Upston Louise: General Debate 
Upston Louise: General Debate 
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LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupo) 
: 
 There is one thing that clearly sets this side of the House apart from the other side and that is the difference in leadership. We have a Prime Minister in John Key who is providing a steady hand in very uncertain times. That is why New Zealand as a country is positioned to be in better shape than many other countries around the world despite the level of global uncertainty that we are facing. New Zealand has a strong plan for getting back into the black. Unfortunately members on the other side continue with their mantra of “tax more spend more get more debt”. It is interesting that when we talk to New Zealanders they do not seem to have too much of an appetite for that. 
I will talk about some of the things in the Taupo electorate. I was recently at the business excellence awards which 500 people attended. Actually it was a sell-out. I made a few comments to the group of business people who were gathered there. I passed on the comment that the Leader of the Opposition had made that day that it is “good fortune” when people succeed in business—“good fortune”. Actually it is a hell of a lot more than good fortune. All of the people on this side of the House know exactly what it takes to do well in business. I talked to a roomful of people in Taupo who are courageous who are dedicated and who are resilient. Let us face facts: we have had some tough times but those people are the ones who are doing it out there on the street and making it happen. 
If we look at the people in business in the Taupo electorate we see there is a quiet air of confidence. I will give members some examples. In Cambridge anytime that a retail space becomes available it is snapped up just like that. Two new supermarkets have been built in New Zealand so far this year both of them in Tokoroa. There are three new dairy factories. Two have been consented for and one has just been completed in Mokai. That is a fantastic sign in terms of growing our exports in New Zealand and that is what this side of the House is focused on. We are focused on growing our exports because we know that that leads to jobs. 
With regard to energy just last week I was with Minister Hekia Parata at Contact Energy. Some significant investment projects are under way. One is the Tauhara project which was consented to in record time because of the changes we made with the introduction of the Environmental Protection Authority. At Te Mihi $623 million is being invested. These are great news stories in Taupo and they really demonstrate the fact that there is confidence out there there is confidence in this Government and there is confidence in what we are doing for the economy. 
A recent campaign undertaken by a local business organisation in Taupo was a “grab it” campaign. It was focused on what is generally a challenging time in the winter months over the period of July and August. It was really interesting to see exactly what businesses can do when they pull together. I have recently found out that in August both retail spending and the number of transactions were significantly up—in fact they were higher than the average across New Zealand. 
There is confidence out there. We are getting results. People have the confidence to take on staff and that is exactly what we want to see. And that is before the Rugby World Cup hits town. Taupo is hosting three teams: Wales Ireland and South Africa. I must admit that having seen the excitement of the Tongan supporters in Auckland on Monday I did have a little wish that perhaps the Tongan team would be in our town but never mind. This event will be a significant boost for the local economy. Not only that but what businesses have been doing is putting in place things that will actually create more business in the long term with the initiative by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the New Zealand 2011 Business Club. There is the Sika Show which focuses on deer hunting; the inaugural Clean Energy Centre expo with a whole raft of international guests; and the New Zealand Junior Rugby Festival which in its own right is expecting 5000 visitors. 
I report from the people of Taupo that Taupo is in good heart but it is not because of good fortune. It is because of courage determination and the ability to work hard. More important it is because of the confidence in a John Key - led Government that we have the foundations in place for a strong economy that creates wealth and jobs and builds a brighter future.