McClay ToddHon TODD McCLAY (Minister of Trade): That was the best speech from that member David Clark in 50 years. In fact it was not—it was not even the worst speech in 50 years; it is just another speech that he has been making for 8 years. For 8 years that member and his colleagues have been coming to this House and trying to tell New Zealanders that this is the worst country in the world. New Zealanders get it—they know that is not the case. Take education which he passed over very lightly. What a fantastic speech by a passionate Minister of Education. The only people more passionate about education in this country than Hekia Parata are our teachers. This week we can actually turn round and say thank you to our teachers and to the people in our schools who have worked so hard to increase outcomes in all of those schools and in our high schools. They have done it with the absolute support of this Government over 8 years. We are spending more money than ever before in education. They have done it with the absolute support of two hard-working Ministers of Education in this Government over the last 8 years who have backed teachers and recognised that students can get ahead when teachers have the tools that they require. This year $11 billion has been committed in the Budget to education. So what did we hear from the Minister for Education? Well statistics—and they are very important. The highest level of achievement in National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) levels 1 2 and 3 than ever before. In NCEA level 2 a 16.6 percent increase in achievement of pass rates over the last 8 years since we came to Government. It is a fantastic outcome. It is actually not about the Government doing a great job; it is about 16.6 percent more young people in New Zealand who sit NCEA level 2 achieving doing well and having a brighter future under the support that we are giving them. In NCEA level 1 74 percent of young people who sit NCEA level 1 are passing. It is an amazing achievement on the part of those young people with the hard work of our teachers and the great work of our schools and they know that they are supported by this Minister and by this Government. I want to take just a moment to recognise Rotorua Boys' High School in my electorate which this week received the Prime Minister's Education Excellence Award for excellence in leading—an amazing school a great principal and very hard-working students who are supported by their parents. That school recognised that there were groups of students who were not achieving well enough and it actually worked extra hard to raise those levels of achievement. That school is as good as any school in this country with the support of this Government and the hard work of those teachers. I want to thank the teachers of that school and every other school in the Rotorua electorate for the work that they do. Just briefly that $11 billion sounds like a lot of money—well it is. But it is going to go into better school buildings and more school buildings where they are needed supporting at-risk students special education and just driving up achievement and success throughout the education system. Do you know what this means? Hard-working young New Zealanders have a better education better outcomes and they get to go and trade that education for high-paying jobs in a global economy. This week we have 500 delegates and 500 negotiators from 16 countries representing the ASEAN Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement a trade negotiation that New Zealand is at the heart of. This week as host we are driving hard to make sure a high-quality outcome can be delivered for the 3 billion citizens of those 16 countries which represent half the world's population are almost 35 percent of the world's economy and spend $23 trillion on GDP every year. We want a higher achievement for them so that all New Zealanders and all New Zealand companies can benefit. I would say to those listening that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a high-quality agreement that will deliver significantly for New Zealand but RCEP has the opportunity to be significantly larger because these economies are closer to us they are growing economies they are developing economies and we have agreements already in place with 14 of them. One we do not is India and India will be a big prize. Our negotiators are pushing hard so that New Zealanders can have a very very good outcome. It will take some time because we will not settle for less than we should—that was the case with the TPP—but those 500 delegates are welcomed to New Zealand and I am glad that we can play our part to drive for greater liberalisation of trade openness so that those hard-working students who are achieving so well under Hekia Parata and this Government can use this great New Zealand education and exchange it for a higher-paying job in a global economy that wants Kiwis to do well for it. Thank you.