Maharey Steve: Adjournment 
Maharey Steve: Adjournment 
[Volume:627;Page:22381] 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 For those many millions of New Zealanders who are at home now with their ear glued to their radio listening to the end of Parliament—as New Zealanders so often do; they want to tune in to hear the best of speakers in this nation—that was the once great Gerry Brownlee. I noticed the other day that the newspaper said: “Where was Gerry Brownlee? Where has he gone? That great voice from the south has been silenced by so many things that have gone wrong. He must be marginalised.” I think he has been and that performance tonight seemed to me to be a defeatist speech. That is what came through. 
I am delighted to take part in this speech at the end of this Parliament. It is great to be here with the House packed the galleries overflowing and people tuned in all over the country to listen to this speech. It is one of those rare opportunities to speak to one of those mega audiences that of course we want to speak to during the election campaign. 
Before I begin my substantive comments I thank you Madam Speaker. You have been the best looking Speaker in that Chair for a very long time. I think you have controlled this House with real style since you have been in that particular Chair. 
 I say to all my colleagues in the House who are about to campaign that I wish them well and I mean that genuinely. We as New Zealanders are about to go back to the hustings to do something that in many countries simply could not happen which is to put before people what we think is the best way forward for them their families their communities their businesses and their country. We will do that within a democratic framework and the people will choose. We enjoy that very very important right and we should go out and do our best for the people of the country. 
On behalf of everyone on this side of the House I thank those members who will not be returning—some of whom have already given their valedictory speeches—for the service they have provided to the House. I know from the many people who have left the House over the years that whether or not one disagrees with them they all came here honestly to do their best and that is a very very important thing for us to acknowledge. 
As many people have said there are 46 days or so to go before we go to the polls and as Donald Brash has said this evening it is a real choice. It is a real choice this time. There is a choice out there for people to say whether they want to carry on with policies that for 6 years have made a real difference to their lives or whether they want to take a radical departure from that pathway and go off in a different direction. I emphasise that. This is not a choice about fine-tuning or about personnel; this is as Dr Brash has so rightly said a fundamental philosophical choice between a party that wants to slash taxes—and by doing so set the scene for slashing services that people rely on for health education roading and all of the things that we feel are precious in this country—versus what we believe on this side of the House which is that every single New Zealander needs the opportunity to do the best with his or her life. People can do that only if the foundation is laid by proper investment made by a sensible wise astute Government which is what we have tried to be. 
People on the other side of the House say they have an agenda but it is a gone-by-lunchtime agenda. Over the years Mr Brash has revealed an agenda to people around the country through his speeches comments and so on that he does not want to reveal now. He would have sent to troops to Iraq. That is what he said. He said he would not have nuclear ships in our harbours—oh he would have nuclear ships in our harbours. He is someone who does not believe in 4 weeks’ holiday for hard-working New Zealanders. That will be gone by lunchtime—and lunchtime will be gone by lunchtime as people say. What about the minimum wage—does he believe in that? It will be gone by lunchtime. Does he believe in public schooling? It will be gone by lunchtime. Does he believe in free health-care for New Zealanders? Does he believe in public investment in hospitals? They will be gone by lunchtime. That is the agenda for the National Party. That is what Donald Brash stands for. 
Don Brash does not stand for the kinds of advances made in a civilised progressive society. He believes that all of that should be swept away. It is the last gasp for the people who tried so hard to capture New Zealand for the private large international business interests that had tried through the 1980s and 1990s to capture Governments and to drive that agenda. They could not do it with Bill English because he was more like us than the National Party is today but they can do it with Donald Brash. Donald Brash believes the country should be made fit for the few. He does not believe that it should be made fit for the majority. He is prepared to deliver those people that agenda. That is what he is coming back for. That is why he is coy about his agenda—he knows that the majority would never vote for that agenda. The thing that will make the difference here of course is that New Zealanders will not vote for him. 
I say sorry to Mr Brownlee but he is wrong. It is wishful thinking. The National Party is not in the frame unless it is being framed to be put above the mantelpiece along with the other beheaded chooks that have been put up there over the years. It is not going to happen and this is why: every single member in this House will go back to an electorate where things have never been so good. That is why. Do people remember what Franklin D Roosevelt said to the American people? He said: “I want to ask one simple question. Are you better off after this Government’s term?”. Is there any electorate in this country where the halls will not be full of people who will say: “Frankly I am better off after 6 years of a Labour-led Government. Frankly my business is better my family is stronger the schools are better my roads are being built.”? 
We should just flick around the electorates. Let us take the example of youth unemployment in Rick Barker’s electorate. There were 10 unemployed people who were categorised as youth; there is one now. Nine of them are back in work he tells me. Ann Hartley tells me that investment in schools has transformed her electorate. Mr Goff tells me that he has never had so many new school facilities. Clayton Cosgrove tells me that $12 million is being spent on a bridge that he was waiting for under the National Government. Mr Hughes tell me that $14 million is being spent on the health system in his electorate. Mr Burton tells me that tomorrow he will announce a major regional tourism initiative worth $2 million. He has presided over more tourism in this country than ever in our history—2.3 million tourists are coming through under his watch. Mrs Hobbs tells me she has investment for her creative dance school. In the Manawatu there were 500 more businesses in the last 6 years—500—and 6900 more people are working. Taito Phillip Field tells me that Pacific Island unemployment has fallen by 52 percent in the last 2 years. Mr Damien O’Connor of the West Coast tells me that the rates rebate scheme has gone down fabulously with the old people of his area. In Auckland Judith Tizard tells me that people can hardly move for the investment in roads. Dover Samuels tells me that people in his electorate never thought they would see 1 percent to 5 percent unemployment again. In Auckland we have built over 4000 houses and in the Waikato we can see the new public investment in the incubator that is taking ideas and turning them into commercial realities. The list goes on and on. 
Do people know what eats up the National members? It is that unfortunately for them it is their story too. Simon Power has to go home and tell people to thank the Government for the new runway at Ohakea. He has to go home and say that $300 million has been invested in the Rangitikei area because the Government rebuilt the place after the floods. He has to go to EziBuy and watch one of the biggest pours of concrete put into a major business in his electorate. 
Who does Simon Power have to thank for that? Well for the last 6 years he has virtually been a Labour MP at home because he has so many things to open and so many things that he is pleased about. There are so many things he has had to congratulate people on. People have said to me: “That lovely young Simon Power what a great Labour MP he is!”. They tell me he is a fabulous young man and I have to say I have not disabused them. I have said that I think he is a fabulous Labour MP too—he is so positive all the time around his electorate. That is the truth of the matter. 
I say again to Mr Brownlee that I am sorry for him but he and everybody in this House has to go back to tell that story during the election campaign. National members can whinge whine moan and groan but in the end people are better off after 6 years of this Government. They will vote Labour.