Muller Todd: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMuller Todd: General Debate[Sitting date: 01 April 2015. Volume:704;Page:2812. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]TODD MULLER (National—Bay of Plenty): Mr Speaker it is great to be able to stand up and speak for a few moments. Firstly as you know I have been away for a couple of weeks up in Northland. It is important to acknowledge our Northland candidate Mark Osborne. He is a man of tremendous character and integrity. We have seen an incredible effort from that man to get from 30 percent to 40 percent. Mark you are an awesome legend.I also acknowledge Rose May and Neil Clements and those local volunteers who have worked tirelessly for the National Party. We are a party of volunteers and supporters and I want to acknowledge them here today. They did a fantastic job for us. I want to say to those who voted for us and to those who did not that this National Government will continue to deliver for Northland. We govern for all regardless of whether they voted for us or not and we will continue to deliver. But ultimately we lost so I do have to acknowledge Winston Peters.I have known Winston Peters for 26 years. He came to Waikato University when I was a young fella to set up the Young Nationals branch. We had 600 people there. I have to admit that over the years I have admired his charm and his humour but I have never admired his vituperative attacks on people as opposed to policy. A great test now will be whether he has it in him to be collaborative and constructive or is the destructive rock-throwing negative Opposition MP Winston Peters going to be the man who represents them for the next 18 months? Well if it is the latter it will be a short 18 months and we will welcome back Mark Osborne in 2017.With regard to messages I have one for the rabble the insufferable shriekers on the other side who I have to admit are currently revelling in our moment of discomfort. This National Party has the capacity to check and adjust. It has the capacity to listen and respond. Underestimate our ability to do that at your peril. Provincial New Zealand needs to see the benefits of our programme in a more tangible way. That was the clear message that we got.But I will tell you what is real for New Zealand: paid parental leave increasing from 14 weeks to 16 weeks—that is real; increasing the parental tax credit for lower income families from $150 a week to $220 a week—that is real; increasing the adult minimum wage by 50c to $14.75—that is real; and reducing ACC levies—that is real. The $218 million HomeStart package; lifting minimum family tax credits benefit payments and superannuation payments—the latter at twice the rate of inflation over the last 6 years—is real and we can make that investment because we have a strong economy. We are focusing on the issues that matter.What I have noticed over the last 6 months is that with every single thing that this country has done over the last 6 years and with single advance we have made there are shrieks and sneers from the Opposition. We improve the lives of New Zealanders—we get a shriek and a sneer. There are 80000 more jobs—sneer sneer sneer. We reduce unemployment and we get the same thing. We have the greatest result in crime statistics for basically 10 years—same thing; sneer sneer sneer. Well it is the people of New Zealand who are creating this momentum so sneer on if you want to but on this side of the House we will succeed on for New Zealand. That is happening particularly in Tauranga. It is an incredible momentum that we have got over there and it is phenomenal to be able to represent that area along with my colleague the Hon Simon Bridges.I just want to give you some examples of what we have achieved collectively—the people of Tauranga the Bay of Plenty and this Government—over the last 6 years. GDP has lifted 25 percent and consumer confidence has increased to a 10-year high in the Bay of Plenty topping the regional rankings for the first time in 2 years. A lift in sentiment has propelled household spending up. The number of electronic transactions is up by 10 percent. The value of building consents issued last year in Tauranga was the highest for 7 years and that has driven 200 young people in the Western Bay of Plenty in particular into construction apprenticeships in the Bay of Plenty. Sales volumes are up 26.7 percent.The kiwifruit industry—the backbone of the Bay of Plenty—has recovered and we are expecting a 70 percent increase in exports with 4000 jobs required over the next 6 years. The latest TradeMe statistics show jobs have risen by 26 percent compared with the previous quarter. The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment has said that skilled vacancies in the bay grew 20 percent month on month. These are real benefits real outcomes for the people of the Bay of Plenty and it is an absolute privilege to be representing them and to be part of this Government. Thank you very much.