that they use to welcomed Peter Thiel, to lift those deportation
orders from those nine students who
are actually seeking sanctuary at a
church. Thank you.
I'm
I'm very
I'm very pleased to stand in support of the PM's statement for this
parliament for this year and for the
people of our nation. This year is
going to be a busy and ambitious
year in terms of legislation
going to be a busy and ambitious
bring changes through into this nation that
bring changes through into this nation that will continue to
undergird and support New
Zealanders. Just for the sake of the
previous Minister and her comments.
There are a number of levers which
the Government can utilise to
improve the wellbeing of New
Zealanders
improve the wellbeing of New
one. Secondly, last year, for the first time in 42 years,
one. Secondly, last year, for the
was allocated to families with children who are on benefits and who
are at the lower end of the
another lever that this Government has done in order to ensure that
those most vulnerable are supported.
We hear time and time again
those most vulnerable are supported. We hear time and time again, from
the left, about the borrowings of
this Government, yet when we went
through that worst recession in 60
years and we borrowed money week
after week to protect those people,
to shield them and protect them from
those sharp edges of recession, not
one word of thanks
those sharp edges of recession, not
acknowledgement that we use the equity and the strength
acknowledgement that we use the equity and the strength of this
nation, often won by strong
business, in order to protect those
most vulnerable. It's also good to
see, and important to acknowledge,
that the average annual wage is now
almost
that the average annual wage is now
of inflation. And wages are expected to reach
of inflation. And wages are expected
all we hear is an alternative fact from the Opposition regarding the
growth and the opportunity that New
Zealanders are getting under this
Zealanders
Zealanders are getting under this Government and I have to say, it is
eight years of solid and careful
management of this country that has
enabled us to do that. We were one
of the first developed countries in
the world to get back to surplus
after the GFC, with a
the world to get back to surplus
surplus last year. We're on track to reduce Government debt to around
surplus last year. We're on track to
of GDP by 2020. That is good by anybody's standards
of GDP by 2020. That is good by
first in the world for prosperity and ease the doing business, first
equal for
and ease the doing business, first
second for quality of government. Those are all statistics that have
been hard fought for by this
Government and by the people of New
Zealand who, through some very
difficult and challenging times,
proved to be resilient and proved to
work hard. I take my hat off to
business owners, because they are
the ones who generate job growth.
They are the ones, in changing
circumstances, they are the ones
when markets are unstable or
uncertain around the world, who have
to take the risk. I know business
owners who have increased their own
borrowings against their own house
in order to pay their staff. We take
our hat off to those sorts of
employers. Those sorts of people who
care for the people who work for
them. And who are prepared to invest
in them at their own cost and, at
times, at their own peril.
in them at their own cost and, at times, at their own peril. This
Government backs New Zealanders. We
back those people who take those
risks to create those new jobs and
new businesses. I am pleased that we
are number one in the world for the
ease of doing business, because what
that means is that those
businesspeople have a Government
that supports them, have a
Government that is facing them, not
our back against them, but we are
listening to what they need in terms
of being able to run their business.
This year, we have a further
of being able to run their business.
million reduction in ACC levies and that, since 2012, equates to
million reduction in ACC levies and
billion less a year that we are taking as a Government in ACC
levies. That is good for New Zealand
individuals and workers and that is
good for New Zealand business. We do
that, instead of gathering and
gathering and gathering, we only
take that which is necessary to
offer back that strong and robust
system of accident compensation.
offer back that strong and robust system of accident compensation. We
also back NZ inners who need the
Government's
also back NZ inners who need the
need the Government's support in their lives. And that package that
came into place 1 April last year to
help those New Zealanders who need
support. We would have to say that
support. We would have to say that the attainment through education is
another huge gain for this
Government and this country, yet all
we hear is criticism and alternative
facts from the Opposition. But we
have seen NCEA achievements go from
continued to see Maori achievement in NCEA to be only surpassed by a
very few. There is huge gains
in NCEA to be only surpassed by a
there are huge gains in those places.
there are huge gains in those
We have tremendous effort, as that member will know, in order to
support young people into education.
Of course, she will know. Great
organisations like Taranaki Futures,
that are working very hard with
students in high school and school
leavers to help them gain trade
qualifications. I remember, I
remember the first year that that
organisation worked with young men
and women, young boys and girls from
high school, every single one of
those students who were engaged in
that programme went into an
apprenticeship and that is a
community that's pulling together,
improving these things. During this
time,
improving these things. During this time, we are seeing huge numbers of
people who ordinarily wouldn't come
to New Zealand, because they'd
rather stay in Australia, come back
to our country, New Zealanders.
Because they see this as the land of
opportunity. If there's one word
that I would love to see in 2017,
it's going to be
that I would love to see in 2017,
'opportunity' should be a word that we become very comfortable and
familiar with, because this
Government has created the platform
under the wise leadership and
financial leadership of Bill
English, our PM, he has made
financial leadership of Bill
has brought in great policy and great decisions that have given us
right now a platform that enables us
to see this increased opportunity
for all New Zealanders. We know that
we live in a fragile world.
for all New Zealanders. We know that we live in a fragile world. 2016 saw
cataclysmic change across this
globe. And that's not over yet.
cataclysmic change across this globe. And that's not over yet. We
know that, for a nation as well as
we are, 4.5, 4.6 million people,
living at the very end of the world,
with great distance to our markets,
that we need to be productive, we
need to be focused, we need to be
deliberate, we need to be strategic.
Eight years of incredible experience on the international stage, eight
years of taking us through some of
the most challenging times, whether
that be economic or natural
cataclysmic events, we know that
this Government has experience, this
Government has learned what it is to
lead and to govern during stressful
times and this world
lead and to govern during stressful
in a stressful time. It's important that we have a government that is
not divided, that is together,
that's unified, that's cohesive,
that's coherent and has very clear
policy
that's coherent and has very clear
that we have policy! So far, we have not heard of any policy that has
come from the Opposition, all that
we hear is how good the 'vibe' is.
we hear is how good the 'vibe' is. What we don't need is people jiving
to the vibe. What we need is people
who are smart, intelligent,
strategic, and have got experience
and depth and know how to make
decisions. This is the party, the
able to do that as we continue to lead this nation through reduction
of costs for business, through the
support where needed for New
Zealanders, and, sir, supporting
those businesses who go out there
and take the risk and increase the
job opportunities. What we need is a
government who is able to engage
internationally across the world and
see those relationships fostered so
that
see those relationships fostered so that, indeed, we can see our
businesses prosper. This economy is
diversifying, we have tourism now a
burgeoning opportunity for this
nation, we are doing much in the
regions to see tourism increase, we
are doing much to see our regions
come together with great plans of
growth and development. I'm very
happy and privileged