Macindoe Tim: General Debate 
Macindoe Tim: General Debate 
[Volume:674;Page:20486] 
TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West) 
: 
 Two of my political heroes when I was a boy were “Gentleman Jack” Marshall and Brian Talboys. What great statesmen they were and how well they served this country. I watched the way both men acquitted themselves in their demanding roles and the dignity they brought to this House and I felt inspired to set myself the goal of trying to follow in their footsteps one day. It is in the context of the leadership they brought to New Zealand’s trade negotiations that I mention them in today’s debate. How well older New Zealanders remember the huge impact of Britain’s entry into the European common market nearly 40 years ago. Almost overnight we went from a position whereby the British took nearly all of our primary production that we could send them to having to fight for access in a crowded market against a range of fairly hostile nations applying protectionist policies to shut out New Zealand’s goods. Marshall and Talboys did a wonderful job for this country to secure that access and guide us through the transition. They were difficult days for our primary sector and for successive Governments and it took us many years to adapt and adjust.  
The work that our modern trade negotiators such as our excellent Minister of Trade Tim Groser are doing is just as important as their efforts will have and are having a huge impact on our economic growth. It helps that there is considerable demand for our production once more. We have diversified our trading base with Australia now being our largest market and China at No. 2. But as other speakers on this side of the House have noted this afternoon New Zealand is far from immune to what is currently happening around the world. As a trading nation we are always vulnerable to global downturns and it is hard to imagine more challenging circumstances than those we have faced during the nearly 3 years since the National-led Government took office. 
It certainly did not help us that the Clark Government squandered the favourable conditions of the previous decade irresponsibly escalating Government spending while the tradable side of our economy shrank in each of the last 5 years of that Government’s time in office. Those factors helped to push this country into recession in the first quarter of 2008 9 months before the global recession hit us and left Michael Cullen telling New Zealanders that we faced a decade of deficits and rapidly escalating debt. It was appalling economic mismanagement yet nothing that the current Labour Opposition members have said since demonstrates that they have acknowledged the folly of their policies or the huge damage they did to our country. 
On the contrary this year Labour is going to the polls promising more tax more Government spending and more borrowing. It is an astonishing prescription and it is clear from the fact that none of the backbenchers opposite ever talk about it—especially outside this House—that they know how irresponsible it is. The last thing New Zealanders need right now is another tax. No wonder Trevor Mallard told Labour’s dwindling band of activists to not get dragged down in the detail of their tax package. He is reported to have said that the public do not care and that Labour speakers look and sound boring when they go down that path. Well I can assure Mr Mallard that the public do care and they are not so much bored as gobsmacked that Labour has learnt nothing from the mistakes that saw it so unceremoniously thrown out of office. Those who fail to learn the mistakes of history we are told are bound to repeat them. That is why we on this side of the House are working so hard in this election campaign to ensure that Labour will not get that opportunity. 
Labour’s track record and commitment is to spend money we do not have. Have those members not noticed what is happening in Europe America and elsewhere at the present time? Do the phrases “debt crisis” and “credit downgrade” mean nothing to them? New Zealanders have paid dearly for the fact that under the last Labour Government baseline Budget spending increased by 45 percent between 2005 and Labour’s eviction from office just 3 years later—45 percent. That is why the incoming National-led Government had no option but to rein in Government spending. That is why the only fiscally responsible option this year was to implement a zero Budget. New Zealanders have applauded us for this approach even though it is always difficult and uncomfortable to cut back. The evidence that this Government’s economic management is working is increasingly apparent. Under National the after-tax average wage has increased by 7.4 percent over the previous year compared with inflation of 5.3 percent. That is a real increase of 2 percent. As a result of our efforts over the past 3 years New Zealand is better placed than many countries.