Adams Amy: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
Adams Amy: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
[Volume:673;Page:19326] 
AMY ADAMS (National—Selwyn) 
: 
 I am very happy to take a call in this debate on the financial review of the New Zealand Railways Corporation. I start by commenting that I found it quite interesting that two fiery and seemingly impassioned speeches have just been made by Labour members but when the Finance and Expenditure Committee looked at the financial review of the New Zealand Railways Corporation— 
Hon Nathan Guy 
: What did they say? 
AMY ADAMS 
: —the Labour members of the committee said they had no matters to bring to the attention of the committee. Is that not interesting? They could not be bothered reviewing the New Zealand Railways Corporation at the select committee but now apparently all the evils of the world are being revealed and it is a tragedy that they have to debate and bring to the attention of the Committee. 
The New Zealand Railways Corporation is the story of Labour’s economic delinquency. Michael Cullen in his brilliance paid $1 billion for an asset worth a mere $200 million. In that one sentence is a picture of exactly why we inherited this country in the mess that we did. Labour went out and paid $1 billion for an asset worth $200 million. That is the sort of economic management that Labour wants to take to the New Zealand public and say to them that they should get behind it. Well that is not going to happen. 
The National-led Government is committed to New Zealand rail. It is committed to turning round the broken asset that we inherited from the last Government. I can tell members that we are not going to do that by going back to the bad old days of subsidies and tariffs when New Zealand was told that it was not good enough to compete on a global stage and that the only way it would get work was through subsidies. We say to New Zealand that we can compete. We have shown that time and time again. We can be the world’s best but we are not necessarily going to be world leaders in every single area of manufacturing. 
This Government has just seen the purchase of 20 new locomotives. Yes they came out of China but I can tell members this: they were on time they were on budget they are twice as powerful as the existing stock they are quieter they are more efficient and they are the sort of railway stock that will turn this asset round. If that party had not destroyed the New Zealand economy there would be more money to spend. As it is we have to be very careful with our spend. We spent a quarter of a billion dollars in Budget 2010 on New Zealand Railways Corporation and a further quarter of a billion dollars in this Budget on New Zealand Railways Corporation. 
We have made a massive commitment to the Auckland passenger rail system. 
Hon Nathan Guy 
: That’s right. 
AMY ADAMS 
: In my good friend the Hon Nathan Guy’s electorate we are right now rolling out the electrification of the extension to Waikanae and double-tracking through that electorate. This Government is committed to rail and to turning round the New Zealand Railways Corporation into an asset that is of benefit to the New Zealand taxpayer. I can tell members that it certainly was not of benefit when we inherited it from the last Labour Government. But we will not go back to the days of subsidies and tariffs. If Labour wants to go out there and grandstand on going back to the bad old days of tariffs and subsidies and inefficient manufacturers then I dare it to do that. I dare Labour members to stand up and say that they are proposing to go back to subsidising inefficient production and putting tariffs in place when everyone who is a sensible thinker knows we are moving into a free-market economy where efficiencies and global competitiveness is what will lift this country’s production. It certainly is not the head-in-the-sand economic delinquency that we saw from the Labour Government for 9 years which saw it pay $1 billion for a $200 million asset. 
I will say one further thing in my contribution. I want to commend KiwiRail for the work it has done in my electorate to improve rail safety. It has installed lights and warning signals at several of the rural crossings in my electorate that have been of concern to me for some time. I have been discussing this with KiwiRail since I came in in 2008. KiwiRail has listened and responded and as I result I am very pleased that the people of Selwyn will be that much safer when they are crossing the tracks in rural parts of my electorate. KiwiRail is responsive and it is working to improve its services. I think this country can be increasingly proud of the rail system we have and that is thanks to the hard work of Minister Joyce Associate Minister Guy and this National-led Government to turn round the asset of the New Zealand Railways Corporation. 
I also commend the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee which is ably chaired by my friend David Bennett which considered this matter. I would have thought that if Labour was that concerned about these crocodile tears we are seeing then the previous Government would not have overseen the signing off of the Matangi contract. Labour does not talk about that does it? The previous Government signed a contract for the Matangi purchase to Korea—to Korea! It was not to New Zealand but to Korea. 
Report noted.