Goodhew Jo: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeGoodhew Jo: General Debate[Sitting date: 01 April 2015. Volume:704;Page:2806. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon JO GOODHEW (Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector): It gives me great pleasure to rise to my feet after that diatribe to actually point out to the House that what happened up in Northland at the weekend was that National got a message—quite true. National got a message from the people of Northland. It is one that we are receptive to. It is one that we understand. I might want to also remind the member Andrew Little who was previously on his feet that the people of Northland got a message from Labour as well. They got the message that Labour does not care enough to campaign hard for the seat.Labour had nothing to offer in the way of policies so much so that it threw Willow-Jean Prime under the bus. I feel really sorry for that candidate. She worked hard. She worked hard but nowhere near as hard as Mark Osborne did as it turns out. How can you be completely committed to the task when you are told: “Pull back pull back. Don’t say: ‘Vote for me.’ Don’t say: ‘Vote for our policies.’ Say: ‘Vote for the everlasting promises that come out of New Zealand First.’ ”?Stuart Smith: Can they deliver?Hon JO GOODHEW: Probably not. The question being put to me is whether New Zealand First can deliver. Time will tell. Time will tell but a number of people said to me: “Look we might take this opportunity to give a message but we understand that it might be a very short-lived message.”The measures that this Government has taken—and certainly last year’s Budget was a very strong signal to the families of New Zealand as to how important they are in our priorities. Our careful economic management during very difficult times has meant amongst other things that we have got 80000 new jobs on the books. The average wage grew by 2.5 percent compared with inflation at 0.8 percent. These are the sorts of facts you cannot actually argue with which is why in fact the other side of the House has gone deadly quiet right now. In fact—[Interruption] Oh look they are alive—in fact they are alive. The average wage is expected to increase by $6500 to $62000 by the second half of 2018.The circumstances in the by-election gave us a good opportunity to gather our thoughts around what is happening in the regions. Let me tell you that my region the Rangitata electorate certainly understands what low unemployment is. Our biggest problem is that we do not have enough people to fill the skill gaps. I forgot to say right at the beginning of my opportunity to speak that the previous member should remember whom to point the finger of blame at when it comes to losses in New Plymouth given that member has had plenty of opportunity to experience that.I do want to comment on the 1 April changes to both benefit and superannuation payments. There are more than 1 million New Zealanders who are going to feel the benefit of that. The annual general adjustment is going to see a 0.51 percent increase for those who require benefits and those who are on student allowances student loan living costs and foster care allowances and also an increase in the rate of supplementary assistance. I am sure they will appreciate that but I am also sure that the work the Government is doing to free those people from reliance on Government assistance is also being felt throughout New Zealand and I think that is worthy of mention here.I also want to comment on the difference that today’s rates will make for superannuitants and for those on the veterans pension as well. It is 2.07 percent. This is our commitment to maintain the married couple rate at 66 percent of the average wage. Remember prior to this Government coming into office there was no certainty that it would be at 66 percent. We put that into legislation. Before that it hovered. It could be at 66 percent but it could go back to 65 percent. We have underlined that in legislation.We have seen paid parental leave go up on 1 April from 14 weeks to 16 weeks but the note I want to finish on is just the changes that we are making to the reporting standards for charities to give New Zealanders trust and confidence in charities the 27000 registered charities—$16.8 billion is coming into the total annual income of those charities. They have tax-free status. They are now reporting on their financials. There is much more scrutiny on that. They are disclosing more information to the public and those changes are coming in as well. Thank you.