Cosgrove Clayton: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Cosgrove Clayton: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:632;Page:4186] 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Minister for Building Issues) 
: 
 On behalf of the Minister I rise to take a short call on this vote. I do note the history in terms of regional development—I will deal with that first—of the National Government in the 1990s. It was a policy that we would have to say sold out the regions by withdrawing services and support from them and as a result—and the economic figures stand for themselves—growth in our regions plummeted through the 1990s. There was no growth. There was negative growth and huge unemployment as we know. 
We will look at the facts not the rhetoric from the Opposition. I note that Katherine Rich spent 5 minutes criticising our regional development policy. She came up with no policy or ideas of her own but hey we are becoming used to that. But let us now look at what we did. Who opened up the heartland centres? We did. Who rejuvenated the regions injected wealth into them supported them and provided services for them? As a result of that and as a result of hard-working Kiwis in those regions if we go to places like the West Coast or Invercargill or if we go to any regional area around the country or to the far north we see those places are booming. That is a fact. That is the stark difference between us and those members over there in the Opposition—the whingers who pour scorn on a Government policy that works but of course never provide any alternatives to it. 
 I now turn to Mr Blumsky the eminent New Zealander former Mayor of Wellington and great success who sort of tripped over fell down and ended up in Parliament or down some stairs. He was tripped up by a mirror I suspect. He is the man who is very experienced and qualified to talk about business practice and economics after having led a failed pizza parlour and a failed shoe business. I am told that at one point Mr Blumsky declared that he was chief executive officer of Norsewear in Hawke’s Bay. That proved to be a little odd because he was a consultant or something. Yet tonight he stood up and told us the secret of his success and waxed eloquent about business practice and regional development. 
I say to Mr Blumsky about the New Zealand Focus centre in Hong Kong that one can find it. He should open his eyes. I was there last week. I went in with one of our diplomats and looked at it. I spoke to some of the customers and people in there and it is a fantastic state-of-the-art site. Of course Mr Blumsky may not like it. He may not like the fact that we invest in one of the biggest economic portals in Asia. Hong Kong is a growing gateway to China and other places. He may not like that centre because as has been pointed out by my colleague Mr Mallard it has something to do with him promoting a competitor or his mates. We are not interested in doing that; we are interested in standing up and having a go at a damned good project. The New Zealand Focus centre is a good prototype that has a heck of a lot of traction. I have been there. Mr Blumsky should go and look at it. He should go and look at the state-of-the-art equipment the promotion of education and the promotion of New Zealand food and products. He might note that a heck of a lot of expats live in Hong Kong and that word has spread about the centre. 
But what would Mr Blumsky do if he were the Minister responsible for regional development and trade? It is possible that he might open a shoe shop in Hong Kong. That would not work; it did not work in Wellington. Mr Blumsky might open a pizza parlour or a pizza business in Hong Kong. That did not work here but it might work there although I doubt it. But Mr Blumsky waxes eloquent—he does so authoritatively and with a great amount of skill and experience—about his great lineage in business. 
Mr Blumsky lectured us and told us what a dismal failure the New Zealand Focus centre is in his opinion. I do not know about other people but I would back the big successful companies like Fisher and Paykel that are in there—they are not a failed Al Bundy shoe salesman—against Mr Blumsky’s experienced and skilled opinion about whether the New Zealand Focus centre in Hong Kong is working. I say that it is. I say that it is again an example of innovation and of the Government going out and testing new ideas and looking at new ways to promote New Zealand. This is not a Government that goes out and asks what the best way is to promote its mates. I wonder whether Mr Blumsky has actually been to the New Zealand Focus centre. He said he could not find it; he said he did not know where it was. 
Darren Hughes 
: It was the wrong time of night. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: It was the wrong time of night: the bars were still open and he was still standing. 
I say to National members that they should put up or shut up. They can have a go at our appropriations at the estimates and at the funding. I see Simon Power is looking contemplative but National members have not brought up one alternative policy. I see the old feather duster wandering around over there in the Opposition. He waxed eloquent today on regional development at Local Government New Zealand. I am told he made a hash of it and is being counselled by his mates in the National Party. If ever there was a relic it stands over there in the Opposition.