Little Andrew: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLittle Andrew: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 11 August 2015. Volume:707;Page:5561. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]3.ANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that New Zealand is on the “cusp of something special”; if so was that “something special” rising unemployment along with plummeting dairy prices?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): Yes I stand by that statement for two reasons. The first is that I am positive and aspirational for New Zealand—Hon Members: Ha ha!Rt Hon JOHN KEY: —unlike some people who are always talking the country down. But actually the second reason I stand by that statement is that I made that statement on a couple of occasions during debates in the 2014 general election and we were on the cusp of something special: the worst pounding the Labour Party had ever had—Mr SPEAKER: Order!Andrew Little: Given that the number of people who are unemployed has risen by 13000 and that unemployment in Taranaki alone is now at 7 percent and there are hundreds set to join them due to major job cuts announced recently is it not the truth of it that he is sending more and more families to the cusp of poverty?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Firstly the Government has created—along with the people of New Zealand of course—148000 jobs over the last 2 years. But I note that the Labour Party has an interest all of a sudden apparently in farming. So when prices go up it is nothing to do with the Government; when prices go down it is everything to do with the Government! Those members are not asking: “Why are beef prices high? Is that the responsibility of the Government?”. But I make this simple point: the Labour Party wanted to put a huge number of costs on farmers. That was its policy during the election.Andrew Little: Given that Westpac says that there will be no more job growth this year and the economy has grown at just a quarter of the expected rate has he not driven the economy to the cusp of a recession?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: If the member goes and reads the Westpac report the glimpse that I had a look through it showed that growth will be between 2 percent and 2.5 percent over the next 3 years.Andrew Little: Why has he failed to invest in diversifying the economy neglected regional infrastructure and turned a blind eye to the 35000 jobs lost in manufacturing since 2008?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: The member needs to get out a bit more—it is as simple as that. If you go around New Zealand and have a look at what is happening around New Zealand you will see just how diversified the economy is. Tourism spending alone is up over 20 percent from last year at over $8 billion. The information and communications technology sector is doing well. Kiwifruit growing is back from the lows of Psa. Beef farming is doing extremely well. Horticulture is doing well around New Zealand. Manufacturing—for 33 months in a row the performance of manufacturing index has been expanding. The services sector export education—the only people who think the economy is solely dairy are in the Labour Party and it wanted to tax those people—Mr SPEAKER: Order!Andrew Little: Did he receive any official advice to back up his claim that a new flag would add billions to the economy or was he making it up just like usual?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I do think that changing the flag has over time very significant economic benefits for New Zealand. The reason for that is that if you go and have a look on the New Zealand Herald website today you will see New Zealanders voting and I notice Mike Hosking’s column today actually talking about genuine debate about the flag—[Interruption] Oh that is right. Just remind me: it is Labour Party policy to change the flag but it does not want it. Oh and Andrew Little was on his live chat 10 months ago supporting change but today he does not want to do it. When we have a flag that is of the ilk that we see today actually it will be on our goods that are sent around the world and that will have huge economic benefit. But the bottom line is this: if the Labour Party is telling New Zealanders it simply misleads them with its policies—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The answer is long enough.Ron Mark: To the Prime Minister in terms of helping the economy—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Just ask the supplementary question.Ron Mark: Thank you Mr Speaker. Given that the Prime Minister knows about trading halts why does he not agree with the Rt Hon Winston Peters and Federated Farmers Waikato’s Chris Lewis that Fonterra should temporarily suspend participation on global dairy trade?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Firstly that is a matter for Fonterra. It is a private organisation and it makes up its own mind. But that is akin to saying: “When things are going well we’ll have a global dairy auction. When they’re going badly in the world market we won’t.” In other words when the poll results are high we will listen to them and when the poll results for New Zealand First are bad we will turn our eyes away. It is a ridiculous way to operate.Ron Mark: When dairy stock and land values fall in line with the falling commodity price and pay-out as they always do and dairy farming couples are forced into negative equity and the foreign banks move in to foreclose—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Can I have the question please.Ron Mark: —what will he do?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Well I will just pick one basic point and that is that there is no great evidence actually that when pay-outs go down as they have you will see a massive amount of foreign investment in dairy farms. They are far more likely actually to come in when they can make an economic return. At the current returns as the member will know most dairy farmers are either breaking even or not making money and on that basis it is very unlikely that foreign investors are going to come in and buy those farms.Ron Mark: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Could I ask through you Mr Speaker whether the Prime Minister can comment on the particular part of my question that says—Mr SPEAKER: Order! No. [Interruption] No. Order! The member will resume his seat. If he can make his questions concise and to the point then I can help him but when it is a question as long as that one—to the extent that I have got to intervene to ask for the question—then in my mind the Prime Minister addressed it.