Bridges SimonHon SIMON BRIDGES (Minister for Economic Development): There are lies there are damned lies and statistics and then there is Fletcher Tabuteau's rubbish that he has just been speaking over there. What we know from the documents we are actually here debating and from the OECD reports—actually from all the metrics you will get from the banks and so on—is that that guy over there is talking alternative facts. All of the real facts show that this is an economy that is at the top of its game and is in comparison to the rest of the Western World doing very well. It does not mean it is perfect but it is doing very well. It is growing GDP exports per capita. GDP is going very well. We are winning the race Mr Tabuteau that you talk to.We have heard a lot about a space and rocket lab. Well actually this year New Zealand will be—I think it is either the seventh or the ninth country in the world to send a rocket into space and do that commercially. That is a result of the economic development portfolios the votes and the R & D grants that we have in this country. We should be really proud. It is but one example of the diversification in this economy and what that is doing to keep us growing strongly which ultimately means better lifestyles and standards of living for New Zealanders.We have come from being in a difficult situation actually—with the global financial crisis with earthquakes—to a position where we are growing strongly where our books are back in surplus. We have a primary sector in good health that is diversifying into a number of very exciting areas. Today I met with New Zealand Winegrowers a remarkable story of growth—up to $1.7 billion of exports. That is directly relevant to what we are talking about here when we talk about economic development and what we have got to do. We are doing it in our economy—in the primary sector but also in technology and in services. Whether you are talking movies films—Wellywood" is actually No. 2 in the world behind Hollywood as a place to make movies; it is a very vibrant sector—whether it is companies in ICT and software like Xero and like Push Play; whether it is in services such as tourism where we have had massive growth or international education this is an incredibly strong economy that people are seeing the benefits of by and large. All of that means that we have got choices and none of that happened by accident; it happened because great businesses big and small are getting in and doing it and a good Government is giving them the confidence to do that through its policies.Infrastructure is what we are here to talk about as well and those surpluses and the growing New Zealand economy which business and the Government share the credit for mean we can invest more in infrastructure than ever before: $11 billion over the next 3 years. Let us just talk about ultra-fast broadband (UFB) about internet connectivity because that is something that has come through in these reports and also in the speeches. In fact in New Zealand we have gone from the back of the queue of the OECD—that is the so-called wealthy countries in the OECD—to much closer to the front of the queue. I believe we can do even better besides as recently we have seen decisions made to provide another 151 towns with UFB and as we go further even from there as is my aspiration as communications Minister.Talking about infrastructure and the New Zealand Transport Agency—which again is part of this—just in the last couple of weeks the Government has made very important decisions in infrastructure. We have seen $812 million announced as going to the rebuild down there. It is something we can do to make New Zealand more resilient and as a result a resilient economy under this National-led Government. Whether it is the western ring route talked about in Parliament today in question time—over $2.4 billion of investment which is a game-changer for Auckland; whether it is down to smaller projects like Waterview Road in Napier with $25 million worth of work started; whether it is our preferred routes  which have been made quite clear in the last couple of weeks from Mount Messenger to Awakino; whether it is the ring route in Palmerston North or State Highway 1 and 29 in my area which will be four-laned at a cost of several hundred million dollars—economic development and infrastructure are at the heart of this Government and its programme for New Zealand."