Lee Melissa: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLee Melissa: General Debate[Sitting date: 06 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3255. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MELISSA LEE (National):I recognise the member who just sat down Julie Anne Genter and actually would like to say to that member that most New Zealanders actually want a growing economy. It is not just about railways.It is a great pleasure to speak in the general debate and I am very proud to be standing here as part of the National-led Government led by our very able Prime Minister John Key. Recently about a month ago I was in Korea while the Prime Minister and the Minister of Trade were actually signing the free-trade agreement with Korea. A long and protracted debate went on and we finally signed the agreement and immediately in the first year we will actually benefit by $65 million because there is a high tariff in Korea.Our National-led Government has been active in improving the lives of New Zealanders. This is evidenced in our strong economy and our social progress. Our economy is strong and is rapidly growing compared with the rest of the world. There are now 74000 more people employed than a year ago wages are rising faster than inflation and we are constantly supporting the growth of new industries like information and communications technology and high-tech manufacturing. Today I had the opportunity to visit Callaghan Innovation with the Education and Science Committee and there I actually came across some new developments in photovoltaic research. To think that we can reduce the number of solar panels which are really really expensive using the colour technology that researchers are developing on our houses—I mean the future is really really innovative and I was very excited to actually see that kind of development.In terms of social progress New Zealand is ranked among the best in the world. New Zealand is a great place to raise our families. I myself as a mother of a teenage son can proudly say that. I am very lucky to be raising a child in New Zealand. Our children are highly educated and are given the opportunity to maximise their fullest potential. I am sure that Lydia Ko and Danny Lee’s parents actually agree that they have had the opportunity to give the best to their children because they lived in New Zealand.All parents actually want to do this for their children but sometimes there are issues and I want to talk just a little bit about domestic violence and family violence. About 1½ weeks ago I was very lucky to MC an event that was hosted by the Gandhi Nivas charitable trust in Auckland where it was raising money to house perpetrators of domestic violence. Often it is actually the victims who are uprooted from their home. It is the women and the children who are uprooted and they are actually taken away from their homes away from the things that they know. But the Gandhi Nivas charitable trust is actually looking at taking away the perpetrators so that the victims can remain at home in the comfort of their home. The trust is providing housing for the perpetrators it is providing counselling for the perpetrators and it is doing it in a very culturally sensitive and appropriate way. It is not just “Shock horror!” remove the family and split the family up. I commend the work of Gandhi Nivas. I know that Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga was there and members of the Opposition were there as well. I saw—Hon Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga: Mahesh Bindra.MELISSA LEE: —Mahesh Bindra from New Zealand First. I know that that member is very supportive of that trust as well so I thank the member for being there. We raised a lot of money and I am very proud that we have actually been able to do that.We are very focused as a Government and we are focused on our work around the main priorities. Our main priorities revolve around responsibly managing the Government finances so that taxpayers’ money is spent wisely on the services that New Zealanders actually need and require. It is not about frivolously spending on a particular liking of certain members of this Parliament; it is about responsibly managing the whole country. I think most New Zealanders see that this National-led Government has been able to do that.We are also building a more productive and competitive economy to support more jobs raise incomes and build opportunities for all New Zealand families not just people in Auckland or Dunedin—it is not just about one specific area; it is about all of New Zealand. I know that there has been focus on the growth of jobs in the rural sector as well and that is also evident in the roll-out of ultra-fast broadband. It is not just in Auckland that that is actually happening. It is happening right around the country.We are also delivering better public services so that our schools continue to better educate our students. Today we had the top scholars in the National Certificate of Educational Achievement visiting Parliament. I know that one of them the top female scholar is actually a Korean girl. Her name is Hanseul Nam. I met her uncle in Korea who was so very proud of her. I would like to congratulate all of those scholars.