Tabuteau FletcherFLETCHER TABUTEAU (NZ First): Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. I am proud to be standing on behalf of New Zealand First a New Zealand First that has proudly chosen to form a coalition Government with this Labour Party working with the Green Party here together for the benefit of New Zealand. I stand with pride to speak to this Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) on behalf of New Zealand First—this fiscal update.Actually let's just slow down a bit because I want to make this point very clearly to all of the members in this House and the public of New Zealand: New Zealand First made the right choice six weeks ago. We picked the right people and we picked the right side of the House. We stand here as a Government for meaningful change and what we see here in these documents—which clearly Mr Joyce doesn't quite understand—is a Government that represents meaningful and sustainable change for all New Zealanders and it is with pride that I rise on behalf of New Zealand First.The former Minister of Finance does need some form of congratulations and I note the actual Minister of Finance did acknowledge him for being what seemed to be a plant for the Labour Party because this is exactly what we wanted to do this afternoon: celebrate success and stand here in front of New Zealand and show with pride just exactly what it is that we have been able to achieve in this short time. I say that former Minister Joyce didn't seem to understand because this is quite an exceptional debate. This isn't what normally happens. So whilst we are grateful to the former Minister of Finance actually what he needs to realise is you need to wait for the actual 2018 Budget before you can start debating those numbers and throwing the apparent lack of those numbers in our face. It doesn't quite work that way former Minister.We have been given an opportunity for New Zealand and it is in these pages that the—I actually take this opportunity and I should've done this first Minister to congratulate the Minister of Finance on his work. It is the reflection of not only the negotiations but the hard-working Ministers who have brought this information together so that we can reflect at this half-yearly stage just how we intend to move forward. We're in a 100-day phase and the HYEFU is a kind of reflection of the legacy that we've been left with but what we've been able to show here is how we would like to move forward.Speaking of a legacy that we've been left with it has been my privilege to take on the role in the space of regional economic development. I spent three years following regional economic development plans around the country work from the former Government—and I put it to this House work that was kind of shockingly put out there in response to what was then the Northland issue as they saw it and their lack of presence in the regions and that party's apathy as far as our provinces and our regions were concerned.I think we're up to 13 regional economic development plans and there was essentially no money attached. So I've had the privilege of sitting in meetings with officials and the Minister discussing how we're actually going to put money in these plans because let's be fair and give credit where credit's due: some of the ideas that originated out of the regions are actually good ideas. And we're not mercurial; we're not malicious. There are some good ideas and they need to continue and we will seek to continue them but now we are part of a Government that actually will seed those ideas with real money real support and real resources.I also have the privilege of working with the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Just by way of brief summary can I just say that it has been a shock and slightly disappointing when we have spoken with officials who have kind of hinted at the decrease in budget the decline in money—our foreign aid commitments have declined over the years—Hon Grant Robertson: That's actually a fiscal risk.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: And it was identified as a fiscal risk from them from the other side of the House. There was $148 million tagged for frigates within our navy and yet there was no money attached—no budget. There was no forward budget for the youth justice in Oranga Tamariki. So they talked a good talk about looking after our youth and creating systems and programmes to look after them but you look at the BudgetHon Tracey Martin: There's no money.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: —there's no money. There's just no money. Thirty-eight million dollars missing in addressing the teacher shortage especially in Auckland—they spoke about it they made an announcement to New Zealand about addressing the teacher shortage and there's no money.Brett Hudson: There's nothing in your BPS.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: No money Mr Hudson. And yet they come up with a flag referendum that nobody particularly wanted Hon Member: $28 million.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: —and that was a resounding response from the New Zealand public. What was that—$28 million I think; $28 million. We had a showcase Middle East sheep farm—sheep farm in the Middle East. Jeez! So millions of dollars sunk into there and then business after business being offered money with no return to the Government. I'm not here to attack private business so I'll skip over some of the notes I made in preparation.Mr Joyce spoke about how we're now in the good times and actually New Zealanders do think we are now in the good times. We are here now as a Government that will be working hard towards that. He spoke about how we needed to—he kept talking about lowering tax. I'm not sure why he keeps talking about lowering tax but what we're trying to do is tell New Zealanders that everyone needs to be able to share in the good times not a few people. So when Mr Joyce talks about the good times what were the good times for people who couldn't afford a House—Brett Hudson: We're talking about the 1.2 million Kiwis who are going to be worse off now.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: —who were living on the streets Mr Hudson who were living in their cars and under blimmin cardboard. Don't give me that. There were lines for the lines into our hospitals. That is the surplus—the supposed surplus that that party was extolling—that we are addressing here in this HYEFU.This Government is today announcing all this work around the Families Package. We have a Prime Minister who has decided that she will be representative of the children of New Zealand as the reflection back to us about how well we are doing our jobs. We are willing and able to discuss youth suicide and the poverty in our families that they are struggling with every single day. I became a member of Parliament because of increasing levels of inequality within New Zealand and it is this coalition Government that recognises that GDP as a measure of success in and of itself is like Mr Joyce looking in the mirror and saying everything's fine. Mr Joyce everything is not fine. You need to look beyond that mirror.We are a party and we are a Government that is proud to be presenting a Provincial Growth Fund that represents a billion dollars per annum into the heartland of New Zealand. In fact Mr Joyce we did talk about that—we did talk about that. We laid down the guidelines that we're hoping to work towards that Cabinet will be addressing very shortly that the Budget—the Budget the actual Budget—will be addressing in terms of numbers.I am proud to be a member of this New Zealand First - Labour Government in support with the Greens. We will be working for New Zealanders and actually unemployment's going down growth's going up GDP per capita is increasing and we will look to other measures to measure that success. Thank you Mr Speaker.