Lotu-Iiga Sam: Debate on Prime Minister’s StatementText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLotu-Iiga Sam: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement[Sitting date: 10 February 2016. Volume:711;Page:8854. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA (Minister of Local Government): Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker and happy New Year to you and to all our colleagues across the Chamber. It is the first week back in Parliament in 2016. Xin nian kuai le. Hou nian da ji. It is Chinese New Year—the last couple of days have turned over the Chinese New Year—and tonight we celebrate that in Parliament with a function here which I will be hosting.It is a new year and it is another year in which this Government—this John Key - led National Government—continues to focus on the issues and the matters that are important to all New Zealanders. It was interesting to hear the speaker who just sat down Ms King talk about the Kiwi Dream and talk about what is important to New Zealanders around education. What is important is education and jobs and she referred to jobs. That is why this trade agreement the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement is such an important agreement to get signed and get implemented because we know that free trade with our partners across the globe helps to eliminate poverty. It helps to raise living standards it helps to employ people it helps to put clothes on children’s backs and food on the table and it helps to look after our families our communities and ultimately this country.What does it mean? Well let us talk about the figures. In 2030 it will be approximately $2.7 billion per year. It involves 12 countries—12 countries where there are over 800 million potential customers whom we will be able to sell our goods and services to. I find it rich that a party that used to support free trade a party that used to support enterprise and endeavour is now railing against jobs railing against economic development and railing against the types of benefits and jobs that it used to promote.Dr David Clark: Job losses.Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: I think—David Clark—that shows a lack of leadership and a lack of vision and certainly it shows division amongst our opponents.How do I know this? Visiting local businesses—and I visited a business with the Prime Minister. It is a dried meat products company. There they were talking about how increased trade with China had led to more jobs within that company. They were talking about overtime for the workers not just after hours but on weekends. They were talking about production runs that were looking to expand over time. They were talking about how this company which is based in Māngere could provide further opportunities for family members friends and others who were prepared to apply for jobs within that company. That came about only because of the free-trade agreement with China.We have heard members opposite talk about the loss of sovereignty. Well they know and we know and the New Zealand public know that the shared nature of free-trade agreements provides for some loss in sovereignty. You give up something in order to gain something else. These agreements by their nature—even the one that was signed under the Labour Government the Chinese free-trade agreement—have a loss in sovereignty. I do not get the argument that now 8 years later this has suddenly changed.The second point that was raised by members opposite was around the lack of consultation. Well these things we know are not done in the public gaze. There is an opportunity through the select committee process for the public to have a say in these matters—Dr David Clark: After it’s been signed.Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: —well after it has been signed but they have a say in these matters—and you do not do negotiation in the public sphere. We all know that if we did that we would not have a negotiation we would not have an agreement and we would have bickering amongst those members to that agreement. All I would say is that the proof is in the pudding on this trade agreement.All I will say is that in 2008 our two-way trade with China was less than $9 billion. Today it is over $20 billion. China is our largest trading partner. We have over 30000—Dr David Clark: “Thank you Labour.”Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: Yes thank you Labour. I will acknowledge it—thank you Labour. But I would not thank Labour for depriving this country of a similar trade deal with 11 other countries with over 800 million customers. I would not thank Labour for that Mr Clark. We are talking about 30000 students who come here every year to get their education. We are talking about 355000 tourists—and growing—who come here and spend money in the New Zealand economy expanding our tourism industry and most important expanding the job base in this country.I just have one more example to add to what trade agreements give us. In my own electorate Maungakiekie locally in Mount Wellington there is a company called Waste Management. It took a $900 million investment from Beijing Capital that led to over 400 additional jobs—400 additional jobs—for local people for New Zealanders where 400 families could be provided for. I challenge members opposite to argue against that and to say to those 400 extra workers that they cannot be provided for. Silence—that is all I hear from David Clark. Silence.Jobs are important and last week we heard the jobs figures—5.3 percent unemployment which we are all proud of. Even the Labour Party is proud of our record on unemployment. But what I was particularly proud of were the figures around Pacific employment. Over 130700 Pacific people are now fully employed in this country—130700 Pacific people employed in this country. Why is that important? That is the most Pacific people to be employed in this country in our history.Carmel Sepuloni: What’s our unemployment rate Sam? It’s about 13 percent isn’t it? Thirteen percent of Pacific unemployed.Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: Even Carmel Sepuloni likes it. Well thank you Carmel Sepuloni. We appreciate your support for those figures. What that shows is that in the last year 14500 extra Pacific people are now employed. She likes that. She has an angry face but she still likes the fact that all those people are employed.It goes alongside our education figures for Pacific people. Early childhood education rates are well over 90 percent and it starts in the home. It starts at early childhood and goes right through the education system. Annette King asked why it is important and these are the facts—these are the figures that show this National Government is good for all New Zealanders. But I am particularly interested as the Minister for Pacific Peoples to show that the record has actually improved the well-being and the welfare of Pacific people in this country. That is a record that we stand proud of every day. What does it mean? The National Certification of Educational Achievement (NCEA) level 2 rates—not just early childhood education but the NCEA level 2 rates—have gone up 46 percent since National took power. That is over 5000 Pacific people who now get NCEA level 2 or above every year.This year my focus is not just on ethnic communities and Pacific peoples. As the Minister of Local Government I am looking to improve local services and improve the provision of local services by local government. I will work alongside local government the mayors and the councils with some reforms that will allow them and enable them to better utilise local government assets in order to provide better infrastructure especially around water around transport and around the provision of utilities. I will be working alongside them to better monitor their performance to see what works in various local government bodies and what does not work. We know that there is some really good work being done in local government but we also know that with a little bit of tinkering and a little bit of tweaking of local government we can get it working better.I think we are all in agreement that ratepayers demand services that are effective and efficient but also quality services that they can use and they can utilise. I will be working alongside those councils and Local Government New Zealand to improve those services. What does it mean? It terms of infrastructure it is over $110 billion over the next 10 years between central government and local government for the provision of infrastructure that will support jobs. So what does that mean? It means broadband outlay. It means bridges roads and various other infrastructure projects. I am particularly proud that the Prime Minister announced 2 weeks ago the $1.25 billion project in the East-West Link which is in my electorate in Maungakiekie.So this is a Government that is moving forward. This is a Government that—