Dyson Ruth: Estimates Debate — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDyson Ruth: Estimates Debate — In Committee[Sitting date: 21 July 2015. Volume:707;Page:5165. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills):I am pleased to make a contribution in the estimates debate on Vote Canterbury Earthquake Recovery in this new structure of bracketing portfolios as we do. I was interested in the comments of the member Nicky Wagner who has just resumed her seat and I think she is actually not being straight with Cantabrians or with New Zealanders. I think she is demonstrating an arrogance that is surprising for someone of her background and I think she is out of touch with where we are in Canterbury.The Government members have had a big push on saying how much money they are spending in Canterbury—$16.5 billion is the figure that is often quoted. Half of that money is actually Earthquake Commission cash so immediately you can halve the contribution of the Government. It promised $6.7 billion in what it described as core Crown contributions—that is roads sewerage schools and hospitals. Well from 2011 and the first promise until the end of 2014 there has been $2 billion spent. That is all. The handbrake has been put on the Government investment in Canterbury to try to get to the surplus but that still did not happen in this year’s Budget. Another failed promise from the Government—another failed attempt at getting a surplus.Even more interestingly though when you look at the Budget and at the Canterbury earthquake recovery the Reserve Bank says that in Canterbury there will be about $35 billion of insurance money going into the region—$35 billion. So if you look at what that sort of investment does to the Canterbury economy particularly employment combined with the logical housing boom that we are experiencing as a result of replacement houses paid for by insurance then you will see an increase immediately. It is an increase in employment and a lower number of people on benefits which is an immediate increase of $10 billion per annum in Crown income.Just remember the original investment figure that the Government has been trumpeting. There are additional taxes on wages which the Reserve Bank estimates is $4 billion and additional GST which the Government might get anyway and which goes back to the business but that gives a total tax boost of $11 billion. So who is paying for the Canterbury recovery? Actually it is mostly insurance companies and the Government is likely to end up better off as a result of those insurance company investments and the growth stimulation.This is not a plan for New Zealand’s future. You cannot have a plan that is built on the back of insurance payouts as a result of natural disasters. That is not the sort of future and security that New Zealanders need.The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority is—thank goodness—going out of existence in the very near future. Finally we have a transition plan that is being prepared looking at handing over the powers of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority to relevant Government departments organisations and of course our three local authorities.In order to prepare for the winding up of its organisation the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority has recently doubled its communications budget doubled the number of staff and doubled the amount of money it is spending. I find that really puzzling. When the chief executive and the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery were asked: “Why are you doubling your budget when you are going out of existence in less than a year’s time?” they said: “We need to keep people informed.” Well that would be a first—that would be a first since that organisation was established. And they said: “There’s an increasing amount of work happening with the anchor projects.” Actually every single anchor project except the bus exchange where there have been 15 accidents in less than 2 months as a result of the ingoing and outgoing traffic—that is a major success—has been delayed.The Minister came to the select committee to talk about the vote. When he was asked about the delay he blamed the media and said that it was all made up. We had the Prime Minister at the annual tourism conference saying that the convention centre in Christchurch has got a budget that has blown out and that it might not go ahead and the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery said: “There is no blowout in the budget.” One of them is either mistaken or not telling the truth. They cannot both be right and it is really hard to figure out. I would be backing the Prime Minister on this particular point. There are a number of other issues—