Anderton Jim: New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
Anderton Jim: New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
[Volume:609;Page:6278] 
Hon JIM ANDERTON (Minister for Economic Development) 
: The member who has just spoken and others who have contributed from the National and ACT parties have shown a complete misunderstanding of the whole process of advice and operating services that both Trade New Zealand and Industry New Zealand deliver to individual companies and sectors of industry. For example if members want to criticise Industry New Zealand for spending a third of its budget on operating services—which is what we are talking about—we are talking about people who are working actively in the regions to assist regional economic development those 46 economic development agencies that are assisting with their expertise and getting companies investment-ready companies that are in high-growth mode to take opportunities that they were not able to take before. Expert advice has been given by officers of Industry New Zealand who have come from the private sector with the expertise that they are delivering back for the growth of those companies. That is what that money is being spent on. 
The Opposition criticises grants going out—so one cannot give grants to anyone but one cannot give any specialist advice or assistance either! So what can one do? Nothing! And nothing is what that party did for the 9 years it was in Government in terms of assisting the industry and business development of New Zealand. If we are going to criticise Industry New Zealand we should criticise Trade New Zealand. I have heard members say that Trade New Zealand is a great outfit—but Trade New Zealand spent almost its entire budget on operating services and made very few grants at all. One could say that nearly 100 percent of Trade New Zealand’s budget was devoted to operating services yet we have not heard a word of criticism. The reason is that some members do not know the difference. They do not know how either of those organisations operates. 
In fact Mr Carter who rails about the operation of those agencies in the north does not know the difference between the Ministry of Economic Development Industry New Zealand and Trade New Zealand. He does not have a clue. When he was asked to state the difference he said: “Why ask me? I don’t know. I’m just criticising everything.” That is par for the course. 
The partnership between the Government of New Zealand industry and business in New Zealand and the regional local and community areas of New Zealand has never been in better shape than under the auspices of this Government and under the developmental operations of Industry New Zealand and Trade New Zealand which are now operating as a one-stop shop for New Zealand. The sooner we get this bill through the sooner the game-playing of the Opposition will stop. I suggest to those members that they should put up and that if the National Party ever becomes the Government in New Zealand again it would demolish those agencies and it would stop regional and business development and the partnership. I challenge them to say that. If they say that they will never become the Government again which is almost certain anyway.