Maharey Steve: General Debate 
Maharey Steve: General Debate 
[Volume:638;Page:8624] 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister of Education) 
: 
 There will be people at home who are unfamiliar with the voice of John Key because he has been here for only 4 years. There are members on the other side of the Chamber who have been here almost all their lives—they have been here so long—but they have had to watch somebody who has been here for only 4 years rise above them and be made the leader of the once-great National Party. He is their great hope to lead them back into the ring at the next election. Since John Key has been elevated to his position people have asked in boxing terms whether he has the legs. Does he have a punch? Can he go the distance? Does he have a glass jaw? These are all the kinds of things one might ask about a boxer. 
Let us have a look at what has happened to John Key the inexperienced lightweight as he has tried to move up to the heavyweight division and entered the ring each time. Firstly let us take the example of foreign affairs. The Prime Minister went to the US and appeared on television. Virtually every commentator in the country and around the world said: “What a fantastic leader!”. She was overseas representing the nation and saying that we needed to build the relationship with the US and on this side of the world what did we have? We had a man described as a prat because he broke the convention of not criticising someone who is offshore representing this country by undermining our Prime Minister while she was away doing the best for the country. I think that is a knockout; I think that is a knockout. 
Let us go to the second one. Let us say that here is a man—brand new. He knows nothing but wants to do something about the “poo-ar” of the country—I am sure that those on the other side refer to them that way; that is how Don Brash used to refer to them—so he takes a few muesli bars and rips around to a local school he has never been to before. He asks them whether they would like the muesli bars but they tell him they do not need them and they do not want them. He says that well he will run an entire food programme for schools on the basis of his failure there—and a little bit later we see in the paper that the entire programme has been withdrawn. I think that is a knockout—that is a knockout as well. 
Let us consider national testing. On the day that 1600 principals were gathered together in Auckland praising this education system—1400 from overseas and Sir Ken Robinson the world-renowned educationalist praising our system—the Leader of the Opposition was bagging our primary schools saying that he wanted national standards league tables and national testing that was age-related for 5-year-olds. He was told unequivocally that no one—no one—agreed. I think that is a knockout; I think that is a knockout. 
This is the same member who changes his mind on the most fundamental national issues—no State housing: “We are not going to have income-related rents; we believe that market rents are the only way to allocate housing.” And: “We believe that people should buy their own house.” says John Key as the spiritual leader of the National Party informed by the Exclusive Brethren to lead that way. What would they say? They would say that the market has to be allowed to rule and now John Key says that National will try market rents. 
This man changes his mind too easily. It tells us that the three knockout punches so far have made him punch-drunk and that he will agree now with anything. He will agree with anything—with any policy put in front of him. If he thinks he will get elected he will agree with it. That is why Mr Key is now seen as a total lightweight who has tried to step up to the heavyweight division. He has tried to foot it but fundamentally he might float like a butterfly but he has the sting of a wet bus ticket.