Mark RonRON MARK (Deputy Leader—NZ First): Well what a weekend we have had with youths running riot in Kaikohe 27 burglaries and theft ex-vehicle in the Carterton district—Darroch Ball: How many? RON MARK: —27—on Saturday night and this on a backdrop of a Government that has been telling everybody that crime and particularly youth crime is under control and reducing. Then on Tuesday 21 March the youth crime statistics were finally out telling the truth. We in this House have been subjected to 3 years of statistics manipulation by a Government trying desperately to convince the nation and convince every person who has had their house burgled and who has witnessed assault on the streets and the sorts of things that our Indian dairy shop owners are being subjected to in Auckland time and time again—to the point now that they are suggesting they should have firearms to defend themselves; I have never ever heard of that in New Zealand before—that crime is on the decrease. I find it quite bizarre. I am sorry for the media up there—how short their memories are. New Zealand First sits here and watches this debacle. Watching Labour and National arguing over crime is like watching two drunks fighting over a half-empty gin bottle full of law and order policy. See the truth is that when we start talking youth crime and gangs there is only one party in this House that has been consistent year after year after year and that is New Zealand First. So in answer to Mr Nash's questions over there on 29 March which piece of legislation did we try to introduce? New Zealand First's Young Offenders (Serious Crimes) Bill. On 21 May 2008 who voted it down? Labour and National. Who is it that specifically every time we tried to table the anti – gang organised crime bill to outlaw gangs denied New Zealand First the opportunity to table that bill? Labour. Time and time and time again it denied us—Labour—and who went out there with a proposed law change to raise the age of criminal responsibility? Actually it was Labour. When was that? 2008. Who then said they would oppose it and that you would have to be dumb—you would have to be dumb—Darroch Ball: National—bunch of wussies. RON MARK: —to pass such legislation? National. And who said you would have to be dumb? Judith Collins. Who else had a comment? I am looking at my colleague Darroch Ball who is all over this like a rash. Who else said it? Anne Tolley. Anne Tolley said as recently as April 2016: However in a Cabinet paper Social Development Minister Anne Tolley said she did not recommend lifting the age saying it might send a signal the government did not take offending by children seriously." Who now has got a bill in a select committee to raise the age of criminal responsibility totally contrary to all the election promises in 2008? Mind you this is the same party that was going to put young offenders into boot camps. Who did that? Well National promised it. Did it do it? No it did not. Now we have this bizarre situation where the new deputy leader of the Labour Party Jacinda Ardern coupled up with her National Government mates is attacking Darroch Ball in a select committee for daring to oppose this absurd law of raising the age of criminal responsibility. New Zealand sees right through this claptrap and this game between those two parties which are becoming known as "Pepsi" and "Coke"—"Pepsi" and "Coke". Red and blue there is nothing new—they are both the same. One says one thing the other speaks against it and then when it comes to the time they are in Government they break their promises. They go back on their word. Youth crime is at a high once again and the only thing we know that is consistent is that the one party that has advocated sensible law changes and will continue to do that is New Zealand First. Those two parties consistently oppose New Zealand First's attempts to eliminate gangs—to eliminate gangs—and to hold youth offenders accountable. We will not deviate from that. All we will ask is that the media for once do some homework back check and check the veracity and actually the integrity of what these two old hack parties are selling them."