O'Connor DamienHon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister of Agriculture): Thank you very much Madam Assistant Speaker and indeed it's a great honour to be part of the Government delivering the first Budget that we've had after nine years—nine long years—absent from the Treasury benches. It's nice to be back and to be in a position to make a positive contribution to New Zealand. If there are words that can sum up the Budget I guess they are positive" "reassuring"—there were people who were scaremongering about what might or might not happen—"clear" and "consistent". And I think that is brilliant. You know that's the best we can do.I have to say I did go to a local magazine—not known for its Labour Party support I have to say—Farmers Weekly: "Budget gets tick". Now I'm sure that would have horrified the previous speaker Ian McKelvie when he received that in his rural mailbox but actually I thought that was good because traditionally I guess the rural sector hasn't been kind to Labour. They've been quite critical but there was an admission that actually it was a clear consistent and fair Budget. I think I can quote many here: "the primary sector has harvested some gains in the Coalition Government's first Budget with science research and forestry the biggest winners."—not the only winners but certainly the biggest. We were unashamedly focused on health education and housing because we believe more than anything else that every single New Zealander regardless of where they're born who their parents are and what their social circumstances are is entitled to an opportunity to realise their talents and to get on and have a decent life. We've got to sort out health we've got to sort out education and we've got to give these people a home to live in. So the vast majority of money has rightfully gone into those areas but that hasn't meant to say that's the only place.Can I say that from a rural perspective again I would like to quote some of the people in here. I think consistency and clarity are really really important because as I say what industry and what business need is certainty and that's what we offered them and that's why this farming magazine came out and gave it a tick. Indeed one of the senior economists across the country Con Williams from the ANZ said the Budget "did not contain any significant surprises" and that's a tick—that's a positive. He went on to say of course that the Green Investment Fund and the tax credits for R & D are all positive things that will see us move into a better future. There were many other things and if I can just take the time I guess to move on to the main areas of primary industries and agriculture we did put extra funding into biosecurity. The Opposition spokesperson said it was a paltry sum. Look indeed it was not as much as I would have liked. But as has been pointed out by the previous speaker Ian McKelvie we have a big challenge ahead of us—Mycoplasma bovis—and this Government is committed to do whatever it takes to try and eradicate if possible or certainly manage over the long term the downward infection rates across this country. We're really focused on that and working positively with industry towards a decision early next week which will give more certainty.The $9.3 million extra for biosecurity will assist. We have split up the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). We have a business unit that is focused—900-plus people—solely on biosecurity and I don't think there'd be anyone in the country now given the exposure of Mycoplasma bovis and what its possible effects on agriculture mean—there would not be one person who would not appreciate biosecurity and its importance to us. This is one of many many threats to our economy to the farming sector to our indigenous flora and fauna and we've got to put more money in as we have; put more focus in as we have; and be more effective as we will.We then went on of course and in the Budget gave $38 million more to MPI because they had been starved of funding for too long. They are under real pressure and that is catch up. I would have liked to have put more in but the $30 million indeed takes some pressure off what is I believe the most important area of our economy. That is an agency that helps with the generation of export revenue across the board across a number of sectors. That $38 million will be welcome.We also committed $5 million to OVERSEER. OVERSEER is a program that was launched by the previous Labour Government actually as a nutrient-management tool a fertiliser tool for farmers. It's evolved into a tool for regional councils to try and measure the impact on the environment of mainly farming practices and it's been kind of almost out of scope. It hasn't had the money needed through research to upgrade it to validate it to make it more effective and to I guess offer more trust—or have farmers trust it more as they move into a new world where this Government is asking farmers and indeed urban dwellers in this country to improve our practices so that we have better-quality water. Who could argue with that objective?Getting there is a challenge. The use of OVERSEER is one way that farmers can improve their practices and know that what they do gives good effect to reducing nutrient outflow. So we've put more money into the validation and the upgrading and operating of that tool so farmers can trust it regional councils can trust it and indeed New Zealanders will have better waterways as a result. I welcome that commitment from my colleague the Minister of Finance and the approval of my ministerial and Cabinet colleagues to fund that.We also put $15 million more into the Sustainable Farming Fund—again another smart initiative of the former Labour Government that's been carried through by the National Government and I'm grateful for that. It is a very good fund that focuses on smaller projects that have commitment from the community and from the farming sectors. It has proven time and time again to deliver positive outcomes. If I can quote Warwick Catto from Ballance Agri-Nutrients—Balance is a fertiliser company—he said "That fund has pretty much been flatlining for the past few years so this will be [a] positive [contribution]." He said that "… cleaning up catchments like Taupo and Rotorua is proving very expensive at hundreds of dollars per kg of nitrogen. The [Sustainable Farming Fund] is a far better way to go to help drive behaviour change based on research rather than bear the expense of trying to clean up catchments afterwards." This was a positive endorsement from a major player in the fertiliser sector knowing full well that putting the money upfront into science to assist farmers to improve their behaviour is the way forward for us.The Budget also contains significant money for forestry through the Provincial Growth Fund. My good colleague Shane Jones and our coalition partners we're committed to grow more trees—a billion more trees in this country—Hon Ruth Dyson: How many?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: —and I applaud him. A billion more trees. I can say it will be the right tree in the right place. Matt King: Who's going to plant them?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: The member for Northland there knows that this is a very very positive initiative as much as he might I guess regret the fact that we're doing it and he's not able to. And $245 million over ten years for this is a significant commitment from this Government to create a greener economy to reduce the sediment and the nutrients in our waterways to offer job opportunities through the regions of New Zealand.This has been a very very positive Budget that has been accepted across the primary sectors. A big tick—[Holds up Farmers Weekly]—you won't see that often on the front of this newspaper. I applaud the editor. I thank him. I've not always done that; I've been known to criticise him. But that's a very big ask and the former Minister of Agriculture sitting over there David Carter knows that's a really big ask. That shows that the Budget has been accepted. It's one of consistency—no surprises.The wider public out there including people in the rural sector know that we are committed to a fairer New Zealand know that we're committed to sharing the benefits of trade—sharing the benefits of the rural sector right across our economy not just seeing those benefits accrue to the 1 percent at the top and have growing unrest from people who can't afford to pay their bills. We want a New Zealand that is a fair place to live that offers inspiration and opportunity to everyone. This Budget is positive it's reassuring for people regardless of where they are in our economy it's clear it's consistent and it's offered the kinds of opportunities and inspiration and support that will give New Zealanders a fair go—and it's about time. We've been waiting nine long years and we have delivered. Kia ora."