NIKKI KAYE (National—Auckland Central) : I will start by commenting on what the previous speaker, Grant Robertson, said. Mr Robertson said that Labour is connecting with New Zealanders. I ask Mr Robertson why, if Labour is connecting with New Zealanders, Phil Goff is on 6 percent in the polls and John Key is on 70 percent. If Labour is connecting with New Zealanders, I ask why Mr Chris Carter is being chased by the media down the stairs of Parliament House. If Labour is connecting with New Zealanders, I ask why the Labour Party is engaging in a rebranding competition to call itself funky, retro, and sober. The truth is that the Labour Party is not connecting with New Zealanders; it is National that is focused on policy and on delivering for areas like Auckland.
I will touch on some of the key policies that we are delivering, particularly in the area of Auckland. If we fast forward 20 to 40 years, we will see that the role of the Government is not only to deliver to the people now but also to deliver to the New Zealanders who will come after us. We must ensure that Auckland has a quality of life that makes it not only the fifth-best city in the world but also, one day, the best city in the world. That is why I am very proud to stand here and be confident that we have delivered a system of local government in Auckland that will enable us to finally deliver the infrastructure it needs. We recently passed legislation that delivers a system of local governance that will enable us to compete successfully with Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane for both people and investment. There is a very good Queen song that reminds me of our reform in local government—and I know that Mr Speaker likes to sing:
One dream, one soul, one prize, one goal
One golden glance of what should be
It’s a kind of magic
The waiting seems eternity
The day will dawn of sanity
It’s a kind of magic.
One place, one council, one mayor, one plan—finally, for Auckland, it’s a kind of magic. Opposition members were all over the place in terms of their position, but history will show that one regional entity will finally deliver positive change in Auckland.
With over 2 million people expected to be living in Auckland by 2050, we need to make sure that we have the housing to support them. I will touch on the rotting homes situation that we have in Auckland. The previous Labour Government failed to deliver for many New Zealanders who have suffered through having rotting homes. I am very proud that I can tell members that in the Auckland City area over 2,000 people will possibly be eligible to have their houses finally fixed. We are very proud of that as a Government. We are also delivering in transport for Auckland, with over $2.8 billion going into Auckland transport. I know that Mr Twyford is smiling there on the back row because he knows how much money we are spending in Auckland in terms of transport. That transport is reflected in local projects like the Victoria Park tunnel in central Auckland. It is reflected in the huge amount of money that we are spending on rail, including over $500 million for rail electrification and $500 million for electric trains.
We are also investing in people, which is reflected in tax cuts. Members opposite have said today that we are not investing in some of our most disadvantaged people. Labour members say that our policies are for the rich. Well, I can tell members that, within my electorate, I am confident that nearly 19,000 people who are on incomes between $14,000 and $48,000 are getting a tax cut under our Government, from 21 percent to 17.5 percent. That is not about delivering for the rich; those people need that cash to get through in these times. Under National, we are connecting with New Zealanders. We are delivering on policies for areas like Auckland, and those policies are transformational in terms of Auckland’s local governance. They are fixing historical problems like the leaky homes issue. People’s houses have been rotting for a very long time, but that issue was ignored under the previous Labour Government. We are delivering in terms of infrastructure spending on transport, and we are delivering to ensure that New Zealanders have a fairer tax system. I am very proud that we are delivering for areas like Auckland to ensure that people there have a better quality of life. This Government is connecting with New Zealanders, and that is why we are doing so well. I am proud to be part of a National Government.
