Hayes John: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Hayes John: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:670;Page:16635] 
JOHN HAYES (National—Wairarapa) 
: 
 There was a huge amount of fuss and bluster from the previous speaker Darren Hughes a person who had a bit of a cheek in saying that my colleague Wayne Mapp should feel embarrassed about being in this House because he is retiring. I think that Darren Hughes should feel very very embarrassed about being in this House—his electorate voted him out yet he is still here. I tell him to explain that to his people. He was full of criticism of the Government but he was a member of the Cabinet that cost this country $700 million in the failed purchase of Tranz Rail. That is how smart he is! 
Then what did that man’s Government do? It left us I say to Mr Hughes with a $2.5 billion underfunding problem in the ACC account. There was a shortfall there and in 9 years of that man’s Government what did he do as a Cabinet Minister? He increased the number of Public Service employees by 50 percent. What an absolutely appalling Cabinet Minister he was! That speaker has this evening followed a long line of other Labour speakers who have— 
Hon Dr Wayne Mapp 
: Communists. 
JOHN HAYES 
: Yes they are communists as Dr Mapp says and basically their plan for this country is to borrow and hope. That man his party and his colleagues are about borrowing and hoping. As my Prime Minister John Key said 2 days ago the annual cost of Labour’s spending promises is $5 billion and climbing. A succession of Labour speakers followed by Mr Hughes today could explain to one person in this country how they are going to pay for this plan. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: We are going to cut your Public Service pension. 
JOHN HAYES 
: I say to Mr Hughes that his leader spent 7 hours in a beauty salon over the summer and that was just to get the estimate for colouring his hair. Every time Phil Goff opens his mouth in this House he confirms Labour’s borrow-and-hope recipe but it will add hundreds of millions of dollars to Government borrowing. 
This man Darren Hughes—Mr “Whatever He Is”; a list MP in Levin—and his leader would saddle New Zealand with more debt to foreigners who would have to be paid back—guess what—with interest. That is Labour’s plan. They borrow more and then New Zealand gets a credit downgrade. What will that do? That will push up interest rates for Kiwi families it will push up interest rates for business and it will cost jobs. How dumb is that! 
In a state of the nation speech last month Phil Goff announced a $1.3 billion promise to make the first $5000 of annual income free of tax including for the wealthiest New Zealanders like me and like every person in this House. He wants to give us all a tax cut. It is the most expensive way of providing a benefit in this country. It is totally dumb I say to Mr Hughes. It is totally dumb I say to Mr Goff. Although many New Zealand families are careful with their money and pay their own debts Labour is promising to do the exact opposite. But they will not do it with their money. Oh no! They will do it with taxpayers’ money. 
At least Mr Goff has done New Zealanders a service early in the electoral year. He has contrasted Labour’s lack of a plan loose spending more borrowing and high taxes with National’s responsible plan to bring debt under control and to get this economy growing faster. 
Darren Hughes lives over the hill from me. My community suffered for 9 long years under Georgina Beyer and Helen Clark and we are in a recession now because they squandered the good times. [ 
Interruption 
] They squandered their money in the good times. Why are our businesses in recession? I say thank you to Georgina Beyer Helen Clark and Cabinet Minister Darren Hughes—they did a wonderful job squandering our taxes. 
The farmers in my electorate and the manufacturers in Dannevirke like Metalform and the Fonterra milk powder plant in Pahiatua need world-class infrastructure to ensure that they can compete efficiently and productively on the global market. I am really supportive of Minister Joyce and his efforts to ensure that our schools in Porangahau Eketahuna and Pirinoa can get on board the broadband train and make the most of this great technology. Minister Joyce has ensured that the work gets done. 
I heard Georgina Beyer promise for 9 years that the Labour Government would fix the Rimutaka hill road and what did it deliver with Helen Clark? It delivered nothing. What did Mr Hughes deliver in Cabinet? He delivered nothing—absolutely nothing. Steven Joyce has not only fixed the Rimutaka hill road as everybody can see when they drive by but is also working on the highway between Woodville and Dannevirke in my electorate. Furthermore he is working very hard to help KiwiRail become more competitive and I know from the Greater Wellington Regional Council that the Wairarapa train service is the most profitable in New Zealand. In my electorate we are also providing help to people with leaky homes. Why? Well what did Labour leave behind? 
The Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay farmers in my electorate who earn this country’s foreign exchange were left after 9 long years of poor governance with dial-up Internet compromised by electric fence interference and no plan. Industry paid the telecommunications levy for improving rural broadband but there was no accountability about how it was spent. 
Labour set up a $325 million broadband investment fund which was all about giving piecemeal grants to operators. It was not about building a solid broadband network. Labour called for tenders before the 2008 election. Did I see anything come of it in my first term in this House? Not a jot. This country’s Prime Minister John Key is swapping a $325 million grant scheme for a $1.8 billion investment. 
When one looks at science and innovation with my good friend Wayne Mapp we see that a new ministry the Ministry of Science and Innovation has been established. It will be a far more effective bridge between science and industry in helping to turn great ideas into export successes. What did Mr Mapp inherit when he became the Minister in this area? He inherited a system that was overly complex and bureaucratic and businesses were not investing enough in research and development. Tax credits were open slather for accountants with no guarantee that the money would be used for research. 
Hon Hekia Parata 
: Dr Mapp is on to it. 
JOHN HAYES 
: Absolutely he is on to it. 
In the last 12 months through the work efforts of Murray McCully and my colleague Tim Groser this country has signed a trade agreement with China which has generated about $850 million of new exports to China. That is the same as finding a market the size of Indonesia and who does that help? It helps every farmer. 
Hon Steve Chadwick 
: Labour started it. 
JOHN HAYES 
: Labour started it but Labour did not finish it did it? 
I was particularly pleased to be on the Government select committee that dealt with the Rugby World Cup legislation. As we have seen in the last 2 months in the Wairarapa the air show run by Tom Williams brought in about $8 million to our area and the La De Da concert brought in huge amounts of money and saved the Masterton south area from total economic devastation over the summer period. The Rugby World Cup will do the same for the Wairarapa when we host the Georgian team. This Government has a plan. The plan is to increase the accountability and the efficiency of the bureaucracy grow the economy promote exports and get rid of waste. 
This afternoon I heard a lot of comments from Opposition members about cutting early childhood education. I can tell members that that budget has actually been increased by $400 million and that although there are some readjustments we are trying to help the people at the bottom of the pile not at the top. I can tell members that in my electorate fewer than 40 percent of childcare centres are actually impacted by that change. When I have written about it in the paper— 
Hon Steve Chadwick 
: So that’s all right is it? That’s great for parents. 
JOHN HAYES 
: I can tell the member that it has strong community support. I have had only complimentary comments except from two people in the Labour Party who are busy writing to the local newspaper on that issue. This Government has a plan and this plan is going to be implemented over the next 6 years. Thank you.