Goldsmith PaulHon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National): Thank you Mr Chair. It's my pleasure to take a call as we look at the arts culture and heritage Estimates for this Budget. Now they came in with a hiss and a roar with Jacinda Ardern as Prime Minister and Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage and we had high expectations that she would channel vast resources into this area. It turns out that the primary investment in this area in the Budget is an extra $25 million for the bureaucrats at the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. So that's how they see things: a bit more money for the ministry in order to do their work in Wellington but not much in terms of the broader arts community which in many ways continues to struggle.The National Party has been a strong strong defender of arts culture and heritage in this country. It was the National Party that brought about many of the great cultural institutions over the decades; I think of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and many others. Primarily I see the role of Government as being about improving the living standards of New Zealanders. That's why we focus so heavily on the economy and producing jobs and growth for New Zealanders. But an equally important part of what Government is about in my view is preserving and enhancing what is special about this country—about New Zealand—that we're all so lucky to be born into and to share.People often think of the quality of our environment as something special to be preserved and indeed it is. I also think the traditions that we have around low corruption and the rule of law and high trust in our society are equally important things that we should preserve. We were talking to that—about the Auditor-General—this morning in our select committee. But also I think one of those most precious things is the unique cultural and historical and artistic body of work and communities that we've built up in this country. In this remote part of the world we have developed our own artistic traditions whether it's in poetry with James K Baxter or in the arts—in so many areas: in music and in film. All these areas are something that we should be very proud of and are proud of. It's important that we continue to make an investment in the arts and that we see that we get good results from it.But it is worth pointing out of course that many of the areas of the arts are in themselves successful business areas that create real wealth for New Zealand. I had a lot to do with them as Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs in the intellectual property area dealing with WeCreate and that organisation is trying to build up New Zealanders' understanding of the importance of intellectual property and the impact that it has—the way that those groups whether it's in film or gaming or design as well as the many musicians that we have exporting all around the world are successful in how they're doing it. What an important part of the economy the creative sector is.I suppose the only point is that they like everybody else are affected by the very great uncertainty that this Government is bringing into the operation of the New Zealand economy. Certainly there is so much uncertainty around basic tax policy around industrial relations and I'm worried about the impact that that will have in the industrial relations setting particularly in some of the film opportunities coming up for New Zealand. I'm worried about immigration and the sheer difficulty of getting access to workers in so many areas and I think of the fashion industry at the moment which is going so well in so many areas but is still struggling to find workers.What they've done in foreign investment is basically tell foreigners to clear off and that they're not welcome. I think of the contribution of some people who have come to New Zealand—I think of Julian Robertson for example; he came from the US bought land in New Zealand and made a massive contribution to the arts in New Zealand particularly by bequeathing a number of wonderful Picassos to the Auckland Art Gallery. Those sorts of people are being told to shove off—We don't want you coming to New Zealand."—and it's a very negative message and one that I think this Government should reconsider because it has large flow-on effects right throughout the community.Mentioning the Auckland Art Gallery I would have thought that institution which is being starved by Mayor Phil Goff and the Auckland Council and is a jewel in the crown of the New Zealand arts community is something that this Government would do well to support better. Thank you very much."