Sio Hon Aupito WilliamHon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO (Minister for Pacific Peoples): Mr Speaker" I notice that your voice and authority are the same but you look different—you look younger! Mr Temporary Speaker thank you for this opportunity. I'd like to spend a bit of time talking about what's in the bill and why the bill is necessary but also talking a little bit about what the future of this work is about. Before doing so I note that Alastair Scott the previous speaker made reference to the Hon Shane Jones as the self-proclaimed champion of the regions. I do want to say that yes whenever Matua Shane makes reference to himself in that way there are looks on the other side of the House but I want to say that it works. I like it. I hold it up. Our communities like it because they see somebody in this House that's specifically focused on championing the needs of the regions. Now you've missed the opportunity that side of the House of identifying somebody on your side to be the champion of the regions. So now it is a real pleasure to acknowledge that the Hon Shane Jones is in fact the first citizen of the region the champion of the regions and the founder of the Provincial Growth Fund. But I also want to acknowledge this work here that he's introducing to this House the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission/Te Waihanga Bill. This is something that I think is a challenge to all of us here in this House to look to the future. If you look to the words "te waihanga" in Māori I'm advised it means "a cornerstone or to make create develop build construct generate." A cornerstone as some of us will understand is a key part of building solid foundations for the future. We all know that we need good roads. Roads are necessary to enable the delivery backwards and forwards of goods and services. We all know we need good water infrastructure. It's about lifting the well-being of our community and sometimes when you get out to the regions you can't help but ask yourself why it is that we have good drinking-water in some parts of New Zealand and in other parts not or in other parts they are relying on underground water or relying on rainwater. That's why sometimes we have the kinds of issues that we've had to deal with in some of the regions. But—Hon Jacqui Dean: Oh that's such a Wellington comment. Rainwater's good!Hon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO: No don't hush me on this one madam. I'm saying to this House that this is a critical bill if you're sincere about laying strong foundations for this country. We don't have a population policy. We have never considered that yet our population grows on a regular basis—2 percent generally—and that's not taking into consideration those people who come in and out of our country and end up residing in Aotearoa New Zealand. It's not just the roads and it's not just water; there's a host of other infrastructures that are necessary to ensuring that at the end of the day the laws that we pass here and the work that's been delivered by our public sector actually delivers for the people and actually lifts the well-being of people. So it is a visionary work and I note that the problems in the past and that's largely because of our democratic system—the three-year term means that often parties in this House are short-sighted in the things that they pick up and run with. We all know that it takes nine years for one party in Government to set things up and then sometimes they get things wrong and then it takes another term for the next Government to come along to try and fix what they've inherited. We might end up playing continually the political game in here but at the end of the day the people who suffer are the people that we are supposedly here representing. Again I'm emphasising why this bill is important and the need to look long term the need to look to the future. Look the advice I've received is that we've got an infrastructure deficit. It says successive Governments—I'm not necessarily pointing the finger at that lot for the last nine years; it says "successive Governments"—have failed to plan for a long-term agenda. So I suspect every MP in this House will have examples of the specific infrastructure that their communities might need. Long-term infrastructure particularly the kind of infrastructure that benefits present and future generations requires significant investment. It also requires us to debate issues about who pays for that and how much we end up paying for that infrastructure. Mr Jones was able to secure $42 billion out of last year's Budget to start and begin this work over a four-year period. Now I would say that that's a small amount of money because in actual fact when you set up the commission—when you set up the commission—Hon Member: I thought it was only $3 billion.Hon Alfred Ngaro: $42 billion!Hon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO: Maybe I got it wrong. Hon Shane Jones: No no he's right: $42 billion over 10 years.Hon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO: Over 10 years—$42 billion over 10 years. The reality is we're talking about infrastructure that at the end of the day delivers services that will ensure the people that we represent are served appropriately and receive the kinds of services that modern economies should be able to receive. Now I've only talked about roading and water but there are other infrastructures that require significant investment. For example some in this House believe that everybody has access to the internet but I know there are a number of communities including out in the regions that still do not have easy access to the internet. In this day and age you would think everybody in New Zealand has access to internet. So this is an important work. That's all I'm emphasising. It's an important work that does require a united position by this House because if it isn't united then once we're out of office in 18 years that lot will come in and try to change it in 18 years.Hon Member: Don't be so modest.Hon Kris Faafoi: OK 21.Hon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO: OK 21 then. I note that this commission needs to be independent. Yes it needs to be independent because it needs to have a long-term focus and our democratic system only allows us to look at three years ahead. But this is visionary stuff and I would have to say with modesty that this is again a demonstration of the leadership the vision of this Government because—Jonathan Young: Come on!Hon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO: Absolutely absolutely. It requires vision to come up with these kinds of ideas OK? So I have no hesitation to commend this bill to the House and invite the general public to make sure they have an opportunity to submit to this bill at the select committee stage."