Dean JacquiHon JACQUI DEAN (Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs): I want to congratulate the Hon Steven Joyce on his first Budget for this National Government and in particular I want to focus for just a moment on the Government's $2 billion per year Family Incomes Package which will make changes to tax thresholds changes to Working for Families and changes to the accommodation supplement that will help Kiwi families get ahead. Yes we are for a brighter future for all New Zealanders.The package increases the $14000 income tax threshold to $22000 and the $48000 tax threshold to $52000. Those are significant changes that will mean money in the pockets of New Zealanders. The family tax credit rates for young children increase for those children aged 16 to 18. That is significant for New Zealand families. The accommodation supplement maximum amount is rising to reflect 2016 rents and makes some changes to accommodation supplement errors. Those are significant changes. Those are for the benefit of New Zealand families.I want to talk today about New Zealand business and the impact that this Budget has had on New Zealand business. But what do other people in the business world have to say about our Budget? Moody's commented: New Zealand's budget … demonstrates very strong public finances underpinned by ongoing fiscal discipline and robust economic growth prospects providing the government with significant fiscal flexibility to buffer potential shocks."Well I believe that the biggest risk to our economy is Labour New Zealand First and the Green Opposition because as a small open economy the biggest risk to New Zealand's economic outlook is rising protectionism closing down international borders preventing us from selling our products on the world stage. Unfortunately we see that thinking all across the Opposition. They are renouncing free trade. They want to slash immigration. We have employers who cannot find good workers and that has got a direct impact on productivity. They want to increase barriers rather than backing our exporters and backing our businesses to succeed. But we want to support small business and we do.The Budget outlines the strong economic performance of New Zealand especially compared with other countries with growth at over 3 percent and 200000 more people in work compared with 3 years ago. Our books are in surplus. We are investing in public services. We are investing in infrastructure. We have a strong and stable Government and that is what allows business and in particular small business to survive.I want to talk about Callaghan Innovation. There is more budget into Callaghan Innovation this year—$14.5 million invested into making business grow to provide mentoring workshops information and advice on funding to New Zealand businesses to help them to grow.I want to talk about Topflite Seeds based in Ōāmaru North Otago which took advantage of training vouchers from Callaghan Innovation and has grown over the course of 5 years from a woolshed-based birdseed operation to now supplying all around New Zealand—hugely hugely successful.I want to talk about the boatbuilding company I visited in Whanganui—metal boat fabricators. Brian and Jodi have exported six emergency response boats to the United Arab Emirates. It was a huge huge contract for them. When I congratulated them on becoming exporters they went: "Yes I suppose we are." Guess what? They want to keep on exporting their products out into the world because they know that that is how we will be successful. This is just one of the many small businesses that get on with doing what they do best knowing that they have a Government that supports them knowing that they have a Government that will provide the right economic conditions—a stable Government for them to get on doing what they do best productivity jobs for themselves and prosperity for all New Zealand. Thank you Steven Joyce for a great Budget."