Bakshi Kanwaljit Singh: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBakshi Kanwaljit Singh: General Debate[Sitting date: 30 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19679. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]KANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI (National):Thank you for the opportunity to speak and participate in the last general debate of this Parliament. I am proud to be part of this National-led Government which has turned round this economy.First of all I would like to make a correction. The announcement made by the Leader of the Opposition that people will have an extra $4000 in their pocket—I do not agree with him. If you calculate—Hon Annette King: Why not?KANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI: I will tell you. Listen to it.Hon Annette King: You want them to be poor?KANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI: Listen to it first. A $2 increase in pay for working 40 hours for 52 weeks calculates as being $4160 in total. If you deduct the tax from that you will get almost $3400. The public will get $3400 in their pocket not $4000. So every announcement that the Labour Party has made has to be read carefully because it has got loopholes in it.Apart from this I would like to—Hon Annette King: So when you talk about the average wage does it include tax or not?KANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI: But it is not in the pocket—it is not in the pocket. The Leader of the Opposition said you will have an extra $4000 in your pocket. This is not in your pocket.Hon Member: Lies.KANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI: Yes lies.The Government has worked hard more jobs have been created wages have grown and we have got the highest growth rate among the world’s developed economies. Our Better Public Services are supporting the most vulnerable. Export figures are higher and inflation is low. We are on track to surplus and fewer New Zealanders think that the brighter future is in Australia.Whether we arrive in waka or we arrive in modern-day jet planes to start afresh in a new place with little support in terms of family friends and networks it is not easy. However despite these and other hurdles many of us make a humble start. We learn and adapt to the New Zealand culture its food and its habits and that goes a long way. It is fair to say that New Zealand has enriched the lives of migrants and migrants have in return enriched New Zealand with their food colour and culture and have contributed to the development of the country not just economically but socially as well.Migrants’ children too adapt to the New Zealand education system and have been very successful in their academic achievements. Despite English not being their first language migrant children adapt in their attempts to progress and do as well as their Kiwi peers. Of course the role of parents in the success of their children is very crucial. Most migrants understand that to succeed in their adopted land their family must work hard and their children must attain a good level of education. That is why most of the migrants pay close attention to the education of their children and support their achievements. With support from their families many of the second-generation migrants are now seen in professional roles as chartered accountants doctors lawyers and architects.Continuing the theme of the achievement and the contributions of migrants to New Zealand and its economy recent statistics made available from Statistics New Zealand state that in 2004 the contribution made by the migrant people of Indian origin to the New Zealand economy was about $2.8 billion. By 2013 this had risen to $10 billion which equates to 4.8 percent of GDP. I think it is fair to say that we are contributing our fair share to the New Zealand culture socially culturally and economically.In recent times most of the New Zealand migrants have come from Asia. The migrant community in New Zealand no doubt plays a very active role in connecting their country of birth to their country of residence in developing trade and economic ties. The importance of the result of this unique relationship between one’s motherland—that is the land of birth—and the adopted motherland or the current place of residence is that the relationships are very vital in growing trade between Asia and New Zealand.