Young Jonathan: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Young Jonathan: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Sitting date: 29 January 2013. Volume:687;Page:7565. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
JONATHAN YOUNG (National—New Plymouth) 
: 
 Madam Speaker may I be the first to congratulate you on your opportunity to chair this debate and to wish you a happy New Year. I would also like to just acknowledge the very generous comments of Sue Moroney to her parliamentary colleagues Tim Macindoe from Hamilton West on his promotion and Jami-Lee Ross on his and also to the Hon Simon Bridges on his promotion to Cabinet this last week. It is great to see these MPs rising up and being aspirational for this country. 
Before I start on my contribution to this debate I was taken aback by Sue Moroney’s reference to  
Groundhog Day 
. She started off by saying “2013—5 long years”. I look forward to her speech next year saying “2014—6 long years” her 2015 speech saying “7 long years” her 2016 speech saying “8 long years” then saying “9 long years” and a 2018 speech saying “10 long years of a wonderful National Government”. Is that not possible? What a wonderful thought that is for the people of New Zealand to think—that such a proactive sensible aspirational Government could be in place to lead this country forward in its goals. 
I believe that we have every reason to be optimistic in New Zealand. If we are bold in our aspirations—as we are—if we are sound in our judgment and if we make the right decisions then we can go further than any generation before us. This is possible and our young people look to us because their future in New Zealand will depend upon it. We were elected in 2008 because of our aspiration. We were re-elected in 2011 because we delivered and I believe that the people of New Zealand stand firm behind us. 
The year 2013 will be a year when fuelled by our belief that New Zealand can and should do better we will continue to see positive reforms that lift our educational outcomes that increase our economic activity that grow our job market that increase the opportunities for New Zealanders. I believe that is what we will see in this year 2013. This Government enjoys continued support because New Zealanders believe in the common sense of our values and the soundness of our policies and decisions and respect the record of our delivery of these policies. 
 As the MP for New Plymouth the heart of the energy province of Taranaki I continually see the economic transformation that a responsible use of our natural resources has brought to our region. That the oil and gas industry has risk associated with it and that this risk sits largely with environmental and health and safety outcomes is accepted. We know that. But what has not been fully explored is the flip side: the economic reward the industry can and could contribute not only to our region of Taranaki but also to other regions around this nation. 
This golden weather we are experiencing reminds me of when I was a kid growing up under the shadow of Mount Taranaki—long warm summer days in the beautiful environment that our province has. To me that is the Kiwi way of life. But the Kiwi way of life is not just about the world in which we live. It is also about affording the great way of life we have come to appreciate know and love here in New Zealand; as individuals being able to earn good incomes in jobs for which we receive excellent training so we can buy our own home and not end up in a cheap poky little box in a Labour Government ghetto somewhere. No we want to build the economy and lift New Zealanders’ skill base so that they can earn high wages and buy their own homes and so that we have high incomes and lower interest rates which we have seen increase over these last 4 years of Government. 
There are some things that a Government can and should provide to its population as a country: a world-class education system which we are building; modern health care and social services that appropriately support our population; and excellent infrastructure. For example I remember growing up in a South Taranaki town called Hawera and going to the Hawera town baths—the Hawera town baths—every day of the summer. Then they built this fantastic aquatic centre which is now called the PowerCo Aquatic Centre. And occasionally we would go up to New Plymouth where I now reside and for which I have the privilege of being the MP and go to the Todd Energy Aquatic Centre. We have these fantastic community amenities both of them sponsored by and named after energy companies. So what I am saying is that hand and glove with our great way of life in Taranaki and our beautiful environment is this relationship we have with energy. I believe that in this nation we need to embrace energy as our way of life. We know that the engine room of our nation is the economy and the fuel of our economy is energy. We need to understand that and we need to not run away and hide from it. 
The province of Taranaki is an example to all New Zealanders of what happens when you responsibly but actively utilise your natural resources be that through oil and gas exploration or be that through dairying which has a tremendous history in that province. Hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars are being invested in my province Taranaki at present and over the next year in exploration in particular. That is creating employment. That is creating great opportunities for New Plymouth and Taranaki companies. That is creating a great upskilling of capability in the workforce giving them a world-class opportunity. I know that engineering companies in Taranaki then begin to export their capability be that through engineering in Australasia or Papua New Guinea or through building superyachts sold around the world. 
All of this is because of this industry that has been in our province for six decades or more. Even though we can go way back to the 1880s when oil was first discovered there it is particularly since Maui came on stream that we have seen this proliferation of tremendous skills and development of industry. Some estimate that there are around 7000 jobs—11.5 percent of all work—in Taranaki because of this sector. That is significant. 
When we say that Taranaki can be an example to all of New Zealand what we need to say and what we need to see is that the step change that energy development and exploration can bring to this country can be very very significant. It is the region with the lowest unemployment in the country—perhaps even in the developed world. Let us not be afraid of this. Let us be responsible. Let us be active. Let us ensure that we do everything excellently. But let us do it. Let us ensure that we grasp these opportunities that are before us so that we can see our young people have employment and so that we can have the inflow of revenues into our Government that can provide all the things that New Zealanders desire and look for. 
You know we read in the  
New Zealand Herald  
in November that the oil and gas recruitment drive gave Taranaki the country’s highest advertised average pay packet of over $93000. That is a huge amount of money. Median household incomes in Taranaki are now over $68000—the highest in the country outside of the main centres. We are very proud of what we have achieved in our province. We are very proud of the opportunities that we have taken hold of and that we have done this responsibly for our environment and to our great workforce. 
I say to New Zealanders who are listening tonight that if you want to see what New Zealand can look like under this Government that is prepared to pursue these opportunities then look to Taranaki and see what that community is able to do and produce and the benefits that have come back to it. You will see that there is a vibrant community. They are people who have a future people who have a hope and people who have opportunities for gaining world-class education training and skills that will take them anywhere in this country and anywhere in the world. Thank you.