Woods MeganBUDGET DEBATEDebate resumed from 2 June on the Appropriation (2020/21 Estimates) Bill.Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Energy and Resources): Thank you Mr Speaker. It is my pleasure to rise to take a call in this debate. I think it is worth us reflecting on the privileged position we are in in this House to be routinely meeting as an assembly of lawmakers and to be in this unique set of circumstances. I think even more broadly it is worth us reflecting on the incredibly liberal way in which we are living our lives in New Zealand now compared to the rest of the world. That was made possible because of our team of 5 million. We all know that we are in unprecedented times of both a health and a global crisis. In New Zealand it was our team of 5 million who have set about eliminating this virus and that same team of 5 million who are setting about kick-starting our economy. To hear today in this House the Opposition stating that they believed that we have done so well because of our geography I think belittles the contribution of every member of that team every New Zealander who has sacrificed so that we are in the privileged position we are today. We all know that getting our country back on track is going to take time but we've made a strong start. What we have heard from the Opposition again in this House was not only the belittling of the team of 5 million and the sacrifices they've made but the urgency that they are calling on to reopen the borders with Australia and China. They want to put our collective hard-won gains at risk with knee-jerk political reactions. These are times that call for leadership. These are times that call for the type of leadership we have seen from our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern; not these knee-jerk political reactions. We all want to see our borders reopen. We all want to see normality return. But New Zealanders do not want us to put their efforts at risk. New Zealanders do not want us to play roulette with the sacrifices that they have made and that is something that we are committed to on this side of the House. Our economic response is working for New Zealand. We're protecting jobs with more than $10 billion in wage subsidies already paid out to more than 1.6 million workers. Treasury has forecast that we could be growing again as soon as next year with unemployment back to pre-COVID levels—near-record lows—within a couple of years. If we look around the globe these are extraordinary projections and ones that we should rightly be proud of and of course our COVID response the Budget that we're here debating in this debate comes on top of our $12 billion New Zealand Upgrade Programme which was announced in what seems an age ago back in January. Our economy is well placed to weather the global downturn. The Government's response has cushioned the blow of COVID-19 for workers for families and for businesses positioning well through the entire lockdown right through to the recovery. Prior to COVID we were in the position of having interest rates debt and unemployment at low levels and our books were balanced. This is the rainy day that we've been saving for. As our Minister of Finance keeps telling us we are in a strong position thanks to the careful management of the books in New Zealand over previous years. It is very pleasing to see the work that we have put in as a Government being endorsed by ratings agencies maintaining our Aaa position. So the Budget that was delivered this year is obviously a Budget that no Government ever expected to deliver. They were extraordinary times. The Budget that we delivered addresses some of the immediate needs as people find themselves out of work but we have not let go of taking that future-focused vision as we approach our response phase and it is vital that we do that as a Government. The vision and leadership of our Prime Minister and our Minister of Finance means that we are in a great position to be able to bounce back and continue the strong growth prior to the emergence of COVID-19 because what our Minister of Finance delivered to us on Budget day was a jobs Budget. It's recognition of the fact that employment needs to be the central pillar in our response. This is evident in so much work that we've done through our extension of the wage subsidy scheme which has already put the over $10 billion I referred to into the hands of Kiwi employers and their employees. Of course we also have record investment in trade training through the $1.6 billion Trades and Apprenticeships Training Package which will provide opportunities for New Zealanders of all ages to receive trade training. One of the areas that I reflect on as a Christchurch MP is the lessons we must learn from the past. Throughout the Christchurch rebuild we did not take the opportunity to train enough of our young people to be rebuilding our city. I am pleased to be a member of a Government that is not going to squander an opportunity like that and that is truly investing in skills and trade training. But in the time that I have left I particularly want to talk about something that I consider is of utmost importance to all New Zealanders and that is ensuring that more people have suitable housing. I am extremely proud to be part of a Government that stood here on Budget day and announced it will be delivering an additional 8000 new public and transitional homes. This not only addresses the chronic shortfall in housing that we are trying to fix but also gives confidence to the construction sector that they can see that there is a forward plan of work coming through public housing to them. It builds on our Government's record of delivering on public housing since we took office just a little more than 2½ years ago. The evidence of our success is demonstrated in that the Budget delivered $100 million to fund the over-delivery of 1650 public houses that were built ahead of schedule over the last 2½ years. It is always a good position to be in as a Minister starting your talks with the Minister of Finance pointing out that you need funding to fund your success in over-delivery in an area and in the area of public housing we have done that. With the extra 8000 houses that we have funded through Budget 2020 our Government will have delivered or have in its pipeline 18350 public and transitional housing places representing the largest public housing programme in decades. This turns around the decade before that saw us decrease our public housing stock by 1500 homes. This is a Government that has put public housing back on the agenda of New Zealanders. This investment isn't just about making sure more New Zealanders have warm dry homes to call home; it's also about supporting our construction sector because on this side of the House we will not repeat the mistakes we saw from the previous Government throughout the global financial crisis (GFC). We aren't going to stand back and leave the recovery to the market while the public housing waiting list grows and another generation is pushed further and further away from homeownership. The additional 8000 public houses that we funded through this Budget will have an economic impact far beyond the $5 billion worth of investment that will be taken to build those houses. We will be supporting our local construction companies. We will be supporting the plumbers. We will be supporting the electricians. We will be supporting those small-business owners who deliver our small trades by making sure that there is a pipeline of work. Now is not the time to turn off the tap. We saw that from the previous Government through the GFC and it is not a mistake that we will repeat. Something else that I want to point out is that in the nearly one year that I have had the privilege of being the Minister of Housing in this Government I am yet to hear a constructive plan from the Opposition on what they will do with housing. I want to know what the Opposition's plan is. What is their plan to support the construction sector post-COVID? What is their plan to support first-home buyers? What is their plan to reduce the public housing waiting list? What is their plan to tackle homelessness? What is their plan to support the aspiration of Māori and Pasifika in the area of housing? That is what New Zealanders want to hear from their politicians at the moment. It is what they are hearing from the Government but we are hearing deafening silence from the Opposition when it comes to a plan around housing. Our Budget delivers that plan. Not only does it deliver the plan but it delivers the funding. Thank you.