Hipkins Chris: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHipkins Chris: KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3835. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]CHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka):I am very pleased to speak to the amendment to clause 2 of the KiwiSaver Budget Measures Bill that I have put forward which would move the commencement date of the main part of this legislation from 21 May 2015—Budget day—through to 21 June 2015. It would give people who have not had the opportunity to take up the kick-start just over a month to do so.In speaking to this amendment I want to particularly address my comments to the five new National members on the other side of the House. Those five National members all campaigned under the same slogan which was that they promised to be “the strong voice for [insert electorate name here] in John Key’s National Government”. They had advertisements up and down the country and on their cars campaigning.Chris Bishop: And a fresh face.CHRIS HIPKINS: Chris Bishop has still got one in the basement with the slogan on it. It sits in the basement now because he has given up. The slogan was to be “a strong voice in John Key’s National Government”. Well let us hear it. Let us hear that strong voice. Let us hear them stand up and say why they think that the Kiwis who have not yet signed up to KiwiSaver should not get the $1000 kick-start. Let us hear them stand up and explain why this legislation needs to be retrospectively backdated to stop Kiwis who have not signed up from being able to get the $1000 kick-start.The amendment that I have put forward would give them a month to do so and if the Government thinks that this is an unfair advantage then say so. Let us hear it. Let us hear those members say it because let us actually think about the practical implications of this. If somebody on Thursday—it is still Thursday in the House today according to the rules of the House. So if somebody today under the rules of the House—which was actually Thursday in the real world—went out in their lunch break and signed up for KiwiSaver at 1.30 p.m. then they would get $1000 for doing so. But if somebody signed up right now before this bill has even finished its passage through the House they would not get that $1000. We are talking about a matter of an hour. How is that fair? I am happy to hear from anyone from the Government about how they think that is fair. It is not—it is not. If the Government really believed in this change and it really thought that this was necessary it would at least give the New Zealanders who have not had the chance to sign up the opportunity to do so.Here is another example and another reason why Kiwis should be given extra time to take up the measure and why my amendment is well and truly justified. If a child is born into a family earning a middle or higher income or has been born in that family in say the last 6 months to a year and their parents took up the opportunity to sign them up to KiwiSaver then they are going to get the $1000. On the other hand somebody who has been working their way up in a minimum wage job to get themselves to the point—and they may have just got to that point around about now—where they can finally afford to sign up to KiwiSaver is not going to get it.This reinforces inequality in the system. It says to somebody that if they have had the good fortune in the last few years to have been born into a family who could afford to sign them up to KiwiSaver right when they were born they are going to get an advantage. Compare that with someone who is working really hard and is potentially at the point now where they can finally sign up to KiwiSaver; they could have been working towards it. They are not going to get the $1000 kick-start that somebody who has had the good fortune to be born into a family who could afford it is going to get. That is unfair. So why not give those people who are on low incomes who have been delaying signing up into KiwiSaver until they were in a financial position to do so—why not give them a month?David Bennett: What about the next generation of low-income earners? What a stupid speech.CHRIS HIPKINS: Why not just give them a year to actually see whether they can make it across that hurdle? Why not be fair? David Bennett says it is not fair. David Bennett is about the only member on that side of the House whom I am willing to hear criticism from on KiwiSaver because he is one of the only people on the other side of the House who has not actually signed up to KiwiSaver. As my colleague Kris Faafoi pointed out he is either very principled or very stupid—probably the latter. But—David Bennett: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. From an inane member like that I am not accepting that comment—The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): Order! The member will sit down. First of all the member is going to withdraw and apologise for being disorderly during his point of order. When he has done that he will have one chance to raise a proper point of order.David Bennett: No it’s OK.The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): Well you are going to withdraw and apologise anyway.David Bennett: I withdraw and apologise but I ask that member to withdraw and apologise as well.The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): You have now got your last chance if you want to stay in the House to withdraw and apologise with nothing else.David Bennett: I withdraw and apologise.CHRIS HIPKINS: Thank you very much Mr Chair. I am happy to wrap up this contribution on my amendment although I might have a little bit more time to go but we will see how we go.I want to speak to another reason why this amendment that I have put forward should be adopted by the House. I want to say as matter of principle that I would rather David Clark’s amendment be passed. It pushes this commencement date out beyond the next election so that New Zealanders can actually have a say on it because this was not a change foreshadowed by National at the last election and New Zealanders should have the opportunity to vote on it. But if the Government is not of a mind to support that I hope that it will support my amendment. If the Government members were genuine in the contributions that they made—