Peachey Allan: Address in Reply 
Peachey Allan: Address in Reply 
[Volume:652;Page:1182] 
ALLAN PEACHEY (National—Tamaki) 
: 
 It is incumbent upon every member in this House to vote in favour of the Government’s programme—every member of this House including the dispirited defeated socialists on the other side. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: There’s no vote! This debate doesn’t have a vote! 
ALLAN PEACHEY 
: I suggest that the defeated member for Otaki—the member who lost his seat and is back here only by virtue of the fact that he held the former Prime Minister’s handbag—should wipe the smile off his face close his mouth and listen. He should reflect on why he is no longer the constituency member for Otaki. The electorate voted just 3 months ago to rid the country of the previous Government. It voted for a new Government to bring a new way of thinking and a new approach to the challenges that face New Zealand. 
You know the Labour Party came into Government at the very best of times; it left at the very worst of times. New Zealanders clearly understand that this country has been in recession for over 12 months and that Labour caused it. Labour members could not think beyond tax tax spend spend tax some more and spend some more. When it became apparent in the last term of the Labour Government that that was leading New Zealand into a catastrophic situation it did not know what to do. [ 
Interruption 
] When we listen to the hectoring of the former member for Otaki we realise just how bereft of ideas and imagination that Government became. 
Let us remember that Labour came into office at the very best of times and as a result of its actions it left at the very worst of times. This Government in the space of 3 months has made huge steps forward in making New Zealand a better country with a better future than it would have had had Labour remained in office. I will give members a couple of examples. There was the announcement today of infrastructure spending in schools. Let us be very very clear what a vote against the programme would mean and what speaking against that programme means. For the first time in many many years a Government has sent a message to the least fortunate of our children who are being educated in our special schools that the Government cares. The investment in the development of many of our special schools has been neglected for a long time to the extent that principals tell me that parents with a loved special-needs child often now find themselves on a waiting list for a special school. Do members know what being on a waiting list for a special school means? It means waiting for the loved child of another set of parents to die. That is what it means. Labour members had 9 long years to do something about that and what did they do? They did nothing. I tell the people of New Zealand and particularly the parents of our least fortunate children that those days are over. They can look towards a better future for their children. I can now say to the teachers the principals and the trustees of our special schools that the battle is over. We listen; we are compassionate; we care. 
There was also an announcement today about the investment of money in upgrading State housing. This is very very necessary. National understands that poor-standard housing located in crime-infested streets—where people have to send their children to lousy underperforming schools because Labour took away parental choice—is coming to an end. It has always intrigued me that those of a socialist bent are willing to say to the least fortunate of our people that they should be happy to live in a substandard house that is not insulated to live in an unsafe street and to send their kids to underperforming schools and that they should be grateful to the socialists for that opportunity. The National Party is the party of opportunity for all New Zealanders not just for some. 
The Minister of Education is to be congratulated on her sharp swift decisive action in dismissing the boards of chronically failing schools. In my own electorate of Tamaki for far too long—for over a generation—children have had to accept being stranded in a school in which the examination performance was woefully poor. They were supposed to be grateful because they were part of the great liberal left-wing experiment that was more about adults and less about the learning needs of children. I have been delighted to tell the community in my electorate that as a result of the quick decisive intervention of the Minister those days are over. It is interesting that for 9 years in my electorate the Labour Government did not want to know. After less than 3 months of a National Government action is happening and children in that community can have more confidence in the quality of the school they are going to. 
Let us look at the work this Government is doing in health. Just yesterday I assisted an elderly constituent in the Tamaki electorate. Nearly 12 months ago he was diagnosed as seriously ill. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: Oh citizen of the year! 
ALLAN PEACHEY 
: The member would do well not to mock the misfortunes of New Zealanders. Maybe that is why he lost his seat. 
Three times including yesterday morning that constituent was admitted to hospital for major serious surgery. Three times he has been sent home on the day of his surgery because the surgery could not be scheduled. Any member who speaks in this House against the proposals of this Government is defending that sort of failure and the electorate will further hold that member to account. Labour members came into office in 1999 at the very best of times and they left office having created the very worst of times.