Ardern Shane: New Zealand Superannuation and Veterans’ Pensions (Entitlements of Spouses and Partners of People in  Long-term Residential Care and Remedial Matters) Bill — In Committee 
Ardern Shane: New Zealand Superannuation and Veterans’ Pensions (Entitlements of Spouses and Partners of People in  Long-term Residential Care and Remedial Matters) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:631;Page:3110] 
SHANE ARDERN (National—Taranaki-King Country) 
: 
 It is with pleasure that I rise to support Part 1. I say to my colleague over there Clayton Cosgrove who was kind enough to mention me on more than one occasion in his last speech that he should think about two things when he comes to this Chamber. The first is his predecessor in Waimakariri Mike Moore who I believe represented the true values of the Labour Party and cared for poor old people like those we are speaking of in this legislation. The second point that that member should remember and take on board is that it is no good standing up in this Chamber and running the 1999 campaign now. It is gone. Labour won in 1999 and it has had 6 years to fix up some of these problems. 
Tonight we are debating an issue that has been around since 2001 in fact. The original New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income Act was passed in 2001 and that is when this Government made a mistake. The question I put to Labour members and to the Minister in the chair David Benson-Pope is how that mistake happened. How did this inequity come about and why once the issue was raised did this Government take a minimum of 4 years—maybe longer—from the first time it was notified of this inequity to do something about it? Why has it taken the Government so long to come around to the conclusion that this needed to be fixed up? 
I will look at Part 1 because I know that the Chairperson is anxious that somebody does so at some stage during this debate and at the amendment put forward by my good colleague Nick Smith which was a result of the case of Stan Page in Hope Nelson—not Hope Arkansas which is where President Bill Clinton is from. I know that Labour members have a fixation on anything that comes out of the United States at the moment but I am talking about Hope Nelson. That is for their information just in case they get confused about that. Looking at that particular case and at others like it I understand that 2000 people are potentially affected to the tune of $60 per week by what has been an inequity over all this time. That inequity is from a Labour Government that campaigns every time on social policy. 
I was pleased to hear the comments of my colleague Chester Borrows from Wanganui when he said that not all of the problems within this country were caused by the last National Government. In fact going back to the genesis of some of this inequity it most certainly started in the 1980s under the Labour Government of the time—Helen Clark was a senior Cabinet Minister in that Government and so too was Michael Cullen and a number of other members of the current Government. We should not forget that. In fact there may be one or two members sitting over there who had a fairly senior role in the party during that time as well. So it is a very good point to raise at this stage in the debate. 
Not all of the problems that we face today came about in the 1990s. This Government has had 6 long years since the 1999 campaign when it campaigned against that stuff. Further it has had the best economic circumstances in a generation in which to fix up some of these social inequities. Tonight we heard from the member Clayton Cosgrove about what a dreadful bunch of uncaring people the former National Government members were. Well that member should take a close look at his own track record and that of his party. 
I also say that it is a great thing that tonight with this amendment we are finally recognising those people who are willing to do voluntary service abroad. The fact is that we have a huge number of people with a huge amount of institutional knowledge in a whole range of areas that is useful to New Zealand not only from a public relations point of view but also from an economic market access point of view and a humanitarian point of view—from the point of view of any kind of good work one can think of. They are willing to give up their time go off to countries that one could describe as being not as pleasant to live in during one’s twilight years as New Zealand is and give their services and expertise that has been built up over many many years of experience in their field. 
I also say to the Government members that it is an absolute indictment on them that it took a group of elderly people led by Barbara White to bring a petition to this Parliament to finally get them to do something. I am pleased that the Minister David Benson-Pope is finally standing to take a call.