Bishop ChrisCHRIS BISHOP (National): Thank you Mr Speaker. How appropriate was it that Napoleon" himself—Michael Wood—led off the Labour Party's contribution to this general debate because it was the fable of the emperor's new clothes that Christopher Luxon the Leader of the Opposition started his speech about. Then we had the real emperor himself the self-appointed next leader of the Labour Party Michael Wood—"Napoleon" himself—getting up to make a pitiful contribution in the debate today.SPEAKER: Yeah I just remind the member to use proper names not made-up names.CHRIS BISHOP: Oh sorry Mr Speaker—very good point. This Government will go down in history as the most incompetent and wasteful in New Zealand history. It is unbelievable the increase in spending that they have overseen for so few results: $1 billion more per week compared to 2017—let's get that very clear; a billion dollars extra per week compared to 2017—massive increase in taxation $15000 more per household compared to 2017 through the inflation tax the inability to adjust the thresholds the tenant tax the car tax we've got a jobs tax coming down the line. So $15000 more and what have we accomplished for that as a country? On every metric whether it's the health system whether it's the education system whether it's the welfare system whether it's housing whether it's law and order—on every metric—things are worse now than they were five years ago.This is a Government that came to power promising to fix long-term problems. Jacinda Ardern swept up the country with her ambition and her good intentions and her rhetoric and her empathy and her kindness and her compassion. And here we stand today in 2022 with 30000 people waiting longer than four months for first specialist appointments in our health system—it was 1000 five years ago—30000 people. At a time of record low unemployment 50000 more people are on the jobseeker benefit—when unemployment is 3.2 percent. We stand here and the Government claims to have spent $1.9 billion on mental health—$1.9 billion. A lot of New Zealanders said "Fantastic." A lot of Kiwis said "Fantastic. We need to do something about mental health; it's a serious issue."—$1.9 billion and the Auditor-General the independent scrutineer of Government money doesn't know where the money's gone. He literally can't find where the money's gone and certainly can't see any increased results for it.The Prime Minister said they'd lift 100000 children out of poverty. There are more children now in poverty than there were five years ago. In no other area has the Government made more mistakes and failed so badly than in housing. People remember the 2017 election campaign. They remember the Prime Minister saying in August "I refuse to stand by while children are sleeping in cars." and quite rightly most New Zealanders said "You know what? That is a tragedy. Kids shouldn't sleep in cars." Here we are today in October 2022 and there are four times as many families living in cars than there were five years ago. There are four times as many families living in motels. The Government spends a million dollars a day housing people in motels. I remember Phil Twyford on his high horse in this House saying $90000's too much—[Interruption] $90000's too much—and he's right; $90000 is too much. I'll tell you what's 10 times more than $90000: that's a million dollars. The list MP based in Auckland Central Helen White complains and moans over there but I just think it speaks to the poverty of ambition.Helen White: No I was just laughing at you.CHRIS BISHOP: Oh she's laughing—she's laughing. Righty-o. She's laughing at kids in cars. She's laughing at kids living in motels. She's laughing at the—[Interruption] It's not funny. It's actually not amusing. It's an incredibly serious situation because I'll tell you what: the kids living in motels in Rotorua and in Wellington and in Tokoroa and Christchurch and all around the country those kids are the ram raiders of tomorrow. Their life chances are stuffed because of this Government's total inability to fix the housing market.This Government will go down as the most incompetent and wasteful at actually delivering outcomes for New Zealanders; the most incompetent and useless Government in New Zealand history. The good news is in a year or so's time Kiwis have got the chance to throw them out and vote for a better way and I believe they will."