Carter John: New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
Carter John: New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
[Volume:609;Page:6314] 
JOHN CARTER (NZ National—Northland) 
: I appreciate the opportunity to take a further call. I thank you for this call because I am getting more and more concerned about this issue. I am getting concerned because the Minister Lianne Dalziel sits in the chair. She has been discussing this matter with her officials for the last 30 to 35 minutes taking advice from the officials as to whether Neil McKay got a golden handshake and she will not take a call. Indeed what is really concerning me and will be concerning the listeners and the taxpayers of this country is that now she is sitting in the chair laughing and joking as though it does not matter as though it is not an issue of spending taxpayers’ money. 
I say to the Minister in the chair that this is a serious issue. People in this country should not be able to walk away with a whole bundle of taxpayers’ money just because the Government decides that they are not worth keeping in the job and the Government wants to get rid of them so it has to change the structure of the organisation and damn well pay them out. I say that that is not good enough. Indeed let me bring this to the Committee’s attention. The information brought to the Committee’s attention by my colleague Pansy Wong said: “We understand”—and we want confirmation of this—“that the chief executive was on a salary of $200000 to $210000.” 
John Key 
: What? 
JOHN CARTER 
: Hang on a minute. The latest information that has come to hand and we want the Minister in the chair to confirm this or indeed Jim Anderton to come to the Chamber and confirm it is that the salary the chief executive was on was not $200000 or $210000. It was somewhere between $230000 and $240000. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: A quarter of a million. 
JOHN CARTER 
: Yes a quarter of a million bucks! There are 2 years to run on the contract so what happens? “Oh no problem” says Jim Anderton “I’ll write you out a cheque for half a million dollars. See you later.” [ 
Interruption 
] No more than the Warehouse and a third of what the Government gave to EDS! There are two things that really worry me. Firstly the jolly Minister will not take a call and confirm or deny this. I want the Minister to stand up and deny it. I want to be able to tell the taxpayers of Northland: “Yep the Minister did it right; he came down to the Chamber and said: ‘No don’t worry about it John. You can go back up north and tell the folks up there that it’s not an issue.’ ” But not this useless Minister! He is a disgrace. The second thing that worries me is why is the Government bringing this bill into the House when this dude left the place 3 or 4 months ago? Why is there not something in the bill about him? [ 
Interruption 
] 
My colleague the Hon Tony Ryall raises a third matter. This is getting worse. It is like Sherlock Holmes. We are having to drag the thing out. We walk around the corner and there is another clue. I think if I looked over I would find something else that I want to raise. What was it that the Hon Tony Ryall raised? 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: A personal grievance. 
JOHN CARTER 
: Can the Minister take a call and answer this question? Has Mr McKay lodged a personal grievance? Have we written him out a cheque for $500000 and he said that it is not enough but rushed away to the bank and banked the cheque? The Government then decided to bring in this bill and it does not cover that so he whacks in a personal grievance as well. How much will that cost taxpayers? 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I ask the member to come back to Part 3. 
JOHN CARTER 
: It is right in here—“Dissolution of former agencies”. There is a whole package—clause 82—it is very relevant. It should be covered under this bill. The Minister should be taking calls. The Government should be explaining it. It said there would be no golden handshakes. I can remember members on that side standing on platforms 4 years ago during the election campaign and saying: “Not us. We won’t let it happen under our regime.” Now when those members are questioned they are mute—absolutely silent. Surely one would think the Minister would want to take a call and say: “John Carter you’ve got it wrong. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Nothing’s happened. You can go back to your people in Northland and say ‘Don’t worry we’ve got it under control.’ ” There has not been a sausage. I ask the Minister in the chair Marian Hobbs whether she has an answer to that question. Not on your nelly!