Hayes John: General Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Hayes John: General Debate 
[Sitting date: 24 March 2010. Volume:661;Page:9776. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
JOHN HAYES (National—Wairarapa) 
: 
 It is quite clear that Phil Twyford’s party does not really want him. I think it would be far better for him to take up meditation because it would give him something to do in Opposition. Labour is in dire straits not only in relation to its leadership but also in my electorate in the Wairarapa. Here is a headline: “Labour looks far and wide for Wairarapa candidate”. I will go on and read a little section from this article from the 68-year-old educationalist who is leading the party in the Wairarapa: “The priority was building a strong party organisation and reviving branches previously disbanded.” The Labour Party is in complete disarray not only here in Parliament but also right through this country. 
Why is the Labour Party in disarray? I can tell members why. When this Government came into office it inherited an economy that was in terrible shape. Why was it in terrible shape? It was because at that point New Zealand had been in recession under Labour’s administration for at least a year and probably for 3 or 4 years. To put that into context the tradable sector in the New Zealand economy had been in recession for the last 5 years. Let me show members this graph I have: we can see GDP here and years are this way. The gap between the red line and the white line is Government spending on the top line and the tradable sector coming down. There is a huge gap. That is why Labour went. That it why you are in disarray and that is why you will stay there. What you have done is fuel New Zealand’s debt to the world. I will show the good people in the gallery— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I know I am speaking from an unusual position in that I am in a Green seat—I was about to leave the House if it is not out of order to say so—but as far as you are concerned Mr Speaker the member’s remarks were grossly offensive. He was saying that you are gone you are going and why you are not coming back. This member has now been here for I think about a year and he should know better than that. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I have heard sufficient. I remind John Hayes not to— 
Paul Quinn 
: Point of order— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I am on my feet. I remind John Hayes not to refer to the Speaker. I can assure him that the Speaker is not in disarray. 
Paul Quinn 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The rules are quite clear. People are able to speak only from seats that are allocated to their party. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I am not aware that members are able to speak only from particular seats although I stand to be corrected on that. A point of order was raised and I think it was a fair point of order. 
JOHN HAYES 
: What we need in this country is a far better-performing economy. We have to encourage savings investment and exports particularly from electorates like mine. We have to reduce consumption. Why do we have to reduce consumption? Let me tell members what Labour did when it was in office. It doubled the amount of aid we are giving away to foreign countries but at the same time it took the number of staff it employed in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade from 250 to 500. It increased the Government salaries for those earning $100000 or more by 375 percent. 
There are four things we have to do to take this country forward. The first thing is that our policies have to be fair; the second is that we have to give families choice so that they can get ahead; the third is that whatever we do has to be good for the economy and it has to help imbalances; and the fourth is that we have to create jobs and we have to spread money around everywhere. 
Chris Hipkins 
: Spread money around everywhere? 
JOHN HAYES 
: Yes we have to spend money everywhere because what we are doing is locking up money in the welfare system and we keep paying it to people who do not necessarily need it. I am sick and tired of having people come through my office who are long-term beneficiaries who are perfectly able to get out and get jobs but who have had no incentive to do it. So I commend my colleague Paula Bennett— 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: Does the member tell them that? 
JOHN HAYES 
: Yes I do tell them that and I absolutely commend my colleague Paula Bennett for the brilliant decision she has taken this week to start to modify welfare payments. We have to understand that every dollar we give away has to come from somebody’s pocket. When the Government gives money to somebody it has to take it from somebody. Much of that money comes from people who earn from $12.50 to $15 an hour. So I absolutely support those policies. 
I also say to the people who create hysteria over mining that there has been no decision from the Government to get into the conservation estate and mine. What is on the table is a discussion paper. Those of us old enough to remember the Department of Lands and Survey will know that it was closed down and much of its land was given to the Department of Conservation. That land had no conservation value whatever. In my own electorate south of Mount Bruce are 341 parcels of land with the Department of Conservation that have no conservation value whatever. I am very interested to see much greater emphasis on mining because off the coast of the Wairarapa there is a huge volume of carbon hydrate that can be harvested brought ashore and used to set up a carbon-based hydrocarbon industry. 
This Government took the edges off the recession in 2009; in 2010 it is focusing on jobs and growth. It has made multibillion-dollar infrastructural investments and we see those on the Rimutaka hill road and on just about every road in this country. Everybody is noticing the amount of work that is going on. The National Government is cutting red tape and regulation we are making better business innovation and trade and we are improving education and skills because we do not want all those children leaving school without them.