Bennett DavidHon DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East): Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. In a rare show of unity amongst this House I think the last point that the member Kris Faafoi just raised around the school exam fees is something that I think most members of this House will actually support because you know we don't want to actually make it harder for people to get an education and go for that next stage. A lot of our families are in very difficult circumstances and those school fees and costs especially costs of exams can be a detriment to them doing that. I think that that is one good thing out of the Budget.But it isn't all of this Budget and if that's all that that member can find in this Budget to really go for and support then I think that that shows the true nature of this Budget. It was a missed opportunity for New Zealand. New Zealand is about to enter very difficult economic times and these economic times are not caused by international pressure. You've got the US economy booming. You've got an Australian economy that's going to take off again after the election. This is not a poor international economic condition that we are entering. It is all created by a failure on that side to invest in the things that actually make New Zealand strong. That is why the New Zealand economy is slowing down. It's only a matter of time before it slows because in New Zealand we have a very delicate economy. We're not like the Australian American or British economies that can withstand a stupid Government every so often. The New Zealand economy will tip over as soon as the fundamentals are changed. You are in that spiral now. The Labour members just need to wake up and acknowledge that that debt spiral has already started because of their policies. That cannot be stopped in the New Zealand economy until you reach a low point. Time and time again we have seen that and we don't know what that low point is going to be but it is coming. People out there in the business communities are not investing now. People in the farming communities at the field days where I was yesterday are dead scared of what this Government is going to do. The banks are running for cover the investors are running for cover and the people that actually make the productive decisions in this country are running for cover. They know what is coming and it will come and it will come in the next year or so. Now I hope it's before the next election because the true colours of that party will be shown to New Zealanders and they'll be able to make an economic judgment as well as a political judgment when they go to the polls. Potentially it might happen after the next election. Then the Labour Party will go into that election saying what great economic managers they are when they're not. It will happen because they have set it on that motion.That was the opportunity that was missed because this Budget should have been a Budget to invest in New Zealand and to promote the growth of this country. Where is the infrastructure investment in this Budget? It's not there. Where are the tax cuts that would have given New Zealanders a reward for hard work? Not there. What have we got instead? We have got an economy that is falling down. We have got a Government that just wants to control everybody's emotions control everybody's thought processes and control their income streams. That is what they are doing. They are dumbing down New Zealanders. This Budget is another example of that. What was progressive in that Budget? Nothing. What was out there to say to somebody—I look at our two fine new members of Parliament that have come in to represent two new communities in New Zealand—some not new actually. They represent the future of New Zealand that is aspirational and wants to achieve. What was in that Budget for those communities? Nothing. What was in there to encourage someone to come to New Zealand and work hard to invest and go ahead? Nothing. What was in there if you're in the Labour Party and you want to control and dictate—DEPUTY SPEAKER: I'm not—I'm not.Hon DAVID BENNETT: That's what the Labour Party was doing. This Budget is a missed opportunity for New Zealand on two levels. First of all in the current economic situation we needed to make some serious smart economic decisions. We needed to invest in the infrastructure in New Zealand and we needed to get the economy going with those tax cuts. They didn't do those. The second one which is the one which really hurts is that they did not give the direction the aspiration and the ability for New Zealanders to make their own future. Everything now is reliant on a Government deciding that It is your year to get paid out that it's your year for us to show some benevolence that it's your year for us to come and support you."We don't want that. Kiwis don't want that. Kiwis want to know that a Government enables them to support themselves. They don't want to know that it's Labour's year to pick you or somebody else. They want to know that it's their future that they make. That's why people come to this country that's why people stay in this country and that's what this room should be about. It shouldn't be about trying to pay off everybody every year to keep them in their power base.I want to say look at the great region of the Waikato. What did we get out of this Budget? Diddly squat. We got nothing. We got absolutely nothing out of this Budget. We are one of the most productive regions in this country and we got nothing. Now I want to tell you a little story—a little story. Now this is only a small thing in Hamilton. It's not a big thing but it is indicative of what this Government has done to Hamilton. Now for the last couple of months the Mayor of Hamilton has been running around saying what a great Government they are because they're going to give us a drug and alcohol court in Hamilton. We have many people that actually have addiction issues going through our court system. We have a very high Māori population in our community that are afflicted just like in all parts of the community with these drug and alcohol issues. These drug and alcohol courts have been shown to work. They've been shown to work overseas and in Auckland they've been very successful. I know that the mayor came down here and met with the Prime Minister and the mayor advocated for this drug and alcohol court. We're not talking about $10 million or $20 million; we're talking about probably one $1.5 million if that and it would have made a huge difference to our people. Guess what happened? Six weeks before the election suddenly there was no response from the Government. They would not ring back. They would not return emails. They would say nothing. And then when we look at the Budget nothing is in there.Louise Upston comes from a seat that has an amazing potential to grow if that motorway had continued through that had been taken away by this Government. That expressway was actually approved by the New Zealand Transport Agency before the last election. It was taken away by that Government to pay for infrastructure in Auckland which won't actually happen because you can't actually get ready to do that rail investment yet—and the Waikato people lost that investment. What do they get in return in this Budget? They got to pay another 8c on every petrol dollar they buy just to keep that Government paying for its promises. That is not right. We are 9 percent of this country and we will not stand to be taken advantage of by the Labour - New Zealand First Government any more. When I came into this House I made it my desire and passion to make sure that we got our share of money. I was sick and tired of the Waikato being walked over and used as a cash cow for this country. We got our money. We got our share and we're not going to let these guys get away with taking it back. The Waikato deserves more. We deserve our money. We deserve to be paid. We deserve to get a share of the growth of this country. And we're not going to take it any more. That's why Labour don't win any seats in the Waikato. They will never win any seats in the Waikato because the people there know that they want to be looked after and they want to be well and truly looked after.This Budget is a disaster. It is a failed opportunity for New Zealand. It does not create the New Zealand that we need going forward and for one of the most productive regions in New Zealand it is an insult that we got nothing out of this Budget. In fact all we got out of this Budget was the ability to pay for other regions and we are sick and tired in the Waikato of paying for other regions. We will not stand for that any more. So that is what is going to happen. We wish to see a Government that is actually aspirational for New Zealand and commits to that infrastructure the taxation system and also with kindness and compassion so that people can achieve their full potential. That didn't happen this time. I know that Nanaia Mahuta is going to get up and stand now. I ask her to say what was in it for the Waikato. Name something that was in it for the Waikato specifically and I'll bet you she can't. She can't because there was nothing."