem to let us say take the mickey out of somewhat were to be fair a joint project with the Green Party. Actually in the Hawke’s Bay it is probably the best national cycleway network in New Zealand. Just this past weekend linked to that we opened the iWay where $4.5 million of taxpayer funds were invested in the region of the Hawke’s Bay. 
The audacity of that member asking what is happening in the regions just after he was talking about Australian jobs or something when the Leader of the Opposition criticised New Zealand jobs coming to Hastings in the form of Heinz-Wattie in the Hawke’s Bay. Australian jobs are moving to the regions—Hastings Hawke’s Bay. I challenge the Opposition members to go to Wattie’s in Hastings. I challenge them to go there and tell Wattie’s that its jobs are not worthy. I challenge that member who was part of a group that had some interesting interactions with the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board the same district health board that is now in surplus and managed to fund itself and its own capital spend.  
We are focusing on what matters. We are focusing on those things that New Zealand gave us a mandate for—47 percent of them. I guess the other side is focusing on the mandate that 27 percent of New Zealand gave them. We are putting legislation statutes amendments and regulations in place to focus on what matters. We have put 10 targets in place for the public sector; 10 targets for the public to judge us on. That is how firmly we feel about them. The public needs to know and the public should know that Labour members have voted against every single initiative we have put in place—every single one—to try to reduce long-term welfare dependency. They have voted against every initiative where we have tried to support vulnerable children. They have voted against every single economic growth initiative for boosting skills and employment. They have voted against every single initiative that we have tried to put in place to reduce crime. They have voted against every single initiative we have put in place to try to improve interaction with the Government.  
The public has a right to know because I would not actually mind if the Opposition got up and said “Actually we agree with the goal but we think we should get there this way.” and engaged in some decent debate perhaps; not pretending that some of these things do not happen and not putting its political expediency in front of what is right and good for New Zealand New Zealand children New Zealand’s education New Zealand’s health New Zealand’s Treaty obligations—members could name it. We are putting legislation through. We are a very very busy Government. Just today the finance minister Mr English and Mr John Banks announced better economic performance through better regulation. We are simply putting the borax on ourselves on our accountability on our transparency and on our integrity and focusing on the goal and what matters for a much better and brighter New Zealand that all New Zealanders have the potential to realise and fully and totally deserve. This John Key - led Government is getting on with the job it was elected to do: investing in our great future.