Tabuteau FletcherFLETCHER TABUTEAU (Deputy Leader—NZ First): This is the most frustrating and inept contribution from the Opposition that I have heard in years. I'd take offence at being called motley except that it came from the member who can't get her arguments straight. So let's just let that pass shall we. She spoke about a governor leaving the inflation rate as if it is some kind of indictment on this Government's performance and then she speaks about stagflation. And yet if there was such a thing about to occur—previous speaker over there; I can't even remember your name my apologies—if there was such a real thing happening the Reserve Bank Governor would have reacted to that with the adjustment of the official cash rate (OCR). What has actually happened is he has made the right decision. The economy is carrying on on its positive course of more than 3 percent per annum growth over the next forecast period. He has made the right decision because you don't want to over-stimulate the economy because then businesses do make the wrong decisions about what they're doing and you don't want to send the OCR in the other direction because then you are constraining businesses and the opportunity to invest. So the Reserve Bank Governor is incorrectly and inappropriately being attacked by that previous speaker and it is incredibly incredibly frustrating to listen to.She should in fact heed the words of her two previous finance Ministers who were in that party at the time they were in Government who spoke about wisely quoting growth statistics and data at the appropriate time. The previous speaker spoke about a downturn in the economy. What she failed to highlight to the House was this was a short-term perhaps even quarterly projection and the long-term forecast for this economy under this Government is for a long-term period of sustained growth because economists from around the world and here in New Zealand all agree that in that long term we have the settings right and this economy will continue to grow as we forecast when we came into Government. So let's get those facts straight shall we?She spoke of the dollar decreasing like it was an indictment on this Government but yet again I ask her to reference her previous Ministers of Finance who spoke of this very thing in their time when the economy was in a downturn. Imagine that under National! Yes the economy went into a downturn several times under their governance and what happened? The New Zealand dollar decreased in response. Those are macro tools responding as they should to an economy that is functioning properly which is almost quoting Joyce verbatim in response to questions in the House in his time as the finance Minister. That is exactly what should happen and it is fantastic for New Zealand business that this is happening because if you're an exporter operating in New Zealand right now you're saying I'm in for a windfall because"—again the Opposition hasn't pointed it out. They talk about business confidence and yes there's work to do there but they haven't pointed out to the House that actually businesses are investing in capital they are investing more in themselves than they have for a very long time and they're doing it right now despite the supposed confidence issue.What that means is those very businesses who have made that investment in themselves and who are exporting overseas are going to reap the rewards of a low Kiwi dollar. They are going to make more money on every sale that they make overseas. What that means—again not mentioned on the other side of the House—is more jobs at a time when unemployment is at its lowest rate we have seen in a decade. The fundamentals of this economy and the fundamentals set out by our finance Minister are the strongest and the most reasonably well-thought-through fundamentals that we have seen in a long long time and New Zealand businesses are actually reaping those rewards. So it's fantastic for business and I wish them the best of luck in such a wonderful period of time to be exporting overseas.As the Opposition were speaking I made some notes that I wanted to speak to. I quickly wrote down the words "district health boards" and "the health sector". I wrote down "superannuation". I wrote down "our provinces" and "our rural communities". I wrote down "homes for Kiwis" and I wrote the words "infrastructure from Auckland to our smallest city" and I wrote the words "education and training". And then I had the time to reflect on those words and realise that these are the issues that this Government has been handed from the previous Government who did absolutely nothing in all of those things and then they have the audacity—the audacity—to stand up and accuse us of not doing anything or not doing enough.Clayton Mitchell: Where were they?FLETCHER TABUTEAU: Over nine years where were they when New Zealanders were put out on the streets and became homeless and were living in cars?Hon Dr Nick Smith: Building houses.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: No you were not building houses Nick Smith. You were doing a tour of cemeteries and—DEPUTY SPEAKER: Actually I wasn't doing any tours of cemeteries.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: Madam Deputy Speaker I did refer to the member by name.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Don't bring me into the debate.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: I did refer to the member by name.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Are you arguing with me?FLETCHER TABUTEAU: I'm simply—DEPUTY SPEAKER: You're wasting your time. Don't bring me into the debate.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: I apologise if I did so.Hon Judith Collins: Ha ha!FLETCHER TABUTEAU: Ha ha! Judith Collins jeez! Madam Deputy Speaker it is as you can tell quite frustrating and I get quite heated listening to inept contributions from the other side.So Paula Bennett spoke about—what did she do? She dipped into the cliché bag from the National Party and spoke about tax and spend all the while accusing us of not doing enough not spending enough on education saying that we hadn't spent as much as they did in education. And yet that same cliché got pulled out about a tax and spend Government.Matt King: You're spending it in the wrong places.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: Well contributions from this side of the House were very clear that where it was needed the money was spent. And in all those lists in all those headings I read out—infrastructure health mental health education and superannuation—this Government has already done more in those areas than that Opposition did in nine years. So I'm glad I got to speak after those who presume to lead the Opposition voice in this area because I am glad that I can highlight the flaws in their arguments because they are frustrating to listen to.Paula Bennett spoke about the regions laughing—Hon Judith Collins: Hon Paula Bennett. Use her title.Matt King: Honourable.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: I'm doing it appropriately thanks.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Actually in fairness her title is the Hon Paula Bennett.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: Yes it is. She spoke about the regions laughing. So I think it was Dr David Clark who got it right. I think she was reading the wrong Budget because the regions were laughing when she was in charge of the Tourism Infrastructure Fund when she announced $25 million over three years to fix the infrastructure problems of our regions—$25 million over three years to fix our tourism infrastructure problems. That's when the regions were laughing.I have had the privilege of travelling around our regions over recent months to talk about the Provincial Growth Fund and it has been received incredibly well.Hon Judith Collins: Who were they?FLETCHER TABUTEAU: And I tell you how I know this: everywhere I went there was a National MP talking to me about how we could do more. That's the reality of the situation and so I am proud to stand up and correct the contributions from the Opposition and make the statement that this is a good Government with a good Budget and things are on the up. Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker."