Duynhoven Harry: Budget Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Duynhoven Harry: Budget Debate 
[Sitting date: 16 June 2004. Volume:618;Page:13673. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon HARRY DUYNHOVEN (Minister of State) 
: 
 I will begin my speech by taking an unusual approach. I congratulate Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand on its announcement just made that it will cover the complete cost for those who are having repairs carried out of all Mitsubishi motor vehicles whether they have been imported as used vehicles or sold new by Mitsubishi Motors in New Zealand. 
Mitsubishi Motors has taken it on itself to honour what any responsible manufacturer would do and is paying for the complete cost of repairs both parts and labour irrespective of whether the vehicle was sold new or imported into New Zealand as a used vehicle. I am delighted with that having had what one might call a fairly robust meeting in my office today for about an hour over lunch with the chief executive of Mitsubishi Motors. I congratulate the company on taking a very strong stand. 
What does that have to do with the Budget? The Budget includes the Land Transport Safety Authority and I want to convey considerable thanks to the authority for the huge work it has done in the last few days to try to manage all the issues surrounding the school buses the trucks and now the cars it has rightly recalled because of the safety issues involved. I thank Mitsubishi Motors for the very strong stand it has now taken. That should give considerable relief particularly to those folk on lower incomes whose motor vehicles might be affected by this safety recall. 
This Budget is a very good Budget for New Zealand. I appreciate the comments of Mr Donnelly who brought me into the debate. I think there is good reason why he should have mentioned one or two of the very good initiatives that the Labour-led Government has taken in this Budget. I particularly want to look at the whole issue of where we go in the future. I am sure Mr Donnelly will agree that any Budget should look to the future. 
We begin with education. A considerable amount of budgetary money has gone into an increase in education funding. I want to look particularly at young children. Mr Donnelly made some points about that issue but $365 million over the next 4 years going into early childhood education—new funding—is a considerable amount. 
I have young children. Three years ago my wife was heavily involved in fund-raising for the kindergarten that is a few hundred metres up the road from our home. Our children were fortunate enough to go to that kindergarten. There is no doubt that kindergartens need additional funding. If children are given a good start in life their education is assured. They need that good start. I am very concerned that we have competent professional well-paid content people to provide a very good beginning for our young people. Our young people deserve a Government that looks ahead and invests in their future. 
It was interesting that the former Associate Minister of Education remembered my former life as a technical teacher and before that as an electrician. Both those areas of technical teaching and particularly the skills training area of apprenticeships are vital for our children and to New Zealand’s future. One of the reasons why the G3+ issue the member mentioned is so important is because there is a shortage of tradespeople in this country and that is a real problem. We have a real problem in that National and Opposition parties in general do not believe in the apprenticeship system. 
The member can jump up and down a little if he wants to but the truth is quite simple. Labour has already succeeded in reaching the target of 6000 Modern Apprenticeships. In fact we have already passed that target by more than 500 in the first quarter of this year. We are well ahead of the June target of 6000 Modern Apprenticeships and that is part of a goal to get all 15 to 19-year-olds engaged in appropriate education training or work by 2007. 
I was absolutely delighted to be part of the policy of the Modern Apprenticeships scheme and I thank the Minister Steven Maharey for his huge work in getting that programme in place so quickly. I was absolutely delighted when the Modern Apprenticeships scheme was written into our policy because I had put a huge amount of effort into that scheme in this Parliament over a long time. For many years I was the only person with a trades certificate in this Parliament which was a disgrace. 
Mita Ririnui 
: That makes two of us. 
Hon HARRY DUYNHOVEN 
: There are more than two of us! Mr Ririnui reminds me that he also has a trades certificate. I am very glad that he and others with trade certificates have joined us. Why is that important? The people with trade qualifications are the people who produce things for the economy. They get in and do things. They have welcomed this policy in spades. They are delighted that we have re-energised apprenticeships in this country. This morning as I was walking to work a vehicle drove past painted with information on trade training and apprenticeships. That is something we have not seen in this country for a decade. 
What did National have to say about the Modern Apprenticeships scheme? National said it was pathetic just like the scheme that was behind it and the sooner it got rid of it the better. Every tradesperson in this country and everyone who employs skilled people in this country should remember that. We are well ahead of targets. We are being thanked for that not only by tradespeople in this country but by businesses that recognise that without those skilled people our country would grind to a halt. 
That is one of the reasons why the former Minister said rightly that the issue of technical teachers in our schools is important. Having been a technical teacher I know that the kids who so often aspire to be tradespeople really look up to their technical teachers and take a lot of cognisance of and are influenced by what they say. Those folk have often been people like them and their parents. Technical teachers have done a marvellous job in keeping kids who might not have been very interested in school enthused about their subjects and their work and given them a little bit of optimism for their future. 
Former students often come up to me and say: “Hey Mr D thanks for what you did. I’m doing this now.” I am really delighted to find out what they are doing and always like hearing from them. What I find really impressive is how much enthusiasm those young folk have when they have often started life with relatively low-skills but have built up their skills through the years. Those folk have such enthusiasm for life business and getting on in the world. Many of them turn into some of our best entrepreneurs and ambassadors in terms of trade and development overseas. 
We need to ensure that we continue what this Government is doing. That is why the next election is so vitally important. We have given a $57 million boost to getting young people into education training and work and to ensure that all those 15 to 19-year-olds kickstart their working lives with a very good beginning. This package includes a new youth transition service and personalised career planning for secondary school students. In my day that was only a dream. It just did not happen. The expansion of the Gateway programme and the Modern Apprenticeships scheme I have already mentioned will make a huge difference to the future of this country. 
We have to give our kids a good start in the pre - primary school area a good start to primary school and numeracy and literacy programmes that ensure that every kid is included. What is that film slogan: “ Leave no one behind.”? This country cannot afford to leave young people out. Those four programmes will ensure that those at the upper end of our secondary schools get that good start in their working life irrespective of their background and socio-economic group. When historians look back in 30 or 40 years’ time the expansion of the Gateway programme will be seen to be one of the crucial programmes in making a difference to the social development of this country. 
Regional initiatives have started such as for example the cadet initiatives offered by the New Plymouth District Council in partnership with the Government. Recently I was privileged to be at the awards programme where young people kicked off and celebrated their working lives. Those sorts of things are vitally and absolutely important and are properly funded in this Budget. I am delighted with it.