Horomia Parekura: Budget Debate 
Horomia Parekura: Budget Debate 
[Volume:647;Page:16522] 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 Well well well— 
Eric Roy 
: Well well well—the story of the three wells. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: That member for Invercargill Mr Roy pontificated about how bad the economy was and how rural productivity had fallen. Well he is up the pole because he knows as well as I do that this is the seventh consecutive year that the economy has been in a position stronger than it had been for many a year prior to Labour coming in. When we came in everything was in disarray. There was high unemployment and double-digit interest rates. There had been the selling of all the State houses in the Wairarapa and all of those issues. Those members opposite were doing that dastardly stuff. They were trying to get their paws on State-owned enterprises to unload them on to everybody else—to outside interests and to all of their mates. And Mr Roy knows who brought in the Low Deposit Rural Lending Scheme. National was always about subsidising its friendly rich Tory mates. 
What has this Government done? With the careful management of Dr Cullen and my colleague Trevor Mallard it has brought in surety in the sense of understanding the basic nuances and fundamentals of what is done with money to keep the nation safe. That is what this Budget has been about. It has been about carefully putting the money there and investing it to ensure that the sustainability for all sectors in this country is maintained. Certainly one could not say that the creation of 377000 more jobs is bad budgeting. 
This Budget is about giving more families a stake in our economy. Unemployment fell by more than a half. Under National one in every four Maori families was unemployed and now three in every four are working. That is great and in fact 140000 fewer people are relying on a working-age benefit. What is so bad about that? We have lifted thousands of children out of poverty. That is a surety; that is making sure they do not paddle through life in the murk and muck the National Party left them in. The inequalities in health outcomes have finally started to narrow. 
These challenges are significant for New Zealand; they have been significant. But all of the prissiness opposite is about National members not being sure what their policy is. Can they tell us what their tax rate is? They have no policy. First of all John Key started off at the level of 50c then he went to 52c and somebody opposite said: “Taihoa John. Hang on; it might be too much.” Then he came down to 40c. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: “WiremuPakeha”. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: Then John Key said it was not too much. Yes that was “WiremuPakeha” that other fellow from Invercargill. He said that 40c might be too much. But this Budget certainly brings tax relief for individuals and families who are trying to manage cost of living pressures. 
I heard Mr Roy say that both externalities in the overseas market and what is happening in the financial area and with levels of productivity—which have been a bit bumpy—do not have an impact on this country. 
Dr Jonathan Coleman 
: A bit bumpy? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: I say to Mr Coleman that that is why National members cannot come out with their tax policy—or do not want to but will just flip-flop about it. They are scared and worried about it. But they need to take a lesson from Michael Cullen because he has not only taken the canned fruit out of the larder but pulled the larder down and left National with no space to dictate dominate or bring out a Budget that would serve the people in this nation. National has nothing and those members know it. 
The Budget enhances public investment in education and health—things that our people need. In fact they are things that all people need. 
Dr Jonathan Coleman 
: You don’t believe the stats— 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: I do believe that because I know it is the truth. The Minister of Statistics will end up being the best Minister of Statistics this country has ever had. He knows how to count; he knows that one and one make two. 
People out there are repeating what John Campbell said about John Key—that he was “as slippery as a snake in wet grass.” Well I say that the grass does not need to be wet for a lot of those members opposite to be slippery. It does not have to be—certainly at the end of the day. 
What have our major investments included? I will read out some of them to the House. The first is the roll-out of a world-class broadband network. Maurice Williamson when in Government had the operation so narrow that all it was doing was tying the copper wires together. That is how sophisticated the communication was and he was giving his mates some money for doing it. 
We have the largest-ever public investment in science and research I tell Dr Coleman. Where was that member? He knows the speech he gave and he should give a donation to charity for its quality. This will be the biggest public investment in science and research. Why is that? It is because the issues our Budget is based on are evidence-based and they are certainly about an experienced financial team. 
The interesting thing about sustainable homes and communities is that National voted against nine of the principal things that the average Kiwi family needs in this country. That is a disgrace. I tell members opposite that they should not talk about valedictory speeches to my colleague Russell Fairbrother one of the most learned lawyers in this country because at the end of the day— 
Dr Jonathan Coleman 
: Why do you guys want to kick him out of your party? Why have you treated him so badly? Why? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: He is a top bloke. He was citing the mayor of Hastings for being a Tory list member; that is news to me. Of course we injected many millions into the theatre there. 
Hon Member 
: What about Paul Quinn? 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: And National members are trying to get my ex-mate Paul Quinn who could not even push the scrum straight to pack down for them. He has told me he does not really want to be there. He did not want to run against Mr Mallard. He just did not but National promised him that he would be No. 5 on its list. That is disgraceful. 
Budget 2008 covers the pressures of today and certainly covers the needs of future years. There have been fundamental practices by Dr Cullen. He has stored money in the economy and set it up so that the pressure is spread. Beneficiaries in this country have benefited and at the end of the day KiwiSaver and Working for Families are about the surety that in its own sense covers tax cuts that have been consistent. Tax cuts to businesses have been consistent for the last 4 years. I listened to the price-taker one of the biggest in this country who has made a living out of building up asset bases getting in and crunching the needy and the weak taking them out and then stashing up the putea and his own coffers like “WiremuPakeha”. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Cut the pension. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: It is amazing that National wants to cut the pension. Superannuitants now have a surety; they are comforted by this Budget and so are working-class people. That is what Labour is about and businesses are applauding that they have had a Labour Government. 
I say to Mr Roy that I notice—although I do not read the  
National Business Review 
 
because half of it is you know what—68c has been added to the butterfat payment this week. The member cannot tell me that that is not because of the Government. I say to Mr Roy that farmers are proud of this Government and he should join them in that. Farmers are proud of this Government and so am I. I am proud of the efforts the Government has put in to make sure that prices are maintained. 
Eric Roy 
: Just explain how the price of lamb is maintained by the Labour Government. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: The price of lamb is being maintained quite clearly I say to Mr Roy and it has set aside those extreme climatic changes we have had. In Southland the price has gone up; it is up about $1.40 a carcass more than it is in the North Island. At the end of the day the kill might have gone but we cannot replace capital stock if it ain’t there. That is not because of the Government; that is because of the drought. That member knows that as well as I do. There are so many sprawling dairy farmers down there who are paying so many millions— 
Eric Roy 
: I think you’ve lost the plot. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: I have not lost the plot. In closing I want to read what Colin Espiner said: “Key and English are at sixes and sevens at the moment over exactly what to say about Labour’s tax cut package”. He said to Key: “I also think you are as slippery as a snake in wet grass.” That is what he said. At the end of the day this is a great Labour Budget it has been produced by one of the greatest financiers this country has ever had and I feel very sorry for that departing Opposition over there.