Bridges Simon: Estimates Debate — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBridges Simon: Estimates Debate — In Committee[Sitting date: 21 July 2015. Volume:707;Page:5160. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Minister of Transport):It is a great pleasure and a privilege to be Minister of Transport and Minister of Energy and Resources in this John Key - led National Government. That is because this is the strongest infrastructure Government in many a decade. This is the strongest party and Government for infrastructure that this fine country of ours has had for many a decade. I can tell you that that is so for many reasons and I will do. I will give one anecdote: it was a great pleasure appearing before the select committee in the areas that I have responsibility for because we have such a good story to tell. They were fireside chats that we had in those committees because the story that we have in transport and in energy is absolutely fantastic because we are delivering results in transport for this country.Let me talk a bit about that. The New Zealand Land Transport Plan—the biggest ever across every single class—was recently put out by the New Zealand Transport Agency. We are spending more where it is needed in every single class that there is in land transport whether it is in the big cities where right at the moment in Auckland we have got the biggest roading project ever coming to completion in New Zealand—the western ring route with Alice boring through and doing a tremendous job there—or whether it is Tauranga Eastern Link which very soon will be open to the public. It will be the best road in the country in New Zealand when it is opened very shortly. It is absolutely fit-for-purpose for connecting up those exporters that Steven Joyce was talking about—the kiwifruit growers the productive sector of our country—to the best and biggest port. Whether it is in rural areas in the provinces whether it is the Akarama curves in Northland the passing lanes in Gisborne the Normanby bypass in the centre or the Kawarau Falls bridge lane this year many many millions—in fact hundreds of millions of dollars—are going into regional roads to make sure that they are fit-for-purpose and are doing the job of getting exports to market efficiently and productively and also of getting our people around this country safely.We are multi-modal. I always love saying this for Julie Anne Genter’s benefit: it is this National Government that has delivered the biggest infrastructure investment in rail in many a decade—in Auckland $1.6 billion for the electrification of rail. It is good to see the mayor and the council talking about this earlier this week. It is a real step change for that city. There has been over $3 billion in capital expenditure in rail since we have been in Government. That is truly significant and yet to some it is never enough. Bus interchanges park-and-rides—there has been a significant infrastructure spend on those. Just to show the multi-modal nature of this Government’s infrastructure investment in the next 3 years there will be $333 million put into cycling on urban cycleways. It is a real step change for literally every urban area with over 30000 people in this country. Whether it is Whangarei Auckland or Wellington—you name it—they are getting very strong investment which is going to really deliver for the people of New Zealand.In Auckland which Phil Twyford talked about of course we are engaging in an engagement process because we do want to make sure that we are spending the money right on congestion and public transport. But in the meantime $1 billion a year is going into that city. We are not sitting here on our hands; we are the biggest investor in Auckland bar none. Whether it is the Victoria Park Tunnel whether it is the western ring route that I have spoken of whether it is the Auckland-Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative whether it is the East-West Link we are getting on with the projects that we are being told are the ones that need to be focused on in order to really deliver for that city.I am really excited about the way we are in transport across the board enabling technology and innovation to capture for transport users in New Zealand the benefits of what is happening around the world—whether it is mobility whether it is ensuring that some of the really interesting car and ride-sharing innovations that are seeing more people in fewer cars are enabled in New Zealand or whether it is the new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones that people are talking about. We are making sure we have the most fit-for-purpose enabling regulations. It is going to be a pleasure working with Craig Foss the Associate Minister of Transport and to be part of seeing those new regulations come in very shortly—in fact later this week.I am glad that Fletcher Tabuteau spoke about energy and resources because we can say with absolute clarity that today we have the most competitive and the most innovative electricity market that this country has ever seen. It is the most competitive—Hon Member: And expensive.Hon Member: It’s “Confused Mr Bridges”.Hon SIMON BRIDGES: The Opposition says: “Well is that really so? Where is your proof?”. Well how about this: the latest Statistics New Zealand statistics show that the CPI figures on electricity prices out today show the annual rate of change in electricity prices paid by households. What do you think that was? What do the members of this House think? In the last year there was 0 percent change in electricity prices for households.Fletcher Tabuteau: Whose electricity prices?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Well let me give the members over on that side of the Chamber a little history lesson. I do not think that a 0 percent increase has ever happened this decade. I do not think that has ever happened this century. In fact I think that we would be hard-pressed to find another year when there was a 0 percent increase in electricity prices for households and that is because in this Government on getting into office Gerry Brownlee and Steven Joyce set up the Electricity Authority and got a competitive market going. We are seeing the most competitive most innovative market with electricity retailers that we have ever seen and the numbers there are at record levels. Off the top of my head I think it is 14 new retailers offering 25 brands. Hot competition for customers is meaning that the big players are seeing their market share squeezed over time as more and more people shop around.It is a very strong record in infrastructure that this Government has whether it is in transport across the board; whether it is more investment going where it is really needed in a multi-modal approach; or whether it is in energy and resources where we are seeing the most competitive electricity market that we have ever seen with 0 percent increases for households made clear by Statistics New Zealand today. That is why I am incredibly proud to be part of this John Key - led National Government which is making a difference in infrastructure and is the best Government in infrastructure that this country has seen in many a decade.