Lotu-Iiga Sam: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Lotu-Iiga Sam: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Sitting date: 30 January 2013. Volume:687;Page:7651. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA (National—Maungakiekie) 
: 
 Malo le soifua and happy New Year Mr Speaker. It is a pleasure to speak on this the Prime Minister’s statement to Parliament yesterday. I support the direction that our Prime Minister has set for this nation because clearly—clearly—he is the only person equipped to lead this country at this critical time in our history. 
I just want to make mention of the previous speaker Mr Twyford. I want to know from Mr Twyford around his housing policy whether he lives in his villa in Waitakere whether it is the bungalow in Kingsland whether it is the apartment block in Auckland Central or whether it is his flat in Mount Albert because clearly the guy is confused but I am glad he has found a home finally in Te Atatu and I wish him well in his new residence there. 
Unlike the divided Opposition over there this National-led Government has a strong plan and a full agenda to encourage investment—strengthening the economy and boosting jobs for all New Zealanders. It is about building a bolder a brighter and a better future for all Kiwis. We are building on the momentum that was achieved over the last 4 years which is more important than ever in the current economic climate. 
Context of course is important. Around the world we know recovery from the global financial crisis is proving most difficult. We know that Greece continues to reel in crisis. We know that the United Kingdom is going through a triple-dip recession and that expectations of world economic growth are being downgraded on a consistent basis. So that is why the economy and jobs are front and centre in this Government’s priorities. 
We know what the Government’s plan is; many of my colleagues have outlined it. It is about returning to surplus and reducing our debt. It is about pushing ahead with reforms to bring about a more productive and competitive economy. We have got to support our friends and families in Christchurch and it is about driving better results from our Public Service. 
But why you may ask—and I think the Opposition members must ask this question every day—is economic growth important? I do not hear one person over there talking about the benefits of economic growth. Economic growth is about providing jobs and opportunities. It supports feeds and clothes our families and our communities. Economic growth is about enabling us to sustain the quality of life that we as New Zealanders are accustomed to in this country. But critically economic growth is about paying our way in this world. 
The latest economic forecasts Treasury’s Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update as well as the latest Monetary Policy Statement from the Reserve Bank show that our economy will be growing at the rate of 2.5 percent on average over the next 3 years. At that rate of course New Zealand is expected to grow more strongly than the euro area the United Kingdom Japan and Canada. 
Locally as the member for Maungakiekie the message to me is personal and it is clear. Last year I surveyed 46000 constituents—yes that is every constituent in my electorate—and unequivocally the most important issue to the 2000 people who responded to that survey was job opportunities and economic growth so that must be my priority and it must be our Government’s priority. So there is a big opportunity in New Zealand over the next few years. It revolves around the rebuilding of Christchurch and obviously we are going to train more New Zealanders in vocational careers that will set them up for their lives. 
I have heard members opposite ask where the jobs are. The SEEK website at 4 o’clock this afternoon showed just under 15000 jobs being available. Over 12000 were full time 1000 were part time and there were 1700 contract jobs on the table. These are just the jobs that are publicly notified. We know that there are many more jobs that are either advertised in-house within companies or by word of mouth. So the issue is not about jobs. It is about matching the skills of those who need work with the jobs that are available in our country. 
So the question arises as to what the Government is doing about this situation. Well we have outlined our five new vocational pathways that clearly signpost the subjects young people should take to prepare for vocational careers in construction manufacturing the primary sector and the service sector as well as social services. There will be over 4000 places in trades and services academies. There will be 8700 Youth Guarantee places. You see these kids who are not able to go down the academic path have a future nevertheless. 
I know that locally in Maungakiekie we have got services and trades academies at Onehunga High School and Tamaki College which are providing great pathways for my local youth. We are also training more engineering and science students in preparation for industries more suited to the high-tech value-added export jobs of the future. As I talk to my local companies—Rakon Sistema Tru-Test and Masport—I see that these are the types of jobs of the future that our graduates and our young people will be graduating to. 
We are also revitalising industry training to ensure that people have the right skills and training and to ensure that our system is responsive to trainees and employers. We are particularly focused on increasing opportunities for in-work training for all Kiwis. We are doing this by expanding and improving our apprenticeship training system. The Prime Minister outlined in his speech on the weekend that there will be an additional 14000 new apprentices starting training over the next 5 years and this is over and above the 7000 who enrol each year. Those are the sorts of jobs and training schemes that local people want to aspire to. This will cost $106 million over the next 4 years. 
As chair of the Social Services Committee I also want to emphasise the importance of the welfare reforms on this Government’s agenda this year. May I commend the great work that Minister Bennett is doing for our most vulnerable children and for the work that went into the green paper and the white paper in terms of the work programme we have set for the next 2 years which will help vulnerable children their families and our communities. It is fair to say that the hands-off approach of the last Government left the social development portfolio in a right mess so I am proud of the work that we have done in focusing on what people can do not on what people cannot do. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: Don’t just read your notes. 
Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA 
: Mr Cunliffe asks how we are doing that. We are giving people the tools and the resources to be able to support themselves and transition off welfare and into paid work. This has meant greater obligations and incentives for teen beneficiaries requiring them to get into education training and work-based learning. We have also got payment cards to help manage benefit payments and support better financial choices one-on-one mentoring and wraparound support as well as budgeting and parenting courses. 
We are implementing these through an investment approach. By putting more money up front we are moving people long term out of welfare and into jobs. Remember we know that those jobs exist. In the last year alone there were 29648 18 to 24-year-olds who left the benefit to go into paid work. That compares with 14800 under the Labour Government in 2008. Yes that is right—twice as many are going off a benefit and into paid work. 
In the last 4 years alone 305000 people left the benefit to start paid work. So clearly we are getting people working again. Our welfare reforms are working and the second round of these reforms is on the way. Part of those reforms is that benefit categories are being streamlined we are implementing more effective work-testing and drug-testing of beneficiaries and we are putting in place social obligations for those who receive assistance from the State. 
So while Labour unleashes its underwhelming policies from last year this Government continues to make a real difference to those who need deserve and receive help. More than 19500 young people have benefited from our Job Opportunity Scheme and Community Max scheme and 9000 young people have started Job Streams. Rather than spreading employment support thinly across different groups our approach has been to target those most at risk of remaining on welfare long term. The other thing about which I am really proud of our Government is that we have had a one-off boost of $589000 to 155 budgeting services across New Zealand. That is $9.5 million spread across our communities to help families control their finances. 
Again in my electorate office in Onehunga and in the clinics that I hold across my electorate that is one of the most critical issues we are dealing with—how working families and beneficiaries manage their finances. Finally I just want to say that we are going to help vulnerable families as Minister Bridges has said with reforms to be released later this year around loan sharks by introducing the concept of responsible lending and enabling consumers to make informed decisions. Thank you.