Adams Paul: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Adams Paul: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:627;Page:22216] 
PAUL ADAMS (United Future) 
: 
 To build a prosperous nation first obviously we have to build prosperous people. As spokesperson on immigration for United Future I asked the library to look up some figures so that I could see exactly what has been going on in the people area over the past 6 years seeing as Vote Immigration is $160 million. 
In 1999 our estimated population was 3832900 people and by 2004 it had grown to 4054300 people which is an increase of 221400. Live births in the same period were 337641 and deaths were 165537 which brings an increase by natural births of 172104 people. It should be noted that those births were genuine Kiwi kids. Their parents would have come from a wide variety of countries and cultures—just as many of ours did—as we are a very multicultural nation. However those children were born New Zealanders. Natural births therefore accounted for over 75 percent of our population increase in that period. 
So what did we have to do to achieve over 6 years an increase of an additional 49296 people—an increase in reality of only 8216 per year? Despite all New Zealand First’s negative talk about immigration and the pressure it has caused on our infrastructure even New Zealand First will have difficulty arguing with the reality of those figures and our ability as a nation to handle that level of increase. Our infrastructure problems are obviously in part due to an expanding economy and growing tourism industry. Surely they are good challenges to work through but no the third tired old party wants to take New Zealand back to the Dark Ages and United Future says “No way!”. 
However those figures should certainly indicate to us that we do not have the formula right yet as we need to consider seriously the things we need to do better. Permanent long-term arrivals in that period were a massive 461210 people. Our permanent long-term departures were 294938. That is a difference of 166272 people in a 6-year period. From 166272 people how come we achieved a net gain of only 49296 which is a retention rate of only 30 percent? Are we becoming only a transfer station to other nations? What are we doing so wrong that people who wanted to make New Zealand their home are finding it impossible to do so and have to move on? They are questions the incoming Government should seriously address. 
In closing I note that we had an inflow of 461210 people to achieve that 49000 gain yet in the same period we aborted 112116 genuine New Zealand babies who would have become true New Zealanders. Yes future doctors carpenters dentists schoolteachers and union delegates to name a few die at the hand of the abortionists. If that number had even been halved our population increase would have been better than what we achieved over those 6 years. That is why United Future believes that a decrease in the number of abortions must be good for our families and good for our country. 
We are proud to grow our own meats and our own wines. We have discovered that what we can grow at home in New Zealand ends up being among the best in the world. Our children have been no exception. Many of the world’s greatest achievers—such as Michael Campbell whose success we have celebrated just tonight—have been New Zealanders. We need to realise this with our children who after all are the fruit of the womb. If we lift the rate of home-grown children we will find that many of our current challenges are a lot easier to handle. Therefore let us keep the issues the issue and not blame immigration for pressures that immigration in itself simply has not caused.