Ngaro Alfred: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeNgaro Alfred: General Debate[Sitting date: 09 April 2014. Volume:697;Page:17064. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ALFRED NGARO (National):Kia orana Mr Assistant Speaker. The only sucking noise which was described by that member over there Sue Moroney is actually the sucking up and the vacuuming of all the votes that traditionally were going to Labour but that have been sucked out by a whole lot of other parties. Why? Because—and I want to make this statement in my general debate speech—Labour is no longer the traditional choice for many people in New Zealand. It is no longer the traditional choice. You would have heard that from the honourable Minister Judith Collins. It is no longer the traditional choice. How do we know that? I think that member should be more worried about the urban centres not the provinces.This is how it goes. On Sunday we were at the Malaeola Community Centre and there we were in the heart of Māngere at the Catholic service. There were over 1000 Pacific Islanders who were there at that service. It was quite interesting because we knew at that time that there were three National MPs who were there. There were two Ministers and me. There was furious texting by Mr Su’a William Sio to try to get support to come to that service. There was a bit of a rent-a-crowd. He came along and then afterwards when there was the interview on TV3 this is what happened. They went out to what was the traditional base and voice of the Labour Party and the question they asked was “Do you vote for Labour?”. Yes some said yes but here is what others said: “Yes but Labour is not delivering the goods.” That was the first statement that was made. Oh that has got to hurt a little bit.Secondly—and I love the way our Pacific people said this—TV3 asked: “Oh well what about the leader David Cunliffe?”. And they go: “Oh yeah. He’s good but he’s got so much to learn. He has got so much to learn.” That has got to hurt again. Why? Because the fact is that he is not the leader of choice for the Pasifika community.Here is the third thing. Here was Su’a. He had the people there. The rent-a-crowd at the back were all looking good and trying to make Labour look good but when the old man with the green coat was asked the question about David Cunliffe he simply said: “Who is David Cunliffe? Who is David Cunliffe?”. That is right. He is sort of like Where’s Wally?. Where is David Cunliffe? We do not know him. But here is where it gets really interesting. When Tova O’Brien asked the honourable member Su’a William Sio “Is that correct? Do they not know David Cunliffe?” he said: “Yes that’s correct.” They do not know him. So that is supposedly the heartland.The Labour members are quiet at the moment because they know it hurts. Forget about the provinces and go back to the cities to the places where you know that you had your support—it is gone. Why? Because the people do not even know who this leader is. Sue Moroney is shaking her head but she knows this is true because Labour’s own member said it.But it gets even better. Then on The Nation there was Shane Jones. He was being interviewed. He was asked the same thing too. He was asked about David Cunliffe. Even with his oratorical excellence he stumbled and sort of said: “Well we are a team.” and “Yes we’re trying to gather around him.” In other words Labour is stumbling and struggling to try to find an answer to this.So here is the reason Labour is shifting and changing. It is no longer the traditional choice. Why? Because we are first second and third generation. People are saying in our Pasifika communities that actually there is another choice that we can make in order to be able to choose a Government that makes a difference for us. I want to give a couple of examples. Here is the difference. This is not about just shelling out more money to say that is it—we have got more money for benefits more money for housing and more money for employment. It is actually about being in partnership with those particular communities.Let us talk about the Lotofale’ia Tongan Methodist Church in again the heart of Māngere. It had a 6.4 hectare block of land on Donnell Avenue. It went into a three-way partnership with a social housing provider Lifewise and with the Government and $4.3 million was granted. How many homes did they build? They built 22 homes. Twenty-two homes were built. Twenty-two Tongan families now have an opportunity to be housed. Here is the point of difference. Here is the point of difference and it is not just about doing things to people or doing things for people. It is actually doing it with this community. They are starting to wake up. They are starting to say that this is the sort of Government that they want to work with. Why? Because they can be self-determining for themselves.I will give you another example: The Rise UP Academy. This one has really got to hurt. Why? Because here is a trust that even has Labour Party members inside. We know that on the Labour side it has clearly said that if it comes into Government it is taking out charter schools and partnership schools. But here is this Pacific school in the heart of a community in Māngere turning round and saying that it wants to have the right to choose. I will tell you why it is not turning towards Labour. It is because Labour is removing the ability to make a choice for change.Hon Annette King: You wait.ALFRED NGARO: Yes that is right Annette King. We will wait. You are removing the choice. They do not get to choose so Rise UP Academy turned round and said: “Guess what? We want to choose for ourselves.” So here is an academy making a difference for 50 Pacific and Māori children in the heart of Māngere again and it has got to hurt every single time because we are making a difference with that. Let us also talk about—