Whaitiri Meka: Budget DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeWhaitiri Meka: Budget Debate[Sitting date: 02 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4187. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MEKA WHAITIRI (Labour—Ikaroa-Rāwhiti):Tēnā koe Mr Deputy Speaker. Tēnā tātou katoa. Before I make my contribution can I first extend my congratulations to the new co-leader of the Green Party Mr James Shaw. Congratulations I look forward to your contribution in this House.I am happy to take a call on the Appropriation (2015/16 Estimates) Bill. I have been listening since the Budget was announced last week and all through the debate listening attentively for some offerings that I as a representative of Ikaroa-Rāwhiti can honestly say will make a difference in my electorate. I also say as a former senior public servant and a chief executive of the third-largest iwi that long-term and medium-term planning is critical. I was also listening for the plan—the big plan—that is going to take this nation forward. I was disappointed on both accounts that there was nothing in the Budget that could address the pressing issues of the people of Ikaroa-Rāwhiti which I will touch on shortly—namely housing and employment.Listening to the contributions from members on all sides of the House I think that this Budget is clever politics. It has no plan to address the long-term challenges facing New Zealand and it is a Budget of squandered opportunities. When Labour becomes Government in 2017 we are going to invest in diversifying the economy and prepare for the future. We are going to ensure that the gains of economic growth are shared among all New Zealanders and not just with the few.Scott Simpson: Who will be leader?MEKA WHAITIRI: Do not you worry; you will be surprised. Much has been said about the Labour Party’s inability to manage the economy. I have heard speakers on the Government side talk about celebrating that this is the seventh Budget delivered by the Minister of Finance the Hon Bill English and they are very happy about that. But my issue is this: how can you be happy with a Budget that continuously gives deficit announcements in this House? You cannot be proud to say that you want to belong to a party that has not delivered an ounce of surplus in the Budget in this House.We on this side as has been heard by previous speakers have delivered—how many people? Nine surplus Budgets—nine surplus Budgets—in this House and yet we hear members on that side of the House talk about Labour’s history of poor management. But bring on one surplus—just bring on one—and then we may have a debate around whether we are even in the same ballpark. But 9-0 as a former sporting person is a loser in my part.Let us turn to the Budget. We on this side commend the $25 extra payment for working families. Clearly—as commentators have announced since the Budget was announced—that is equivalent probably to two extra meals in the House per week. But we applaud the Government’s move in that way. When Labour is in Government we are going to raise it to $60 per week but you know we will work with $25.This Budget also fails to deliver on housing. Releasing Crown land for housing is a no-brainer but the Government cannot tell us how many houses will be built or whether any will actually be affordable. The Government must commit to all of the houses being affordable and the best that Mr Nick Smith can offer is that they will be affordable for someone.Cutting KiwiSaver demonstrates the short-term thinking of this National-led Government which I alluded to earlier. This move will hurt our national savings rate and reduce future investment in our productive Kiwi businesses.Surplus—the Government broke its promises for surplus despite making it its No. 1 election campaign promise last year. Its promise of a surplus next year based on rising dairy prices is fiction. Not reaching surplus means not paying back any of the $88 million—I say that again $88 million—of debt we currently have. A $7 billion hole was caused by a drop in dairy prices and the Government has failed to react and diversify the economy. It is out of ideas clearly.The $30 billion looming superannuation cost—the Government has not addressed this issue either. It is irresponsible short-term thinking. Labour has a strong record in pre-funding the cost of superannuation through the New Zealand Superannuation Fund and in ensuring Kiwis have a retirement nest egg with KiwiSaver.In terms of the issues that I mentioned I would raise in this House around the benefits or the not-so-benefits for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti can I mention that in Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay turning to the issue of housing there is no emergency housing available in Napier or Hastings despite being the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the country—zip zero not one emergency house in Napier or Hastings. There is no emergency housing available in Gisborne despite increasing inquiries to the Gisborne Citizens Advice Bureau. The nearest emergency housing to Napier is in Palmerston North 2½ hours away. It is approximately a 5-hour drive if you live in Gisborne.Homelessness is up in Ikaroa-Rāwhiti. We are probably at about 15 people but those are just the people who come down to us. Kiri Swindell from Napier’s soup kitchen was reported as saying in Hawke’s Bay Today on 22 May 2015: “This shortage of emergency housing is putting pressure on council and State social housing which in turn sends more people to the private rental market and pushes up rents for everybody.” The situation in Hawke’s Bay reflects the sad state of affairs across the country. Provision of emergency housing is random patchy and far below what is needed. National’s State house sell-off which is already under way with large numbers of State houses being sold off locally will only make matters worse and asking about how many are being sold in my electorate is like trying to get blood from a stone.Labour believes that the level of homelessness we are seeing now is unacceptable in New Zealand in the 21st century. Our policy when we are in Government in 2017 is to commit $5 million-plus a year housing from Housing New Zealand to house 1000 homeless families and individuals per year in support of emergency housing. People who are homeless will be housed. The funding will be used to pay social service NGOs and to provide wraparound services to help homeless people get their lives back on track and then find sustainable long-term housing. We will also undertake a ministerial commission working with the community to develop a New Zealand strategy to eliminate homelessness. [Bell rung]Those 8 minutes have gone way too fast but I do want to acknowledge the Minister for Māori Development the Māori Party co-leader when he spoke in the House in his speech about being happy to deliver goodies to the people of New Zealand. I want to commend the Hon Te Ururoa Flavell for the work that he has done in securing the budget he has for our people but I would not call them “goodies”. It is giving on one hand and it is definitely taking on the other hand.Under Labour you will see a return to surplus Budgets. Under Labour we will fix New Zealand’s housing through KiwiBuild. We will invest in our regions to grow real jobs and we will restore the impartiality of the public service. We will also invest in and value our NGOs and communities to deliver fairer and more detailed social services. Kia ora.