Power Simon: General Debates 
Power Simon: General Debates 
[Volume:606;Page:3792] 
SIMON POWER (NZ National—Rangitikei) 
: 
 Having listened to the Hon Margaret Wilson speak for the last 5 minutes I have to say that I am still no clearer as to what the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi are and what the Government’s view is on the alleged fourth article. We continue to move along in the mist of illusions that this Minister throws around willy-nilly when she feels like it. She stood up and gave us what appeared to be a shortened sociology lecture on the movements of Governor Hobson. I am still unclear as to what the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi are. Perhaps she could take another call in order that we can have that issue clarified once and for all. 
Was it not interesting that last week we did not see Margaret Wilson at the Knowledge Wave 2003 conference? There was no sign of her. There was no sign of the Minister at all. She saw none of those people who are innovative risk-takers and who like to get out there and have challenges in the business world. She did not show. She was not interested one way or another. She is the arch-enemy of the knowledge wave in fact—like the lack of wind for the America’s Cup. Her mission since she came to Parliament in terms of her legislative agenda has been to stop innovation to stop risk and to stop investment. Every single anti-business piece of legislation that has come through this House since 1999 has come from that Minister’s office. 
My colleague Katherine Rich so often refers to the knowledge wave as the “knowledge ripple” and what a ripple it was on the Government’s agenda! The Government packed a sad this time. This time the Government packed a sad at the Knowledge Wave Conference. We saw only the Prime Minister and Ministers Mallard and Hodgson there. Whatever happened to that band of ministerial followers who used to troop around the Prime Minister wherever she went? Whatever happened to all those MPs who used to stand behind her wherever she walked? There was not a sign of any of them at the Knowledge Wave Conference. 
But I have to say that the high point for me at the conference—somewhat surprisingly actually—was the Prime Minister’s speech. I would like to explain to the House why that was so. Halfway through the Prime Minister’s speech she actually stopped. She physically stopped speaking and let out a loud audible sigh. She was bored with having to give the speech. She was bored with the content of the speech. She is bored with domestic politics in New Zealand. As one of the people sitting at my table said during that speech: “You think you’re bored giving it; you want to listen to it.” It was an absolute shocker. This Prime Minister is now more concerned about her role at the UN when she leaves this Parliament than she is about domestic politics in New Zealand. The Government simply did not get its agenda across at all at the Knowledge Wave Conference where those who are going to be the backbone and the future of this country were disagreeing with what the Government said. 
At the last knowledge wave conference Professor Michael Porter said that the Government in order to create an innovation-driven economy should not create policies that increase labour-market rigidity. Well that is what the Government has done. That is what the Employment Relations Act does. It increases labour-market rigidity. Professor Porter said that the Government should not weaken national education standards. Well the National Certificate of Educational Achievement has probably done that. He said that the Government should not create a Government-owned bank. Well too late. He said that the Government should not eliminate a private pension system and that there should not be any question at all about research and development incentives being made available. 
One thing that struck me was how annoyed the Government was at the Knowledge Wave Conference and how quickly it got annoyed. It was annoyed to the point where only Pete Hodgson bothered to turn up to the dinner. He was there on his own—no date no troupe of ministerial or parliamentary colleagues behind him. I say that it is great to see academics and business people in this country actually fronting up to this Government and telling it what it has to do to catch the knowledge wave. I say that it is great to see academics and business realising that all the soothing noises they have heard from the Prime Minister over the last 4 years are nothing more than an extension of the bored sigh she gave halfway through her own speech to the Knowledge Wave Conference. 
Mr Tamihere has swiped at Minister Maharey on welfare making his third way look decidedly impractical and ineffective. What a pleasure it was to hear some of the young leaders during the break telling me how bad the Prime Minister’s speech was! They told me how disappointed they were with her how uninterested she was in proceedings and how disempowered they felt.