Jones Shane: Taxation (Personal Tax Cuts Annual Rates and Remedial Matters) Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee 
Jones Shane: Taxation (Personal Tax Cuts Annual Rates and Remedial Matters) Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee 
[Volume:647;Page:16278] 
Hon SHANE JONES (Minister for Building and Construction) 
: 
 Kia ora anotatou Mr Assistant Speaker. In contrast to what we have just heard let me issue a mihi of best birthday health to you as you sit in the adversity of silliness rudeness boredom and frustration coming from the other side of the House. 
There is constant carping from my whanaunga Tau Henare who is a variant of the prodigal son. He is too ashamed to go back to his real home in New Zealand First and he is too ashamed to go back to “Matua Winston”. I am actually glad that the Maori wardens are getting a new grant because if there is anyone in this House in need of the protection of the Maori wardens it is that whanaunga of ours Tau Henare. Every time he opens his mouth he demonstrates that his rhetoric is inversely related to his intellect. Engari kei te pai Tau tena koe. 
Now with $10.6 billion and despite the best efforts from members on the Opposition side of the House the grand old man of Parliament the greatest Minister of Finance we have had for many a year has delivered the goods. Today he stripped John Key of anything worthwhile to say. In fact a number of people who sat in the gallery today commented on what a contrast John Key represented compared with Dr Cullen. 
Chris Auchinvole 
: Too right he did! It was an excellent contrast. 
Hon SHANE JONES 
: OK we hear from the man dreamt up by Kenneth Grahame in  
The Wind in the Willows 
—Chris Auchinvole. If he is not reflecting the mannerisms of the toad he reminds us of the relevance of the mole in  
The Wind in the Willows 
 so we will put him back to sleep. We heard a brilliant contribution from Dr Cullen today. 
What was it that John Key did not like? He disliked the fact that he has had both his ideas and his own ballast stripped from him. He was reduced to talking about electoral finance and treating the debate as if it were just another ordinary general debate. His speech lacked content and contained no vision no ideas and no grand narrative as to where he as potentially the next Prime Minister would take the country. He showed that he has no intellectual home. In fact he is of no fixed abode intellectually. He will catch any tide and paddle his waka in any direction where he thinks he can capture lazy votes. 
But voters will not be fooled. New Zealanders heard today that firstly there will be tax cuts. They will be beyond the $1.5 billion of tax cuts that we have delivered through business. They will be in excess of the $1 billion in terms of the Inland Revenue Department tax subsidy for savers. They will be beyond the $1.67 billion in rough terms in respect of our family tax and child tax policy. Cuts will be $10.6 billion with the lowest personal tax rate down to 12.5 percent. The only way that John Key can match that Tau is by doing one of three things. He can sell assets— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Order! 
Hon SHANE JONES 
: —Mr Henare; I apologise Mr Assistant Speaker. But I must say to you Mr Assistant Speaker that the word “Tau” is spelt t a u and I ask you to please consult a Maori dictionary as to what it means when it is delivered in that fashion. It refers to a part of the anatomy that it would be too impolite for me to— 
Hon Tau Henare 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I have a reasonably thick hide and I can usually— 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: Point of order— 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Hang on it is a point of order. Goodness gracious me! 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: The Minister will please be seated. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: I can usually take the barbs but I take great offence at anybody pouring scorn on my great-grandfather’s name and using that name in the way in which my whanaunga from the north Shane Jones has. I ask for him to withdraw and apologise not to me but to my great-grandfather. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I refer the Minister to Standing Order 116 “Personal reflections”. He will withdraw and apologise. 
Hon SHANE JONES 
: I apologise for and withdraw any offence caused. 
We have heard from Nathan Guy who showed what happens to the farming community when there is a shortage of veterinarians. Farmers get too close to the rear end of a cow and they end up resembling the habits of the senior National whip. 
However I come back to the economic transformation brought about by nigh on $1 billion. It is regrettable that I should remind Dr Lockwood Smith that occasionally when I encounter many of our people in Northland they are wont to refer to him as the Vince Martin of the National Party. He has that reputation. 
Hon Parekura Horomia 
: He’s a bull breeder. 
Hon SHANE JONES 
: I know that he is a bull breeder and that the word “bull” can be construed in a multiple number of ways but on occasions he is said to give added meaning to the term “retread”. 
However let me come back to my contribution—an economic transformation and $700 million: I tell Dr Smith that that is where we will get our productivity. That is what comes through clever financial stewardship whereby we are able to offer relief to taxpayers and put investments deep in the well and reservoir of human capital through the entire scientific and technological infrastructure area. 
Let us not forget about community organisations. Of course Mr Clarkson’s conception of the facts about community organisations makes them an enemy of the truth so the less we hear from him the better. There is $400 million - odd to enhance the ability of community organisations to deal firstly with families and secondly with youth sport and culture which is something that was completely stripped under the ideas of our friends in the Opposition. 
Let us refer to the purchase of railways. Despite the idle gossip from Mr Key the purchase of the railways has been widely accepted by people and there will be another smile. It will not be the cheesy grin that we see from Mr Key when he talks about railway costings. Railways is a winner; people do not want to see our roads constantly clogged up. People are happy that the railways will be run professionally and will serve a public good. People are also happy that coastal freighters will be bobbing around the coastline moving very efficiently and enhancing productivity in the goods and services of the country. 
In addition to that of course we are throwing in a fishing line. I must not miss this opportunity to mihi to Mr Anderton for turning down the application for a marine reserve at Great Barrier Island. The man has started to redeem himself in the eyes of Ngati Wai. Of course that may relate to the fact that Ngati Wai is in charge of the party that Tau Henare refuses to go back to—kei te pai he take anotera. Once again it is a further variation on the very sad story of the prodigal son. 
Productivity has been raised by $700 million and the only way in which the tax cuts can be bettered is through profligacy the sale of assets or the stripping of public services so I say “Bring on the campaign.” What exactly is John Key proposing to do? Does he propose to strip money from the social welfare budget or the health budget or to privatise schools through some sort of voucher system? No all we can see and hear are insults in the face of a great Budget. Kia ora tatou katoa.